The Imagery of Emelyan Ilyitch (“An Honest Thief”)
Astafy recounts, “He was a drunkard, a vagrant, a beggar, he had been in a situation of some sort, but from his drinking habits he had lost his work. Such a ne'er-do-weel! God only knows what he had on! Often you wouldn't be sure if he'd a shirt under his coat; everything he could lay his hands upon he would drink away. But he was not one to quarrel; he was a quiet fellow. A soft, good-natured chap. And he'd never ask, he was ashamed; but you could see for yourself the poor fellow wanted a drink, and you would stand it him.” This imagery portrays Emelyan Ilyitch as a destitute, deprived individual whose life revolves around drinking. Since Emelyan Ilyitch possesses nothing, he can hold up his drunkenness through theft. Perhaps it is his vulnerability that made Astafy sympathetic to him to the degree that he considered him as “an honest thief.”
The Imagery of Pyotr Ivanitch at the Social Union’s Club (“A Novel in Nine Letters”)
Pyotr Ivanitch in Letter I writes, “Semyon Alexeyitch said to me that you might be going to the ball at the Social Union's club! Leaving my wife with Semyon Alexeyitch's good lady, I flew off to the Social Union. It was funny and tragic! Fancy my position! Me at the ball—and alone, without my wife! Ivan Andreyitch meeting me in the porter's lodge and seeing me alone, at once concluded (the rascal!) that I had a passion for dances, and taking me by the arm, wanted to drag me off by force to a dancing class.” This imagery is lucid as it presents a flawless image of the activities at the club. The imagery underlines Pyotr Ivanitch’s resolve to locate Ivan Petrovitch, as it specifies that Pyotr Ivanitch submitted to the distress of going all the way to the social club although he does not fancy dancing.
