The Joke

On the day of the Ride of the Kings, the three narratives of Ludvik, Jaroslav, and Helena begin to overlap. After hearing about Lucie’s brutal past from Kostka and his failed tryst with Helena, Ludvik wants to return to Prague as quickly as possible. He wakes up too late for the morning train, however, and must wait until the afternoon. As he walks around the town, he begins to see his situation—and his entire life—as a “bad joke.” He realizes that the Ride of the Kings festival is taking place and moves through the crowds to the festival site. He has tried to avoid this kind of situation, but he finds himself caught up in the energy of the day.

Jaroslav feels exhausted. He talks to a radio reporter, Helena, about the Ride of the Kings. Though folk ceremonies such as this have had their funding drastically cut in recent years, he refuses to criticize the authorities, instead praising their support. Though he wants to, he cannot bring himself to say that “real folk art is dead” (254). As he returns to his house, he sees Vladimir being prepared to take part in the ceremony as the titular king.