The Power and the Glory: Part 2, Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

Still on the run from the police, the whisky priest heads to a town he knows well. When he arrives, he speaks with a woman named Maria, with whom he fathered a child, Brigitta. Neither Maria nor the rest of the townsfolk are happy to see the whisky priest, though he does not know why. Soon, he learns that the police have taken a hostage from Concepción, the home of the whisky priest’s parish, and executed him. The whisky priest has to force the name of the man out of the villagers. Eventually, they reveal the man’s name: Pedro Montez.

The whisky priest cries out in anger and grief. He knew Pedro Montez well. In response, he hears a young girl cackling at his pain. He promises everyone that he will leave the village soon, so no one is put in danger like Pedro. Then, Maria takes the priest to her home and tells him he can stay the night. She also gives him some brandy that she stored away for him. The whisky priest appreciates Maria's hospitality but is too in his head to fully appreciate it. He hates that his presence is costing others their lives. He also does not see the point of acting as a priest if people are too frightened to ask him to perform his priestly duties.

The whisky priest asks Maria about Brigitta. Maria tells him that he already saw her; she was the girl that laughed at him. The whisky priest is surprised and ashamed that he did not recognize his own daughter. A moment later, Brigitta comes into the house and stares down the priest. She asks Maria if the whisky priest is a “gringo.” Maria and the priest explain that he is actually Brigitta’s father.

Brigitta does not take kindly to the whisky priest, nor does she have much respect for religion in general. Meanwhile, the priest feels a fierce desire to protect his daughter and is ashamed that he cannot do more for her. After failing to get anything resembling affection from Brigitta, the whisky priest lays down to rest. He thinks about his relationship with Maria. Maria loves the priest and is proud to have given birth to his child. Meanwhile, he thinks of their relationship as his greatest sin. While he has feelings for Maria, both she and Brigitta remind him of his greatest failures.

Early the next morning, the whisky priest holds a small Mass in the town, even though he knows the police force could arrive at any moment. He talks about the greatness of Heaven, where children do not die and there is no suffering. In the middle of his sermon, one of the townsfolk interrupts to say that the police are only a mile away and will arrive in the town shortly. The whisky priest quickly finishes his sermon and then, with the help of Maria, ensures that all signs of religious worship are hidden where the police will not find them.

The whisky priest considers running from the police but instead goes with Maria to her home. Soon, the police have surrounded the village, making it impossible for the priest to escape. The lieutenant calls everyone out of their homes and has his men search the huts carefully. In the meantime, he questions the villagers, asking if anyone has seen a priest. The whisky priest claims he is married to Maria and, like everyone else, says that he has not seen a priest lately.

The lieutenant warns everyone that he plans to do the same thing to one of them that he did to Pedro Montez in Concepción. He knows they have already heard about Pedro, which the fearful look in their eyes confirms. The lieutenant entreats the villagers to tell him everything they know. He promises that he does not want to hurt them—quite the opposite, in fact—but he will if he is forced to.

Meanwhile, the whisky priest stays silent. He contemplates giving himself up because he does not want another to suffer in his place. When no one comes forward with information, the lieutenant selects a young man named Miguel as his hostage. As Miguel’s mother screams, the whisky priest asks that the lieutenant take him instead. The lieutenant tells the priest that he has no need for hostages who desire to be hostages. Then, he and his men leave with Miguel.

After the police leave, the whisky priest realizes it is time for him to go. He says goodbye to Maria, who grows angry with him and calls him a “bad priest.” She reveals that she threw out his attaché case, which contained wine, because she did not want him roaming around with it and endangering the lives of other people. After a bittersweet goodbye, the whisky priest goes to the town’s trash pile to locate his case. There, he sees Brigitta, who is also angry with him.

Brigitta tells the whisky priest that other children tease her because he is her father. The priest is deeply ashamed for the pain he has caused in Brigitta’s life and decries the cruelty of the world in general. He worries that Brigitta’s upbringing has bred a permanent cynicism in her. The priest tells Brigitta that he loves her and would sacrifice anything for her before departing.

The whisky priest goes in the direction of the lieutenant and his men, assuming they will not backtrack and catch him. He eventually arrives in La Candelaria, by the Grijalva River. Near the river, he asks a mestizo (a person with indigenous and European heritage) where he can rent a canoe so that he can cross the river to Carmen. The mestizo warns him that he will not be able to find a boat, so the priest is forced to cross the river on his mule, which is a struggle.

After crossing the river to a nearby forest, the whisky priest falls asleep while riding his mule. He dreams about a young girl practicing her Catechism. Pedro Montez walks up behind her with a gunshot wound in his head. He makes a gesture to the whisky priest that indicates the young girl is in trouble. Before the whisky priest can do anything, he wakes up.

The mestizo rides up behind the whisky priest and asks if they can travel together. The priest accepts his offer but quickly grows suspicious that the man has an ulterior motive. They travel together for the rest of the day, until the mestizo gets tired and asks if they can stop for the evening. The whisky priest wants to continue on to Carmen, but the mestizo convinces him to stay in a nearby hut.

In the evening, the mestizo repeatedly calls the whisky priest “father,” even though the priest has not revealed his credentials. He claims that he does not know what the mestizo is talking about and asks him to stop calling him that. The mestizo tells the whisky priest that he could simply ask for Confession, and the priest would have to grant his wish. However, he never formally makes the request. Instead, the priest offers the mestizo a nighttime prayer, saying that one need not be a priest to pray. Still, he feels he is in the presence of Judas. As such, he stays awake for as long as he can. Meanwhile, the mestizo falls ill; crossing the river took its toll on him.

The next morning, the whisky priest looks over and finds the mestizo still asleep. The priest gets up and starts to creep out of the hut. However, before he can get far, the mestizo wakes up and pulls the priest back towards him by the ankle. He implores the priest to stay and listen to him confess. In response, the priest claims he was only stepping outside to urinate.

When the whisky priest goes outside, he finds that the mestizo has hidden his mule’s saddle, so he cannot make an easy escape. A moment later, the mestizo walks outside and tells the priest that they must leave together. However, the priest quickly realizes that the mestizo is in no shape to travel due to his illness. As such, the priest walks and puts the mestizo on his mule.

Eventually, the whisky priest and the mestizo reach the outskirts of Carmen. Not wanting to put the townsfolk of Carmen at risk, the whisky priest sends the mule and the mestizo into town and then walks in a different direction. However, the mestizo thinks the whisky priest is abandoning him. As such, he grows angry and yells to the priest that he knows who he is and will not forget what he looks like.