# Futility and Meaninglessness in Futility

> Theme guide for Futility by William Gerhardie.

The book's title and narrative emphasize the futility of human efforts, from the narrator's failed schemes to the Bursanov family's endless waiting for goldmines and political change, suggesting life is a series of pointless struggles.

## Where it surfaces

- [Futility](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/futility): The narrator's existential despair and the apparent pointlessness of human endeavors.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/i): The narrator's ineffectual return and the sense of marking time reflect a feeling of futility and the search for meaning through writing.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/iv): Nikolai Vasilievich's repeated pleas to Nina not to go are futile, as she departs anyway.
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/vi): Fanny's repeated confessions to anyone, including Kniaz, highlight the futility of her attempts to share the truth, and the narrator's disillusionment underscores a sense of meaninglessness.
- [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/ix): Nikolai's reference to Krilov's fable of the swan, crab, and pike underscores the futility of his efforts to change his situation, as he merely adds new responsibilities.
- [The Narrator's First Intervention](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/x): The narrator's elaborate reorganization plan is ultimately rejected by Nina, highlighting the futility of his attempts to impose order on chaotic lives.
- [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/xi): Fanny Ivanovna describes their life as a farce, and the narrator feels lost in a half-dream, half-existence.
- [Part II: The Revolution](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/part-ii-the-revolution): The characters' efforts to maintain their lives and relationships seem futile amid the overwhelming upheaval, highlighting the senselessness of the conflict.
- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/ii): Nikolai Vasilievich's bitterness and the family's inertia contrast with the revolution's promise of change, highlighting the absurdity of their struggles.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/iii): The endless waiting and lack of progress in the household reflect a sense of futility.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/iv): The characters debate the pointlessness of hope and the cyclical nature of suffering, with Nikolai Vasilievich questioning the purpose of life and the larger pattern.
- [Part III: Intervening in Siberia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/part-iii-intervening-in-siberia): The intervention is portrayed as a chaotic and ultimately pointless endeavor, reflecting the broader sense of futility in the characters' lives.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/i): The intervention is described as a 'comic opera' attempt and an 'adventure in futility'; the goldmine schemes repeatedly fail.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/iii): Nikolai Vasilievich's dishonest bookkeeper, the awkward dancing, and the Admiral's simplistic plans for Moscow all underscore a sense of futility.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/iv): The narrator's reflection on life as a 'hilarious farce' and the sense that journeys exceed achievements, underscored by the General's drunken despair and theological confusion.
- [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/v): Nikolai Vasilievich's endless waiting and the General's evasions highlight the futility of seeking justice in a chaotic system.
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/vi): The White Army's efforts are depicted as futile: a division's men desert, the commander waits on God, and the Admiral sees the situation as hopeless. The narrator compares getting White Russia on its legs to 'trying to get a featherbed to stand on end.'
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/vii): Fanny's lament that killing solves nothing and the narrator's reflection on dead bodies as objects underscore the senselessness of the violence.
- [The Spring Dinner and the Waiting Game](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/x): The dinner is described as 'formal, drunken, tedious,' and the narrator reflects on the emptiness of waiting for life while years pass unnoticed.
- [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/xi): The arguments and interventions are portrayed as futile, with Kniaz's outburst and Uncle Kostia's cynical observations highlighting the senselessness of the conflict.
- [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/xii): The General's vague, meaningless utterances and the Admiral's repeated denial of blame underscore the senselessness of the political situation and personal hopes.
- [Part IV: Nina](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/part-iv-nina): The narrator's pursuit of Nina and his inability to truly connect with her underscores a sense of futility.
- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/ii): The narrator and Sir Hugo discuss the White Russian efforts as 'an adventure in futility,' and the General's belief that past defeats were merely a 'rehearsal' underscores the theme of futile struggle.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/iii): The autumn setting and Nina's dismissive words underscore the futility of the narrator's long journey and his love.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/iv): Uncle Kostia's paranoid ramblings about life's joke and the veteran's impotent threats against the Bolsheviks highlight the futility of resistance and the meaninglessness of their struggles.
- [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/v): The narrator's efforts to impress Nina with intellectual and cultural references are futile, and his journey feels pointless.
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/chapters/vi): The narrator reflects on the futility of his journey and the ordinary farewell in this 'unholy outskirt of the world'; Uncle Kostia's conclusion that it is futile to get up at all underscores this theme.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/themes/futility_and_meaninglessness
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/futility_se/themes