The Power and the Glory" by Graham Greene centres around a shabby, weary whisky priest struggling to escape the clutches of the military government who have excised religion from the Mexico of the 1930's

When we move onto Part 2, Chapter 3, the setting brings us back to corruption because he is telling us how the Whisky Priest's power has been destroyed, this scene also shows us how the Whisky Priests moves from the power to the glory- "Oh, I don't know, all the hope of the world draining away." This shows that the Whisky Priest is tenuous because he doesn't have money, doesn't have wine it is like the alcohol is going away, everything is happening to him but he doesn't know how to control or to defend it. "He could feel the old life hardening round him, like a habit, a stony cast... He could hear authority, the old parish intonation coming back into his voice" These quotes show that he feels like restriction, he is holding himself back and is trapping himself. He is acting this way because he doesn't know what to do and how to act. All of this conveys that the Whisky Priest is leading towards his true faith, true power and the glory of God.

In part 2, chapter 3, the setting is very significant because it puts the Whisky Priest under the microscope "It was like the end: there was no need to hope any longer. The ten ears' hunt was over at last." This quote shows that the Whisky Priest is already in hell because he is surrounded by darkness and been put into a timeless world where he could hear people but not see them. In this scene, the Whisky Priests feels certain that he will be caught, and is relieved and resigned, as well as scared, at the prospect. "All the voices slowly became faces-there was no surprises" This quote shows that the Whisky Priest is going to die since the Lieutenant will arrest him when he sees him but, at the last minute there is a surprise because the Lieutenant doesn't recognise him therefore he could of escaped. This is the Lieutenants nemesis for killing the innocent people in the hostel therefore he doesn't realise that he had released the victim. When the Whisky Priest was put into the cell, he had a another dream- "His dream was full of jangle noises...He remembered a dream he had had of a big grassy arena lined with the statues of the saints" This quote suggests that the Whisky Priest feels trapped and he is almost at the end of life. Before in the book he had dreams about him being betrayed, his death and his daughter which shows that his sins are always suspending him. The Whisky Priests has dreams because he is used to elaborate images and ideas which he can't deal with. The dreams symbolises corruption and show that there is no worth to the priest.

Vulture is a carrion bird which is used throughout the book as a foreshadowing technique to suggest that death is hovering the Whisky Priest "Vultures looked down...into the yard: it was a vulture" Vultures have been mentioned throughout the book because it symbolizes the absence of the church and its omnipresence in the land. That's why the vultures keep showing up: the church's absence is felt throughout the country. It also represents the inevitability of the whisky priest's death. He cannot avoid it and the vultures are a constant reminder that it is coming up.

In chapter 3, the final meeting of the Lieutenant and the Whisky Priest is leading us into the final betrayal and capture- " Thank me, what for?" This shows that the Whisky Priest has accepted his final destination and his destiny since he is a bad priest and thinks he should die to pay for all the bad things he had done. The Whisky Priest is said to be a sinner but he is also a martyr because he recognises his human frailties, he craves absolution, he respects Padre Jose, he disarms the lieutenant by his forgiveness, tries to pray and also accepts his death.

In the denouement, another priests knocks on the door "an odd frightened smile, and suddenly lowering his voice he said to the boy, 'I am a priest" This setting shows that the church will never be entirely stamped out. There will always be someone willing to carry on the faith, and people willing to listen and give shelter.

The settings in the novel clearly state the failure of the Lieutenant because he isn't able to eradicate the religion and the religious feelings in the people. It is like a life cycle because if the Lieutenant keeps on killing priests, there will always be someone filling up the space, just like another priest knocking on the boys door. The setting had also helped me understand the title of "The power and the Glory." The "Power" is the Priest's ability to surmount difficulties, and have the power to keep his faith and never give up on running away. Where the "Glory" means that the priest had the glory of dying a martyr and died with his faith and his death had positively impacted the lives of the young boy and Mr Tench.