# Alexander Romanov Shasha — Short Fiction character guide

> Alexander Romanov Shasha in Short Fiction by Ivan Bunin.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Shasha

**First appearance:** 0001-short-fiction

## Snapshot

A reckless young man whose riotous demands and spiteful affair with his father's mistress drive the household toward ruin and disgrace.

## Who they are

Shasha is the son of Roman, and he rioted, kicked up rows, and demanded a winding up of Roman's affairs, turning the older man green with wrath. Not content with his own wife, he took up with his father's mistress—a cook and a soldier's wife—just to spite him, while exhausting his wife with jealousy. His provocations and the family's unraveling form the volatile center of the story's early-middle movement.

## Relationships

### [Makar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_30_se/characters/makar)

_friendship_

Alexander Romanov Shasha and Makar are friends or comrades, often depicted in casual or supportive interactions.

## In the story

### [Figures](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_30_se/chapters/figures)

The uncle who slaps the boy, initiating the conflict.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_30_se/chapters/i)

The boy (nephew) who quarrels with his uncle, then seeks reconciliation and asks to see the figures.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_30_se/chapters/ii)

The uncle who sternly refuses the boy's requests, invoking adult authority and a principle against giving in to children.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_30_se/chapters/iii)

The child Eugene, who is the target of the narrator's anger and physical punishment.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_30_se/chapters/iv)

The boy who is slapped and cries intensely, seeking comfort.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_30_se/chapters/v)

The boy who, after crying, plays with matchboxes and defiantly declares he will never love the narrator again.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_30_se/chapters/vi)

The child addressed as 'you,' whose pride is broken by the grandmother's words and who eventually gives in to life's demands.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_30_se/chapters/vii)

The child being taught, who timidly seeks forgiveness and happiness through learning figures.

### [A Night Conversation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_30_se/chapters/a-night-conversation)

The listener in the night conversation, receiving Theodot's confession.

### [I Say Nothing](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_30_se/chapters/i-say-nothing)

The protagonist of the chapter, a young man who endures beatings from his father and responds with ominous silence and cryptic threats.

### [An Evening in Spring](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_30_se/chapters/an-evening-in-spring)

The drunken muzhik who interacts with the beggar, buying his trousers and sharing drink and song.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_30_se/characters/alexander_romanov_shasha
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_30_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_30_se/characters