The Power and the Glory
Pg. 161-182
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October 18, 2007
5:35 P.M.
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.....In today's class we discussed whether or not the whiskey priest was an exemplary character. I have a very strong opinion about this, and this section of the book just reinforced it. In the begginning I thought that he was a coward and a hypocrite. I mean, how can a priest, a moral man, drown his sorrows in alcohol? How could he have a daughter and a lover? Why would he even consider giving up his beliefs like Padre Jose did? Society has this image of what a perfect priest must be. A perfect priest is a man that spreads morality, faith, and belief; a priest is not your friend, he is someone that needs to guide you to the right path. It is obvious that he is not an exemplary religious figure; he is a clear representation of the hypocrisy in religion. When he gets infuriated by the woman's confession in Page 173, shows how his frustation spills over into his own work. He condemns her for not confessing her "real sins."I mean, who is he to condemn her for being a good person or for confessing her sins? He is the one that is constantly beating himself up for being a bad priest and Christian. He is the one that is fully of mortal sins, isn't he? Has he even tried to absolve his own sins and make peace with them? No! "But because it was so peaceful he was all the more aware of his own sin as he prepared to take the Elements...(176)" Although, I strongly believe that he is not an exemplary religious figure, towards the middle of the book, I realized I was judging him unjustly.
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.....As I continued reading the novel his hardships became obvious; he was just another one of the tortured souls out there. 'What was the good of confessionn when you loved the result of your crim (176)." Eventhough he is a priest, he is also a human being. I had him up in a podium, expecting him to be amazing and completely pure (Just like society portrays priests. Society also expects them to live up to their reputation). However, no one is perfect, and just because he is priest doesn't mean that he is automatically perfect.
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......He is an exemplary human being. He has survived fevers, hunger, and fear with extreme courage and strength. Very few people would be able to survive the hardships that he has faced during the last couple of years. The physical pain is just part of it, the psychological torture is a greater one. Imagine constantly living in solitude, escaping from your own beliefs. What if you couldn't voice your beliefs, your thoughts? "It ought to be possible for a man to be happy here, if he were not so tied to fear and suffering - unhappiness too can become a habit like piety...He felt immense envy of all those people who had confessed to him and been absolved(173)." And through all the ups and downs he still has a soul. He is still willing to give to the people around him and to the ones that he encounters. I mean in the end of this section he gave his last 40 pesos so that the school master could buy food and necessities for the people of the town. He is a good man, no one in his position would have considered giving up their last pesos for somebody else's necessities.
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