An Avenger (Chekhov)
Short summary
Russia, late 19th century. After catching his wife cheating, Fyodor Fyodorovitch Sigaev went to a gun shop to purchase a revolver, determined to kill his wife, her lover, and himself.
At the shop, an enthusiastic Frenchified shopman showed Sigaev various revolvers, particularly recommending the expensive Smith and Wesson model. As Sigaev examined the weapons, his revenge plans kept changing. First, he imagined killing all three of them, then just his wife's lover and himself, leaving his wife to suffer from guilt.
Next, he considered killing only the lover and facing trial, where he could publicly expose his wife's infidelity. The shopman continued his sales pitch, sharing stories about other betrayed husbands and lamenting society's moral decay. Eventually, Sigaev realized he didn't want to kill anyone or get a divorce, deciding instead to punish them with his contempt.
Feeling awkward after wasting the shopman's time, Sigaev felt obligated to buy something.
The outraged husband paid his eight roubles, took the net, and, feeling even more outraged, walked out of the shop.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
Sigaevs discovery of his wifes infidelity and his quest for a weapon
After discovering his wife in an adulterous situation, Fyodor Fyodorovitch Sigaev went to Schmuck and Co., a gun shop, to select a suitable revolver. His face displayed a mixture of anger, grief, and unwavering determination as he contemplated his next actions.
"The sanctities of the home are outraged, honour is trampled in the mud, vice is triumphant, and therefore as a citizen and a man of honour I must be their avenger. First, I will kill her and her lover and then myself."
In his imagination, Sigaev already visualized three bloodstained corpses, broken skulls, and brains oozing from them. He pictured the commotion, the horrified spectators, and the postmortem examination with a sense of vindictive satisfaction.
The shopmans enthusiastic promotion of the Smith and Wesson revolver
The shopman, a sprightly little man with a Frenchified appearance, rounded belly, and white waistcoat, displayed various revolvers to Sigaev. He moved gracefully around the shop, smiling respectfully while demonstrating the merchandise.
With particular enthusiasm, the shopman recommended the Smith and Wesson revolver, describing it as the last word in firearms technology. He praised its triple-action mechanism, ejector, accuracy at six hundred paces, and central sight. The shopman claimed it was the most fashionable system, perfect for killing both wife and lover with a single bullet, and ideal for suicide as well.
When Sigaev inquired about the price, the shopman informed him it cost forty-five roubles. Finding this too expensive, Sigaev was then offered cheaper alternatives, including the Lefaucher pattern for eighteen roubles. However, the shopman dismissed this option as old-fashioned, suitable only for hysterical ladies or the mentally deficient.
Sigaevs evolving revenge fantasies of murder and suicide
Sigaev lied to the shopman, claiming he wanted the gun merely to frighten burglars at his country cottage. The shopman discreetly acknowledged this pretense, suggesting that if they investigated each customer's motives, they would have to close their shop. He then recommended Mortimer's dueling pistol as more suitable for scaring burglars.
"I don't want to shoot myself or to kill anyone," said Sigaev, lying sullenly. "I am buying it simply for a country cottage... to frighten away burglars...."
As the shopman continued his sales pitch, Sigaev briefly considered challenging his wife's lover to a duel but dismissed the idea as giving him too much honor. He picked up a Smith and Wesson revolver, gazing at it blankly while his mind wandered to increasingly elaborate revenge scenarios.
Sigaev's initial plan to kill both his wife and her lover before committing suicide evolved. He then considered killing only himself and the lover, leaving his wife alive to suffer from guilt and public contempt. He imagined his own funeral, with himself lying peacefully in his coffin while his pale, remorseful wife faced the withering looks of the indignant crowd.
The shopmans discourse on cheaper weapons and societys attitudes toward adultery
The shopman, noticing Sigaev's interest in the Smith and Wesson, offered to reduce its price by five roubles. He then presented other revolvers priced at thirty roubles, lamenting how the falling exchange rate and rising customs duties made firearms accessible only to the wealthy. The poor, he noted, were left with inferior Tula weapons that were dangerously unreliable.
Meanwhile, Sigaev continued refining his revenge plan. He now considered killing his wife's lover, attending the funeral to witness the aftermath, and then killing himself. However, he realized the police would likely arrest him before the funeral and confiscate his weapon.
"Oh, M'sieu, you don't know how it excites my indignation to see the corruption of morals nowadays. To love other men's wives is as much the regular thing today as to smoke other men's cigarettes..."
The shopman continued his social commentary, claiming that judges, juries, prosecutors, and defense attorneys all lived with other men's wives. He suggested that society would be pleased if the government sent all husbands to Sahalin, and blamed the government for the moral corruption of the times.
Sigaev considers new revenge plans involving public humiliation
Sigaev reconsidered his plans, thinking it senseless to go to penal servitude in Sahalin for the sake of his wife's lover. He realized that his imprisonment would only give his wife the opportunity to remarry and deceive another husband. This thought led him to a new plan: he would neither kill himself nor anyone else, but would instead punish them with his contempt and initiate divorce proceedings that would create a public scandal.
As Sigaev reached this decision, a revolver became unnecessary. However, the shopman continued enthusiastically displaying his wares, taking down another dozen revolvers from the shelf and explaining the original mechanism of their locks.
The awkward conclusion: purchasing a quail net instead of a revolver
In view of his determination a revolver was now of no use to Sigaev, but the shopman, meanwhile, getting more and more enthusiastic, persisted in displaying his wares before him. The outraged husband began to feel ashamed...
Sigaev began to feel embarrassed that the shopman was taking so much trouble on his account for nothing. He mumbled that he would look in again later or send someone else. To smooth over the awkwardness, Sigaev felt compelled to make some purchase. Looking around for something inexpensive, his eyes fell on a green net hanging near the door. When he inquired about it, the shopman informed him it was a net for catching quails, priced at eight roubles. Sigaev paid for the net and left the shop feeling even more outraged than before.