# Isn’t It Terrible? explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Vladimir Korolenko.

## What happens

The narrator recounts the story of Rogov, a gifted but troubled young man from a broken home, and reflects on his own disillusionment as a teacher. After being forced to stop his extracurricular discussions with students, the narrator loses his passion and connection to his pupils. Rogov, after his mother's death, descends into a life of dissipation and despair. The chapter explores themes of lost idealism, the search for meaning, and the crushing weight of societal and personal tragedy.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Search for Meaning

The narrator and Budnikov discuss the need to find purpose in life, with Budnikov advocating for religious faith as a solution to existential despair.

### Suffering and Compassion

Rogov's tragic story—his mother's sacrifice, her death, and his subsequent downfall—illustrates the profound suffering caused by loss and injustice.

### Social Injustice and Class Division

Rogov's father is a failed, bitter man from an older era, and the family's poverty and social marginalization contribute to Rogov's eventual ruin.

## Character check-ins

### Rogov

A former student of the narrator, from a troubled family; his mother sacrificed everything for his education. After her death, he abandoned his studies and became a dissolute drunkard.

### Budnikov

A colleague who found solace in religion; he advises the narrator to abandon intellectual pride and 'fuse with the common cup' of faith.

### Pavel Semenovich

The narrator of the story within the chapter; a teacher who lost his idealism after being forced to stop his informal student gatherings.

### Petr Petrovich

The listener in the conversation; he is asked if he remembers Rogov but does not.

### Mikhailo

A bootmaker mentioned as an example of someone who lives contentedly without questioning the meaning of life.

## Key lines

> I looked at my calling as noble, so to speak, from the ideal point of view. My companions seemed a holy regiment, yes… the gymnasium almost a temple.

The narrator initially saw teaching as a noble vocation and the school as a sacred place.

_Reflects the narrator's early idealism and his later disillusionment._

> I obeyed the evidently senseless and humiliating order! This was the first blow that life had dealt me and I did not notice at the time that I had received a mortal wound.

The narrator obeyed the order to stop his student meetings, not realizing it would crush his spirit.

_Highlights the theme of lost idealism and the cost of conformity._

> Suddenly, in place of everything, the grave. A crash… and it’s all over! There’s no need of gratitude, nothing to go back to, to correct.

Rogov's mother died before he could fulfill his promise to her, leaving him with no purpose.

_Captures Rogov's despair and the collapse of his motivation._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/isn-t-it-terrible
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_54_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters