Bobok by Fyodor Dostoevski
"Bobok" is a short story by Fyodor Dostoevski that explores themes of life, death, and the absurdities of human nature. The narrative follows Ivan Ivanovich, a struggling writer plagued by feelings of inferiority and rejection. During a funeral, he finds himself sitting on a tombstone, where he begins to overhear conversations from the deceased beneath him. These voices reveal that the dead engage in petty gossip and disputes, mirroring the trivial behaviors of the living. As they discuss their past lives, a philosophical idea is presented, suggesting that remnants of life linger in the consciousness of the dead for a period after death, leading to the story's enigmatic title "Bobok." This tale offers insight into the human condition, highlighting the continuity of human flaws beyond the grave. Ultimately, Ivan leaves the cemetery feeling both disgusted and intrigued by the banality of the dead, vowing to return to further explore their lives. "Bobok" serves as a thought-provoking commentary on the nature of existence and societal behavior.
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Bobok by Fyodor Dostoevski
First published: 1873 (English translation, 1919)
Type of plot: Fantasy
Time of work: The 1870's
Locale: St. Petersburg
Principal Characters:
Ivan Ivanovich , the narrator and protagonist, an unsuccessful writerPyotr Petrovich Klinevich , a baronVasily Vasilevich Pervoedov , a major generalAvdotya Ignatyevna , a lady of high societyTarasevich , a seventy-year-old privy councillorCatiche Besetova , a young girlPlaton Nikolaevich , a philosopher, naturalist, and scientistSemyon Evseich Lebezyatnikov , a court councillorAn engineer A shopkeeper A youth
The Story
The narrator, Ivan Ivanovich, is a disgruntled, unsuccessful writer who has had one novel and numerous journalistic columns rejected. He earns his living by translating from French and by writing advertisements. He is proud, resents his lack of success, and broods about his rejection. His anguished mental condition brought about by his intense feelings of inferiority leads others to regard him as insane. He himself acknowledges that something strange is happening to him. He complains of headaches and sees and hears strange visions and sounds. He is haunted by an enigmatic sound—"bobok." In order to distract himself, he attends the funeral of a distant relative, where he is treated haughtily, adding to his humiliation and resentment. After the funeral he remains in the cemetery, sits down on a tombstone, and becomes lost in reflection. He lies on a long stone shaped like a coffin and begins to hear muffled voices coming from the earth below. As he listens, he distinguishes various voices of the dead: the weighty, dignified voice of Major General Vasily Vasilevich Pervoedov; the saccharine, ingratiating voice of the court councillor Semyon Evseich Lebezyatnikov; the masculine, plebeian voice of a shopkeeper; the haughty voice of the irritable lady, Avdotya Ignatyevna; the frightened voice of a deceased youth; the lisping, peevishly imperious voice of the privy councillor, Tarasevich; the insolent, gentlemanly voice of Baron Pyotr Petrovich Klinevich; the cracked, giggling, girlish voice of the young Catiche Besetova; and the bass voice of an engineer. While listening to the conversations, Ivan realizes that the life of the dead resembles the life of the living: Lebezyatnikov accuses Pervoedov of cheating in the card game they are playing; Avdotya complains of the shopkeeper's hiccuping and accuses him of shortchanging people when he was alive; the shopkeeper accuses Avdotya of not paying her debts; Lebezyatnikov suggests to Pervoedov that they tease Avdotya to relieve their boredom; Pervoedov accuses the deceased youth's doctor of overcharging his patients; Lebezyatnikov fawns and cringes before Pervoedov and Klinevich; Klinevich, a scoundrel who, while alive, passed counterfeit money and informed on his accomplice, reveals the crimes of the debauched Tarasevich, who stole money from widows and orphans; Tarasevich lusts after Catiche; and everyone quarrels and engages in petty gossip. As the narrator continues to listen to the conversations of the deceased, the meaning of the enigmatic title of the story, "Bobok," is revealed. In response to Klinevich's query as to how it is possible that the dead can talk, Lebezyatnikov summarizes the theory of the philosopher Platon Nikolaevich, who maintains that after death, remnants of life become concentrated in the consciousness, which may last for two to six months until the decomposition of the body is complete. One of their number, Lebezyatnikov adds, one whose body has almost completely decomposed, nevertheless will occasionally utter a meaningless word or two, "Bobok, bobok"—a sign that even in him life "still flickers like an imperceptible spark." Klinevich suggests that before that vital spark of life disappears completely, they should arrange their lives differently, agreeing to be ashamed of nothing. All the deceased enthusiastically voice their assent as Klinevich urges them to live the last two months in shameless truth: "It's impossible to live on earth and not lie because living and lying are synonymous. But here, just for laughs, let's have no lying. Devil take it, after all, the grave does mean something!" Before the participants are able to bare their souls, Klinevich begins to tease General Pervoedov about his undue concern for rank and social standing even after death. The indignant Pervoedov defends rank and honor to the amusement and taunts of everyone. Amid the general pandemonium, the narrator, Ivan, inadvertently sneezes and everyone falls silent. Ivan leaves the cemetery disgusted by the pettiness and vulgarity of the dead in the midst of a holy and sanctified cemetery. He vows to return at a later date to learn more about the lives of the deceased. In the meantime, he will take his notes to a publisher in the hope that they will be printed.
