Eugene Onegin · Chapter
XXXIV explained
The narrator reflects on Onegin's disillusionment with love, friendship, and the pleasures of high society, as his passions cool and he becomes cynical and detached.
What happens
The narrator reflects on Onegin's disillusionment with love, friendship, and the pleasures of high society, as his passions cool and he becomes cynical and detached.
Themes in this chapter
The Aristocratic Malaise
Onegin's loss of passion for love, friendship, and even violence exemplifies the ennui and disillusionment characteristic of the aristocratic malaise.
Characters to notice
- Eugene Onegin
Onegin's passions abate and he grows weary of love, friendship, and social pleasures, becoming a cynical and detached figure.
Key passages
“His passions soon abated, Hateful the hollow world became”
His intense feelings quickly faded, and he grew to despise the superficial society around him.
Describes Onegin's growing cynicism and emotional withdrawal.
“He finally lost all delight In bullets, sabres, and in fight.”
He no longer found any pleasure in weapons or combat.
Indicates Onegin's complete disengagement from even the traditional masculine pursuits of dueling and warfare.