Envy 25-34
pg. 27 - Crossing the Niagara Falls on a Rope
This is referencing a famous event in 1859 in which a French Daredevil, Jean François Gravelet (more famously known as Monsieur Charles Blondin), flew to Niagra Falls to attempt to be the first person to cross Niagra Falls on a tightrope. As hundreds and thousands of people gathered on both the American and Canadian side of the great falls to watch the feat, Blondin took a 26ft pole and made the daring trek. About a 1/3 of the way there, he stopped and famously sat down on the tightwire to drink a glass of wine. After this spectacular feat, he reattempted this dare, each time adding more and more danger to the challenge, including crossing without a balance pole, dancing, attempting summersaults on the tight rope, etc. He became extremely famous and well-known because of these fearless feats.
pg. 27 - Council of the People’s Commissars
A government council formed after the Bolshevik Revolution, this authority became the backbone of the formation of the USSR in 1917. It became the highest executive authority of the USSR, with the chairman also being the head of state.
pg. 27 - Varvarskaya Square
A famous square that is perhaps alluding to the Minin and Pozharsky Square (also called Verkhneposadskaya Square), that connects several centre streets including Varvarskaya.
pg. 27 - Kharkov
Also known as Kharkiv, Kharkov is a city in Ukraine, formally in the Soviet Union. This city was known for harboring a good amount of Bolsheviks, who eventually grew in numbers and politically took control of the city.
pg. 27 - Blagoveshchensk fair
May be referring to various different fairs that usually occurs in the Blagoveshchensk region. Though there isn't much information regarding what fair it is nor why the fair took place, Blagoveshchensk has been a historic region for Russia. My best guess is that since Blagoveshchensk was a region in which major battles between the Japanese-Russo Wars took place, the fair may be celebrating the liberation of that region's Japanese occupation and for it to be reintroduced into the USSR.
pg. 29 - widow Prokopovich (Anichka)
An older widow who the narrator, Nikolai Kavalerov, looks down upon. Kavalerov claims that she tried to seduce him and that she left her door unlocked so that he would be able to sleep in her bed, though this has to be taken with a massive grain of salt. It must be noted that Kavalerov is both narcissistic and extremely envious towards others; he claims to be higher and mightier than all other males yet can't get a date without having to pay for a prostitute.
pg. 30 - French President Carnot
Referring to Sadi Carnot, the fourth president of the Third French Republic in 1887. Originally an engineer, he worked his way up, from leading a resistance against the Franco-German war, to elected in the Chambers of Deputies, to many more positions until finally being elected as President. He was relatively popular in office, but his life was unfortunately cut short when an Italian anarchist successfully assassinated him. Shortly following this event, mobs against Italians in France took place.
pg. 30 - Lizochka
A name mentioned in a poem by the narrator, Nikolai Kavalerov. She is supposedly a typist.
pg. 31 - NEPman
NEPman, short for New Economic Policy man, refers to the business men and women who took advantage of the unstable period to create private enterprises and manufacturing plants. They were heavily looked down upon during the Soviet Union era as they are the exact contradiction of the Socialism Republic that the USSR tried to embody. They were heavily taxed and are depicted as fat, greedy, and other times, Jewish.
pg. 32 - Tverskaya
A main street in the city of Moscow, running from the city center towards St. Petersburg and other major streets.
pg. 32 - Nikitskaya
Another major street running through Moscow.
pg. 33 - Ophelia
A "revolutionary" machine built by Ivan Babichev, the older brother of Andrei Petrovich Babichev. It may be important to note that Ophelia shares the same name as a major character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. In Shakespeare's play, Ophelia was a noble woman who was convinced that the crown prince, Hamlet, was in love with her. However, as the story progresses, the reader finds that Hamlet was faking mental illnesses in order to be able to claim the throne as his father was secretly assassinated. Upon Ophelia's father's death in the hands of Hamlet as well as Hamlet not declaring his love for her, she was enveloped in the state of madness and drowned herself. This tragedy was often romantically depicted, with her death being considered one of the most beautiful and poetic. This may be a heavy foreshadowing to Ivan as a character, where he may have a "revolutionary" product, but it may be his downfall.
pg. 34 - Kanatchikov
Referring to a psychiatric hospital located in Moscow, aptly named named "Kashchenko Moscow Psychiatric Clinical Hospital No. 1," also known as "Kanatchikov's dacha." This was named after the merchant who originally owned the land at which the hospital was built upon, whose name was Kanatchikov.
