# V: Kiss—and Say Nothing explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Leonid Andreyev.

## What happens

The chapter depicts the final meeting between the condemned terrorists and their families, focusing on Sergey Golovin's agonizing farewell with his parents. The colonel and his wife struggle to maintain composure and follow a strict ritual of silence and restraint, but the emotional weight of the impending execution breaks through their efforts.

## Themes in this chapter

### Death and Mortality

The chapter centers on the imminent execution of the condemned, exploring the psychological horror and the absurdity of ordinary rituals in the face of death.

### Suffering and Injustice

The emotional torture of the condemned and their families, the forced composure, and the mother's breakdown highlight the profound suffering caused by the state's justice.

### Truth and Deception

The colonel's instruction to 'kiss—and say nothing' and the family's attempts to maintain a facade of normalcy reveal a painful deception to avoid confronting the full truth of death.

## Character check-ins

### Sergey Golovin

Condemned terrorist awaiting execution; tormented by the upcoming meeting with his parents, he paces his cell and struggles with the absurdity of normal gestures in the face of death.

### Tanya Kovalchuk

Mentioned as having no near relatives; her family is in Little Russia and likely unaware of her trial and execution.

### Musya

One of the condemned; as an unidentified person, she is not supposed to have relatives.

### Werner

One of the condemned; similarly unidentified, with no relatives expected.

### Vasily Kashirin

One of the condemned; he is to meet his parents, though the chapter focuses on Sergey's meeting.

## Key lines

> The main thing is, kiss—and say nothing!

The colonel instructs his wife that the most important thing is to kiss their son without speaking, to avoid saying anything that would reveal their anguish.

_This line encapsulates the theme of deceptive restraint in the face of death._

> Don’t torture him! He has to die! Don’t torture him!

The colonel, in a moment of desperation, tells his wife to stop speaking because their son must die and they should not prolong his suffering.

_Highlights the unbearable tension and the father's attempt to protect his son from further emotional pain._

> You, father, are a noble man!

Sergey, through tears, tells his father that he is a noble man, acknowledging his father's dignity and sacrifice.

_A moment of emotional release and recognition between father and son._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/v-kiss-and-say-nothing
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_34_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters