Oblomov, Part One, Chapter 8
"Get me some kvass!"
This was such an illuminating chapter that reveals so much about Oblomov’s character.
He’s struggling with his ‘twin misfortunes’, having to move out the apartment and having to deal with the bailiff on his estate. He gets himself into a dreamy state of procrastination and imagines an idyllic scene of himself puffing on a pipe in the garden at his estate. His kids are around him, as is “the queen of his whole universe, his goddess… his woman, his wife!”
He was suddenly overcome by a wave of longing for love, for a tranquil happiness, a yearning for the fields and hillsides of his youth, for his home, for a wife and children.
So we know that he’s lonely, which is something we’ve touched on before. That opening line of 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. It certainly seems to apply here.
Zakhar
Having learned some of Zakhar’s background in chapter 7, something that I wasn’t sure was necessary at the time, we’re now treated to a fantastic scene of conflict between the two characters. That wouldn’t have been nearly as enjoyable had we not read chapter 7, so it’s all making sense.
We know that Zakhar is loyal and loves Ilya Ilyich, but he’s also full of resentment and arrogance, so when the sparks begin to fly, it becomes serious, but also kind of funny for the reader. Zakhar wonders why they can’t just move out, as others do it every day and seem to manage it without much difficulty. And it’s that word—others—that causes the argument. Ilya Ilyich blows his top at being lumped in with these others; Zakhar doesn’t get what he’s on about but takes his bollocking and then scurries off to his stove. I go into it more in the video discussion below so I won’t rehash it all here. Suffice it to say that Ilya Ilyich ends up thinking about what he said to Zakhar and tries to make good, with questionable success. It gets him worrying about his character and wondering just what it is that makes him the way he is, something that we will learn about in chapter 9, Oblomov’s Dream.
I found this chapter to be ridiculously relatable and it even got me off my arse to go and make a couple of phone calls to sort out a repair for my Transit van. Result! You see how 19th century Russian lit can help in 2025!
Video discussion
Questions
Could you relate to Ilya Ilyich’s feeling of bewilderment at why he can’t seem to get things done?
What did you think of Zakhar’s reaction to being admonished so severely by Ilya Ilyich?
Has reading literature ever helped you to tick something off your to-do list?
This chapter, it took me awhile go get through it. Poor Oblomov! Poor Zakhar! Oblomov reminds me of a whole generation of 30 somethings that don’t quite know why life isn’t going the way they expected. I want to shake Oblomov, yet at the same time I can see where he is coming from. He’s an orphan and he feels alone. But he seems well liked. Nothing about him seems to stop a good number of people from dropping by to see him and requesting his company for all kinds of fun things.