Oblomov, Part Two, Chapter 8
"Life, life itself is opening up for me," he exclaimed ecstatically, "life is in your eyes, your smile, the sprig of lilac, in 'Casta Diva', it's all here!"
The chapter starts out with two delightful character descriptions, one of Olga’s aunt and the other of Baron von Langwagen. I just love the little details we get and I have highlighted these descriptions as examples in case I ever try writing a novel myself.
Here’s ma tante—or auntie in the Magarshack:
And Baron von Langwagen:
And who’s John Roderick I hear your asking? He’s a musician, writer and podcaster I’ve been following for years, based in the Seattle area of Washington. He’s not keen on fellow plane passengers who take off their shoes and he cares about his clothes.
Olga
Something has changed in Olga’s demeanour since Ilya Ilyich last saw her and it’s causing him some dismay. The feeling of ease between them has gone and has been replaced with tension.
I’ve felt that myself in relationships and it’s not a nice feeling. This is part of why I relate to this novel so much; the way that Goncharov has written this character brings up feelings for me which, in a lot of ways, show me how much progress I’ve made and how happy I am with the life choices I’ve made so far. But that’s me. I wonder if any other readers can relate to the way he’s written this relationship.
Olga sings again, but while she’s singing well technically, it doesn’t have the same depth that her singing had when Ilya first heard it and was smitten.
So what’s changed in Olga? Has he frightened her away? He seems to think so, judging by this paragraph:
He was a complete nincompoop! He had probably frightened away the feeling that had been knocking timorously at the door of her young maidenly heart, the feeling that had been settling there so tentatively and gently like a tiny bird on a twig - the slightest noise or rustling and it was off!
Incidentally, I was curious to see what the Russian word here was for nincompoop, so I looked it up in the orginal text and compared with with the Magarshack translation:
Russian: Он просто фат.
Magarshack: He was simply a brainless coxcomb!
I’d never come across the Russian word фат / fat before. It’s derived from the Latin word fatuus meaning stupid, as is the English word fatuous.
Ilya can’t take this change in Olga and decides he’s going to go away and take up residence in the apartment that Tarantyev found for him on the Vyborg side of the Neva river.
Poor Ilya. He’s in despair and finds himself slipping back into his old ways, showing us that his love for Olga is what gives his life meaning and purpose.
Zakhar
Another comic scene ensues between Zakhar and Ilya Ilyich. I love these scenes that break up the heaviness of the Olga scenes. Zakhar eventually passes on a message from Olga that she wants to meet Ilya Ilyich in the park, so off he goes.
The Park
The tension is still evident. It feels like Olga has suddenly grown from a naïve young girl into a woman and Ilya doesn’t care for it.
There’s a definite vibe of co-dependency here, with Olga’s being the strong one in the relationship to Ilya’s subservience:
Remember that she’s acting partly on Stolz’ instructions to keep Ilya occupied and stop him from slipping back into his old ways. She’s got a job to do, but, at the same time, we’re getting an inclination that she’s falling in love with Ilya, albeit she’s a bit hot and cold in this scene.
She instructs him to find something to do:
And there it is: purpose. Ilya’s never had that. He’s thought about it, as he’s thought about pretty much everything, but living as a purpose? No, that just doesn’t compute.
That’s some pretty dark stuff right there and it gave me chills reading that last line. To be so forlorn and loveless at only thirty years old is tragic. But can Olga turn it around?
Olga picks a sprig of lilac and hands it to him. The tension vanishes and is replaced with joy.
And at that, Olga has to put him straight.
I mean it’s harsh, but it’s true. I felt this in my bones. Olga doesn’t want a co-dependent relationship, she wants a full one, one in which Ilya finds himself and doesn’t hold for fear of causing offence. Is this something he’ll be capable of?
Video Review
Questions
How to you view the co-dependency angle I’ve been hinting at. Do you agree?
Do you think Ilya Ilyich will manage to grow into the relationship and act with agency?
Nincompoop or coxcomb? Or something else?
I love how Goncharov portrays the relationship between Olga’s aunt and Baron von Langwagen. I picture them as a couple who have known each other for a long time, who did not marry for some unknown reason, but they are still each other’s “person.” Perhaps there was passion once, but now they know each other so well, and are so content in each other’s company, that there is no need for talk. Even if others are present there is still an unspoken conversation going on only between them. I love this!