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The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

Decent Essays

Throughout the novel The Power and the Glory, the main character, The Whiskey Priest is portrayed as a morally ambiguous character. He lies, he drinks, and has sexual relationships with a woman. As a result he fathers and meets his daughter, and he learns a sense of obligation. His natural instinct to protect her becomes evident. Just as he wants to help his daughter, he also helps a child in need who's mother is sick. As a result, the priest ends up missing his boat, preventing him from escaping from the law who is chasing him. In the novel, The Power and the Glory, author Graham Greene portrays the protagonist, The Whiskey Priest as both a good man and a bad man.

The Whiskey Priest is full of flaws and is aware he is not always a good man. He has sexual relations with a woman, he lies, and drinks throughout the entire novel. As an example, the Whiskey Priest is on the run throughout the novel and has many different things on his mind all at one time, yet he always seems to have time to drink. The character of the Lieutenant chases the priest the entire book, and the priest is constantly looking over his shoulder wondering if he will be caught. At one point in the story the priest looks around for wine, so he can say mass. He finds it in a bar and inevitably while he’s there he drinks once again as “the beggar winks at the man in drill and makes the motion of drawing a cork and filling a glass.” At the bar the priest gets so drunk, that even though he needs the wine for

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