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The odd man out in Henry’s regiment, the Priest primarily functions as the butt of everyone’s jokes instead of as a spiritual guide. Of the characters who uphold traditional societal institutions, in this case the church, the Priest is the kindest, reacting to the other characters’ rejection of faith not with anger or violence, but sorrow. He seems aware that his faith has no power to help the other soldiers. He doesn’t attempt to correct their behaviors but instead seems resigned to his position as a laughingstock. Although Henry respects the Priest greatly, he recognizes that they are extremely different people because the Priest finds meaning in tradition while Henry cannot. The Priest’s desire to return to Abruzzi is both homesickness and a desire to return to a place where tradition has meaning, unlike the front. The Abruzzi he describes operates according to an older way of life where traditional societal structures like the church and the gentry are treated with reverence. Going to Abruzzi could never give Henry the escape he needs, but returning there for the Priest would be a return to people who find meaning in his work.
