Villains In Goncharov's Oblomov

What does one call a female villain? Surely one can ascribe femininity to polarizing literary figures, as evidenced by the “heroine” and even occasionally the “femme fatale.” Yet, even in modern literature, there is no exclusive juxtaposition to a heroine; the term “villainess” is coined as slang by Merriam-Webster. Perhaps this can be seen as an offshoot to the meek roles women played, not only in society but in literature, for the majority of history. In the nineteenth-century, Ivan Goncharov disguised the villain of his novel, Oblomov, as an innocent young woman by the name of Olga Ilinskaya. Though she is depicted as a twentysomething with delicate hands, an affinity for needle work, and girlish eyes, underneath the presumed gender role lies a cold and manipulative woman. Olga, though initially manifesting as Oblomov’s savior, is ultimately the most emotionally damnable character in the novel. Her displays of cunning and vanity elevate her to the level of a bona fide villainess. Through a close reading of Goncharov’s Oblomov, one can reveal Olga’s corrupt behavior to be the result of crippling egoism, …show more content…
Stoltz often looks at her and sees “a childish trust in himself,” (Goncharov, 445) as she blindly follows his life and career. Instead of taking up her own hobbies or becoming a matriarch, “she knew and was interested in everything because he was” (Goncharov, 500). Similar to the way a young sister plays in the dirt to her earn the respect of her older brother, Olga tries to please Stoltz by reading the same texts and following the news. When she thinks of dissenting from his domain or disagreeing with him, “ahead of her lay only a fear of disappointing him and at a permanent separation” (Goncharov, 452). Like a child who knows they have done wrong, Olga avoids upsetting Stoltz to preserve her own fragile state of