Saturday, May 2, 2009

The Power and the Glory

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5 comments:

Alex said...

“He was quite prepared to make a sacrifice for their sakes-first the Church and then the foreigner and then the politician-even his own chief would one day go. He wanted to begin the world again with them, in a desert” (P52)

Most true “cops and robber” adventure stories usually include the twiseted and obsessed sheriff, who is dipected by the Leutnant in this novel. Religion seems to be the main conflict and theme of the book so far, however it is not clear why the Leutenant is so passionate about erasing Catholicism. Most charactors are generally neutral about this religious conflict, and even the captain himself does seem as concerned with catching the priest as the Luetenant is. Although this troubled man is a Mexican, is it a possibility that this anti-religious fervor has been braught on by outside white influence? The Lieutenant will no doubt play a key and possible detrimental role, in the elimination Catholicism and its drunken priest in hiding. He seems to be willing to sacrifice his entire livelihood for his cause, and is at the epicenter of religious change in Mexico.

Anonymous said...

"'That drill,' he continued bitterly, 'is made in Japan. I've only had it a month and it's wearing out already. But I can't afford American drills.'" P. 13

Most dentists or doctors are somewhat wealthy. The fact that this dentist cannot afford a durable drill says a lot about the time period. My guess is that many people are poor so they cannot afford a doctor. Therefore, the dentist cannot make money and buy a good drill. I also think it is important that he makes the distinction that he can afford a drill from Japan, but he cannot afford one from the United States. This shows how much wealthier the United States was than Japan because they had better products and could sell their products for more.

Anonymous said...

"James Calver, wanted in the United States...description circulated to every station in Central America."p. 21

I think this is important because it shows the connections between different countries at the time. If someone was wanted in the United States, I wouldn't think that every country and every station in Central America would be aware of it and much less be putting up wanted signs. This shows that countries are more connected than one might think. The second reason why this is important because it shows how terrible this James Calver must be. If he is wanted throughout multiple countries he must have done something terrible and therefore he must be an important novel in the book as it progresses.

Alex said...

“Even his attempts at escape had been halfhearted because of his pride-the sin by which the angels fell. When he was the only priest left in the state his pride had been all the greater; he thought himself the devil of a fellow carrying God around at the risk his life;”(P.89)

This is great insight into the drunken priests mind, and helps us understand his true motives for being on the run. After reading these crucial lines my perspective on our main character changed slightly, because it occurred to me to a farther extent that this is by no means a pure devoted priest. The mans pride in being the only religious man in the state may be somewhat normal, however his motives differ greatly then that of solely doing gods good work. After addressing the title The Power and the Glory it seems that the priest is advocating for just this not necessarily religion, and is distraught between god, power, love and of course glory. Already he has omnipotent power over the religious livelihood of the state and could die for it, and is overwhelmed by this predicament. With refuge options growing smaller he must decide if his godlike glory run is simply for kicks, or if he is truly willing to die for the faith of Catholicism.

Alex said...

“What do you want then?” “I told you-wine.” Wine’s expensive” Never mind that. Wine or nothing.” “Quince wine?” “No, no. French wine.” “Sometimes he has california wine.” “That will do.”(P.100)

This driller is not vague about his wine, it’s either French, American or nothing else. I notice that the beggar has a tough time accepting such demands, because it is rather unusual for a poor drill worker to settle only on the finest of wines. This is a clear form of a lack of globalization at this time, because although the Mexican citizen is aware of such products it is not easily accessible to him. Although such bottles are precious in this Mexican town, out sourcing is bright in Mexico's future. This mans thirst for foreign spirits is the backing behind the rapid growth of world globalization, and will lead to the massive world trade of today.