Short Fiction · Chapter
Anathema explained
Archdeacon Father Olympy, a massive man with a powerful voice and a love for literature, prepares for a Sunday service.
What happens
Archdeacon Father Olympy, a massive man with a powerful voice and a love for literature, prepares for a Sunday service. During the anathema rite, he is ordered to curse Leo Tolstoy. However, he is deeply moved by a story he read about compassion and the beauty of God's creation, leading him to rebel against the ritual. Instead of lowering his candle, he raises it and proclaims 'Long life!' to Tolstoy, then resigns from the church, feeling his soul can no longer bear the hypocrisy.
Themes in this chapter
Cruelty and Suffering
The anathema ritual is depicted as a cruel and terrifying act, causing hysterics among the congregation and inner torment for Father Olympy, who struggles with the violence of the words he must speak.
Human Observation and Psychology
The chapter delves into Father Olympy's internal conflict, his love for literature, and his psychological transformation as he rebels against the church's dogma, highlighting the tension between institutional authority and personal conscience.
Nature and the Sublime
Father Olympy recalls beautiful, nature-centered passages from a story about a Cossack and butterflies, which contrast sharply with the harsh anathema and inspire his defiance, emphasizing the sublime in creation.
Characters to notice
- Father Olympy
The archdeacon, a giant of a man with a magnificent voice, who loves reading and is deeply conflicted by the order to anathematize Tolstoy.
- Anna Friedrichovna
Father Olympy's wife, a thin, sallow-faced woman who treats him sternly and is hysterical, fearing the consequences of his actions.
Key passages
“Everything that God has made is for man’s joy. There is no sin in anything.”
All of God's creation exists for human happiness, and nothing is inherently sinful.
This phrase, echoing Tolstoyan themes, haunts Father Olympy and fuels his rebellion against the anathema.
“I believe truly, according to the symbol of the faith, yes, I believe in Christ and the Apostolic Church. Yet I feel no wrath.”
I hold genuine faith in Christ and the Church, but I cannot feel anger or hatred.
Father Olympy expresses his orthodox belief while rejecting the wrathful spirit of the anathema.
“My soul can’t stand it. I believe truly, according to the symbol of the faith, yes, I believe in Christ and the Apostolic Church. Yet I feel no wrath.”
My spirit cannot endure this any longer. I have true faith, but I am without anger.
This encapsulates his crisis of conscience and decision to leave the church.