Christian Themes
Greene is not a didactic author. With insight and grace he describes the human condition and human anguish. His whiskey priest, a typical protagonist, is an imperfect soul who accepts and loves God but somehow fails to comprehend his great mercy. Haunted by the sins he has committed, he regards himself as beyond redemption, but in spite of his weaknesses he is essentially a good man, as is the lieutenant. Can there be salvation for such men? Although the question is left hanging, Greene suggests that the answer is yes.
Greene’s fallen world is one that Saint Augustine would recognize. Augustine’s doctrine of humanity, which strongly influenced the early Christian church, is that, through Adam’s sin of disobedience, his descendants are stained by Original Sin and can escape it only by the grace of God. The means of grace are the Sacraments of the Church, regardless of the unworthiness of whoever performs them. In his long dialogue with the lieutenant, the whiskey priest acknowledges the power of the Sacraments as well as the Catholic belief in transubstantiation, whereby the bread and wine of Communion become—in essence, not in appearance—the body and blood of Christ. As an appointed conduit of God’s grace, the priest believes he truly “can put God into a man’s mouth,” no matter what he himself may have done.
The priest blames himself and his own inadequacies for his failures. As soon as he offers his shirt to the shivering mestizo, he regards the act as a sin of pride. He has violated his vow of chastity; he lies; he is an alcoholic; he is tempted into deceit. He recognizes his own fallen nature in his daughter, but he is unable to repent of her conception: “What was the good of confession when you loved the result of your crime?” He cannot regret that she exists, whom he loves most intensely but fears he cannot save.
The priest feels alienated from God and knows he deserves damnation. He cannot even make a good act of contrition, because he has forgotten the words of the prayer, perhaps from terror. He is willing, however, to sacrifice himself for others, praying that God will save his daughter in exchange for his own death. He becomes Christlike when he returns to absolve the dying criminal Calver, in effect giving up his own life for another man’s chance at eternal life. The lieutenant calls him a martyr, but the priest rejects the title because he thinks martyrs have no fear.
Greene, however, seems to endorse the idea that God allows evil to exist in the world to give fallen human beings an opportunity to rise above it. Although the whiskey priest lives in a state of mortal sin and dies unshriven, one sees his imprint on those he leaves behind. He inspires others to emulate him in his kindness and courage—for he is brave, in spite of himself. His deeds of compassion and charity appear to outweigh his human weakness and to suggest that a loving God will forgive and understand.
Faith and Devotion
The novel delves into two prominent themes: the religious theme of faith and devotion, even to the point of martyrdom, and a somewhat Marxist critique of the Church's inability to better the plight of the impoverished. Although the novel seems to support the Church, it offers more than just a straightforward depiction of a convert author's simplistic faith and commitment to his chosen religion. Greene's exploration of the religious theme is more complex than it first appears and may be misunderstood by both...
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Catholics and secular audiences.
Critique of the Church
The novel delves deeply into two primary themes: the religious theme of faith and devotion, even reaching the point of martyrdom, and a critique with Marxist undertones regarding the Church's inability to enhance the living conditions of the impoverished. Although the novel seems to support the Church, it transcends merely depicting a convert novelist's simplistic faith and commitment to his new religion. Greene's exploration of religious themes is more complex than it first appears and may be misunderstood by both Catholics and secular audiences.
The Flawed Priest
The most prominent characteristic of the priest, who is the main character in the story, is his struggle with alcoholism, earning him the nickname "a whisky priest" from his congregation. In a moment of vulnerability, he also fathered a child. Throughout the novel, he berates himself for being a "bad priest." In The Heart of the Matter (1948), Greene includes a priest who comments that "bad Catholic" is "about the dumbest expression in common usage," which the protagonist genuinely believes about himself. He seriously contemplates whether he is causing more harm than good, whether he is a disgrace to his Church, and whether he is setting a poor example for his followers.
Despite these doubts, he remains in his position, even when other priests have either fled or, like Father Jose, abandoned their vows and married. He stays because leaving would mean that "it would be as if God in all this space between the sea and the mountains ceased to exist."
Controversy and Acceptance
It wasn't only the whisky priest who worried he might be a source of scandal for the Church; the Vatican also banned the novel. Despite this, the priest's imperfections were not meant to shock. Greene, who has openly admitted to a strong aversion to — and a willingness to offend — what he calls "traditional piety," considered these imperfections essential to the novel's themes. At least one Catholic reader seemed to grasp this idea. Greene recounts that when Pope Paul VI discovered that the book he had read was condemned by the Holy Office, he replied, "Mr. Greene, some parts of your books are bound to offend some Catholics, but you should pay no attention to that." The sacraments administered by this "bad priest" are, as every Catholic knows, just as valid as if they were performed by the most saintly individuals. This position of the Church was established in the fourth century to counter the Donatist heresy. Greene isn't attempting to introduce new theological ideas; rather, he is applying this historical theological stance to the book's political themes. When the priest is finally captured, he and the lieutenant have a surprisingly amiable debate given the circumstances. The priest contends, "It's no good you working for your end unless you're a good man yourself. And there won't always be good men in your party. Then you'll have all the old starvation, beating, get-rich-anyhow. But it doesn't matter so much my being a coward — and all the rest. I can put God into a man's mouth just the same — and I can give him God's pardon. It wouldn't make any difference to that if every priest in the Church was like me."
Compassion and Imagination
The priest's argument isn't necessarily conclusive—many readers may not embrace the belief in divine forgiveness or a priest's authority to bestow it. Nevertheless, his conviction offers a means to sustain compassion even when people aren't "good." One can "imagine"—perceive the image of Christ in the priest during the sacrament—even when aware that the priest privately struggles with alcoholism and infidelity. In a similar vein, the whisky priest learns to recognize the image of Christ in his fellow prisoners: "When you visualized a man or woman carefully, you could always begin to feel pity—that was a quality God's image carried with it. When you saw the lines at the corners of the eyes, the shape of the mouth, how the hair grew, it was impossible to hate. Hate was just a failure of the imagination." Perhaps the lieutenant is a better person than the priest—the priest certainly thinks so—but the novel seems to propose that what truly counts is a particular kind of compassion. This compassion is maintained not so much by the "goodness" of individuals as by a unique application of the imagination.
