The Innocents Abroad · Chapter
XLVIII explained
The pilgrims visit Magdala and Tiberias, observing the squalid conditions and beggars.
What happens
The pilgrims visit Magdala and Tiberias, observing the squalid conditions and beggars. They see Mary Magdalene's house and camp near Tiberias. The narrator reflects on the Sea of Galilee by day and by night, critiquing the romanticized descriptions of other travelers and noting how pilgrims borrow from books like Robinson and Thompson. He contrasts the unpoetic daylight view with the mystical, inspiring beauty of Galilee under starlight.
Themes in this chapter
Travel as Education
The narrator learns to see beyond romanticized descriptions and critiques the tendency of pilgrims to rely on borrowed ideas.
The Past vs. the Present
Contrasts the historical and religious significance of Galilee with its modern, unpoetic reality.
Religion and Hypocrisy
Pilgrims are shown to be biased by their creeds, seeing what they want to see rather than the actual landscape.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Describes the scenes in Magdala and Tiberias, critiques other travelers' descriptions, and reflects on the Sea of Galilee.
- Wm. C. Grimes
Quoted for his description of the Sea of Galilee; the narrator corrects his statements about the water color.
- Mr. Church
Referenced as the author of 'The Land and the Book,' from which pilgrims borrow ideas.
- William H. Neligan
Mentioned as a source from which pilgrims borrow descriptions of Palestine.
Key passages
“Magdala is not a beautiful place. It is thoroughly Syrian, and that is to say that it is thoroughly ugly, and cramped, squalid, uncomfortable, and filthy.”
Magdala is an ugly, cramped, squalid, uncomfortable, and filthy Syrian town.
The narrator describes the unappealing reality of Magdala.
“The pilgrims took down portions of the front wall for specimens, as is their honored custom, and then we departed.”
The pilgrims removed parts of the wall as souvenirs, a common practice, before leaving.
Illustrates the tourists' habit of taking relics.
“I can almost tell, in set phrase, what they will say when they see Tabor, Nazareth, Jericho and Jerusalem— because I have the books they will 'smouch' their ideas from.”
I can predict exactly what the pilgrims will say about these sites, since they steal their descriptions from books.
Critiques the lack of original observation among pilgrims.