# The Girl — Short Fiction character guide > The Girl in Short Fiction by Leonid Andreyev. **Role:** supporting **First appearance:** 0001-short-fiction ## Snapshot A high-school girl who gave birth in a lying-in hospital six days ago, she walks through an icy, deserted night toward the only person left before whom she is not ashamed. ## Who they are Natalya Vladimirovna has fallen from respectability into the ranks of "fallen women," and the imagined finger-pointing of acquaintances, students, and officers drives her away from any crowd. Clutching her newborn in a formless bundle, she repeats the address of her foster-sister Katya like a prayer, while the frozen river's single black eye gazes up at her. Her numbed, self-erasing march matters because it turns the story's early pages into a study of shame, exposure, and the thin thread of one remembered kindness. ## Relationships ### [The Oldest Child](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/characters/the_oldest_child) _family_ The Girl and The Oldest Child are siblings, with the older child acting as a caretaker or protector. ### [Mitrofan Krilov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/characters/mitrofan_krilov) _professional_ Mitrofan Krilov and The Girl have a professional relationship, likely as employer and employee or teacher and student. ### [Mitrofan Krilov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/characters/mitrofan_krilov) _professional_ Mitrofan Krilov and The Girl have a professional relationship, likely as employer and employee or teacher and student. ### [The Oldest Child](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/characters/the_oldest_child) _family_ The Girl and The Oldest Child are siblings, with the older child acting as a caretaker or protector. ### [The Oldest Child](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/characters/the_oldest_child) _family_ The Girl and The Oldest Child are siblings, with the older child acting as a caretaker or protector. ## In the story ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/ii) A little girl who dances with delight near the tree, later wearily hangs on the hostess's hand. ### [The Friend](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/the-friend) A pretty woman Vladimir is in love with; he spends time with her while his dog is dying. ### [Silence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/silence) The Girl is depicted in a state of silent suffering, her voice suppressed by the expectations and cruelties of those around her. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/i) The woman who lies to the narrator, kisses him, and dances with a tall, handsome partner. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/i) The leper's companion who suggests climbing the wall and later proposes pulling it down. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/i) Not directly present; the dog's perspective dominates the chapter. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/iv) The girl who reluctantly leaves Snapper behind, dressed for the journey in a cinnamon skirt and black jacket. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/i) The beloved who is expected but does not arrive, causing the narrator's emotional turmoil. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/iii) The woman who laughs at the narrator's mask, dressed as the Goddess of Night, and rejects his love. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/i) Implied among the womenkind who rush to the narrator for protection. ### [Fragment V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/part-i-fragment-v) Not present in this excerpt. ### [Fragment XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/part-ii-fragment-xvi) The mad officer's young sister. She shows the narrator great attention, asks to kiss his hand, and reveals she is leaving for the war to help others. ### [The Spy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/the-spy) A young student girl on the train who becomes terrified by Mitrofan's act, clutching papers under her waist and trembling with fear. ### [The Marseillaise](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/the-marseillaise) The narrator describes the weeping exile as a nonentity with the spirit of a rabbit and beast of burden, contrasting his tears with those of other men. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/viii) A little schoolgirl weeps after the assassination. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/ii) A prostitute dressed in black, described as pale, thoughtful, and proper. She observes the sleeping man with curiosity and unease, and is referred to as 'Liuba' in the room. ### [Chant the First](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/chant-the-first) Not explicitly mentioned in excerpts; no match found. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/v) Appears in the chapter, contributing to the theme of innocence and vulnerability. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/characters/the_girl - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/characters