Rushdie's The Courter

KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS

SETTING

The novel The Power and the Glory deals with religious persecution in Mexico after the Mexican

Revolution of 1910. There were clashes between the state and the church and under the presidency of

Plutarco Elias Calles (1924-28), anti-clerical measures were adopted and organized religion was banned.

Calles believed that the Catholic Church was responsible forвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦.

CHARACTERS

Major Characters

The Whisky Priest - the protagonist of the book who is supposedly the last surviving priest in a province

where churches have been closed down. He is trying toвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦..

The Lieutenant - the antagonist of the Whisky Priest. He is an ambitious young man who wishes to see

his country free from poverty, superstition, and ignorance. Since he believesвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦..

Maria - the woman with whom the Whisky Priest вЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦.

Brigitta - the illegitimate daughter ofвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦..

Padre JosÐ"© - a weak Priest who, in order to save his life, gives up hisвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦.

The Chief of Police - a character who is more interested in вЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦.

The Mestizo - a half-Spanish and half-Indian man who вЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦

James Calvin (The Gunman or The Gringo) - a bank robber and murderer who is pursued by theвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦

Minor Characters

Mr. Tench - an English dentist who is stranded in Mexico.

Captain Charles Fellows - a foreigner and a trader who operates the Central American Banana Company

and who is resented by the Mexicans.

Mrs. Trix Fellows - Captain Fellows’ wifeвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦

CONFLICT

Protagonist: The Whisky Priest, as a symbol of the Church, is theвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦.

Antagonist: The Lieutenant, as the symbol of the вЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦..

Conflict: The conflict in The Power and the Glory is between the Government (the Power) and the

Church (the Glory). The Government wishes to вЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦.

Climax: The Whisky Priest’s meeting with the Lieutenant at the police station after spending a night in

prison is the climax of the plot. This takes place in вЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦..

Outcome: The story of the Whisky Priest ends in a tragedy when вЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦.

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene - MonkeyNotes by PinkMonkey.com

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3

PLOT

The plot of The Power and the Glory is a simple one. It is the story of a priest who tries to practice his

faith while seeking safety in the anti-religious age in Mexico. He journeys from Carmen through various

villages and back to Carmen again, with the Lieutenant constantly in pursuit of him. Imprisonment and

release take him away from Carmen a second time. Again, he moves from village to village performing

his priestly duties until he isвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦

THEME

The Church is eternal and triumphant, and no repressive regime can destroy it.

MOOD

The mood of the novel is gloomy. The picture of the world as presented through Mexico is chaotic, and

sin is ever present. Vultures, snakes, hyenas, beetles, turkeys, and sharks are all unpleasant creatures

contributing to the mood. The physical features of the land are вЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦Ð²Ð‚¦

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

GRAHAM GREENE

Graham Greene, one of six children, was born on October 2, 1904, in Berhamsted, Hertfordshire, England.

He attended Berhamsted public school, where his father was the headmaster. He also went to Balliol

College at Oxford in 1922. His life at school and at home was so unhappy that heвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦..

LITERARY/HISTORICAL INFORMATION

Graham Greene had a long literary career. He started writing before World War II and continued writing

until his death in 1991. He gained popularity in the thirties, largely because вЂ¦Ð²Ð‚¦..

CHAPTER SUMMARIES WITH NOTES

PART I

CHAPTER 1

Summary

The chapter opens with Tench, the dentist, who is looking for his ether cylinder, which is supposed to

have come by ship. The first description of the scene is ominous. Vultures are looking down from a

rooftop on a scorching Mexican waterfront; they are in search of carrion. Tench throws a stone and hits

them. One vulture flies over the plaza, over the bust of an ex-president, and toward the river and the sea.

Tench is an Englishman settled in Mexico. He is seen walking towards the quay, sweating