Aborigines (Chekhov)
Short summary
A southern Russian provincial town, early 20th century. Ivan Lyashkevsky, a retired lieutenant, sat at his window with the town architect Franz Stepanitch Finks, both observing Lyashkevsky's landlord sitting idly on a bench outside.
Lyashkevsky ranted about the laziness of the locals, particularly his landlord, criticizing him for neglecting his property and garden while buying everything at the market. Finks, more tolerant, suggested economic hardship as an explanation.
The men began playing cards, while outside the landlord chatted with a friend about politics. After dinner, the landlord returned to his bench, where he dozed and briefly conversed with a schoolboy. Meanwhile, Finks, who had intended to inspect a cracked wall at the girls' high school, stayed for dinner and a nap, completely neglecting his work.
After Finks finally left in the evening, Lyashkevsky muttered to himself:
"Damn the fellow, staying here the whole day and doing absolutely nothing... Simply get their salary and do no work; the devil take them!... The German pig..."
Left alone with no one to complain to, Lyashkevsky began grumbling about his furniture and mattress before falling asleep and dreaming of pouring boiling water over the natives, Finks, and his old armchair.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
Lyashkevsky watches his landlord with contempt
One morning between nine and ten, Ivan Lyashkevsky sat at his open window talking with Franz Stepanitch Finks, the town architect who had stopped by for a brief visit. Both men had their heads thrust out the window, observing Lyashkevsky's landlord who sat on a bench near the gate.
The landlord was a plump little native with pendulous perspiring cheeks, wearing full blue trousers with his waistcoat unbuttoned. He appeared deep in thought, absentmindedly prodding the toe of his boot with a stick.
"Extraordinary people, I tell you... here he has sat down on the bench, and so he will sit, damn the fellow, with his hands folded till evening. They do absolutely nothing. The wastrels and loafers!"
Conversation with Finks about the natives laziness
Lyashkevsky continued his tirade, questioning why the native didn't work at home fixing his broken steps, the plankway falling into the ditch, or the rotten fence. He pointed out that the man had six acres of garden, pigsties, and poultry houses, all wasted and unused. The flower garden was overgrown with weeds while boys played ball in the kitchen garden.
"He is a Russian, there is no doing anything with him," said Finks with a condescending smile; "it's in the Russian blood... They are a very lazy people! If all property were given to Germans or Poles..."
As they spoke, the native beckoned to a girl with a sieve, bought a kopeck's worth of sunflower seeds from her, and began cracking them. This further infuriated Lyashkevsky, who declared that cracking sunflower seeds and talking politics was the natives' only occupation.
Picquet game begins as the critique of idleness continues
Finks mentioned he needed to go check on a cracked wall in the girls' high school cellar, but Lyashkevsky convinced him to stay for tea. He asked Varvara to prepare the samovar. Over tea, Lyashkevsky continued his complaints about the natives, claiming they were not merely sluggards but swindlers who borrowed money from the town bank for schemes that inevitably failed.
Finks changed the subject, mentioning he had won six and a half roubles from Yegorov at picquet the previous day. Lyashkevsky recalled he owed Finks money from their last game and suggested they play to win it back. Despite his urgency to visit the high school, Finks agreed to one game, and they sat down at the open window to play picquet.
The natives discuss politics while the card players mock them
As the game began, another native with a long beard wearing a crumpled yellowish-grey cotton coat appeared at the gate. He greeted the blue-trousered native, inviting him to join him in the shade. The landlord crossed the street with much sighing and waddling.
While playing cards, Lyashkevsky and Finks overheard the natives discussing politics, specifically talking about England and criticizing Beaconsfield. Lyashkevsky scoffed that the "swine" didn't even know Beaconsfield had been dead for a long time. The card players continued their game while mocking the natives' political discussion, with Finks remarking on the unique nature of Russian inertia.
The native hears this abuse distinctly, but, judging from the appearance of his crumpled little figure, it does not affect him. Apparently he has long ago grown as used to it as to the buzzing of the flies...
The extended card game and continued prejudice
The first game of picquet was followed by a second, then a third. Finks, having lost, became caught up in gambling fever and forgot about the cracked walls at the high school. Between twelve and one o'clock, the fat cook with brown legs spread something like a baby's sheet with brown stains on it before the natives and served them dinner. They ate with wooden spoons, brushed away flies, and continued their conversation.
After finishing his meal, the native in blue trousers returned to his house and collapsed onto his bench, struggling with drowsiness and gnats. His helpless air drove Lyashkevsky to further outbursts of contempt. A schoolboy passed by, and the native engaged him in conversation, asking what was the hardest subject and what the Latin word for tree was.
Lyashkevsky left alone with his complaints
After losing two roubles, Finks finally remembered the high school and was horrified to discover it was already three o'clock. Lyashkevsky convinced him to stay for dinner, which Finks agreed to on the condition it would last no more than ten minutes. After dining, Finks fell asleep on the sofa and began snoring loudly.
"Race of curs! I wonder you don't choke with laziness. No work, no intellectual or moral interests, nothing but vegetating... disgusting. Tfoo!"
When Finks woke up at six o'clock, he realized it was too late to visit the high school and suggested another game of picquet for revenge. After seeing his visitor off between nine and ten, Lyashkevsky watched him leave and grumbled about the German spending the whole day doing nothing while collecting a salary. Looking out the window, he noticed the native had gone to bed, leaving him with no one to criticize. Unable to contain his irritation, Lyashkevsky began complaining about his old armchair and the broken spring in his mattress before falling asleep at midnight, dreaming of pouring boiling water over the natives, Finks, and the old armchair.