Paulo Coelho's The Devil and Miss Prym; A Review

A Novel of Temptation and the Fight Between Good and Evil

Sep 11, 2009

Worldwide acclaimed author Paulo Coelho leads us through a forgotten community that is faced with a proposition they should resist.

In his novel The Devil and Miss Prym, previously released in 1992, translated in English in 2006, Paulo Coelho ignites our curiosity from its opening scene. The stage is set in a grey elapsed town named Viscos. Where the townspeople lead ordinary honest lives. The towns’ supposed witch Berta watches the Devil come into town, (with aid from her deceased husband whom watches over her spiritually) so begins the story of The Devil and Miss Prym…

The stranger with the devil at his side, has endured the unimaginable, the loss of his family, the ruin of his career, appears to the townspeople of Viscos with a devilish scheme. He spots out the beautiful supple Miss Prym, a young woman who works at the local bar. He challenges the young Miss Prym into a sophisticated game. Posting the question, are human beings, in essence, good or evil? He promises her a way out of Viscos if the town can prove his belief that under treacherous circumstances, human beings are capable of anything, including sacrificing the weak. Since he himself has lost all hope in humanity, and believes that all people are evil, he gives them a week to act out a treacherous murder, or prove him wrong, and confirm that not everyone is indeed evil.

In the course of a week, Miss Prym and the simple people of Viscos are faced with an ultimatum that will change their lives forever. The stranger introduces fear and change inside a town that embraces routine. With eleven gold bars the stranger lures the townspeople and Miss Prym to a world of deception and the loss of faith in God. He offers them freedom and wealth, but indeed, with a price.

At the end of the day, when we sit alone and contemplate the world and its beginnings, most of us come to the conclusion that someone other than ourselves is responsible for our mistakes. We fail to realize that the choice lies within. Our lives are all about the choices we make. The town of Viscos could represent anyone, anywhere. Faced with choices that in turn can seem appealing, our demons are overfed and become quite persuasive. But in order for good to prevail, it needs a counterpart to feed off of. Because nothing tastes as sweet until we’re aware of the bitter. The Devil and Miss Prym, reminds us that the only ones responsible for the outcome of our lives, is ourselves.

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