Oblomov, Part Two, Chapter 7
I just love the relationship between Zakhar and Anisya. The strong woman character is very Russian, behind the scenes making everything run smoothly. I’m sure in many other cultures too, such as in my own house!
But somehow Zakhar still thinks he’s in charge. Newsflash, Zakhar… you’re NOT!
And we get this somewhat Gogolian description:
Is this synecdochical? Perhaps not, but it made me think of that word, having just learned it from Goncharov’s Oblomov: A Critical Companion.
In that book, the word synecdochical is used to describe Oblomov’s dressing gown and gives another example that I won’t spoil as it comes later in the novel. It's a great word! I said Gogolian as Nikolai Gogol wrote a story called The Nose in 1936, in which a government official’s nose leaves his face and goes off to do its own thing.
She loves me, can it be?
Ilya Ilyich is lying on the divan ‘interpreting and reinterpreting’ what just happened at Olga’s with the singing.
She loves me, she feels something for me. Can it be?
He gets a bit carried away in his reverie until he finally falls back to earth with a thump and his low self-esteem takes over again.
“No, it’s not possible! Love me, with my sleep-ridden eyes, my flabby cheeks—she must find me ridiculous!”
But he goes to meet her and she’s surprised to see that he’s holding a sprig of lilac, the very same sprig of lilac that she threw down in annoyance. She asks him to tell her why he picked it up and he refuses. He’s embarrassed and she knows it. And then we get this lovely prose as she realises what’s on his mind:
Then understanding dawned and spread over her whole face; her every feature lit up with awareness, with a flash of insight, and her whole face positively shone with the realization in the same way that the sun will sometimes emerge from behind a cloud and gradually illumine first one bush, then another, then a rooftop and finally flood the whole countryside with its light. Now she knew what was in Oblomov's mind.
Isn’t that lovely? I have to credit Stephen Pearl here for his excellent translation. It’s just so vivid!
Video Review
Questions
Do you think Olga will be able to ‘fix’ Ilya Ilyich?
Does she love him as he loves her?