What are some details in "Father Malloy"?

"Father Malloy" is one of the few poems in Spoon River Anthology that is not narrated in the first person by its central character. As a result, the use of detail by the poem's unnamed narrator becomes crucial in establishing who Father Malloy was in life.
One significant detail is that Father Malloy is not buried in the cemetery on the hill with most of Spoon River's residents, but rather at a Catholic cemetery, indicating a religious divide between himself and the predominantly Protestant community. The fact that he is referred to as "Father Malloy," as well as the references to St. Peter at the end of the poem, confirms this, establishing an apparent conflict between himself and many of his fellow citizens.
However, Father Malloy's response to this divide is also a critical detail. For example, we are told that the Father evidently did not see religious differences as a reason to isolate himself. He spent time in fellowship with residents by "taking a friendly glass sometimes" and did not seem to ascribe to the piousness one might expect from someone in his position. In fact, he exhibited a sincerity about his faith and his enjoyment of life that the town seemed to find refreshing from "the coldness and dreariness of village morality."
One of the most memorable details used in the poem occurs when the speaker describes Father Malloy as "like a traveler who brings a little box of sand / From the wastes about the pyramids / And makes them real and Egypt real." Father Malloy's background, rather than serving as a dividing factor, instead allows him to bring new knowledge to the town's spirituality, as well as a new appreciation for life in general. It is also important to note that Father Malloy even seems to have almost persuaded some people in Spoon River to become Catholic because of his joy and love of people: "Some of us almost came to you, Father Malloy / Seeing how your church had divined the heart / And provided for it."
In short, the key to farming this poem for details is discovering how Edgar Lee Masters develops this character and what elements of the poem reveal something about who he is. Try reading the poem again with this basic character description in mind and see what other phrases strike you as significant.
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