The Keys of the Kingdom by A. J. Cronin

First published: 1941

Type of work: Religious idealism

Time of work: Late nineteenth century to 1938

Locale: England and China

Principal Characters:

• Francis Chisolm, the protagonist, a parish priest and missionary in China
• Anselm Mealey, Francis’ childhood friend, who becomes a bishop
• Bishop Hamish McNabb, Francis’ friend and mentor, who sends Francis to China
• Dr. Willie Tulloch, Francis’ childhood friend, an atheist
• Nora Bannon, Francis cousin, who was in love with him
• Aunt Polly, a loving relative and helper to Francis
• Mother Maria-Veronica, Francis assistant in China
• Andrew, Nora’s grandson, taken in by Francis
• Monsignor Sleeth, who must decide Francis fate

The Novel

Utilizing his great narrative powers and ability to show the panoramic side of China, A. J. Cronin offers his view of the fulfilled religious life as exemplified by the mind and heart of Father Francis Chisolm, a Scottish Parish priest who spends the greater part of his life as a missionary in China. The complications in the novel mainly arise for Francis, who, despite his powerful faith, is a self-doubter and a believer in religious toleration.

Cronin begins the novel almost at the very end, when Francis, now an old, worn-out man in his sixties, has returned to Scotland as a parish priest after more than thirty years of being a missionary in China. He has taken on the burden of rearing Andrew, the grandson of his childhood love, Nora Bannon, as no one else wants the boy, and Francis faces retirement at the hands of his superiors in the Catholic Church, men whom he has failed to impress despite his many years of loyal and dedicated service. Monsignor Sleeth, Francis’ immediate superior, is, at this point, all for forcing Francis’ retirement.

The remainder of the novel, until the very end, is a flashback detailing Francis’ life. It begins with his childhood as the son of pious parents who die because of their religious faith and love for each other. Francis then lives a life reminiscent of the novels of Charles Dickens, filled with privation, poverty, and suffering at the hands of unsympathetic relatives until he is rescued by Aunt Polly, his benefactor throughout his life.

Despite finding his vocation in the Church, Francis suffers much uncertainty, which makes his superiors think that perhaps he is not fit to be a priest. Bishop Hamish McNabb, however, the head of the seminary, finds in Francis a kindred spirit, and he encourages Francis to become a priest; it is McNabb who is instrumental in sending Francis to China as a missionary.

In China, Francis finds not the thriving mission he had been informed he would take over but only some ruins and “rice Christians,” Chinese who have pretended to convert for material gain, and he must create a mission by himself with the help of no one. In saving the life of the son of the wealthiest man in the town of Pai-tan, Mr. Chia, Francis slowly begins to win at first the admiration of the Chinese and finally their belief in his religion. Cronin shows Francis practicing medicine (like others among Cronin’s characters in his medical novels), although on a primitive level, showing how Francis manages to get converts not by prayer alone but by helping members of the community.

His success results in the Church’s sending three nuns to assist him in teaching the children of the mission. These nuns are led by Mother Maria-Veronica, an aristocratic German, who at first looks down on Francis because he is not the smooth, polished priest she expected to lead a successful mission. She eventually learns to value and respect Francis’ humble and Christlike ways, however, especially after meeting Father Anselm Mealey, Francis’ childhood friend and a leader of the missionary society that sent Francis to China. In Anselm, Mother Maria-Veronica finds the worldly priest rather than the man dedicated to helping others.

The mission, under Francis’ strong, courageous leadership, survives flood, famine, plague, bandits, and war; when, however, after many years, Francis is finally recalled home, he is seen by his superiors as a failure because he did not succeed in creating as many converts as they unrealistically had hoped. Ironically, these men have no firsthand knowledge of the sacrifices and hardships Francis endured to keep the mission going with little or no help.

The novel then returns to complete the opening section, wherein Monsignor Sleeth must determine Francis’ future. In a dream, the Monsignor discovers that he is not the kind of man he has wanted to be and that Francis, a truly saintly man, has been wronged by him. In an almost totally unexpected way, the Monsignor changes his mind about retiring Francis and allows Francis to continue in the only life he loves, that of a parish priest.

The Characters

Father Francis Chisolm is, without a doubt, the most inspiring character in the works of A. J. Cronin. In Francis, Cronin has created what in demeanor and appearance would be a most ordinary human being, but Cronin also shows how little appearance means compared to the inner nature of the man of conviction who is determined to leave the world a better place. Francis’ inspiration lies in a humble nature and in a total commitment to humanity, not to Church dogma or Church politics. Because he is lacking in surface conviviality, he is not seen as the real success he is by his superiors.

In addition to this, there is his religious tolerance, a lesson which he learned by the death of his parents: He chooses not to impose his religious faith upon those who are not receptive to it. This tolerance is best exemplified by his friendship with Dr. Willie Tulloch, a friend of Francis from childhood on. Willie, a physician, comes to assist Francis at the mission in China during a terrible plague and finally dies for his efforts. Francis’ regard for Willie shocks Mother Maria-Veronica because Willie was always an atheist and dies unrepentant and unconverted.

Francis’ tolerance is again seen with the coming of Dr. Fiske to the town of Pai-tan. Dr. Fiske, an American Methodist missionary, is regarded by some of Francis’ flock as a rival whom they would drive away as an unwanted competitor for the souls of the people. Instead, Francis befriends Dr. Fiske and his wife; together they do much to help the lives of the people of the town. At the heart of Francis’ faith is his respect for the faiths of others, for he sees many gates on the road to Heaven.

In the same spirit, Francis learns some of the wisdom of Confucius from Mr. Chia, who is impressed when Francis refuses to accept his conversion to Christianity for saving his son’s life, considering it a forgery to God. When Francis must finally leave China, however, he learns that he has genuinely converted Mr. Chia by the example of his own life.

The other characters in the novel, except for Anselm Mealey, are seen only as they are involved with Francis. Francis’ family and friends are, for the most part, seen favorably, but the priests, except for Bishop McNabb, are not. Anselm Mealey, Father Kezer, and Monsignor Sleeth especially are seen as precisely what priests should not be: egocentric, ungiving, and narrow in their faith.

The best example of what a priest should not be is Anselm Mealey, often Francis’ chief antagonist. Attractive, personable, and worldly, Anselm is the antithesis of Francis in his great success in the Church, reaping all the material rewards forever denied to the quiet, humble priests, who are averse to tooting their own horns to advertise their piety. Francis from time to time marvels at Anselm’s success and even, at times, envies Anselm, but there is no doubt as to the path Francis would choose, had he any alternative. Cronin’s often-stated thesis that it is a hard life for idealists is seen in his ironic depiction of Anselm’s successes. Francis has sought to emulate the life of Saint Francis, who loved poverty, and gaining the keys to the kingdom is the only success he would ultimately seek.

The novel begins and ends with Monsignor Sleeth, who at first finds Francis repulsive and wants to retire him. Sleeth is one of the novel’s unattractive characters, and his change is not entirely expected, for he is boring, dogmatic, and cruel. It is his cruelty to young Andrew, whom he threatens to send to an orphanage, which finally brings a reversal in his character. Readers may find this change of heart hard to fathom, but perhaps Cronin is saying that in His wisdom, God has manifested Himself to protect and preserve one of His most devoted servants.

Critical Context

At the time this novel was published, it was generally regarded as Cronin’s greatest work. Published by the Book-of-the-Month Club, the novel received an enormous readership and was greatly acclaimed by an overwhelming majority of the critics, although there were some negative comments about the sentimental and often melodramatic elements that feature much of the plot.

Yet, though literary critics, for the most part, commented favorably, there was greater division on the part of critics found in religious publications. These critics found little evidence of orthodox Christianity in the novel and were dissatisfied with the kind of religious example offered by Cronin in the life of his protagonist. Catholic literary critics were also divided in their views of the work, many of them believing that Cronin had distorted the goals and motivations of the priesthood and that he had not drawn a sympathetic portrayal of the Catholic Church on the whole.

This claim is perhaps true, for it does seem that Cronin has drawn not so much a model for one faith but a model for all faiths, and this may be why this novel remains the most widely read of all of Cronin’s offerings. Medical doctors, too, complained bitterly about Cronin’s The Citadel (1937), one of his major novels dealing with some of the evils practiced by medical men. Because Cronin was a medical doctor himself, however, there was a general acceptance of his views on how medicine was being practiced. As he was never a priest, some of Cronin’s critics, especially those writing for religious publications, believed that he had not been entirely fair to organized religion.

Nevertheless, The Keys of the Kingdom, because it depicts an inspiring journey in the spiritual life of a saintly man, continues to be enjoyed by many readers and is still regarded as Cronin’s greatest novel.

Sources for Further Study

Adelman, Irving, and Rita Dworkin. The Contemporary Novel: A Checklist of Critical Literature on the British and American Novel Since 1945, 1972.

Bokenkotter, Thomas. A Concise History of the Catholic Church. New York: Doubleday, 2004. Provides historical information regarding the Catholic Church’s missionary efforts in China.

Cassis, A. F. The Twentieth Century English Novel: An Annotated Bibliography of General Criticism, 1977.

Dease, Alice. Bluegowns: A Golden Treasury of Tales of the China Missions. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Catholic Foreign Mission Society America, 1927. Covers the Catholic missions in China during 1900-1926, the time in which The Keys of the Kingdom is set. Based on vivid and inspirational personal accounts and illustrated with thirty-two photographs.

Salwalk, David. A. J. Cronin. Boston: Twayne, 1985. Criticism and interpretation of Cronin’s major works. Includes a six-page bibliography.

Salwak, Dale. A. J. Cronin: A Reference Guide, 1982.

Temple, Ruth Z., and Martin Tucker. Twentieth Century British Literature: A Reference Guide and Bibliography, 1968.