Zorba
Two minor characters in the novel provide examples of living in the pursuit of sacred awe, but each appears to have a flaw when compared to Zorba's zest for life. The first is Zaharia, a monk from a monastery in Crete. In many ways, Zaharia is similar to Zorba, as he takes delight in worldly pleasures. However, as a monk, he does not allow himself to partake in his sensual impulses. Instead, he "refuses his own instinct by longing for heaven instead of the earthly pleasures to which he is more disposed." Zaharia's natural urge for sacred awe eventually shines through, as he burns down his monastery and feasts on forbidden meat. Zaharia's problem is similar to that of the narrator: he has imposed rules on himself in the search for sacred awe instead of following the impulses that come naturally to him.
The other character that plainly exhibits the tendency to pursue sacred awe is Anagnosti, a religious man from the town near the lignite mine. Anagnosti is deeply and naturally religious. He is, as Zorba would describe him, a man who "turns his food into God." The narrator is inclined to debate Anagnosti on his religion, but Zorba stops him, explaining, "What good'll that poor devil Anagnosti get out of all your explanatory humbug? You'd only cause him a lot of bother" (Kazantzakis 73). Zorba understands that what is important in religion is not the accuracy or validity of one's beliefs, but the strength of the belief and the happiness it brings the believer. He clarifies his position with a metaphor: "If you take a magnifying-glass and look at your drinking water - an engineer told me this, one day - you'll see, he said, the water's full of little worms you couldn't see with your naked eye. You'll see the worms and you won't drink. You won't drink and you'll curl up with thirst. Smash your magnifying-glass, boss, and the little worms'll vanish and you can drink and be refreshed." The problem with Anagnosti's pursuit of sacred awe, however, is its
The other character that plainly exhibits the tendency to pursue sacred awe is Anagnosti, a religious man from the town near the lignite mine. Anagnosti is deeply and naturally religious. He is, as Zorba would describe him, a man who "turns his food into God." The narrator is inclined to debate Anagnosti on his religion, but Zorba stops him, explaining, "What good'll that poor devil Anagnosti get out of all your explanatory humbug? You'd only cause him a lot of bother" (Kazantzakis 73). Zorba understands that what is important in religion is not the accuracy or validity of one's beliefs, but the strength of the belief and the happiness it brings the believer. He clarifies his position with a metaphor: "If you take a magnifying-glass and look at your drinking water - an engineer told me this, one day - you'll see, he said, the water's full of little worms you couldn't see with your naked eye. You'll see the worms and you won't drink. You won't drink and you'll curl up with thirst. Smash your magnifying-glass, boss, and the little worms'll vanish and you can drink and be refreshed." The problem with Anagnosti's pursuit of sacred awe, however, is its