The Death of a Government Clerk

At its heart, Chekhov’s “The Death of a Government Clerk” is a subversive parody that ridicules the overly regimented bureaucratic system in Russia at the time. During Chekhov’s life, the governmental body that regulated the country’s administrative functions was growing larger and more unwieldy. Many civil servants found themselves mired in low-level occupations, with little hope of promotion and a host of demanding superiors to please. Chekhov uses his characters’ names to reinforce these archetypal roles. Chervyakov’s name has similarities with the word chervyak, which means “worm” in Russian. Thus, the clerk is a disregarded creature that exists at the bottom of the social order. He is a squirming figure trying to crawl his way up to a higher level. These actions are in vain, however, as Chervyakov’s appeals to General Brizzhalov are repeatedly dismissed. Brizzhalov’s name also has a second meaning; in Russian, it suggests “grumbling,” from the word briuzzhat. This is reflected in Brizzhalov’s grouchy, angry demeanor.

Nineteenth-century Russian literature often features ineffectual bureaucrats who are obsessed with status. Chervyakov fits this character type from the story’s beginning. He attends the opera, symbolizing his pursuit of high class and sophistication. However, he is also alone at the event, which points to his alienation and displacement. Almost immediately, his lofty place in the audience is shaken by his own inability to navigate in the social circles of polite society. The sneeze, itself a natural act, takes on overblown significance when the clerk becomes convinced that it will impact his job and rank.

With the sneeze acting as the inciting incident, Chekhov quickly establishes a mood of fear and apprehension in the story. Fear results from the possibility that the general will punish the clerk for the sneeze. However, this emotion gives way to apprehension as Chervyakov continuously misinterprets the situation and makes matters worse for himself. With this tense disconnect between the story’s reality and Chervyakov’s misguided perceptions, the rising action begins.

Chervyakov adds to this unsettling feeling through his own follow-up behavior. In response to the sneeze and its unfortunate results, the clerk takes on a laughable, almost clownish personality. He is overwhelmed by his own paranoia and his desire to make things right. He approaches the general several times and makes comically verbose and formal apologies, and Brizzhalov grows angry because he doesn’t understand why the clerk insists on bringing up the inconsequential incident over and over again.

Chervyakov eventually admits to himself that he no longer feels “on top of the world” (Paragraph 8). His status as a low-level clerk is brought crashing down on top of him. Added to this concern is the fact that Chervyakov suspects that the general is upset. While this overall assessment is correct, the clerk fails to interpret the exact signs and signals of his aristocratic surroundings. Chervyakov mistakenly believes that Brizzhalov is angered by the sneeze. Ironically, Brizzhalov does not consider the clerk ill-mannered because of the sneeze itself but rather because of Chervyakov’s burdensome intrusions and his bizarre presumption that his actions have negatively impacted his superior. Chekhov indicates, here, that an overly harsh bureaucratic regime can take away a lower-class person’s ability to think rashly, read situations appropriately, and make reasonable decisions.

As Chervyakov pursues the case, the general’s irritation develops into fully formed rage. He exhibits the outward appearance of extreme displeasure, but the clerk refuses to act accordingly. As the general continues to dismiss Chervyakov with ever-increasing intensity, Chervyakov descends into an existential crisis. He wants to fit in and be noticed, but his position as an anonymous clerk—combined with his own neurotic actions—cannot allow it.

Of course, Chekhov tends to introduce complexities, especially at certain moments in the story when Chervyakov appears justified in his behavior. This occurs when Chekhov highlights the inner workings of Russia’s administrative system. By showing the other petitioners attempting to gain an audience with Brizzhalov, he uncovers a system of justice that depends more on pandering and favoritism than any sense of fairness and equality. This unbalanced relationship between the upper and lower classes is what feeds the clerk’s paranoia. He cannot hold himself in high esteem unless favors are bestowed upon him. His self-worth depends on the perceptions of others, especially those in higher positions.

Thus, while Chervyakov might seem frenzied and irrational, Chekhov reminds the reader that he is also the victim of an overbearing system. While Chervyakov might deserve ridicule for his outlandish behavior, the story also offers some condemnation for the environment that nurtured his paranoia and distress.

At one point in the story, Chervyakov considers writing a letter to the general. The idea is short-lived, however, as the clerk quickly realizes that he would not be able to find the words. Given his own role in the administrative workings of Russian government, it is sadly comical here that Chervyakov cannot use his own strengths to achieve his salvation. He goes back to the impulse of making a personal appeal, which adds to the absurdity given his failed attempts so far.

Chervyakov’s final admonishment is the most violent and unsettling for the clerk. As such, it represents the climax in the story, when the rising action builds to its highest level of tension and conflict. The general stamps his feet and screams at Chervyakov, resulting in a show of fright and weakness from the clerk. Here, for the first time, Chervyakov truly occupies his expected lower-class role. He whimpers, as if reduced to something less than human, and mindlessly makes his way home.

Chervyakov’s death at the end is intended to be a mystery to the reader. As with most of his short stories and other dramatic pieces, Chekhov avoids direct details and the explanation of meaning when it matters the most. He allows the ambiguity of those last few words to both shock and challenge the reader. It is here, too, that the careful mixture of realism and absurdity fulfills its purpose. Chervyakov’s death parodies the formal structure of unchecked bureaucratic rule and teases out the class tensions that result.