# Nerves explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Anton Chekhov.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/nerves
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_5_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters