The Wonderful Visit · Chapter
XXXIX: The Trouble of the Barbed Wire (Continued) explained
The Vicar struggles to reconcile the Angel's existence with worldly realities, fearing Sir John Gotch's reaction.
What happens
The Vicar struggles to reconcile the Angel's existence with worldly realities, fearing Sir John Gotch's reaction. The Angel, increasingly depressed by rejection and pain, plays a sorrowful violin melody that introduces a new note of human suffering, heard by an unknown listener.
Themes in this chapter
Innocence vs. Experience
The Angel's unworldliness clashes with the Vicar's worldly concerns, and the Angel begins to experience pain, rejection, and revolt.
The Universality of Suffering
The Angel feels 'the iron of the world' entering his soul, and his violin melody now carries a note of human sorrow and effort.
Characters to notice
- The Angel
Feels depressed and puzzled by the world's hostility; plays a violin melody expressing human sorrow and defiance.
- The Vicar
Torn between the Angelic and earthly worlds; worries about Sir John Gotch's reaction and the social collapse.
- Sir John Gotch
Mentioned as a disagreeable moral influence whom the Vicar must consult about the barbed wire trouble.
Key passages
“It’s the two worlds. If your Angelic world were only a dream, or if this world were only a dream—or if I could believe either or both dreams, it would be all right with me.”
The Vicar is torn between the angelic and earthly realms, unable to fully commit to either.
Highlights the Vicar's internal conflict and the theme of innocence vs. experience.
“The iron of the world was entering into his soul.”
The Angel is beginning to feel the harshness and pain of human existence.
Illustrates the Angel's loss of innocence and encounter with suffering.