Short Fiction · Chapter
Nerves explained
Dmitri Osipovitch Vaxin returns home from a spiritualistic séance and is haunted by fears of ghosts and the supernatural.
What happens
Dmitri Osipovitch Vaxin returns home from a spiritualistic séance and is haunted by fears of ghosts and the supernatural. Unable to sleep, he repeatedly calls for the German governess, Rosalia Karlovna, but she misunderstands his intentions. In his panic, he flees to her room and spends the night on a trunk, only to be discovered by his wife the next morning.
Themes in this chapter
Illusion vs. Reality
Vaxin's rational mind knows ghosts are superstition, yet his fear makes the imagined seem real, blurring the line between illusion and reality.
Isolation and Loneliness
Vaxin is alone in the house with only the governess, and his inability to find comfort highlights his isolation.
Characters to notice
- Dmitri Osipovitch Vaxin
The architect who is terrified after attending a spiritualistic séance and cannot sleep due to fear of ghosts.
- Rosalia Karlovna
The German governess who is woken by Vaxin and misunderstands his requests, later sleeping soundly while Vaxin sits on a trunk in her room.
- Madame Vaxin
Vaxin's wife who is away at an all-night service and returns to find her husband asleep in the governess's room.
Key passages
“There is a great deal in nature that is mysterious and… terrible…”
Nature contains many mysterious and frightening things.
Vaxin reflects on the unknown after the séance.
“What a thing it is to have nerves!”
Having nerves is quite a problem.
Vaxin berates himself for his irrational fear.