Even the Highest Fall

As I read, “The Strength of God”, written in the novel Winesburg, Ohio, I noticed a lot of animalistic allusions and wording. This was ironic to the text; because Reverend Curtis Hartman began the novel seems to be a strong follower of God, and throughout the short story, falls from his high position of reverence to the low being of an animal.

The adjectives that reference the Reverend always seem to reference an animal about to attack its prey and devour it. Whenever Kate Swift is described, her bare neck and her shoulders are always mentioned, and the Reverend always wants to “kiss her neck” (pg. 105). Whenever an animal attacks its prey, it goes for the throat, so that it can kill its victim easier. He lusts for Kate so much, that he is starting to become savage. The imagery that unfolds when he is stalking her, “waiting for her to return” (pg. 105) also makes it seem like he is scoping her out and is trying to plan his attack. Whenever he views her, he always follows with walking up and down the streets of the town. This can be viewed as an animal pacing. He never gets his “prize” and is disappointed by this and paces up and down the streets angrily. Hartman also feels that he “must train himself… to sit there…” (pg. 103) and watch Kate. Animals are taught to sit and wait. Whether they are wild and domestic, they are trained to be patient and learn. In the wild, animals must wait for the right moment to attack, and domestic animals are always taught the basic lesson of sitting. This lesson is not easy for most animals though, and it proves to be the same with Reverend Hartman. He has difficulties sitting there and allowing Kate to move about without him moving.

The Reverend’s wife, although nervous and timid, was the first to recognize the falling into animalistic tendencies. Whenever she was riding in the carriage with the Reverend she would always “look sideways at him”, and then she would also “worry, lest the horse become frightened and run away (pg. 100). Horses are not animals that are connotated with lust and anger, but they are timid creatures that frighten easily. The Reverend’s wife was afraid that Hartman was hiding something because he was always so worried and restless, like a horse. Wild animals do not like to be exposed, and riding around in their own personal carriage would have drawn attention to themselves. Whenever she looked at him too, she would look out of the side of her eyes, like she was trying not to spook him.

This animalistic desire is symbolizing Reverend Curtis Hartman’s fall from grace. When he stands up for the last time, the Bible “falls to the ground” (pg. 104), showing how he has completely disregarded God (by letting his most valuable item fall), and is giving into his temptations. Reverend thinks it is a sign from God, but the true meaning is the complete opposite. He surrendered his entire being to his animalistic tendencies and has let lust drive him for months. Even the highest people to God fall, as the Reverend stated earlier, and this shows once again how everyone can be an important and Christly human being, not just reverends. It was proven that the highest can fall, and the lowest (Kate Swift) can be brought up.