The Way of All Flesh · Chapter
Chapter LVI explained
Ernest Pontifex, increasingly dissatisfied with his clerical work and influenced by the evangelical fervor of Mr.
What happens
Ernest Pontifex, increasingly dissatisfied with his clerical work and influenced by the evangelical fervor of Mr. Hawke, proposes to his friend Pryer that they should preach in the streets to save souls. Pryer rebukes him, arguing that such methods lead to fanaticism and dissent, and that obedience to Church authority is paramount. Ernest is subdued but left with a lingering sense of malaise and doubt about his path.
Themes in this chapter
Religion and Doubt
Ernest's internal conflict between his desire to save souls through direct action and his obedience to Church authority highlights his growing religious doubt and the crisis of faith.
Hypocrisy of Victorian Morality
Pryer's insistence on professional etiquette and dignity over urgent spiritual need exposes the hypocrisy of institutional religion prioritizing form over substance.
Characters to notice
- Ernest Pontifex
Proposes street preaching to save souls, but is subdued by Pryer's arguments; feels growing malaise and doubt about his clerical role.
- Pryer
Rebukes Ernest's proposal for street preaching, emphasizing obedience to Church authority and the dangers of fanaticism.
- Mr. Hawke
Referenced as an example of evangelical energy that inspired Ernest, though Ernest now considers him a poor Low Churchman.
Key passages
“I don’t know what to make of you, Pontifex; you are at once so very right and so very wrong.”
Pryer tells Ernest that his ideas are both correct and misguided.
Pryer acknowledges Ernest's good intentions but criticizes his methods.
“You are like Dives, and think that if one rose from the dead they would hear him.”
Pryer compares Ernest to the rich man Dives, implying that extraordinary measures won't convince those who ignore ordinary warnings.
Pryer uses a biblical allusion to dismiss Ernest's plan for street preaching.
“He was so anxious to do what was right, and so ready to believe that everyone knew better than himself, that he never ventured to admit to himself that he might be all the while on a hopelessly wrong tack.”
Ernest's eagerness to be correct and his deference to others prevented him from recognizing his own errors.
The narrator describes Ernest's self-doubt and inability to trust his own judgment.