Resurrection · Chapter
XXXIX explained
Nekhlúdoff observes a prison church service, which is described in detail as a hollow, mechanical ritual.
What happens
Nekhlúdoff observes a prison church service, which is described in detail as a hollow, mechanical ritual. The priest performs the Eucharist, transforming bread and wine into the flesh and blood of God, while the deacon chants incomprehensible prayers. The service includes a special glorification of Jesus, with prisoners bowing and crossing themselves repeatedly. Finally, the convicts kiss the cross, and the service ends, offering no genuine comfort or moral teaching.
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 Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This scene is the dramatic climax because it forces Nekhlúdoff to confront the central moral crisis of the nov…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Hypocrisy of Religion and Morality
The elaborate, mechanical ritual of the service contrasts sharply with the lack of genuine spiritual comfort or moral guidance for the prisoners.
Characters to notice
- Prince Dmitri Ivanovich Nekhludoff
Observes the prison church service, reflecting on its emptiness and hypocrisy.
Key passages
“The essence of the service consisted in the supposition that the bits cut up by the priest and put by him into the wine, when manipulated and prayed over in a certain way, turned into the flesh and blood of God.”
The core of the service was the belief that the priest's actions and prayers transformed bread and wine into God's actual flesh and blood.
Highlights the author's critical view of the Eucharist as a superstitious ritual.
“And thus ended the Christian service, intended for the comfort and the teaching of these strayed brothers.”
So concluded the Christian service, which was supposed to comfort and instruct these lost souls.
Ironic conclusion emphasizing the failure of the service to fulfill its stated purpose.
