Ilya Ilyich Oblomov
Oblomov, the novel’s protagonist, is a kind, intelligent, but lethargic nobleman whose defining trait is inertia. Living almost entirely in his dressing gown, he dreams of an ideal, peaceful life—Oblomovka—where comfort replaces action and time drifts without consequence. His indolence, though comical at first, becomes tragic as it reveals a deep fear of life’s demands and an inability to adapt to a changing Russia. Oblomov’s paralysis reflects the decay of the old Russian gentry: sentimental, passive, and resistant to progress. He is not merely lazy—he is the embodiment of spiritual exhaustion and the seductive pull of complacency.
Andrei Ivanovich Stolz
Stolz, Oblomov’s energetic and pragmatic friend, stands as his opposite. Half-German, half-Russian, he symbolizes industriousness, discipline, and modern rationality. He constantly urges Oblomov to act—to work, to travel, to marry Olga—and embodies the values of progress and reform. Yet Goncharov doesn’t idealize him completely; Stolz’s life of relentless movement lacks the warmth and imaginative depth of Oblomov’s dreams. Through Stolz, the novel contrasts the sterile efficiency of modernity with the soulful, though stagnant, emotional life of the past.
Olga Sergeyevna
Olga, the intelligent and idealistic young woman who falls in love with Oblomov, represents the novel’s moral and emotional catalyst. She loves him for his gentleness and depth but ultimately grows disillusioned with his passivity. Her affection evolves into pity and then frustration as she realizes he will never change. Olga’s journey mirrors Russia’s own desire to awaken from slumber—to reconcile feeling with action. Through her, Goncharov explores the limits of love’s power to redeem someone trapped by their own inertia.
Agafya Matveyevna Pshenitsyna
Agafya is the practical, tender widow who becomes Oblomov’s companion in his later life. She offers him comfort, domestic warmth, and motherly care—everything he desires but that keeps him firmly within his passivity. Unlike Olga, she does not challenge him to change; she enables his inertia with affection. Agafya symbolizes the soothing, static life of habit and indulgence that ultimately consumes Oblomov, making her both his solace and his undoing.
Zakhar
Zakhar, Oblomov’s long-suffering servant, mirrors his master’s idleness and confusion. He complains constantly but rarely acts, embodying the same lethargy on a lower social rung. Their relationship—comic, affectionate, mutually dependent—illustrates the social stagnation that defines the world of the novel: master and servant locked in shared decay. Zakhar’s loyalty highlights Oblomov’s humanity, but also how deeply ingrained “Oblomovism” has become in every layer of Russian life.
