# XXII explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Leonid Andreyev.

## What happens

The narrator reflects on the newfound joy and greed of their feet for walking, and the ability of their eyes to breathe and see the ocean from afar.

## Themes in this chapter

### Freedom and Imprisonment

The narrator's feet revel in the freedom to walk endlessly, contrasting with a prior state of confinement.

## Key lines

> I never knew that my feet so loved to walk. They love every step which they make.

I was unaware of how much my feet enjoy walking; they cherish each step.

_The narrator discovers a deep, physical pleasure in movement._

> They regret⁠—fancy!⁠—that they cannot at once walk backward and forward, to the right and to the left.

They lament that they cannot walk in all directions simultaneously.

_The feet's desire for total freedom is expressed as a whimsical regret._

> And another thing I did not know: I did not know about my eyes that they can breathe. Afar off I see the ocean.

I also discovered that my eyes can breathe, and from a distance I can see the ocean.

_The narrator gains a new sensory awareness, linking sight to breath and vastness._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/xxii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_34_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters