Oblomov, Part One, Chapter 3
Enter Tarantyev: A man clearly without a trace of benevolence
We continue the play-like scene from the previous chapter with callers to Oblomov’s apartment. Three came and left in chapter two and another, Alexeyev, called and stayed. The next caller is Tarantyev, a different kind of caller and one that we get a whole chapter for with a description of his character and backstory.
Tarantyev made a lot of noise and forced Oblomov out of his apathy and immobility.
The narrator tells us that there are hangers-on who rely on the idle rich, but that the idle rich also rely on the hangers-on “to relieve the tedium of their lives.” There’s a reciprocal relationship here that illustrates to my quite clearly that Oblomov is lonely and in need of love. What’s your take on it? His yearning for human connection makes callers like Tarantyev and Alexeyev welcome, but there’s something missing—love. It makes me think of that old classic line from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice:
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Sounds about right!
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Drop your thoughts in the comments. Is love the missing link?
Interesting! I hadn't thought of love being missing, but it certainly is. This chapter made me think of a trap I have fallen into, which is ... "I don't have to do X if I don't want to." Until this chapter I had the impression that Oblomov was doing what he enjoyed. Then there is the line where it says Tarantiev drew Oblomov out of his lethargy and boredom. Boredom doesn't sound like he's enjoying himself, even though he's not doing all those things he doesn't want to do. So what does he want to do, if he is bored? (And who does he want to do it with?) It seems he hasn't begun to answer that question yet. I am also working on that question in my life! Thank you for the thoughtful commentary.
The duties of a jobber sound like a paralegal to me, but the word jobber itself sounds a bit more like freelance, not a permanent position with one firm, perhaps. I picture him riding around on a motorbike, delivering writs.
“There are still those idle rich who need to surround themselves with such hangers-on to relieve the tedium of their lives.” This sentence could have been written today. Every celebrity has their entourage who are there to free them from drudgery and tell them how wonderful they are. Oblomov may need a wife, but it would be such a heavy task to be his wife. At least his hangers-on can leave when they have had their fill.