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Tom Kernan
Power is one of Tom Kernan’s closest friends; he’s employed in the Royal Irish Constabulary Office in Dublin Castle. After Kernan drunkenly falls in the pub and is about to be arrested by a constable, Power emerges from the back of the pub and offers (along with the man in the cycling-suit) to take Kernan home. After helping Kernan into his home and promising to Mrs. Kernan to help him “turn over a new leaf,” Kernan is appalled by the lower-class accents of the Kernan children and resolves to bring the household back to its former reputation. Power then rallies his friends Martin Cunningham and Mr. M’Coy to help him bring Kernan to a Catholic retreat in the hopes that he will reform his behavior and be redeemed. Power is largely the ringleader of the friend group and he steers their conversation throughout the story, as the four men discuss details of the Catholic faith in Ireland (many of which they get wrong). Ultimately, Power’s quest to get Kernan to the retreat is successful; the story ends with the four men in the Jesuit Church. Power is the director of the action in “Grace”; the retreat is his idea, and it is he who sets Kernan on the possible, though by no means assured, path to redemption.
Jack Power Quotes in Grace
The Grace quotes below are all either spoken by Jack Power or refer to Jack Power. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Grace Quotes
Mr Power, a much younger man, was employed in the Royal Irish Constabulary Office in Dublin Castle. The arc of his social rise intersected the arc of his friend’s decline but Mr Kernan’s decline was mitigated by the fact that certain of those friends who had known him at his highest point of success still esteemed him as a character.
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In this passage, the reader learns more about the character Jack Power, who has rescued Mr. Kernan from his drunken misdemeanors and potential imprisonment. It becomes evident that Power’s professional successes are directly inverse to Kernan’s professional decline, but that Kernan’s former success means that he still maintains the respect of his friends. At the same time, because Power is significantly younger than Kernan, the extent of Kernan’s fall becomes clear: though he has had less time with which to build his career, Power has already overtaken Kernan. This passage also testifies to the importance of friendship and community throughout Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Com
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With this statement, Jack Power declares his intent to intervene in the professional and social descent of his friend Mr. Kernan. He assures Kernan’s wife, Mrs. Kernan, that he and another friend, Martin Cunningham, will put Kernan on the path of redemption. In intervening so purposefully in Kernan’s life and incorporating other friends in that intervention, Power demonstrates his unwavering commitment to his friendship and the way that communities of friends can support each other. He also makes it clear that that commitment is unconditional: even though Kernan’s status in Dublin society has significantly fallen, Power puts his time and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus
--Yes, that’s it, said Mr Cunningham, Jack and I and M’Coy here – we’re all going to wash the pot.
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In this quotation, Mr. Cunningham makes the first direct reference to the retreat he, Power, and M’Coy intend to use to set Kernan back on the right track, where they will all confess their sins and start anew. The metaphor that Cunningham uses to describe confessing one’s sins—to wash the pot—is an unusual one, likely derived from Dublin slang. By using this specific metaphor, Cunningham likens sin and misdoings to remnants of food that must be disposed of—washed away—if the soul is to be “clean.” The metaphor also draws on imagery of everyday work and labor: rather than going immediately Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. H
Every other order of the Church has to be reformed at some time or other but the Jesuit Order was never once reformed. It never fell away.
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This quotation occurs during a long, detailed discussion between Kernan, Power, M’Coy, Cunningham, and eventually Fogarty that takes up much of the story. In the conversation, the men discuss various pieces of Catholic Church history and theology as they try to convince Kernan to attend a Catholic retreat with them. In this quotation, Martin Cunningham claims that the Jesuit Order, a Catholic religious order well-regarded in Ireland, has never been changed throughout the history of the Church. However, Cunningham’s remark is illogical. The Jesuits were founded in 1534, making them relatively young in terms of Church history: widespread religious reform Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur ma
--But, of course, said Mr Cunningham quietly and effectively, our religion is the religion, the old, original faith.
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Following Kernan’s happy recollection of once going to see Father Tom Burke, a popular Catholic preacher, with his Protestant friend Crofton, Kernan and his friends ponder the often violent division between Protestants and Catholics in Irish society. Power, M’Coy, and Kernan wonder if the two religious sects have more in common than either side acknowledges, but Cunningham quickly puts an end to the conversation with this statement, unequivocally declaring Catholicism the superior faith. All of the main characters in “Grace” are Catholics, though with varying degrees of faith; Cunningham is relatively devout (even if he makes mistakes about Church doctrine), Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. An
--Allow me, said Mr Cunningham positively, it was Lux upon Lux. And Pius IX. his predecessor’s motto was Crux upon Crux that is, Cross upon Cross – to show the difference between their two pontificates.
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This quotation is part of a long, complex conversation shared between Kernan, Power, M’Coy, Cunningham, and to a lesser extent, Fogarty, in which the five men discuss Church history and theology and subtly try to one-up each other with their knowledge. Here, Cunningham intervenes in a discussion about papal mottos, definitively claiming that the motto of Pope Leo XIII was “Lux upon Lux” and his predecessor Pius IX’s was “Crux upon Crux.” Both of these mottos are linguistic absurdity. “Lux” and “Crux” are Latin words—meaning “light” and “cross” respectively—while “upon” is an English word. To combine them both in one Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corpor
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Jack Power Character Timeline in Grace
The timeline below shows where the character Jack Power appears in Grace. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Grace
Just then, a tall man named Mr. Power joins the crowd and recognizes the injured man, calling out to him and referring to...
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Outside the pub, Mr. Power hails a cab. Tom thanks the young man for his help, introduces himself as Kernan,...
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Mr. Power, who’s much younger than Kernan, works at the Royal Irish Constabulary Office in Dublin Castle....
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When the cab arrives at Kernan’s house, Mr. Power helps him in, and Mrs. Kernan immediately puts him to bed. Mr. Power waits downstairs...
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Mrs. Kernan watches Mr. Power’s cab pull away from her house and then silently reflects on the past 25 years...
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Two nights later, three of Kernan’s friends—Mr. Power, Mr. Cunningham, and Mr. M’Coy—arrive at the Kernans’ house. Kernan is unaware that he's the...
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...beer), has been passed around, Mr. Cunningham subtly brings up a spiritual retreat that he, Power, and M’Coy are all planning to attend on Thursday. Kernan inquires more about it, prompting...
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...a Protestant Orangeman and therefore wasn’t supposed to be at the Catholic Burke’s sermons. Mr. Power points out that Burke appealed to both Catholics and Protestants, and M’Coy suggests that there...
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...mottos of popes from across the ages, each recalling slightly different versions of them. Mr. Power remarks that he and Mr. Kernan never learned any of the mottos, since they went...
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...statue unveiling ceremony, recalling how fierce and perceptive his gaze looked. After a pause, Mr. Power declares to Mrs. Kernan that they will make her husband a pious man. Then, Kernan’s...
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That Thursday, Kernan, Power, Cunningham, M’Coy, and Fogarty arrive at the Gardiner Street Jesuit Church for the retreat. They...
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