# XLIX explained — The Way of All Flesh

> Chapter companion for The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler.

## What happens

Ernest and his friends, preparing for holy orders, begin serious religious study and attend a meeting with the evangelical preacher Mr. Hawke, whose sermon deeply impresses them.

## Themes in this chapter

### Religion and Doubt

Ernest and his friends grapple with their faith, seeking deeper religious conviction while being confronted by Evangelical fervor.

### Education and Indoctrination

The chapter shows how religious education and peer pressure shape the students' beliefs and behaviors at Cambridge.

## Character check-ins

### Ernest Pontifex

Ernest is part of a group of Cambridge students preparing for orders; he attends Mr. Hawke's sermon and is deeply moved.

### Mr. Hawke

A well-known London Evangelical preacher who visits Cambridge and delivers a powerful sermon to the students.

### Badcock

A Simeonite from St. John's, described as ugly, dirty, and deformed; he hosts the meeting where Mr. Hawke preaches.

## Key lines

> They therefore attended chapel more regularly than hitherto, and held evening meetings of a somewhat furtive character, at which they would study the New Testament.

Ernest and his friends began attending chapel more often and held secret evening meetings to study the New Testament.

_Describes the group's initial turn toward religious devotion._

> Mr. Hawke was a very different-looking person from Badcock. He was remarkably handsome, or rather would have been but for the thinness of his lips, and a look of too great firmness and inflexibility.

Mr. Hawke was handsome except for his thin lips and stern expression, contrasting sharply with Badcock's appearance.

_Contrasts the physical appearance of the preacher with the unattractive Badcock._

> I put these considerations before you, if so homely a term may be pardoned, as a plain matter of business.

Mr. Hawke presents his religious arguments as a straightforward business decision.

_Highlights the pragmatic, self-interested tone of the sermon._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_way_of_all_flesh_se/chapters/xlix
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_way_of_all_flesh_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_way_of_all_flesh_se/chapters