Introduction:
As we study the story of the novel ‘The Power and the Glory’ and some other novels of Graham Greene we find him pointing out evil as a significant part. He saw it in the world, so he tried to express it in the pages of his novels. The whisky priest in the present novel has been expressed as the symbol of evil. His nature and some of his actions clearly show it. A priest should try to get salvation in his life to reach the kingdom of God. He can get it only by keeping good thoughts and by doing good acts on this earth. According to the writer, many men and priests also fail in their such efforts.
The Whisky Priest as a Sinner, or an Evil Character:
The whisky priest was the last priest in that State after some other priests had either run away from there, or they had been shot dead. The whisky priest was certainly a sinner because he had married Maria and had become the father of a daughter whose name was Brigitta. It is not a religious act for a priest to marry any woman. In this way, it was clearly an evil act on his part. He could not save his soul because had had served his body by means of his sexual act with Maria. At the same time, he was addicted to liquor, so it was his evil act and he was a sinner. He had failed to live upto the high standard of an ideal priest because of his two main defects of sex and liquor. Graham Greene himself was a strict follower of Roman Catholic religion, so he created the whisky priest as a sinner with his some glaring defects. This is the reason that he could not be placed in the category of a saint. He was very proud because he had remained the only priest in that State.
When the whisky priest had visited that village where Maria and her daughter used to live, he thought about his sinful life as a sinner. Then he had clearly realised the fact that he was a bad priest as well as a whisky priest for doing a number of sins. When he was travelling towards Carmen, he had to spend a night in a hut in the company of the mestizo. Then he became, meditative and thought about his sins as his evil acts in the past. He himself said these words, “O God, forgive me. I am a proud, lustful, greedy man. I have loved authority too much.” The priest told himself that he could not be even a martyr because he did only wrong things in his life. When he was caught with a bottle of brandy in his pocket, he was imprisoned. There he told other prisoners that he was not only a bad priest but he was also a bad man doing many sins in his life. He was not only a drunkard but he had also a child after his sexual relationship with Maria.
The Priest's View about his Damnation:
When the Lieutenant had arrested him, the priest frankly told him that he was a bad priest, so he was afraid to die and said these words. “But I am not a saint. I am not even a brave man.” He further told him that he could still get God's pardon to those persons who confessed their sins to him but not for himself . He was very proud, so he had stayed in that State even at the risk of his life. He added that pride was the worst thing in his life. Even the angels fall from their high position due to their pride. He again said that as a priest he would be damned for his sins and evil acts.
He said these significant words that he had “immense disappointment because he has to go to God empty - handed, with nothing done at all.”
Evil in some other Characters and Events:
As we go on studying the story of the novel we find evil in some other characters and events. For example, both Maria and her little daughter, Brigitta are the signs of evil related to the life of the whisky priest. The second example is that of that couple who were busy in sexual act even in the prison where the priest was also imprisoned. Thirdly, the American gangster had fired even at the innocent child who had died after a short time. Lastly the mestizo is the sign of evil and hypocrisy. There are some violent and sexual events in the story which show the element of evil.
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