The Mestizo and The Priest - The Power and the Glory
Auther's Note - This is a response to the scene in The Power and the Glory, in which the Priest meets the Mestizo, the character who symbolizes Judas.
"He was in the presence of Judas." (91) This quotes describe a scene in the novel, The Power and the Glory, in which the Whiskey Priest had encountered a man called Mestizo. This Mestizo character had only two teeth: his canines, thus representing somewhat of an animal. While the Priest had been leaving a small town he had a sense that he was being followed and when he turned and stopped the Mestizo insisted on guiding the Priest to Carmen. On their journey the Mestizo kept asking the Priest, "Why do you not trust me?" The answer to that question was quite obvious. Why trust a man who has bad intentions? The Priest had already sensed a feeling of a pure evil conviction from this Mestizo who symbolizes Judas and living like an animal.
After the Whiskey Priest had made his way to Carmen and managed to get put in jail, he had to clean the cells out. While cleaning out the cells he came across the cell in which held the Mestizo. This animal like man had been standing next to vomit, just as a dog would. The Mestizo lives exactly like a dog -- he's described as to looking like a dog and his disgusting behavior mimics those of his looks. It's only a matter of time until the Mestizo betrays the Priest, he's waiting for that iron moment, just as Judas had waited for the perfect moment to betray Jesus to the Romans.
A Purpose - Final Response to The Power and the Glory
It's a question that often crosses my mind, something that most people also think about. What is my purpose in life? What do I stand for? In Graham Greene's novel, The Power and the Glory, each character represents a different purpose in life. Greene's trying to tell people to have a conviction in something, to stand for what they believe in, and not to waste their lives, because a life without a purpose is a life not worth living.Of the many characters in the novel, the Whiskey Priest, was quite interesting. He was the Christ figure in the novel, as well as a man whose conviction lied within his feelings and beliefs. How do you determine if a man is good or bad? Their actions. The Whiskey Priest had many scenes in the novel in which he had to choose between his wants and feelings or his beliefs. One scene in the beginning of the novel he had to choose between taking the Vera Cruz -- a boat that would take him out of the world of despair he had been stuck in for the past ten years -- or going with the young boy whose mother was dying. The Priest chose to attend the boys dying mother because it was the right thing to do, but in contrast from him choosing the right thing to do he also chooses the wrong thing -- what he wants or feels -- like in the scene where he had went with the Indian woman to lay her child to rest.
In this scene the Priest found a little boy who had been shot by the "Americano"(150) and he went with his mother to bury him. They had found a small plateau that had white crosses all over and the woman put her child down under one and left "[a] small lump of sugar… lay by the child's mouth -- in case a miracle should happen or for the spirit to eat"(156) before walking back to where she had came from. The Priest who had walked downhill now came back to the plateau to see the dead, lifeless child lying on the ground with the sugar next to it. He had been starving, so he picked up the lump of sugar and ate it because he wanted it. He chose to steal something for his own needs, something no man should do. So, how do we know if the priest was a good man? If he had good conviction? His actions show both good and evil. In the end the priest died for what he believed, what he stood for. He didn't waste his life doing nothing, he stood for his beliefs and his death was influential to Mr.Tench -- who left the country after witnessing the Priest's death. This gave hope in the world of despair in which the Priest lived, that others didn't need to waste their lives either, they could stand for something as well.
Another character that represents a purpose in life is the lieutenant. He has a very different purpose than the priest. The lieutenant is against the church and is after the priest, yet his conviction is not for evil, it is for his work. "His gaiter were polished, and pistol-holster: his buttons were all sewn on."(20) This quote describes the lieutenant's appearance as well as his personality. His polished gaiters represent his polished attitude and convictions about the church and his work. He also believed that violence was always the answer, as for this quote, "A little blood never hurt anyone." (p. 56) clearly shows his intentions when trying to solve a problem, as well as in the scene in which he took hostages to kill, until the Priest would turn up somehow. But the lieutenant is not all violence and evil, he shows remorse in his actions, "Those men I shot. They were my own people. I wanted to give them the whole world."(198) Also, when the Priest had been ironically released from jail, the lieutenant had given him a few pesos, showing that he is caring, not entirely evil like the Mestizo.
"He was in the presence of Judas."(91) This quote was used to describe the Mestizo's presence in front of the Priest. In the novel, the Mestizo represents the Judas figure as the Priest represents the Christ figure, and just like in the bible, the Mestizo, or Judas, is waiting for the "iron moment"() to betray the Priest, just as Judas betrayed Jesus to the Romans. This moment of betrayal is also an example of the Mestizo's pure evil conviction. In one scene while the Priest had been leaving a small town, he had a sense that he was being followed and when he turned and stopped, the Mestizo insisted on guiding the Priest to Carmen. On their journey the Mestizo kept asking the Priest, "Why do you not trust me?" The answer to that question was quite obvious. Why trust a man who has bad intentions?
The Priest had an early sense of a pure evil conviction from this Mestizo, who symbolizes Judas and living like an animal. Described with only two teeth: his canines, he represents somewhat of an animal. Another scene also shows how he is like an animal; this scene is after the Whiskey Priest had made his way to Carmen and managed to get put in jail. He had to clean the cells out to pay off his bail. While cleaning out the cells, he came across the cell in which held the Mestizo. This animal like man had been standing next to vomit, just as a dog would. The Mestizo lives exactly like a dog -- he's described as to looking like a dog and his disgusting behavior mimics those of his looks. He shows us that even a life full of evil conviction is not a life wasted.
There are many ways to live your life; you can sit around and waste it not having a reason to live, or you can have a conviction. These characters show us how to have a conviction, how to live with a purpose, because we only have one life and you can't afford to waste it.
