-p. 80.
And at the same time, he says this:.
He who can sleep with a woman and does not, commits a great sin. .
-p. 103.
Zorba's opinion is that women, along with the wine and chestnuts, are but things, tools to achieve a state of joy. He probably thinks the same of men, except that the men beside him in his travels are comrades to learn from, not lovers. Also, he believes that taking advantage of one's opportunities is the basis for what he might call his own "religion". To overlook these opportunities is to be a fool and, in his opinion, to sin.
In most stories, a character like Zorba would come to realize his "sins" and they would either be punished or change their ways. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian Gray led a life of sin and materialism, and because of this he had to die in the end. Similarly, at one point in Siddhartha, Siddhartha becomes extremely depressed when he realizes the material life he had been living, and changes his ways. However, in Zorba the Greek, Zorba leaves the story in just as jovial a mood as the beginning. The difference in Zorba the Greek is that Zorba can control his desires for these things to some extent. He is able to control his life because of his undying enthusiasm for even the everyday experiences. In other stories, those who are portrayed to have tendencies to become materialistic seem to become ravenous whenever they give in to their wants. And since Zorba is the protagonist of the story and is depicted as a prophet of sorts (a good example of this was in the coal mine, when Zorba warned the other miners that it was about to collapse), one of Kazantzakis" goals must have been to specify and glorify Zorba's personality. Zorba has the special ability to greatly appreciate the material things and experiences without losing interest. He could have a roast duck one night and love it so much that he dances, then have the same thing the next night and dance again.
