The Forks by J. F. Powers
"The Forks" by J. F. Powers is a short story that explores the lives of two contrasting characters within a Catholic parish: the selfless Father Eudex and the ambitious Monsignor. Set against the backdrop of a struggling community, the narrative highlights Father Eudex's moral integrity and desire to aid the less fortunate, juxtaposed with the Monsignor's preoccupation with status and material wealth. The story reveals tensions around class dynamics, as Father Eudex aspires to purchase a used car while the Monsignor dismisses his aspirations, reflecting broader themes of social realism and the complexities of church hierarchy.
As Father Eudex navigates his responsibilities, he encounters various challenges, including the Monsignor's disdain for his humble lifestyle and his genuine concern for the needy. The Monsignor's focus on appearances and his contempt for Father Eudex's less conventional behavior illustrate a critique of institutional religion. The climax of the narrative culminates in Father Eudex's disillusionment as he finds himself at odds with the expectations placed upon him. In the end, he chooses to reject the material rewards offered to him, symbolizing a commitment to his principles amidst the pressure to conform. This story serves as a poignant commentary on the conflicts between personal integrity and institutional demands, resonating with themes of compassion, sacrifice, and moral complexity.
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The Forks by J. F. Powers
First published: 1947
Type of plot: Social realism
Time of work: The 1940's
Locale: An American city
Principal Characters:
Father Eudex , an unassuming and diligent Roman Catholic priest with genuine scruplesWilliam Francis Xavier , his tormentor, the MonsignorJoe Whalen , the janitor at the rectoryMrs. Klein , a widowed parishioner
The Story
Decent and selfless Father Eudex returns from morning Mass at the orphanage, driving a car that belongs to his more worldly superior, the Monsignor. At the rectory, Monsignor waits for Father Eudex, eager for assurance that his big new car is unharmed. Hoping for Monsignor's approval, the unassuming priest seizes the moment to announce nervously that he has a chance to buy his own car. Under Monsignor's patronizing questions, the priest reveals that the bargain he has in mind is not a sparkling new Ford V-8 but merely a used Model A. Monsignor laughs at his request for permission to buy the car, dismissing the topic with the reminder that "You know the class of people we get here."
Turning to his morning paper, Monsignor spots a story about his archenemy, a local bishop who is admired by the press for his support of left-wing labor causes. As Monsignor fumes about communism and fellow-traveling priests, it becomes clear that his main concern is to keep the good will of a Mr. Memmers of the First National Bank, a prominent parishioner. As Father Eudex well knows, Monsignor's ongoing complaining stems from his desire to become a bishop.
To ease his suffering over communists in the church, Monsignor takes his car for a spin. Meanwhile, Father Eudex pores through his mail—which today includes a check for one hundred dollars, "Compliments of the Rival Tractor Company." Father Eudex knows that an identical envelope addressed to Monsignor contains a check for two hundred dollars—the going rate for pastors. Although Rival Tractor contributes to ministers and "even rabbis," the spiritual leaders of the company's Catholic work force get the best checks in these strike-troubled times.
As the scrupulous curate muses over his check, he encounters Joe Whalen, the janitor, muttering about Monsignor's plan for a large garden featuring a fleur-de-lis pattern surrounded by Maltese crosses. The obliging priest strips down to his undershirt and helps Whalen turn the soil, only to have Monsignor reprove him for his lapse in dignity when he returns. Monsignor regards Father Eudex's stripping to his undershirt and wielding of a shovel as foreign to "the mind of the Church" and indicative of his lack of taste.
At lunch, Monsignor grumbles that his tutti-frutti salad has green olives in it, apparently a breach of culinary good taste. Father Eudex's admission that he likes olives in his salad again demonstrates his vulgarity to Monsignor, who abruptly announces that the priest would benefit from a year's study leave. The remark about the olive is the last of many offenses that Father Eudex has committed. Others include Father Eudex's offering to shake hands, emerging from his bedroom in pajama bottoms without a robe, and eating an entire meal with only a single knife, fork, and spoon. The thought of this last breach of etiquette drives Monsignor to a vernacular explosion about Father Eudex's ignorance of forks.
After Monsignor recovers from the olive incident, he suggests that Father Eudex might use his Rival Company money to buy a "decent" car. The curate, however, confesses that he intends to donate the money to the strikers' relief fund. Monsignor huffs that all the company had in mind in donating the money was traditional good works, then departs for his afternoon nap with an irritated and contemptuous laugh.
As Monsignor dozes, a parishioner named Mrs. Klein—who explains that she is German, not Jewish—arrives, asking for advice about how to handle the considerable bank account that her late husband has left her. Assuming that the woman has charitable causes in mind, Father Eudex recommends using the money to help the poor. When Mrs. Klein angrily tells him that he is not much of a priest, he realizes that she has come seeking only investment tips. Soured by this final blow to his priestly ideals, Father Eudex tears his Rival Company check into small pieces that he donates to the sewage system.
Bibliography
Evans, Fallon, comp. J. F. Powers. St. Louis: Herder, 1968.
Gussow, Mel. "J. F. Powers, 81, Dies." The New York Times, June 17, 1999, p. C23.
Hagopian, John V. J. F. Powers. New York: Twayne, 1968.
Long, J. V. "Clerical Character(s)." Commonweal, May 8, 1998, 11-14.
McInerny, Ralph. "The Darkness of J. F. Powers." Crisis, March, 1989, 44-46.
Merton, Thomas. "Morte D'Urban: Two Celebrations." Worship 36 (November, 1962): 645-650.
Meyers, Jeffrey. "J. F. Powers: Uncollected Stories, Essays and Interviews, 1943-1979." Bulletin of Bibliography 44 (March, 1987): 38-39.
Powers, Katherine A. "Reflections of J. F. Powers: Author, Father, Clear-Eyed Observer." The Boston Globe, July 18, 1999, p. K4.
Preston, Thomas R. "Christian Folly in the Fiction of J. F. Powers." Critique: Studies in Modern Fiction 16, no. 2 (1974): 91-107.