# Chapter II explained — Yama

> Chapter companion for Yama by Aleksandr Kuprin.

## What happens

Simon Yakovlevich Horizon, a traveling salesman and pimp, travels by train with his wife Sarochka, a landowner, and a young sublieutenant. He flatters and networks with the landowner, offers his services as a broker, and then seduces the sublieutenant with pornographic cards and promises of introductions to prostitutes in K. He also discusses his various business lines and his desire to settle down.

## Themes in this chapter

### Dehumanization and Commodification

Horizon treats women as commodities to be traded and sold, offering to introduce the sublieutenant to prostitutes and selling pornographic cards that depict women in degrading positions.

### Hypocrisy of Society

Horizon presents himself as a respectable family man and businessman while simultaneously engaging in pimping and the sale of obscene materials.

## Character check-ins

### Simon Yakovlevich Horizon

Traveling salesman and pimp who networks with a landowner and corrupts a young sublieutenant with pornographic cards and promises of women.

### Sarochka

Horizon's wife, who accompanies him on the train and is playfully patted on the knee.

### Joseph Ivanovich Vengjenovski

A landowner who exchanges cards with Horizon and discusses potential business deals.

### Sublieutenant

A young officer from Chernobob who is seduced by Horizon's pornographic cards and promises of sexual adventures.

## Key lines

> If God grant it, we shall still eat a piece of bread and a little butter—and on the Sabbaths the tasty gefilteh fisch.

With God's help, we will have enough for basic meals and a special Sabbath dish.

_Horizon expresses hope for a modest but comfortable life with his wife._

> The work of a travelling salesman is exceedingly difficult and requires many kinds of knowledge, and not so much the knowledge of business as the knowledge of—how shall I say it?—the knowledge of the human soul.

Being a traveling salesman is hard and requires understanding people more than just business skills.

_Horizon boasts about his ability to manipulate and persuade customers._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/yama_se/chapters/part-ii-ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/yama_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/yama_se/chapters