Baptism

It represents Daniel's awakening or lack of awakening depending on how you see it. The baptism itself is a kind of joint performance between Daniel and Eli. At first, Daniel approaches the ceremony nonchalantly, going through the motions and saying what he is supposed to say without much authority or conviction. He seems more impatient than genuinely disturbed. But his demeanor changes when he is asked to confess to abandoning H.W. He is quieter and more reluctant to speak, before finally exploding into thunderously yelling the confession, his face contorted with rage and self-loathing.

But then something strange happens: as the ceremony reaches its conclusion Daniel’s demeanor rapidly shifts back to an amused mockery of the procedure, smiling and all but laughing aloud as Eli slaps him and pours water over him. This suddenly calls into question the veracity of Daniel’s anguish from just a few moments earlier. Is it an expression of genuine pain and self-confrontation in the midst of an otherwise lackluster performance of penance, or is it merely Daniel faking catharsis to impress the congregation? Eli seems confounded by the same question, appearing very unsettled in the immediate aftermath of the baptism.