The Priest
The protagonist of The Power and the Glory is an unnamed priest who lives and preaches in Mexico during a period in which the Mexican government outlawed Catholicism and heavily suppressed the religious practice. The plot follows him as he travels across the state of Tobasco to avoid capture, and murder at the hands of the Lieutenant. He is a very vane man, seeking dignity and esteem instead of holiness. It is revealed that the priest is unchaste, as he drinks heavily. Contravening the priestly vow of celibacy, he also fathered a daughter, Brigitta, with a woman named Maria. Despite this, he still preaches and practices his faith, though with a heavy sense of guilt. While travelling to Carmen, he undergoes a spiritual renewal mirroring that of Christ in the desert. As he moves with haste to perform the last rites of a dying man, he is captured by the state and executed.
Brigitta
Brigitta is the priest's daughter. She first meets her father after he returns from preaching elsewhere. She is described as awkward and sinister-looking.
Maria
The mother of Brigitta and the former lover of the priest, she was abandoned when she was pregnant. When the priest returns, she hides him from the police, demonstrating a profound grace and charity. Once he leaves the town, her narrative is left unfinished.
The Lieutenant
The Lieutenant is a symbol of the Mexican government during an increasingly ant-Catholic period during the 1930s. The Lieutenant despises the indulgences and hypocrisy of the Church, and seeks to punish the priest for these wrongs. In order to uncover the whereabouts of the priest, he resorts to taking hostages, even going so far as to torture and murder many of them. He is eventually successful in capturing the priest. In the title The Power and the Glory, the Lieutenant firmly represents the power.
Padre José
Padre José is employed as a contrasting character to the Priest. Unlike the priest, he ceded to the government's demands and renounced his faith and practice as a priest, eventually taking a wife. He is seen as a weak and dominated character unworthy of respect and devoid of conviction.
The Mestizo
Another unnamed character, the Mestizo is a half-Indigenous pauper who meets the Priest during his travels. He follows the Priest, and as the Priest foresees, eventually gives him up to the authorities for a reward.
Mr. Tench
At the beginning of the novel, the priest meets Mr. Tench, an English ex-patriot who works in Mexico as a dentist. The two men talk and drink together, discussing matters of pride, spirituality, and self-worth. He is later witness to the priest's execution.
Captain Fellows
A relatively brief character, Captain Fellows runs a banana plantation. He finds the priest as he seeks refuge in his barn, and the Captain shoos the Priest away.
