The Power of Religion

Through its emphasis on differing approaches to Catholicism and the subsequent interpersonal conflicts these approaches generate, The Loney examines how religion controls both behavior and thought processes.

The church’s teachings serve as the basis for the characters’ individual philosophies and opinions. Catholicism as interpreted by Father Wilfred promises not just rewards in the afterlife but rewards on Earth. The characters feel that, if they are pious, they will be justly rewarded with personal benefits from God, and if they sin they will be punished before death. Similarly, the parishioners feel pressure to have God’s presence manifest itself in their lives. For example, Mummer’s behavior on the retreat is not solely motivated by her desire to help Hanny, but by her desperation to receive proof of God’s intervention in her life. She is willing to go to great (even dangerous...