Short Fiction · Chapter
An Avenger explained
Fyodor Fyodorovitch Sigaev, after discovering his wife's infidelity, visits a gunsmith's shop to purchase a revolver, intending to kill his wife, her lover, and himself.
What happens
Fyodor Fyodorovitch Sigaev, after discovering his wife's infidelity, visits a gunsmith's shop to purchase a revolver, intending to kill his wife, her lover, and himself. As he deliberates over the weapon, his vengeful fantasies shift through various scenarios—murder, suicide, public disgrace, and divorce—until he ultimately buys a quail net instead, leaving the shop feeling even more outraged.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Moral Failure
Sigaev's grandiose plans for revenge contrast with his inability to follow through, and the shopman's cynical remarks about judges and society's double standards underscore widespread moral hypocrisy.
Illusion vs. Reality
Sigaev's vivid fantasies of bloody revenge and public sympathy clash with the mundane reality of his indecision and the trivial purchase of a quail net.
Characters to notice
- Sigaev
The outraged husband who contemplates revenge after finding his wife in flagrante delicto, ultimately buying a quail net instead of a revolver.
Key passages
“The sanctities of the home are outraged, honour is trampled in the mud, vice is triumphant, and therefore as a citizen and a man of honour I must be their avenger.”
Sigaev feels that his domestic life has been violated and his honor destroyed, so he believes it is his duty to take revenge.
This line captures Sigaev's initial self-justification for murder-suicide.
“I will kill myself and him, but I'll leave her alive. Let her pine away from the stings of conscience and the contempt of all surrounding her.”
Sigaev decides to kill the lover and himself, sparing his wife so she can suffer from guilt and public shame.
Shows his shift in vengeful fantasy to a more psychological punishment.
“The outraged husband paid his eight roubles, took the net, and, feeling even more outraged, walked out of the shop.”
Sigaev buys a quail net instead of a revolver, leaving the shop with his anger unresolved and even greater frustration.
The anticlimactic ending highlights the gap between his dramatic intentions and his actual actions.