Epigraphs of A School for Fools by Sasha Sokolov as the key to understanding the structure of the novel

Abstract

The epigraphs of А School for Fools, by pointing to certain episodes, help to reconstruct, in as many details as possible, the plot of the novel. The words of the second epigraph (the list of verbs) reflect the structure of the novel in a compressed form. The verbs “to drive” and “to hold” characterize the controversial world surrounding Nymphaea; “…to run, to offend…” refer to the protagonist’s escape from his father’s house, which has the mythological traits of voluntarily leaving paradise, while “…to hear, to see…” point out to the motifs of specific vision and hearing that connect Nymphaea with the teacher Norvegov. The verbs “…to turn, to breathe, to hate…” are associated with the theme of Norvegov’s life and mentorship, whereas “to depend” indicates both Nymphaea’s independence from time and the fact that he outgrows his teacher: Norvegov, who is referred to as independent in the novel, compromises with the Perillo system. The verb “терпеть” has two major meanings, i.e. ‘to tolerate’ and ‘to endure’, and thus marks the fundamental ambiguity of the final. In the former meaning, the verb is associated with the noun “tolerance” and indicates the conflict in the novel. The verb also points to Nymphaea’s “patient mother,” who wants her son to join society. The thematic return to the mother of the hero is justified by the loss of Norvegov’s ideality in the last chapter.