The narrator is copying a Buddhist song while trying not to think about the widow. Copying it helps the narrator, who has “routed [his] temptation” (122). He wishes to banish the widow from his thoughts to obtain transcendence. Meanwhile, Zorba disapproves and tries to convince the narrator. The narrator justifies himself by telling Zorba he is a different type of man. They go to church on Christmas Eve. The narrator considers the importance of eating, saying the stomach is “the firm foundation” (125). Zorba asks the narrator if he believes the nativity tale, and the narrator answers noncommittally. They go to a feast at Hortense’s, where in their happiness both the narrator and Zorba feel drawn to her. Zorba gives an impassioned speech to her, spending the night while the narrator returns home happily, feeling both part of and apart from mundane matters.

The narrator feels the days pass as the New Year approaches. Zorba goes to the church to represent the company, the narrator’s business venture, but also mentions possibly seeing the widow there. The narrator goes to the beach and remembers a poignant memory of helping a butterfly out of its cocoon only to see it die, an event that taught him that “one’s duty is to confidently to follow nature’s everlasting rhythm” (121).