Narrative technique in Graham Greene's "The Power and the Glory"

Although the preponderance of modern criticism about The Power and the Glory focuses only on religious themes and concerns, the formal narrative technique of Graham Greene deserves equal consideration. Greene very deliberately and consistently constructs a narrative that uses specific formal devices and linguistic techniques that further enhance a formal rhetorical study of the novel and that augment a thematic analysis of the novel. Greene's formal techniques include shifts in narrative point of view, precise forms of language, changing levels of diction, and specific grammatical devices. By analyzing the narrative techniques and linguistic markers that Greene employs, in conjunction with a theme-based analysis, we achieve great insight into the overall picture of the novel and the state of mind of the characters, particularly the protagonist of the novel, the whiskey priest.