OVERLAY REPORT

In the 1963 film *Lilies of the Field*, the darkest moment for the lead character, **Homer Smith** (played by Sidney Poitier), is a two-fold crisis: an external breaking point where he abandons the mission, followed by an internal crisis of pride that threatens his sense of purpose. ### The External Darkest Moment: Abandonment The external low point occurs when Homer's frustration with the headstrong Mother Maria reaches a boiling point. Despite his backbreaking labor, Mother Maria refuses to pay him or even properly thank him, insisting that "God will provide" while treating Homer with a stern, dictatorial attitude. **The Specific Detail:** The tension culminates in a heated argument after Mother Maria criticizes Homer for using his own money—earned from a side job at a construction site—to buy "luxuries" like a can of soup and a few lollipops for the other nuns. Feeling unappreciated and mocked, Homer snap and tells her, **"I’m through feeling small."** He delivers the famous line, **"You get yourself another boy,"** and drives away in his station wagon, leaving the nuns and the unfinished chapel behind. **How he overcomes it:** Homer overcomes this moment through a realization of his own integrity and a growing, unspoken bond with the sisters. After a few days of wandering and drinking, he returns to the farm. Though he is "hung over" and somewhat sheepish, his return signifies a transition from a man working for a "contract" to a man working out of a sense of duty and compassion. He realizes that the nuns’ faith, however frustrating, has given his life a focus it previously lacked. ### The Internal Darkest Moment: The Crisis of Pride The second, deeper "darkest moment" occurs later, once construction is well underway and the local Mexican-American community begins to help. Rather than being happy for the assistance, Homer becomes **sulky and despondent**. **The Specific Detail:** Homer confesses to Mother Maria that he had always dreamed of being an architect and building something grand. He wanted the chapel to be his "solitary" achievement—a testament to his own skill and name. When the townspeople arrive with bricks and labor, he feels he has lost his "masterpiece" to the crowd. He stops working and sits in the shade, refusing to participate in the collective effort. **How he overcomes it:** He overcomes this internal darkness through a blunt "reality check" from Mother Maria. She tells him: > *"God is out there building the chapel, and you sit in here feeling sorry for yourself because you are not Him."* This allows Homer to let go of his ego. He realizes that the chapel is not a monument to himself, but a sanctuary for the community. He humbles himself, takes on the role of "foreman" to coordinate the volunteers, and finds a new, more mature pride in leadership rather than solitary labor. He eventually completes the chapel and, in a final act of quiet satisfaction, secretly signs his name in the wet mortar of the steeple before driving away into the night—having finally balanced his personal pride with genuine humility.