The Power and the Glory: The River

Something that I have found curious in the book is that with a new beggining of a new chapter, the plot, the characters and the setting of the book changes. A new character is introduced. His name is captain Fellows and he is an american in Mexico because he runs the "Central American Banana Company". He seems to be a very happy man and he is proud of running the American company. His life in Mexico seems to be alright. "I don´t like you snouts, O trouts. He was a happy man" (pg. 31). But like every man that is happy, I guess he should have a family, and Captain Fellows had one. Mrs. Fellows and her daughter Coral.

He gets home and finds out that Coral is talking to a police man, which later on we know that is the Lieutenant that is looking for the stranger. After he is gone Coral decides to tell his dad what really is going on. After all the Lieutenant was right of going to talk to Coral because she was hiding the stranger. "He is a priest. I trust you will report at once if he is seen." (PG. 35). Here the religous problem comes into context again. It is really amazing how a thirteen year old like Coral can have the idea and responsability to take care of a man that inspires her trust and above all likes.

Later on we see how this amazing new character takes an important role that permits us understand more about the whisky priest or the stranger. "he had answers as plain and understandable as her questions. He said, "There´s the pain. To choose pain like that - it´s not possible" (pg. 40). We start seeing from another perspective what the stranger is passing through and we start analyzing this ambiguous character. He has been ordered by Captain Fellows to live the barn of his house and he does. He gets to a little village were he find a hut to stay in and mostly of all, to hide. It was a grat event in the village for a priest to appeat because eveyone felt that they had the necessity to confess all of their sins and who better that a priest. "No, father. But it is five years since we have see a priest... it was bound to happen one day" (pg. 43). Here he finds a place to stay and reorganize himself and his thoughts. Later in the book we will see how the priests story ends.