Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

?

Is it the Bolsheviks? Is it bad luck? Is it Olga herself?

It's kind of hard to answer this question because there could be many solutions or no solution at all. If Olga is a metaphor for tsarist Russia, then it's easy to say that the revolution and the Bolsheviks are the antagonists that stop her from living a happy life. On the other hand you could also read this as Olga just being unlucky in love, and that's the source of all of her problems since she can't get a wealthy husband to take care of her.

You could even say that Olga is her own antagonist. At times it seems like she intentionally ruins her chances at getting a husband. Or you could say there's no antagonist at all. None of the characters hate her, or stand in her way. Right?

Which is the right answer? We don't know. We're not even sure if there is a right answer. But we're pretty sure that none of these options are the wrong answer.