Didn't Catholicism deal with blood and resurrected flesh on a daily basis? Wasn't it expert in superstition? I somehow doubted that the hospitable plain Protestant chapels that dotted the university could be much help; they didn't look qualified to wrestle with the undead. I felt sure those big square Puritan churches on the town green would be helpless in the face of a European vampire. A little witch burning was more in their line-something limited to the neighbors.
The passage reflects a skeptical view of Protestant churches in contrast to Catholicism’s rich rituals involving blood and resurrection, which the author associates with a deeper engagement with the supernatural. The narrator questions whether the simpler, more hospitable Protestant chapels could effectively address the complexities of confronting something like a vampire, suggesting a sense of inadequacy in dealing with such a profound threat.
Furthermore, the mention of Puritan churches evokes an image of a faith more concerned with earthly matters and historical practices, such as witch burning, rather than grappling with mystical beings. This highlights a belief that their focus on morality and community may leave them ill-prepared for confronting the darker forces embodied by the undead, emphasizing a disparity between their spiritual preparedness and the ominous challenges posed by supernatural entities.
