Short Fiction · Chapter
XIII explained
The narrator is woken by a knock and learns from Titus and Markelych that someone has thrown themselves under a train.
What happens
The narrator is woken by a knock and learns from Titus and Markelych that someone has thrown themselves under a train. The narrator adopts a rationalizing, almost flippant attitude toward death, which provokes a stern response from Titus. Despite Titus's refusal, the narrator decides to go see the scene of the suicide.
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 Rising 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
- Suffering and Compassion
The suicide of a person who felt 'useless, superfluous' highlights human suffering, while Titus's gloom and the narrator's detached rationalism contrast responses to tragedy.
- The Search for Meaning
The narrator's philosophical musings about the Hyperboreans and voluntary death reflect a search for meaning in life and death, and a challenge to conventional fears.
Characters to notice
- Markelych
The porter who brings news to Titus; he is devoted to Titus and reproachful toward the narrator.
- Titus
Titus Ivanich, the narrator's roommate, who is deeply affected by the news of a suicide and refuses to go see the scene.
- Gavrik
The narrator, who is called Gavrik by Titus; he reacts to the suicide with ironic rationalism and decides to go see the site.
Key passages
“Last night someone threw himself under the train.”
A person committed suicide by train last night.
Titus delivers the grim news to the narrator.
“The ancients had a tradition about Hyperboreans; when their old people had thoroughly enjoyed life they used to walk into the water and die.”
The narrator references the Hyperborean custom of voluntary death after a full life.
The narrator uses this to rationalize suicide, provoking Titus's anger.
