Futility · Chapter
III explained
The narrator spends a tense evening at the Bursanov flat in St.
What happens
The narrator spends a tense evening at the Bursanov flat in St. Petersburg, where the three sisters—Nina, Sonia, and Vera—reveal their unhappiness over their father Nikolai Vasilievich's constant quarrels with Fanny Ivanovna, who is not legally married to him. The sisters openly express hostility toward their father, and Nina announces she is leaving for Moscow the next morning to visit her mother, a plan kept secret from her father.
Themes in this chapter
Family and Dysfunction
The Bursanov household is rife with conflict: Nikolai Vasilievich and Fanny Ivanovna quarrel constantly, the sisters are openly hostile to their father, and the secret of the parents' unmarried status creates tension.
Love and Illusion
Nina's enigmatic and playful manner with the narrator, her secret departure plan, and the hidden troubles behind her smile suggest that love and happiness are fragile illusions in this family.
Characters to notice
- Nina Bursànova
Reveals her sadness over her father's quarrels with Fanny Ivanovna, announces she is leaving for Moscow to see her mother, and shares the secret that the trip is partly to take Vera back.
- Sonia
Expresses disgust at the constant quarreling between Nikolai Vasilievich and Fanny Ivanovna, threatens to run away by marrying, and shows open hostility toward her father.
- Vera
Sulky and defensive, denies telling the narrator about the parents' marital status, and is described as different from her elder sisters.
- Fanny Ivanovna
Enters the room, urges everyone to wait for Nikolai Vasilievich for supper, and is the target of his mockery; she is not legally married to him.
- Nikolai Vasilievich
Absent from the evening, but is the subject of the sisters' complaints; he constantly quarrels with Fanny Ivanovna and wants to marry again.
- Baron Wunderhausen
A regular visitor from the Baltic Provinces, described as polite, cunning, and overdressed; he dances with the sisters and makes love with his eyes.
Key passages
“Papa and Fanny Ivanovna are not … legally married.”
Nina reveals that her father and Fanny Ivanovna are not legally married.
This disclosure exposes the central source of family tension.
“I shall run away. ... I'll marry and run away.”
Sonia threatens to escape the household by getting married.
Sonia's dramatic declaration underscores her desperation to leave the dysfunctional home.
“Papa wants to marry again.”
Nina explains that her father wishes to remarry.
This desire of Nikolai Vasilievich is a key cause of the quarrels with Fanny Ivanovna.
“I am going away. ... To Moscow.”
Nina tells the narrator she is leaving for Moscow.
Her departure marks a significant event in the chapter.