Elmer Gantry · Chapter
Chapter XVIII explained
Elmer Gantry, while writing letters in a Zenith hotel lobby, meets Bishop Wesley R.
What happens
Elmer Gantry, while writing letters in a Zenith hotel lobby, meets Bishop Wesley R. Toomis, a prominent Methodist leader. The bishop invites him to dinner, and Elmer impresses him with flattery and tales of his work with Sharon Falconer. At the bishop's home, Elmer presents himself as reformed and pious, and the bishop encourages him to join the Methodist ministry, offering a path to stability and advancement.
Themes in this chapter
Manipulation and Showmanship in Evangelism
Elmer skillfully flatters Bishop Toomis and presents a reformed image to secure a position in the Methodist Church.
Ambition and the Pursuit of Power
Elmer sees joining the Methodists as a path to rapid advancement, envisioning himself as a bishop within ten years.
Hypocrisy and Corruption in Religion
Elmer lies about his abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, and his motives are purely self-serving despite professing piety.
Characters to notice
- Elmer Gantry
Writing letters about his Prosperity Classes in Zenith; meets Bishop Toomis and flatters him to gain entry into the Methodist Church.
- Bishop Wesley R. Toomis
Methodist bishop of the Zenith area; invites Elmer to dinner and considers bringing him into the Methodist fold.
- Sharon Falconer
Mentioned by Elmer as a sanctified influence who helped him overcome temptation.
- Frank Shallard
Mentioned as someone Elmer owes money to but has not repaid.
- Mrs. Toomis
Bishop Toomis's wife; interrupts with travel anecdotes during Elmer's visit.
Key passages
“I’m sick of playing this lone game. Get in with a real big machine like the Methodists—maybe have to start low down, but climb fast—be a bishop myself in ten years—with all their spondulix and big churches and big membership and everything to back me up.”
Elmer decides to abandon his independent prosperity ministry and join the Methodist Church, seeing it as a powerful organization that will help him rise quickly to a bishopric.
Reveals Elmer's cynical ambition and strategic thinking about using the church for personal gain.
“No, thanks be to God, Bishop. I can honestly say that for years I have never known the taste of nicotine or alcohol.”
Elmer falsely claims to have abstained from smoking and drinking for years, presenting a pious front to the bishop.
Highlights Elmer's hypocrisy and willingness to deceive to advance his career.