On a Chinese Screen · Chapter
The Stranger explained
The missionary escapes the sweltering city for his hill bungalow, but is troubled by an encounter with Dr.
What happens
The missionary escapes the sweltering city for his hill bungalow, but is troubled by an encounter with Dr. Saunders, who tells him about a stranger claiming to be Christ who sought the missions only to find them closed for the summer. The missionary broods over the implied criticism and later thinks of a retort.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional peak occurs when the stripling’s youthful audacity and pride in his strength reach their zenith…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Hypocrisy and Moral Compromise
The missionary feels stung by the implication that the missions' summer exodus is a dereliction of duty, and he rationalizes it as a practical necessity, while resenting the comparison to the Roman Catholics.
- Colonial Ennui and Isolation
The missionary's peaceful retreat is disturbed by a trivial encounter, highlighting the isolation and petty irritations of colonial life.
Characters to notice
- The Missionary
The missionary is the central figure, traveling to his summer bungalow and reflecting on his unsettling conversation with Dr. Saunders.
- Dr. Saunders
Dr. Saunders meets the missionary in the city and recounts his encounter with a stranger who claimed to be Christ, teasing the missionary about the missions' summer closures.
- The Stranger
A mysterious stranger who asked about the missions and, when asked his name, replied 'I am Christ.'
Key passages
“It was a comfort in that sweltering heat to get out of the city.”
Leaving the oppressive heat of the city brought relief.
The chapter opens with the missionary's escape from the city's heat.
“‘Oh, I’m Christ,’ he said.”
The stranger claimed to be Christ.
Dr. Saunders reports the stranger's startling self-identification.
“‘My dear Sir,’ he ought to have said, ‘Our Lord never in the whole course of his ministry claimed to be the Christ.’”
The missionary later thinks of a retort: that Jesus never called himself the Christ.
The missionary's belated, imagined comeback to Dr. Saunders.
