Wokulski gets off the train and decides to commit suicide. He is saved by the railwayman Wysocki and disappears. Wokulski's eventual downfall highlights The Doll's overarching theme: the inertia of Polish society. Alter egos Wokulski and Rzecki are in many ways alter egos for the book's author. The frustrated scientist Wokulski is created in Prus' own image. During a visit to Paris, Wokulski meets an old scientist named Geist (whose name is German for "Spirit"), who is trying to discover a metal lighter than air; in the hands of those who would use it to organize mankind, it could bring universal peace and happiness. Wokulski is torn between his misplaced, tragic love for Izabela and the idea of settling in Paris and using his fortune to perfect Geist's invention.The Doll, rich in characters and observations from everyday Warsaw life, in Czesław Miłosz's opinion embodies 19th-century realistic prose at its best. It brings its protagonist to a full awareness of the chasm that stretches between his dreams and the social reality that surrounds him. TranslationsThe Doll has been translated into twenty-eight languages: Armenian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, English, Esperanto, Estonian, French, Georgian, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Ukrainian. Films 1968: Lalka, The Doll (1968 film), directed by Wojciech Has 1978: Lalka'', directed by Ryszard Ber Notes References External links The Doll – Bolesław Prus on Culture.pl 1889 novels Novels by Bolesław Prus Novels first published in serial form Polish novels Works originally published in Polish newspapers Novels set in Warsaw Polish novels adapted into films 19th-century Polish novels Polish-language novels