In this playful story by Anton Chekhov, a government clerk enjoying a night at the opera is dismayed when an unexpected sneeze lands droplets on the bald head of a civilian General. Although his immediate apology is accepted, the clerk not only makes a nuisance of himself with continued apologies during the performance, but pesters the general over the next two days trying to explain what happened. As the general becomes increasingly angry, the clerk becomes increasingly anxious until the stress gets too much for him. Themes include social class (living in fear), guilt, insecurity, paranoia, anxiety.
The story is a satire of the attitudes and power gaps that existed between different levels of Russian society. Senior government officials were often political appointments, and few had leadership skills. Most ruled by fear and this fear, taken to irrational levels, is what resulted in the anxiety attack that killed the insecure clerk.
The Death of a Government Clerk Full Text / PDF / Audio (1,000 words)