A vision of two individuals traveling down the same path, the one of death, both the only one of their kind, willing to sacrifice everything for their people. Graham Greene incorporates the parallel to the Passion through this novel in hopes that he can show the different paths and choices that can be made here on a sinful world. Throughout the novel a parallel to the Passion story is created in a way that relates to life today and is able to create a vision of the inconceivable events of Christ's life.
From the beginning, the priest being the Christ figure that he is, always feels pulled to the ill so that he may lay his blessing upon them. A perfect instance is in the beginning of the novel when instead of catching a boat that would save his life he went to go help a girl that was dying. This is parallel to Jesus going out and saving different individuals who are on their death beds. He may be a man of conviction to do the right thing but he often strays from his ways and proves to be a man of despair over time. For him it is not the desired life but rather one of uncertainty. This parallels to the passion because Jesus lived a pure life quite opposite of the priest's.
Though he manages to do the right thing he still fits under the title of whisky priest. A man of guilt and sin he still finds a way to go and do the right thing when it matters giving him the name of the whisky priest; a man of values that can be strong as a rock or weak as a feather in the wind. He follows that line throughout the novel just as Jesus lived his life of purity. They may follow their different ways and ideals but a parallel is still formed. Through such a parallel the brickwork for the novel is laid.
Created by the brick is the plot for the entire story which takes many twists and turns but still follows a single path that is shown through the actions of the priest and those around him. As he enters back into his own town he comes on a donkey just as Jesus did but the parallel is not in his arrival but rather departure as he leaves in solitude and without love for his existence. For this situation Greene uses not a similar parallel, but rather an opposite. Not an entrance of gratitude and adoration but an exit of betrayal and hatred.
Not only his life but also his important death is parallel in the novel. He suffers under the chief who will take no action to save him, brought out to the firing range in front of the public and dies. Three days later the next priest began his rise to save the country. So well paralleled by Graham Greene that it can fit into a common Christian phrase. Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilot, was crucified, died, and was buried. Three days later he rose again. A relation such as this gives meaning to the story so that it can be understood by many and a inspiration to others.
From characters to events to actions the story was paralleled and brought into the new times for us to relate life today to life so many years ago. All revolves around the whisky priest representing the Christ figure. From the start it is a clear extended metaphor of the passion with all the decisions and actions forced upon the priest. Different people pose different threats, different styles of life, and all fall into their own place in the Passion.
