Yama · Chapter
III explained
The chapter delves into the daily lives and conversations of the women in Anna Markovna's brothel, highlighting their personalities, relationships, and pasts.
What happens
The chapter delves into the daily lives and conversations of the women in Anna Markovna's brothel, highlighting their personalities, relationships, and pasts. Jennie, a cynical and proud brunette, reads a novel while mocking the others. Tamara, a quiet and mysterious former nun, embroiders a shirt for her lover Senka, prompting Jennie to criticize her choices. Little Manka, the meekest girl who becomes rowdy when drunk, is affectionately teased by Jennie. The women discuss their clients, including a young cadet and an old man with perverted habits, revealing their disdain and the harsh realities of their trade. The scene ends with a call to dinner, where the women eat listlessly except for the newcomer Nina, who still has a hearty appetite.
Themes in this chapter
Prostitution and Exploitation
The women's conversations reveal the degrading nature of their work, with clients like the young cadet and the old man, and the economic necessity that traps them.
Female Friendship and Solidarity
Despite their harsh lives, the women show bonds of affection, as seen in Jennie's tender treatment of Little Manka and their shared meals and gossip.
Hypocrisy of Society
Tamara's past as a nun contrasts with her current life, and Jennie mocks the pretense of respectability, highlighting societal double standards.
Characters to notice
- Jennka
A tall, thin brunette with a cynical and mocking demeanor; she reads a novel, criticizes Tamara's choices, and expresses disdain for young and old clients.
- Tamara
A quiet, easygoing former nun with a mysterious past; she embroiders a shirt for her lover Senka and speaks of her convent life.
- Little Manka
A meek and gentle blonde who becomes belligerent when drunk; she plays cards and is affectionately kissed by Jennie.
- Zoe
A card player who deals with a steady visitor, an old man with perverted habits; she yawns and curses him.
- Niura
Referred to as Nina, a pug-nosed country girl recently sold into the brothel; she eats heartily at dinner.
Key passages
“Jennie puts the tattered novel down on her stomach, throws the cigarette over Zoe's head, and says mockingly: 'We know all about your quiet life. You chucked the infants into toilets. The Evil One is always snooping around your holy places.'”
Jennie sarcastically dismisses Tamara's story of convent life, accusing nuns of infanticide and hypocrisy.
This exchange highlights Jennie's cynicism and the theme of hypocrisy, as she contrasts Tamara's pious past with the brothel's reality.
“Jennie continues to shake her head. 'No, you're a queer girl, really you are. You always have more from the guests than all of us get. You fool, instead of saving money, what do you spend it on? You buy perfumes at seven roubles the bottle. Who needs it? And now you have bought fifteen roubles' worth of silk. Isn't this for your Senka, now?'”
Jennie criticizes Tamara for wasting her earnings on expensive gifts for her lover Senka, a thief, instead of saving for a better life.
This illustrates the theme of dehumanization and commodification, as the women's bodies are traded for money, yet Tamara invests in a relationship that exploits her further.
“Jennie, who has only picked fastidiously at her cutlet and eaten half her cream roll, speaks to her in a tone of hypocritical solicitude: 'Really, Pheclusha, you might just as well eat my cutlet, too. Eat, my dear, eat; don't be bashful—you ought to be gaining in health. But do you know what I'll tell you, ladies?' she turns to her mates, 'Why, our Pheclusha has a tapeworm, and when a person has a tapeworm, they always eats for two: half for themselves, half for...'”
Jennie mockingly offers her food to Nina, suggesting that Nina's large appetite is due to a tapeworm, highlighting the women's lack of appetite and their harsh humor.
This moment underscores the theme of dehumanization, as the women's bodies and appetites are objectified and ridiculed even among themselves.
