Lying is a way of life for the characters in The Power and the Glory. In fact, they can't live without lying. Sound dismal? Just remember that this story is set in a place where professing what you believe to be the truth can get you thrown in jail or riddled with bullets. Yeah, no thanks. There's definitely no freedom of speech or freedom of religion, or freedom in general for that matter. The novel shows the social cost of this tyranny: a culture of deception emerges that make it difficult to do your job, whether you're with the police or the clergy. Is this the paradise they were intending? We're gonna go out on a limb and say…probably not.
Questions About Lies and Deceit
- What methods does the government use to expose the lies it sees at the heart of Catholicism? Which of these tactics proves most effective?
- How does The Power and the Glory depict the morality of lying? Does the novel take a stand on whether it is ever justifiable to deceive others?
- Why do the alleged lies of the Church anger the lieutenant so much?
- Is the priest more of a truthful character or a deceitful character? How so?
Chew on This
The mission of a priest includes teaching the truth of the Gospel, but the whisky priest cannot perform this mission without deception.
In his own way, the lieutenant is just as pious as the priest: he lives unquestioningly by his own illusions.