摘 要

格雷厄姆·格林，英国小说家、剧作家和文学评论家，被誉为20世纪最伟大的作家之一。他的作品能够将文学的通俗性和严肃性有机地结合在一起，因而广受读者和批评家的欢迎和好评，于1986年被英国君主授予英国功勋章。作为宗教四部曲之一，《权力与荣耀》被称为格雷厄姆·格林最不英国的一部小说。

《权力与荣耀》具有深刻的人性内涵，讲述了一个威士忌神父在天主教被镇压的背景下，与中尉斗争的过程。神父和中尉都面临着各自不同的精神危机，无论是出于什么目的，他们的选择注定了各自的命运是救赎还是毁灭。

本文主要以威士忌神父和中尉的精神危机为两条主线，研究他们精神世界的曲折发展和空前危机，深入探讨他们内心的未知世界，挖掘在其背后的复杂原因。同时这种精神危机也是现实生活的反映，无论是在近百年前的墨西哥还是现代社会，都是相当普遍的社会存在。因此它具有深刻的人性内涵，对现代人们普遍的缺乏信仰、迷失自我具有重要的启迪和借鉴意义。

关键词： 精神危机；自我救赎；自我毁灭；威士忌神父；中尉

Abstract

Graham Greene, an English novelist, playwright and literary critic, is hailed as one of the greatest writers of the 20^th century. His works combine the popularity with seriousness dynamically, and therefore have received highly welcome and evaluation from writers and critics at home and abroad. In 1986, he was awarded the Britain Order of Merit by the Monarchy of the United Kingdom. As one of his Tetralogy of Religion, The Power and The Glory is considered as the least Anglicized novel for him.

The Power and The Glory, filled with profound human connotations, describes a Whisky priest struggling against the lieutenant under the circumstance of Catholicism being suppressed by the government, in which the Whisky priest and the lieutenant are confronted with different spiritual crises. Their choices predestine their fates to be saved or ruined.

On the basis of the spiritual crises of the Whisky priest and the lieutenant, this thesis studies their tortuous psychological development and unprecedented struggle, exploring their unknown inner world in depth and digging the complicated reasons behind it. Meanwhile, such kind of spiritual crisis is also a kind of reflection in realistic life, which is exceedingly prevalent in social existence no matter whether in Mexico nearly a century ago or contemporary society. Hence, with its profound connotation of humanity, this thesis is expected to provide significant enlightenment and references for people who lack their faith or lose themselves.

Key Words: spiritual crisis, self-salvation, self-destruction, the Whisky priest, the lieutenant

Contents

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Graham Greene 1

1.2 The Power and The Glory 2

1.3 Critical Reviews of The Power and The Glory at Home and Abroad 2

2 The Whisky Priest: Saved or Ruined 4

2.1 Uncertainty between Dauntlessness and Timidness 4

2.2 Bewilderment between Holiness and Evilness 5

2.3 Dilemma between Self-destruction and Self-salvation 6

3 The Noble Lieutenant: Saved or Ruined 8

3.1 Uncertainty between Publicity and Individuality 8

3.2 Bewilderment between Faith and Glory 9

4 Causes of the Spiritual Crisis of the Public 11

4.1 Deep-rooted Catholicism 11

4.2 Sever Suppression of Government 12

5 Conclusion 14

References 16

Acknowledgments 18

Ruined or Saved—Spiritual Crisis of Human in The Power and The Glory

1 Introduction

1.1 Graham Greene

The distinguished novelist, Graham Greene, is lauded as a historical monument suiting both refined and popular tastes in modern and contemporary English literature. As one of the most influential writers in the 20^th century, Graham Greene experienced a legendary and adventurous life. Owing to his abundant works and profound influence, Graham Greene was granted with the highest honor—the Master Award by the Mystery Writers of America in 1976. The celebrated British novelist William Golding pointed that Graham Greene was the most brilliant portrayer of consciousness on humanity and impending doom in the 20^th century (Wright, 2011). In addition, he was also nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature for more than 20 times. Unluckily, he never won it for a variety of reasons. However, it cannot diminish his far-reaching and ever-lasting impact in the history of literature (Graham, 1986).

Born in a big and prestigious family in England, there was no need for him to struggle for living. Under the heavy pressure of his father being the headmaster of his school, he was bullied by his classmates and made attempts to commit suicide several times. Suffered from a slight grumpiness, he became more unsocial and eccentric, which did a remarkable difference on his later writing. He held the belief that to travel what he named as desolate and remote places, which were apart away from England in his wonderful but thrilling life (Surin, 2012). To be specific, he witnessed the Catholicism suppressed by government’s campaign in his travel to Mexico, providing authentic and creative materials to his magnum opus—The Power and The Glory.

As a prolific writer, Graham Greene distinguished his works in two genres: recreational theme and literary theme (Surin, 2012). The former reveals his zest for international politics, in particular espionage. The most influential works are The confidential Agent and The Third Man. The later discloses his keen interest in philosophical wisdom. His best-known Tetralogy of Religion gives full reflection of it. They are Brighton Rock, The Power and The Glory, The Heart of The Matter, The End of The Affair. However, two genres are mixed in later works. Having combined the popularity and seriousness dynamically in literature, Graham Greene has been widely acclaimed in the world.

1.2 The Power and The Glory

As the most highly praised and respected work by the public, The Power and The Glory is also regarded as the least Anglicized novel for Graham Greene. However, it is the most outstanding novels in his Tetralogy of Religion, and therefore Graham Greene is awarded the Hawthornden Prize for Literature, and it is chosen among the Top 100 Best English-language Novels in the 20^th century as well. The story was created on the basis of the experience in Mexico in March and April of 1938, in which Graham Greene had been exhausted to shuttle back and forth the southern Tabasco and Chiapas by himself (Surin, 2012). Generally speaking, it is tagged as Graham Greene’s most ambitious novel, infusing with non-English, Roman Catholic elements, and suffused with Manichaean darkness and penetrating description to tribulation.

The Power and The Glory is interwoven with the holy love and despicable love, the noble soul and sordid soul. It displays the complexity and an insight to human nature. In the 1930s, mixed with political unrest and religious persecution in Tabasco of Mexico, all religious beliefs were banned and all priests were chased by, or killed, or forced to marry. This novel mainly depicts the escape process of the Whisky priest and his struggle with the lieutenant, in which their spiritual developments and psychological struggles are demonstrated. It is really a harsh time for the Whisky priest, the lieutenant and the whole people in the society, physically and psychologically. To be saved menially or ruined freely becomes an everlasting spiritual crisis for all the people during that era.