Short Fiction · Chapter
II: Queer Characters explained
After the revolution on the island, the town lives in anxiety as homeless wanderers roam the streets at night.
What happens
After the revolution on the island, the town lives in anxiety as homeless wanderers roam the streets at night. When spring arrives, the wanderers disappear and take refuge near a dissenting chapel on a hill. The townsfolk view them with hostility and alarm. Among the exiles are tragic figures like the old 'Professor,' who mutters unintelligibly and is tormented by townspeople shouting 'Knives, scissors, needles, pins!' and Lavrovski, a former civil servant now a drunkard. The exiles are loyal to each other, and the grenadier Zausailov violently defends them. The hill with the chapel and cemetery is feared for its eerie reputation.
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 is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where the narrator’s…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Social Injustice and Class Division
The town's hostility toward the homeless exiles and the cruel torment of the Professor highlight the deep social divisions and injustice faced by the marginalized.
- Suffering and Compassion
The Professor's profound suffering from the townspeople's taunts and the exiles' loyalty to each other evoke themes of pain and the lack of compassion.
Characters to notice
- Professor Byelichka
A gentle, harmless old man with a clouded intelligence, always muttering unintelligibly; tormented by townspeople who shout 'Knives, scissors, needles, pins!' causing him great distress.
- Lavrovski
A retired and drink-sodden civil servant, formerly known as 'My Lord the Secretary,' now a tragic figure among the exiles.
- Turkevich
A tatterdemalion among the exiles, mentioned as leading Lavrovski and being part of the group that defends the Professor.
- Tiburtsi Drab
One of the exiles who strides swiftly and resolutely toward the chapel at evening.
Key passages
“The Professor was always muttering something to himself and no one could ever make out what he was saying.”
The Professor constantly mumbled inaudibly, and nobody could understand him.
Describes the Professor's peculiar habit of unintelligible muttering.
“Knives, scissors, needles, pins!”
Sharp objects like knives, scissors, needles, and pins.
The phrase used by townspeople to torment the Professor, causing him distress.
“A hook—a hook in my heart!”
A hook is piercing my heart.
The Professor's anguished cry expressing his emotional pain from the taunts.
