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The House of the Dead · Character

Varlamov

A wealthy and influential Old Believer merchant in Siberia.

minor

First appearance: part ii v summer time

Varlamov's tie to Bulkin is one of the pressures that moves The House of the Dead—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

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With Bulkin (rivalry): Bulkin and Varlamov are antagonists, often clashing or competing within the prison hierarchy. With Bulkin (rivalry): Bulkin and Varlamov are antagonists, often clashing or competing within the…

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The fuller portrait of Varlamov sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Varlamov in part ii v summer time

Character Web

3 connections

A slice of how Varlamov sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

BUBulkinAPAlexandr Petro…AAAkim AkimitchVAVarlamov

Relationship types

  • Rivalry
  • Other

Character groups

  • Social extremes in prison
  • Protagonist
  • Servants and orderly types

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.

SetupAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because it presents a profound psychological reversal: the narrator, a…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Varlamov in part ii v summer time