Poetry · Chapter
A Vision of Resurrection explained
The narrator dreams of a desolate earth where all graves but one are open, having disgorged their dead for judgment.
What happens
The narrator dreams of a desolate earth where all graves but one are open, having disgorged their dead for judgment. A voice explains that a million years have passed since the resurrection began, and only one soul remains. The final grave opens, revealing Deacon George K. Fitch, who rises with a superior smile and ascends to heaven.
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 and psychological peak occurs when the speaker’s obsessive pursuit of the divine rose fragrance…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Mortality and Regret
The dream depicts the aftermath of death on a cosmic scale, with all graves emptied and only the final sinner's trial lingering, emphasizing the finality and judgment of mortal life.
- Hypocrisy and Corruption
Deacon Fitch, a holy man by his epitaph, rises with a 'superior' smile, hinting at a gap between public piety and true virtue, a common satirical target.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The dreamer who witnesses the post-resurrection landscape and the final rising of Deacon Fitch.
- Deacon Fitch
The last soul to rise from the grave, a deacon and editor whose headstone proclaims him a holy man who 'fell asleep in Jesus.'
Key passages
“A million years have rolled away since here / His sheeted multitudes (save only some / Whose dark misdeeds required a separate / And individual arraigning) rose / To judgment at the trumpet’s summoning”
A million years have passed since most of humanity rose for judgment, except for a few whose sins were so great they needed a separate trial.
The voice explains the timeline of the resurrection, highlighting the exceptional delay for the most sinful.
“That single rounded mound cracked lengthliwise / And one came forth in grave-clothes. For a space / He stood and gazed about him with a smile Superior”
The last grave split open and a figure in burial clothes emerged, pausing to look around with a smug expression.
The final resurrection of Deacon Fitch, depicted with a condescending demeanor.
“Sacred to memory of George K. Fitch, / Deacon and Editor—a holy man / Who fell asleep in Jesus, full of years / And blessedness. The dead in Christ rise first.”
The headstone reads: In memory of George K. Fitch, a deacon and editor, a holy man who died peacefully in faith, full of years and blessing. The dead in Christ rise first.
The epitaph on Fitch's tombstone, which ironically contrasts with his smug behavior.
