The Power and the Glory Trivia Quiz

Answer: He is nameless

Graham Greene has stated in interviews that this namelessness served several purposes. One of them was to make the priest be representative of all Roman Catholic priests, so that his perseverance in the face of adversity shows the indomitability of the faith.

The character of the priest was drawn on several real priests Greene had encountered while travelling in Mexico to write 'The Lawless Roads', a non-fiction account of the government's efforts to abolish the Church as an institution, and the practice of the faith by individuals, which occurred in the 1920s and '30s.

Another source was the Jesuit priest Miguel Pro, who had been executed in 1927 without a trial after spending several years surreptitiously performing the banned functions of a parish priest.

Answer: Whiskey priest

Greene stated that he had heard that term used during his travels to research 'The Lawless Roads' in reference to a priest about whose behaviour stories were growing into legendary proportions. Both the original and the fictional character made efforts to encourage those they met to strive for being the best they could be, and carried out priestly duties to the best of their ability; their characters, however, were flawed, so that they are seen as humans struggling to live a spiritually justified life, and not heroic figures.

The weaknesses of a whiskey priest generally include alcoholism, as the name suggests; other shortcomings may include indulgence in sexual relationships (not evil in themselves, but forbidden to the Roman Catholic priest who is following the vows made at ordination), gambling to excess, and other forms of self-indulgence.

The figure in this book is the archetype.

Answer: Tabasco

While many Mexican states were content with closing the churches, monasteries and schools, while turning a blind eye to the private practice of religious rites, Tabasco was one of those where members of the clergy were actively persecuted and prevented from carrying out their vowed duties. Some broke their vow of celibacy by taking wives, so that they could remain in the region and live on a government pension, as was the case for Padre José, who had committed to never again engaging in priestly activities. Other either left the state, or lived their lives on the run from the authorities, travelling from village to village to offer the sacraments while they stayed.

It should be noted that Graham Greene played fast and loose with the geography, stating that the state in which the events occurred had a northern border with the United States, and met the sea in the south (a description that could fit the state of Sonora). Tabasco fronts the Gulf of Mexico on the north, and the state of Chiapas on the south.

Answer: A ban on the sale of all alcoholic beverages

The ban on alcohol was especially rigorously enforced in relation to wine, due to its potential for use in Eucharistic celebrations. Ironically, the central figure had less difficulty obtaining whiskey and brandy to support his alcohol dependency! At one point, the only way the central priest can obtain some wine is to include it with a bottle of whiskey as he bargains with (read offers bribes to) government officials.

The whiskey comes in useful for his personal use, but he is talked into emptying the bottle of wine as a gesture of good faith, one which he rues deeply.

Answer: His daughter

The fact that he had (five years earlier, under the influence of alcohol) fathered a child, named Brigitta, was clearly known by the residents of that village, where the girl's mother, Maria, provides shelter to the priest when he arrives there being chased by the police. Nevertheless, they are keen to partake in the Mass at his hands, on the practical grounds that a flawed priest is better than no priest. Brigitta does not seem overly impressed with the priest, but he feels a deep love for her, and vows to do what he can for her, both physically and spiritually.

Answer: Takes hostages, and kills them if they do not reveal the priest's location

The Chief of Police in the region is thoroughly corrupt, and happy to accept bribes and ignore the law. The lieutenant, however, is philosophically committed to destroying the Church, as a corruptor of the minds and spirits of those with who it comes into contact.

He has a vision of a secular socialist state in which all citizens will be equal, and in which the wealthy landowners (including, of course, the Church) will have been forced to give up their privileges. Although this sounds like a noble goal, his methods are distinctly brutal.

This character, nameless as his quarry, is thought to have been based on the real-life Tomás Garrido Canabal, who was governor of the state of Tabasco (1920-1924; 1931-1934).

Answer: The mestizo who had guided him to Carmen

The priest did not fully trust the mestizo (a term used to describe someone who is half-Native and half-Spanish in parentage), but when he was told there was a dying man who needed to make confession, he returned anyway. It was, as suspected, a trap, and he was captured by the lieutenant, and sentenced to death for treason, insofar as he had been performing the functions of a priest.

Answer: Padre José's wife

The lieutenant's decision to allow this, despite his rabid anti-church feelings, was a sign that he was not entirely ruled by his obsession, and was willing to provide some comfort to a man whom he had come to respect. Although Padre José has been defrocked, the Church would have allowed him to hear confession in a case where the man was dying, and the priest was pleased to have the chance to make his final confession before death. Padre José's wife, however, adamantly refused to allow him to do it - and he had become so dependent on her since their marriage (which destroyed his sense of self-respect) that he did not have the will to stand up to her.

Answer: A new priest arrives in Concepcion

The lieutenant is triumphant in his belief that he has finally cleared the state of all priests. However, we see the arrival of a new priest, and know that this man, too, will carry on the struggle for the survival of his faith. When the book was written, the outcome of this struggle was far from clear, but the 21st century reader would be aware that over three-quarters of the population of Mexico describe themselves as Roman Catholics.

Answer: That he smelled strangely out of his mouth

He was a whiskey priest, remember? The smell of alcohol on his breath might not even have been noticed by a young child, but the mother certainly noticed it. Her acceptance of him as a hero despite what she clearly felt to be a distinct failing can be read in several ways. One is that there are people who try to ignore failings in their heroes, and only portray them as noble in all aspects; another would be that heroes may have shortcomings, but their heroism is nevertheless commendable.

The reader is free to choose.