# Peter — Short Fiction character guide > Peter in Short Fiction by Vladimir Korolenko. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Saint Peter, little Peter, IV Peter **First appearance:** 0001-short-fiction ## Snapshot A blind man who has learned to read the world through sound, he waits in anguish for the doctor's verdict on whether his newborn son shares his darkness. ## Who they are Peter has spent his life translating sound into the light he has never seen, and when his son is born he is certain the child is blind too — better, he thinks, had it never been born. He stands petrified by the window as the doctor examines the infant, his whole being braced against a confirmation of his own darkness. Then the words 'the child sees' strike him like lightning, and the blind man's inner world is remade in an instant — a transformation that anchors the story's meditation on perception and inheritance. ## Relationships ### [Uncle Maxim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/characters/uncle_maxim) _family_ Peter is the nephew of Uncle Maxim, with a familial bond of care and guidance. ### [Evelyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/characters/evelyn) _romantic_ Evelyn and Peter share a romantic relationship, possibly as lovers or a married couple. ### [Uncle Maxim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/characters/uncle_maxim) _family_ Peter is the nephew of Uncle Maxim, with a familial bond of care and guidance. ### [Evelyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/characters/evelyn) _romantic_ Evelyn and Peter share a romantic relationship, possibly as lovers or a married couple. ### [Uncle Maxim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/characters/uncle_maxim) _family_ Peter is the nephew of Uncle Maxim, with a familial bond of care and guidance. ### [Evelyn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/characters/evelyn) _romantic_ Evelyn and Peter share a romantic relationship, possibly as lovers or a married couple. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/i) Referred to as 'Peter's little friend' and 'the blind boy's' friend; the friendship is central to the chapter. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/iv) The blind child, whose inner soul harbors dormant hereditary impressions of light and a yearning for what he cannot perceive. ### [V: Love](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/v-love) Blind musician who plays with deep emotion and struggles with feelings of uselessness. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/i) The blind boy has become a youth, grown up like a hothouse plant, living in an enchanted dream within the dark world. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/iii) The blind youth, now older and more mature, sits apart from the group, visibly agitated and deeply affected by the discussions. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/iv) The blind youth who listens intently to the conversations but feels isolated and apart from the lively company. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/v) Peter is absent from his usual spot when Evelyn looks for him, having left earlier. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/vi) The blind youth, overwhelmed by bitterness and a sense of uselessness, finds solace and a new emotion after Evelyn's declaration. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/vii) The blind musician, deeply absorbed and struggling to express his emotions through the piano. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/viii) Blind musician learning to play by note, performing with emotional depth and individuality. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/ix) The blind man plays an Italian piece but remains unsatisfied; he feels pride at being the center of animated conversation and receives encouragement from Evelyn. ### [VI: The Crisis—An Attempt at Synthesis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/vi-the-crisis-an-attempt-at-synthesis) The blind protagonist, now in love with Evelyn, experiences a deep crisis of desire to see and questions the purpose of his life. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/i) Awakens with a new emotional awareness, revisits the mill, and struggles with a growing desire to see Evelyn. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/iii) Experiences a crisis of self-consciousness, longs to see, and studies objects by touch. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/iv) The blind young man who seeks to understand colors through sound and touch, and struggles with his condition. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/v) Blind boy who is deeply anguished by the mournful cries of blind beggars, instinctively turning away and offering his purse to escape the sound. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/vi) Lies prostrated with nervous fever, undergoes a crisis, recovers with a changed, compassionate outlook. ### [VII: Intuition](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/vii-intuition) The blind man who experiences a transformative inner vision upon hearing that his child can see. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/i) The blind man who marries Evelyn; experiences happiness mixed with sadness and alarm at becoming a father. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/ii) The blind father, initially depressed and convinced his child will be blind, experiences a visionary moment upon hearing the child can see, then collapses. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/i) The young boy learning to read; eager to see the sun; described with flaxen hair and a pale face. ### [In Bad Company](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/chapters/in-bad-company) Another boy in the company, involved in the adventures. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/characters/peter - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_54_se/characters