Oblomov

In Oblomov, Ivan Goncharov created a character of unsurpassable dignity, purity, and decency. The fact that he is, on the surface, lazy and indecisive makes this literary achievement all the more unusual. In a lesson that should not be lost during a filthy political season, Oblomov is able to live an honorable life only by withdrawing from the crooked and low ways of the world around him. He, like a Bartelby, chooses not to get up from the sofa and in so doing becomes a hero.