German Luger Pistol

The German Luger Pistol is the concealed weapon Wilkes brings to the crowded shrine and uses against Alice Pagett during the candlelight service. Its appearance transforms a gathering focused on her apparent miracle into a public shooting, yet the attack does not prevent Alice from rising again.

Identification and Concealment

Wilkes’s weapon is identified as a German Luger and as the Pistole ’38, described in the scene as a relic of the last major war. He travels to the village with it taped against his body and hidden beneath his clothes. Security staff inspect bags and containers, but conduct no body searches, so the pistol passes into the shrine without being discovered.

The concealment is part of Wilkes’s preparation for a public act. He takes a seat near the altar and waits rather than using the weapon when Alice passes nearby in the procession. As the service continues, he remains outwardly among the worshippers, following their movements while keeping the pistol hidden.

Use During the Service

When Alice rises above the platform, the congregation is absorbed in the sight. Wilkes leaves his bench, removes the Luger from beneath his clothing, and walks down the aisle with its barrel initially pointed toward the ground. He raises it when he reaches the altar and fires at Alice at close range.

The pistol holds eight bullets, but the fifth jams between the chamber and magazine. The account from Wilkes’s viewpoint states that he continues firing until the jam; Fenn’s account registers four reports. Alice falls to the platform, and the congregation’s attention shifts abruptly from the levitation to the shooting.

Consequence and Narrative Significance

The Luger makes the attack possible despite the shrine’s entry checks, and its concealment allows Wilkes to approach the altar while the crowd is focused elsewhere. Its mechanical failure limits the burst of gunfire, but does not spare Alice from being shot. The apparent result is her collapse; moments later, she opens the coffin lid and sits up alive again.

Described as a relic of wartime bloodshed, the pistol brings an older instrument of violence into a scene presented as sacred and miraculous. Its presence punctures the congregation’s collective expectation, but the attempted killing fails to settle what Alice is: the weapon can interrupt the service and wound her, yet cannot keep her down.