A summary of "The Islanders" by Yevgeny Zamyatin

The story was written in 1917 during the author’s stay in England, where he oversaw the construction of icebreakers. The plot revolves around the conflict between the artificial, absurdly ordered British bourgeois lifestyle and the elemental, uncontrollable forces of human nature.

Foreign body

The life of Vicar Duley, the pride of the fictional town of Jesmond, is governed by mathematically precise schedules. On the walls of his library hang schedules for meals, penance, charity, and even intimate encounters with Mrs. Duley — strictly on Saturdays of every third week. His wife obediently exists within this mechanism, sitting for hours by the window. The smooth operation of this machine malfunctions on a Sunday in March. Before the vicar’s eyes, a red car strikes a pedestrian. The victim was moving very slowly, his enormous, square shoes treading with the inflexibility of a heavy tractor. The wounded man is carried into the Duley house. The doctor attempts to examine the patient, but he stubbornly refuses to take off his jacket. The reason lies in the simple absence of a shirt. A young man named Kemble has lost his livelihood, fanatically paying off his great-grandfather’s old debts. The appearance of a stranger in the spare bedroom completely disrupts the vicar’s schedule.

Loss of optics

In the chaos of the first few days, Mrs. Duly loses her rimless pince-nez with its cold glint. Without its usual armor, her face softens, new wrinkles appear, her lips part. She begins to spend long hours at the patient’s bedside. Kemble is a straightforward thinker, his worldview based on absolute rules. Soon, the house is visited by the boisterous, red-haired lawyer O’Kelly. With his hair tossed about, he announces the car owner’s willingness to pay forty pounds in compensation. Having received the money, Kemble sends it to his mother. On Sunday, the Duly house fills with guests, among whom appears Lady Kemble. Her neck is taut with an invisible bridle, her shoulders resemble a broken umbrella frame, and her pale pink lips writhe like worms. She quickly finds common ground with the vicar. Mr. McIntosh, secretary of the Corporation of Honorary Bell Ringers, bustles around, dressed in a kilt. He constantly philosophizes about culture, admiring the smooth sidewalks.

Facing Chaos

Kemble joins O’Kelly’s office, housed in the ancient home of the heretic John the Shoemaker. The lawyer introduces him to four typists, introducing each as his wife. The straightforward Kemble attempts to construct a syllogism, assuming his boss is Muslim. The lawyer’s behavior shatters the young clerk’s square world. In the reception area, Kemble meets Didi Lloyd, a giggly client with a boyish haircut who is filing for divorce. That evening, O’Kelly takes his assistant to the theater, where he spots Didi dancing backstage. Later, Kemble visits Mrs. Aunty’s furnished rooms, where the girl lives. Her main companion is a porcelain pug named Johnny, whose ugly, grinning face mimics O’Kelly’s. Didi disdains boredom and flippantly tosses a white morocco book onto the floor. During a chance meeting on the street, Mrs. Duly, having once again put on her found pince-nez, pointedly ignores Didi, who is standing next to Kemble.

Blood in the ring

After the divorce proceedings are finalized, the trio goes to watch a boxing match. Jesmond resident Bourne and the English champion, Smith, square off in the ring. The brutal spectacle excites the crowd, which is twenty deep. Bourne falls heavily, while Smith maintains his haughty smile. An excited Didi jokingly says, "If I were like you, I’d go and beat him right now…" Kemble, losing control of his mind, challenges Smith to a fight. Unable to fight, he stubbornly takes heavy blows to the chest and falls in the fourth round. That night, he comes to in Didi’s room. The air is filled with the pungent scent of stocks. She tenderly strokes his hands. Kemble immediately formulates the only possible conclusion: Didi must become his wife. She responds with a ringing laugh.

Summer heat

Word of the aristocrat’s brawl spreads throughout the city. Lady Kemble is shocked, and the blue and pink ladies of Jesmond express their sympathy. Vicar Duly takes it upon himself to save the lost soul. He goes to see Didi, but she meets him in revealing pajamas and forces her pug, Johnny, to kiss him on the lips. The indignant priest leaves empty-handed. A sultry summer sets in. The oleanders bloom in wild disarray. Kemble is obsessed with saving up for furniture for his future home and dreams of a sparkling electric iron. Didi is overcome with melancholy. Escaping the heat, O’Kelly and Didi swim in the green waves of Sunday Bay. Later, the lawyer hosts picnics with oysters and champagne in the girl’s room, finally displacing the dull Kemble. One day, the Salvation Army walks through the streets, loudly knocking on doors and calling everyone to prayer.

Fog and betrayal

The summer heat gives way to a thick, damp fog. On his birthday, Kemble receives an anonymous letter in a bluish envelope accusing Didi and O’Kelly of a secret affair. He dismisses suspicion, dismissing the message as a vile fabrication. At the store, he and Didi buy an electric iron and sheer silk underwear. That evening, O’Kelly brings flowers and hands the birthday boy a check for fifty pounds. Didi is hysterical, screaming, "Don’t you dare take it, Kemble!" The next day, Lady Kemble summons her son under the pretext of a long-awaited reconciliation. Vicar Duly, Mrs. Duly, who is nervously crumpling the bluish envelope, and Mr. McIntosh are present in the dining room. Under the pretext of concern, they lead Kemble through the night to the lawyer’s office. McIntosh opens the iron-clad door with a huge key. Kemble runs up the stone stairs, sees the hidden truth, and runs away in horror.

Shots

In the morning, Kemble methodically shaves. He carefully arranges the bread on his plate without touching it. Then he writes his mother a check for thirty pounds and takes out his father’s old revolver with needle cartridges. In his jacket pocket, he finds a Waterman fountain pen, forgotten by O’Kelly at the party. Returning the pen becomes a formal pretext for conversation. Entering the office, Kemble sees an unusually serious lawyer. As soon as the pen is placed on the table, O’Kelly bursts into laughter at his assistant’s absurd pedantry. Kemble fires three well-aimed shots. Leaving the office, he approaches the policeman, confesses to the murder, and complains of extreme fatigue. The men walk silently down the stone ravine of the alley.

The triumph of order

An autumn wind ruffles the streets of Jesmond. A tense crowd gathers outside the prison, awaiting news of a possible pardon for the murderer. People argue about justice, recalling Sir Harold’s past deeds. Mrs. Duly is on the verge of a severe nervous breakdown, haunted by nightmares and constantly dropping objects. On the morning of the execution, the sun shines indifferently and brightly. A ruddy old man — the executioner — enters the prison. The crowd tensely awaits the sound of the bell. At half past nine, the brass ringing confirms the execution. Mrs. Duly screams in horror. Vicar Duly immediately turns the tragedy to his advantage. He delivers a fiery speech, arguing that security is only possible with strict controls. A resolution supporting the "Covenant of Compulsory Salvation" tract is passed unconditionally.