Short Fiction · Chapter
XVII explained
Elena Kirillovna, emerging from a dark, abstract world, observes the bright, colorful morning from her window.
What happens
Elena Kirillovna, emerging from a dark, abstract world, observes the bright, colorful morning from her window. She prepares for the day, dressing with the help of Glasha, and carefully arranges her appearance, noting her hair, powder, and simple light dress.
Themes in this chapter
Illusion vs. Reality
Elena Kirillovna's return from a 'dark, abstract world' to the 'bright, profusely-coloured, resonant impressions' of life suggests a contrast between inner abstraction and the vivid, perhaps illusory, reality of the morning.
Characters to notice
- Elena Kirillovna
Looks out the window, returns from a dark abstract world to bright impressions, dresses with Glasha's help, and prepares for the day.
- Glasha
Appears to help Elena Kirillovna dress.
Key passages
“She is returning, as it were, once more from some dark, abstract world to the bright, profusely-coloured, resonant impressions of a rough, cheery, not altogether disagreeable life.”
She feels as if she is coming back from a gloomy, intangible state to the vivid, lively, and somewhat pleasant sensations of everyday existence.
Describes Elena Kirillovna's shift in perception.
“Ablaze like a piece of coal at red heat their soul seems to fuse with their cold white bodies, to consume them as well as itself with fire, and to sink exhausted in the cold blue heights.”
The clouds' inner fire appears to merge with their cool outer form, burning both until they fade into the sky.
Poetic description of the clouds at dawn.