Short Fiction · Chapter
The Name-Day explained
John James Abbleway, a timid Englishman working in Vienna, travels by train to Fiume to meet his fiancée.
What happens
John James Abbleway, a timid Englishman working in Vienna, travels by train to Fiume to meet his fiancée. A snowstorm causes the train to break apart, leaving his carriage stranded in a forest. He shares the compartment with a peasant woman who calmly exploits the emergency by selling him food at inflated prices, claiming her name-day protects her from wolves. When wolves approach, she reveals they are her cousin's dogs, and a relief engine arrives.
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 Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This excerpt is the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Egbert…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Hypocrisy and Moral Facade
The peasant woman uses her name-day as a moral shield to justify price gouging and claim divine protection, while her 'wolves' turn out to be her cousin's dogs.
- The Absurdity of Social Rituals
The woman's rigid adherence to name-day customs in a life-threatening situation highlights the absurdity of social conventions.
Characters to notice
- John James Abbleway
Protagonist; a timid English businessman traveling to meet his fiancée, stranded in a snowstorm.
Key passages
“In a railway accident things become very dear, said the woman; these blood-sausages are four kronen apiece.”
The woman exploits the emergency by charging exorbitant prices for her sausages.
Illustrates her opportunistic greed under the guise of necessity.
“Not me, on my name-day. The holy Mariä Kleophä would not permit it, said the woman with provoking calm.”
She claims her saint's protection makes her immune to wolf attacks.
Highlights her superstitious confidence and the theme of moral facade.
