Short Fiction · Chapter
An Inadvertence explained
Pyotr Petrovitch Strizhin returns home late from a christening party, slightly drunk, and accidentally drinks paraffin instead of vodka from a cupboard.
What happens
Pyotr Petrovitch Strizhin returns home late from a christening party, slightly drunk, and accidentally drinks paraffin instead of vodka from a cupboard. His sister-in-law Dashenka scolds him for touching the cupboard without permission, more concerned about the cost of paraffin than his health. After failing to get help from doctors or a chemist, Strizhin resigns himself to death, but survives the night. In the morning, he attributes his survival to his regular life, while Dashenka blames the cheap quality of the paraffin.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Moral Failure
Strizhin, who prides himself on a 'sober and regular life' and reads religious books, secretly drinks vodka and then accidentally poisons himself, revealing his hypocrisy.
Mortality and Legacy
Strizhin's fear of death leads him to write a note absolving others of blame and to contemplate his grave and the birds twittering over it.
Characters to notice
- Pyotr Petrovitch Strizhin
The protagonist who accidentally drinks paraffin instead of vodka after returning from a christening party.
- Dashenka
Pyotr Petrovitch's sister-in-law and housekeeper, who scolds him for his carelessness and is more concerned about household expenses.
Key passages
“Spirituous liquors are like seawater and glory: the more you imbibe of them the greater your thirst.”
Alcohol, like fame, only increases your desire for more the more you consume.
Narrator's observation on the nature of craving.
“One who leads a steady and regular life, dear sister, is unaffected by any poison.”
A person who lives a disciplined life is immune to any poison.
Strizhin's self-justification after surviving the paraffin.