Altorių šešėly Chapter 9 Summary

Chapter 9: chapter recap, key events, character developments, and running summary.

By Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas

80 chapters

Chapter 9

Chapter 92,452 wordsCompleted

At the climax of the Nekalto atindimas, while the choir sings and the organ resounds, Vasaris glances toward the pilory (altar rail) and spots a lone, young woman dressed in a white silk veil, her dark hair knotted, eyes distant and sorrowful. The sight strikes him like a vision; his heart swells, his breathing quickens, and a warm wave of longing spreads through his chest. He interprets the figure as a manifestation of his long‑standing yearning for an idealized feminine presence, contrasting with his fading recollection of Liucė.

After the mass, Vasaris returns to his seat, feeling a renewed vitality. Fellow seminarians notice his bright demeanor. One remarks, “Look how Vasaris has revived today! Where did that come from?” Others tease, “What tricks does Vasaris know now?” He smiles, shyly accepting the attention. The choir’s rehearsals continue, and Vasaris sings the Magnificat with greater fullness, hearing new harmonies that lift his spirits further.

That evening, the seminary holds a dinner in the refectory. The usual solemnity is replaced by noisy chatter and laughter. Vasaris sits among his peers, sharing jokes about his newfound cheerfulness. The conversation drifts to the upcoming indulgence celebrations, and a few jokingly speculate about his “new friends” in the choir. The meal is lively; glasses clink, and a few students stumble over spilled wine, but no serious conflict arises.

Later, while the night is still young, Petryla approaches Vasaris in the garden. He whispers that he has received a letter from a cleric indicating that Liucė – the coffee‑serving girl from the earlier banquet, now a relative of a priest – will soon visit the seminary. Petryla describes Liucė’s appearance and hints that she may want to see Vasaris. This revelation reignites Vasaris’s unresolved feelings for Liucė, now tangled with his reverie of the unknown woman at the altar.

Vasaris’s thoughts oscillate between the two women: the enigmatic figure clothed in white, who seemed to embody an unattainable ideal, and Liucė, whose familiarity and past teasing still haunt him. He feels a mixture of anticipation, anxiety, and a strange peace, as if both presences promise a different kind of fulfillment.

The chapter ends with Vasaris deciding that on the following day’s service he will position himself in the front row again, directly opposite the altar rail, hoping to catch another glimpse of the mysterious woman and perhaps resolve the emotional turmoil stirred by Liucė’s impending arrival.

What happened until now

Summary of the chapters Chapter 1 to Chapter 9.

Liudas Vasarį endures the strict bell‑driven routine of his first weeks at the seminary, explores the chapel’s interior, recalls his pre‑seminary turmoil, and takes part in his first communion, feeling more like a formal duty than a spiritual revelation. Chapter 2 details the seminary’s full hierarchy, the heated Lithuanian‑Polish language dispute, and the exhaustive daily chores imposed on novices, introducing rector Valeškevičius, inspector Mazurkovskis, dean, ceremonial master, music director, organist, apothecary, campanologist, and the first‑year guardian (formarijus), and shows Liudas Vasaris adapting to the strict routine. Liudas discovers that intellectual arguments cannot persuade his fellow seminarians, so he relies on lived experience; he wrestles with intense conscience examinations and repeated confessions, invents a catalog of sins (pride, envy, etc.), and is labeled “closed” by the senior guardian, deepening his sense of isolation and spiritual emptiness. Vasaris forms a tentative, conflict‑filled friendship with the cynical senior student Variokas; they discuss why Vasaris entered the seminary, the perceived hypocrisy of priestly duties, and Variokas’s personal ambition to become a corrupt cleric. Vasaris witnesses Variokas describe a drunken deacon’s lecherous behavior, is shown a provocative illustration of a bound naked woman, and later confesses this sight to his spiritual father who rebukes him. He observes that most seminarians are not genuinely pious, learns that the seminary strictly forbids close friendships between students, and becomes more critical of his vocation and the institution. Variokas announces his imminent departure and offers his coat; Vasaris meets his parents in the parlatorium, feeling degraded by their formal address; Jonelaitis befriends Vasaris and discusses seminary monotony and private study; a secret gathering of clerks opens Vasaris’s hidden “žiu ratkininkas” chest, is interrupted by a rector/inspector, and Vasaris narrowly avoids punishment by kissing the rector’s hand; Vasaris becomes more cautious, learns quick‑hide tactics for books, and his reputation with the rector improves; rumors of Variokas seen with a girl silence further criticism of him. Vasaris’s first vacation after his first seminary year: a vivid, almost transcendental journey through the Lithuanian countryside, arrival back in his home village, reunion with his parents, and his attempt to keep the strict seminary schedule at home (morning prayers, meditation, evening prayers, reading, attending Mass and receiving Communion). He meets his parish’s young priest (no vicar) who hosts him briefly. A few days later Vasaris travels with his fellow cleric Petryla to the Kleviškio parish for a major celebration. There he assists in the liturgy, joins a banquet of about ten clergy, and experiences a chaotic drinking episode involving the “apaštalas” (a strict vicar), broken glasses and heated arguments with the host priest. During the dinner the young coffee‑serving girl Liucė draws Vasaris’s attention, creating an awkward flirtation. These events expand the picture of parish life, clergy camaraderie and conflict, and introduce new characters (the young parish priest, the “apaštalas”, Liucė) while showing Vasaris’s ongoing struggle to reconcile his seminary formation with real‑world priestly duties. Liudas Vasaris confronts his lingering infatuation with Liucė, the priest’s adopted daughter, during Saint Laurence’s indulgence celebrations. The chapter reveals Liucė’s background, her close musical friendship with the young vicar Zigmas Trikauskas, and the arrival of a mixed clergy‑lay gathering at Petryla’s house where ideological debates about the Lithuanian clergy’s role unfold. At the farewell (išleistuvės) Liucė greets Vasaris in a confusing, partially aggressive manner, leaving him humiliated and deepening his internal conflict. Vasaris is ordered to vacate his second‑year dormitory and return to the “labirintas”, protests the decision, confronts the senior clerk and inspector Mazurkovskis, is rebuffed and forced to move, later confesses his dissent, and reflects on his resignation and deepening inner conflict. During the Nekalto atindimas Vasaris is struck by a sudden vision of a mysterious woman in white at the altar, which awakens a deep, hopeful longing and temporarily lifts his melancholy. After the service he receives lively remarks from classmates about his improved mood, joins a cheerful dinner where jokes circulate about his new liveliness, and is praised for his enthusiastic singing. Later, Petryla tells Vasaris that Liucė will soon arrive at the seminary, intensifying Vasaris’s inner conflict between his idealized memory of her and the mysterious woman he has begun to idealize. Vasaris resolves to sit in the same front‑row seat at the next day’s service, hoping to catch another glimpse of the unknown woman.

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