A Father (Chekhov)
Short summary
Russia, presumably late 19th century. Old Musatov visited his son Boris to borrow money, arriving drunk and disheveled. After receiving ten roubles, he admitted he would spend it on alcohol despite claiming it was for lodging.
The father alternated between self-pity and boastfulness, confessing he regularly disgraced and robbed his children. Boris listened silently, eventually offering his father a pair of boots when the old man mentioned attending horse races.
When they left together, Old Musatov repeatedly ducked into taverns. He praised his three exceptional sons and daughter Sonya, lamenting his unworthiness as their father. At his squalid lodgings, he introduced Boris to his coarse female companion, putting on airs of dignity despite his shame.
"In the entry, where it was dark, he suddenly pressed his face against the young man's sleeve and gave a sob. 'I should like to have a look at Sonitchka,' he whispered.
The old man promised to stay sober for three days and borrow decent clothes from Boris to see his daughter. Despite his theatrical bravado in front of others, his genuine longing to reconnect with his daughter revealed his buried humanity beneath layers of alcoholism and self-destruction.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The fathers visit and request for money
Old Musatov arrived at his son Boris's summer villa, admitting he had been drinking on the way. He immediately asked for ten roubles to pay for his lodging, claiming he needed the money until Tuesday. Without saying a word, Boris left the room to consult with his landlady and colleagues, then returned and gave his father the money.
Confessions and self-awareness
After pocketing the money, Old Musatov began talking about their long separation since Easter. He confessed that his promise to repay the loan by Tuesday was a lie, as were his previous letters describing illness - they were merely pretexts for getting money for alcohol. He acknowledged his shame at robbing his son, knowing Boris could barely make ends meet himself.
"I am ashamed to rob you, my angel; I know that you can scarcely make both ends meet yourself, and feed on locusts, but my impudence is too much for me. I am such a specimen of impudence…fit for a show!"
After a minute of silence, the old man asked for a glass of beer. When Boris brought it, his father's mood changed dramatically. He began boasting about winning money at the races, claiming he had won thirty-two roubles for each rouble bet on a horse named Frisky. He admitted he couldn't stay away from the races despite his partner's disapproval.
The gift of boots and departure
Boris, who had been walking slowly around the room in silence, offered his father a pair of boots that were too tight for him. The old man tried them on, found they fit perfectly, and agreed to keep them. He promised to send money for them when he received his pension, but immediately admitted this was another lie, as was his story about the races.
Old Musatov recognized his son's generosity, understanding that Boris had invented the story about the boots being too small as a pretext to help him. When Boris asked if his father had moved to new lodgings, the old man confirmed he moved monthly due to his partner's temper. Boris then invited his father to stay with him at the summer villa for his health, but the old man declined, saying he belonged in his "filthy hole."
"You can't draw a dung-beetle to a rose. But it's time I was going, my boy. It's getting dark."
Revelations during the cab ride
Boris decided to accompany his father back to town. As they rode in a cab together, Old Musatov continued his confessions, admitting he had recently gotten drunk with neighbors and spoken badly of his children, portraying himself as an abandoned, unhappy father to gain sympathy.
"I wanted, you see, to touch the drunken hussies' hearts, and pose as an unhappy father. It's my way, you know, when I want to screen my vices I throw all the blame on my innocent children."
The old man repeatedly praised his children's virtues, calling them remarkable and exceptional. He spoke of his son Grigory, who spoke multiple languages and remained dignified when his father embarrassed him at his office.
He also mentioned his son Alexander, who had married a colonel's daughter from an aristocratic circle but still visited his father in his squalid home with his new wife.
During the cab ride, the old man stopped twice to visit taverns. He lamented that his children deserved a better father and acknowledged that God had sent him as a trial for his children.
The fathers squalid home
When they arrived at Old Musatov's lodging, the father became timid and guilty. He warned Boris not to mind anything his partner might say and to be affable toward her, describing her as ignorant but good-hearted. They entered a dark, smoky kitchen and proceeded to a small, stifling room where three women were sitting at a table.
The old man tried to maintain his dignity in front of the women while feeling ashamed before his son. He repeatedly emphasized their simple lifestyle, offered Boris vodka, and when tea was served, Boris drank two cups of disgusting tea with a melancholy face. The women made hints about heartless children who abandon their parents.
"You think I have let myself sink into the mire, that I am to be pitied, but to my thinking, this simple life is much more normal than your life... I don't need anybody, and... and I don't intend to eat humble pie."
Final plea to see his daughter
After an hour, Boris prepared to leave. His father saw him to the entry with a haughty attitude. In the darkness of the entry, however, the old man pressed his face against his son's sleeve and sobbed, expressing his desire to see his daughter Sonya.
Boris informed him that Sonya had left boarding school in May and was now living with Alexander's mother-in-law. The old man was surprised to learn that Sonya had been trying to find him. He begged Boris to arrange a meeting, promising to stay sober for three days beforehand and to borrow proper clothes from Boris to make himself presentable.
"I'll shave, I'll put on your suit... I'll put on a straight face... I'll hold my tongue while she is there. Yes, yes, I will hold my tongue!"