Elmer And Frank Shallard example essay topic

Elmer Gantry, the Terwillinger College president and a star football player, is continually enticed by many temptations including girls, alcohol and cigarettes. One day, when he travels with his friend Jim Lefferts to a near-by town, he drunkenly stands up for Eddie Fi slinger, the Y.M.C.A. president, and his religious preaching. Inspired by the statements made by Elmer that defend religion; Eddie incessantly attempts to persuade Elmer to convert. When Judson Roberts, a former college football star, arrives at Elmer's town, he is converted by the belief that it takes a strong man to accept Jesus and have eternal glory and life. Later on, Elmer and Frank Shallard, a fellow student at Mizpah Seminary, are called to be preacher and assistant at the church in Schoen heim. There, Elmer has a relationship with Lulu Bains, whom he is expected to marry.

Elmer devises a scheme that he executes perfectly to make sure that this marriage does not take place. Elmer goes on with his training in the ministry and is presently assigned another church for the Easter service. On the way there, he meets a man who lives by his temptations. Foolishly, Elmer agrees to a rendezvous with the man and his friends from the Pequot Farm Implement Company.

Elmer is unsuccessful in his attempt to hold off the enticement of alcohol during this tryst and is worse for the encounter. Elmer fails to show up for the Easter service and is replaced with another preacher who is assigned to find Elmer's whereabouts. Upon finding Elmer drunk at a caf'e telling of his exploits, the pastor reports back to Dean Tros per. Elmer is subsequently fired from Mizpah and is taken on by the Pequot Farm Implement Company. In his travels, he encounters Sharon Falconer, a traveling evangelist.

He immediately falls in love with her, along with her lilted voice, enthusiastic mind and focused nature. She contributed to the fact that Elmer was now virtuous and free of his temptations. Her life is full of falsities although she preaches about the erroneous ways of lying. Her real name is Katie Jonas and has stolen many of her sermons from other people and places. As the traveling group of evangelists, musicians and the choir continually reduced expenses, Sharon saved up for a permanent base in which she could preach. She finally bought a pier on the New Jersey coast and decided on an opening night.

Tragedy struck when a workman's cigarette ignited a fire that consumed the pier and with the entire choir, exempting Elmer, and Sharon Falconer. Elmer was lost without her and, in despair, went to Frank Shallard to borrow a monetary amount of one hundred dollars to reapply to finish his Doctor of Divinity degree. After a concise phase as a New Thought evangelist, he turns to Methodism. Elmer inadvertently meets the Bishop Too mis, who is of the Methodist Church, and becomes sociable. On acquiring the Bishop's friendship, he is appointed to a church in the small town of Banjo Crossing.

In this town, he finds a bride, Cleo Benham, who he is not truly in love with but has two children by. He is consequently ascending up the ministerial ladder in Christianity, preaching to towns, with each population larger than the last, but losing, on the way, his ability to withstand temptation. He gained statewide fame on his preaching of Methodism but defeated his purpose by declaring to his wife that he would prefer the Episcopalian religion in light of the prosperous members. Elmer builds up a large following in the church in Zenith and campaigns against all of his former vices such as drinking, smoking and prostitution.

Unhappy in his marriage, he turns to Lulu Bains in an affair, unbeknownst to his wife Cleo. Elsewhere, Frank Shallard has hit a pothole in his ministerial career. He becomes an atheist and is discriminated against and harassed. On a lecture tour, he is vehemently opposed and is tipped off by anonymous sources not to speak, as there is a rough crowd that, apparently, will not tolerate such atheist views. An altercation occurs, and as he begins to step down to join the fight he is pushed out a back door and into the backseat of a car. As the car drives away his face is gashed with fingernails from an unknown assailant.

He is beaten senseless, whereupon he is hovering between life and death, all to show Frank and other atheists not to come into highly concentrated Christian areas. Elmer is indifferent about this event, but puts on a good show for the public, in which he openly declares he is outraged and inadvertently slips in how much the new church will cost. Elmer uses honor less methods to get what he wants, especially in the case of his acquirement of his Doctor of Divinity degree. At one of his sermons, Jim Lefferts is seated in the third row with a weary look on his face. When greeted by Elmer, he maintains that he is a lawyer and served a term in the state senate. Elmer tells Jim Lefferts to give him a call while he is still in town, an invitation in which was never accepted.

Elmer finds yet another lady in which to have an affair and so, dumps Lulu with the excuse that his wife is onto them. Hettie, the other woman, so to speak, has many letters written to her from Elmer detailing his love for her. Hettie's husband finds these letters and threatens to sue him for fifty thousand if he does not settle out of court for ten thousand. Elmer, after this devastating blow, also finds out that Hettie was in on the blackmail threat.

Fortunately, T.J. Riggs hires a detective who sorts the disgraceful matter out, Elmer is apologized to from his mother, his wife is and always has been proud of him, and his congregation stands behind him completely without hesitation.