The Little Demon · Chapter
XII explained
Peredonov attends Vespers in the school chapel, obsessively watching the students and misinterpreting their behavior.
What happens
Peredonov attends Vespers in the school chapel, obsessively watching the students and misinterpreting their behavior. He fixates on Sasha Pilnikov, who appears girlish to him. After Vespers, he avoids home and wanders the streets, feeling paranoid and haunted by the nedotikomka. He visits Sasha's lodgings, where he interrogates the boy and threatens to report him to the Headmaster. Meanwhile, Cherepnin and Volodin arrange to tar Vershina's gate, and Peredonov later informs Vershina of the vandalism.
Themes in this chapter
Madness and Paranoia
Peredonov's perception of reality is distorted: he sees disorder in orderly students, feels followed, and hallucinates the nedotikomka, reflecting his deteriorating mental state.
Hypocrisy and Social Facade
Peredonov's visit to Sasha's lodgings under the guise of concern masks his predatory curiosity, while the tarring of Vershina's gate exposes the cruelty behind social appearances.
Characters to notice
- Peredonov
Attends Vespers, spies on students, fixates on Sasha, wanders streets in paranoia, visits Sasha's lodgings, interrogates him, and later visits Vershina to report the tarring.
- Sasha Pilnikov
Prays earnestly at Vespers, is watched by Peredonov; later at supper with Kokovkina, is interrogated by Peredonov and feels trapped and angry.
- Pavel Volodin
Suggests smearing Vershina's gate with tar and tells Peredonov about the prank.
- Natalya Vershina
Her gate is tarred by Cherepnin's hired boys; she reacts with anger and a wry smile, while Marta weeps.
- Marta
Weeps bitterly after the tarring of the gate.
- Olga Kokovkina
Sasha's landlady; she is surprised by Peredonov's late visit and later frightened when he accuses Sasha of being a bad boy.
Key passages
“Even in his tranquil moments Peredonov, like all coarse people, could not appraise small incidents: either he did not notice them at all or he exaggerated their importance.”
Peredonov, like other crude individuals, either overlooked minor events or blew them out of proportion.
Highlights Peredonov's flawed perception and its role in his paranoia.
“In his whole educational career Peredonov never for a moment reflected that the students were the same human beings as grownups.”
Throughout his teaching career, Peredonov never considered that students were people just like adults.
Illustrates Peredonov's dehumanizing view of his pupils.
“When a man dies his house should be burnt afterwards, thought Peredonov dejectedly, because it makes one feel horribly.”
Peredonov gloomily thought that a house should be burned after its owner dies, because it feels dreadful.
Reveals Peredonov's morbid and irrational thoughts about death and decay.