The Power and the Glory

Generally considered one of Graham Greene's best works, something with which I would concur. As several critics have noted, both the portrayal of Mexico and much of the novel's action comes across almost as cinematographic. There is an undoubted compulsion to read on: the thrill of the chase, will the unnamed priest escape? While the ostensible topic of the novel relates to the socialist regime's prosecution of the Catholic Church, the much broader concern of Greene's is the question of conscience. The priest regularly, and rightly, questions his faith, considering how what he wants/wanted and gets/got from the church remains changing and unstable. Ultimately, like with Dostoevsky or Conrad, both the priest and the reader are forced to confront the question of what matters most in life, not just for existence but also for survival. Much of this novel is informed by Greene's travels in Mexico, as well as his own ambivalent relationship with the church. While multiple interpretations of The Power and the Glory are available, it seems that Greene likely left much ambiguous. The emergence at the novel's close of another priest, when the region ought to be rid of them, speaks to the ongoing presence of the church. 9/10.

By Graham Greene