The House of the Dead · Chapter
VII: New Acquaintances. Petrov explained
The narrator describes his gradual acclimatization to prison life, his daily routines, and his dreams of freedom.
What happens
The narrator describes his gradual acclimatization to prison life, his daily routines, and his dreams of freedom. He reflects on the psychology of prisoners who cling to hope despite long sentences. He introduces Petrov, a convict of unpredictable and impulsive nature, who is both devoted to the narrator and capable of stealing from him without remorse.
Themes in this chapter
Freedom and Imprisonment
The narrator's constant dreaming of freedom and the psychological struggle of prisoners who refuse to accept their sentence as final.
Hope and Despair
Prisoners maintain irrational hope even in the face of lifelong sentences, as a means of psychological survival.
Human Dignity and Dehumanization
The degrading prison barber experience and the narrator's determination to preserve his health and humanity through work.
Crime and Morality
Petrov's contradictory nature—capable of devotion and theft without remorse—raises questions about moral consistency among convicts.
Characters to notice
- Alexandr Petrovitch Goryanchikov
The narrator reflects on his own adjustment to prison, his dreams of freedom, and his observations of other convicts.
- Akim Akimitch
Points out a convict barber to the narrator, helping him avoid the painful prison barbers.
- Petrov
A convict of impulsive and contradictory nature; devoted to the narrator yet steals from him; represents a type of man who can be both affectionate and criminal without conflict.
- Gazin
Mentioned as one of the convicts who smuggles vodka and is flogged for it.
Key passages
“Every convict feels that he is, so to speak, not at home, but on a visit. He looks at twenty years as though they were two, and is fully convinced that when he leaves prison at fifty-five he will be as full of life and energy as he is now at thirty-five.”
Each prisoner sees his sentence as temporary, believing that even after many years he will emerge as vigorous as ever.
Illustrates the psychological denial that helps prisoners endure long sentences.
“These people are born with one fixed idea which unconsciously moves them hither and thither; so they shift from one thing to another all their lives, till they find a work after their own hearts. Then they are ready to risk anything.”
Some individuals are driven by a single underlying impulse that makes them restless until they find a pursuit they can fully commit to, after which they become fearless.
Describes Petrov's character type and his impulsive, risk-taking behavior.