The Created Legend · Chapter
XXXI explained
A party of officials, led by Doulebov and the Vice-Governor, visits Trirodov's school in the Prosianiya Meadows.
What happens
A party of officials, led by Doulebov and the Vice-Governor, visits Trirodov's school in the Prosianiya Meadows. They are annoyed by the lack of ceremony, the barefoot children and instructresses, and Trirodov's ironic demeanor. During the examination, malicious gossip circulates, and later at a dinner, the Black Hundred members slander Trirodov, accusing him of pornography and corruption. The next day, the officials return to the school, still half-drunk, and are further irritated by the children's indifference and the school's simplicity.
Themes in this chapter
Class Conflict and Culture
The visit highlights the clash between the formal, hierarchical expectations of the officials and the simple, egalitarian lifestyle of Trirodov's school.
Utopia and Escapism
Trirodov's school, with its barefoot children and instructresses, represents an alternative, utopian community that the officials find indecent and threatening.
Characters to notice
- Trirodov
Appears in a white summer suit, greets the visitors with an ironic smile, and defends the barefoot state of his pupils as decent.
- Doulebov
The Headmaster, displeased by the lack of honor and special preparations, and annoyed by the barefoot children and instructresses.
- Zinaida
Zinaida Grigorievna Doulebova, engages in malicious conversation, tearing acquaintances to shreds, and is irritated by the school's simplicity.
- Shabalov
Inspector Shabalov, shouts at a boy, calls him an idiot, and is part of the visiting party.
- Kerbakh
Nikolai Ilyitch Kerbakh, rides in a carriage with Zinaida, participates in malicious talk, and remarks suspiciously about Trirodov's wealth.
Key passages
“It is the one thing that is decent.”
Trirodov defends the barefoot state of his pupils as the only decent thing about them.
Trirodov's retort to Madame Doulebova's complaint about indecency.
“He's taken up photography; quite keen on it. He calls in children, makes them take everything off, and photographs them.”
The Black Hundred members slander Trirodov by accusing him of photographing naked children.
Malicious gossip spread about Trirodov during the dinner.