The Iron Heel · Chapter
The Bishop explained
Avis recounts her discovery of Bishop Morehouse living in poverty after he sold all his possessions to help the poor.
What happens
Avis recounts her discovery of Bishop Morehouse living in poverty after he sold all his possessions to help the poor. She follows him to a tenement where they visit an elderly German woman who sews trousers for six cents a pair, illustrating the brutal exploitation of labor. The Bishop, terrified of being discovered, is later committed to an asylum for his charitable acts, leading Ernest to bitterly comment that society now punishes those who follow Christ's teachings.
Themes in this chapter
Class Struggle and the Rise of Oligarchy
The elderly seamstress's exploitation for six cents per pair of trousers exemplifies the systemic injustice of capitalism.
Corruption of Institutions (Church, State, Labor)
The Bishop, a church leader, is institutionalized for following Christ's teachings, showing how societal institutions punish true charity.
Love and Loyalty in Adversity
Avis's persistent care and loyalty to the Bishop, even as he tries to hide his new life, demonstrates love in the face of hardship.
Characters to notice
- Avis Everhard
Narrator who follows the Bishop and discovers his secret life of poverty and charity.
- Bishop Morehouse
Found living in faded overalls, buying potatoes; he has sold all his possessions to help the poor and is terrified of being discovered.
- Ernest Everhard
Referenced for his views on charity and revolution; delivers the bitter closing remark about the Bishop's fate.
Key passages
“I had become convinced that Ernest was right when he sneered at charity as a poulticing of an ulcer. Remove the ulcer, was his remedy; give to the worker his product; pension as soldiers those who grow honorably old in their toil, and there will be no need for charity.”
Avis now agrees with Ernest that charity only treats symptoms, not causes; the real solution is to give workers their fair share and provide pensions for the elderly.
Avis reflects on her ideological shift away from charity toward revolutionary change.
“Christ told the rich young man to sell all he had. The Bishop obeyed Christ's injunction and got locked up in a madhouse. Times have changed since Christ's day. A rich man today who gives all he has to the poor is crazy. There is no discussion. Society has spoken.”
Ernest bitterly observes that following Christ's command to give away wealth now leads to being declared insane and institutionalized.
Ernest's closing remark underscores the theme of institutional corruption and the inversion of Christian values.