Futility · Chapter
V explained
Fanny Ivanovna confides in Andrei Andreiech, recounting her eleven-year relationship with Nikolai Vasilievich, the sacrifice of her own respectability for his children, and the devastating revelation that he intends to marry a seventeen-yea
What happens
Fanny Ivanovna confides in Andrei Andreiech, recounting her eleven-year relationship with Nikolai Vasilievich, the sacrifice of her own respectability for his children, and the devastating revelation that he intends to marry a seventeen-year-old girl named Zina.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because the protagonist reaches an emotional and psychological peak of des…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Sacrifice and Respectability
Fanny sacrificed her own respectability and the chance of marriage to keep Nikolai's children, only to face betrayal.
- Love and Illusion
Fanny's love for Nikolai is intertwined with the illusion of a stable family, shattered by his decision to marry a younger woman.
Characters to notice
- Fanny Ivanovna
Reveals her past as Nikolai's mistress, her sacrifice for his children, and her heartbreak over his plan to marry Zina.
- Andrei Andreiech
The listener to Fanny's confession, asking questions about the children and Vera.
- Nikolai Vasilievich
Fanny's long-term partner who now intends to marry a young girl, Zina, despite his promises to Fanny.
- Zina
The seventeen-year-old girl Nikolai plans to marry, a classmate of his daughter Sonia.
- Eisenstein
The Jewish dentist with whom Nikolai's wife ran away, and who wasted her money on stock speculation.
Key passages
“I thought: if only I could marry a man who was respectable and rich, who would be willing to support my family! My heart craved for the title, the status, of a married woman because that title was denied me.”
Fanny longed for the respectability and security of marriage, which she had been denied.
Fanny explains her initial motivation for seeking a husband.
“He said, 'It is love,' he said very seriously. 'It has come late, but still it has come at last, and I am proud—don't laugh—I am proud that at my age I should be capable of such love.'”
Nikolai claimed that his love for Zina was a late but genuine and magnificent passion.
Nikolai's justification to Fanny for his decision to marry Zina.
