The Art of Denial

The Power and the Glory (Final Entry)

Page 202-221

October 26, 2007

10:01 A.M.

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......Towards the end of the novel, the author once again recurrs to parallelism in order to tell the story. The connection I made to the priest was the usual state of denial and the need to separate oneself from reality; however, I must admit the ending left me very confused.

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.......After the priest was supposedly shot, the reader gets a look back at the Fellows household. Although it is never directly stated, the reader is lead to believe something happened to Coral Fellows and her parents are on their way back home. It is obvious Trixy Fellows wants to act as if Coral didn't exist, as if she didn't relate to them at all. "But we agreed, dear, didn't we, that it was better to say nothing at all, ever. We mustn't be morbid...We've got our own life to lead (211)." She wants to be separated from Coral's memory, she wants nothing to do with it. She hides her sorrow in her perkiness, in the enthusiasm the future holds. The future is a new beginning that will help her part from Coral and from her memory. Starting fresh at her sister's house will help Trixy forget about Coral that way she won't need to be in denial anymore, Coral's memory will just vanish on its own.

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......Just as well, the reader sees Mr. Tench's denial. He has finally heard back from his wife in England, but to his dissappointment she wants "to make things legal. Divorce...(215)." It is quite obvious that Mr. Tench is completely destroyed. "He belched and put his other hand against his stomach, pressing, pressing, seeking an obscure pain which was nearly always there (215)." This pain is a cause of the heartbreak, the solitude, and the disappointment brought along by his wife's request. It is obvious that he still loves her, and she has clearly moved on. However, he wants to deny that his wife still has such effect on him and that he is so vulnerable, so he dismisses his pain as "just indigestion (215)." He denies that his wife's request has any effect on him by claiming it's indigestion.

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......The whiskey priest, which we later find out is named Juan, drowns his sorrows in his alcohol bottle. He washes away his worries and problems for some time, while the effects of the acohol are still very much alive. He hates the fact that he is a bad priest, a bad role model, and a weak person; in order to deny it all, he drinks. By drinking he can run away from his conscience, he can deny everything even his mere existence. Drinking is the only thing that allows this state of denial to exist. I think this ending clearly reflects a very important message in the book. We humans always find insincere ways to deny our cruel realities. We are cowards who constantly look for ways to escape and run away from the things that haunt us. This is a very strong message the book is trying to convey: we need to open our eyes, live life with its realities, and learn to love ourselves because no one is perfect.

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Some questions that were left unanswered:
1) What actually happened to Coral Fellows?

2) Did they really shoot Juan or was he the one that arrived at the little boy's house?

3) What brought a sudden change in the little boy's attitude towards priests?