At Home (Chekhov)
Short summary
The Don railway region, 1890s. Twenty-three-year-old Vera Ivanovna Kardin returned to her family estate after her father's death. The vast steppe landscape enchanted her with its beauty and freedom as she traveled from the station.
At the estate, Vera was greeted enthusiastically by her aunt Dasha and grandfather, her only living relatives. Her aunt treated her as the mistress of the house, while her elderly grandfather, once strict and vigorous, had grown milder with age. Despite the comfortable surroundings, Vera soon felt constrained by provincial life and questioned whether she could find happiness there.
Vera met Dr. Neshtchapov, whom her aunt considered a potential husband. Though he was wealthy and respectable, Vera found him dull and unattractive. She struggled with boredom, reading late into the night and contemplating how to make her life meaningful. When her aunt suggested marriage to the doctor, Vera initially resisted.
One morning, after harshly scolding a servant, Vera was horrified by her own behavior and fled to a ravine to reflect. There, she made a decision to accept her fate.
And this perpetual dissatisfaction with herself and everyone else, this series of crude mistakes... she would accept as her real life to which she was fated, and she would expect nothing better.
Returning home, Vera announced her decision to marry Dr. Neshtchapov. A month later, she was living at the works, having resigned herself to the provincial life she had once dreaded.
Detailed summary by chapters
Chapter titles are editorial.
Chapter 1. Veras arrival at the country estate
After a long train journey, Vera Ivanovna Kardin arrived at a quiet station on the Don railway. A carriage with three horses was waiting to take her to her family estate, a twenty-mile drive through the vast steppe. As she traveled, Vera was captivated by the endless expanse of the steppe with its wild flowers, ancient barrows, and strange blue birds along the roadside.
And there was peace and sweetness in her soul, and she felt as though she would have been glad to drive like that all her life, looking at the steppe.
As they approached the estate, Vera recognized familiar landmarks - a deep ravine, poplars, and the barn. Her aunt Dasha came running to meet her, waving a handkerchief, while her grandfather waited on the terrace. Vera's aunt greeted her effusively, declaring that Vera was now the mistress of the estate.
At her grandfather's insistence, a thanksgiving service was held, followed by a lengthy dinner. Vera was given the best room in the house, filled with rugs and flowers. That night, her aunt visited her and explained that her grandfather's health was failing. Once a strict master who would order beatings for disobedient servants, he had grown milder with age. Auntie Dasha also mentioned a potential suitor for Vera - Dr. Neshtchapov from the nearby works.
Chapter 2. Life at the estate and social obligations
The next day, Vera explored the estate. The garden was old and neglected, with no paths and many grass-snakes. Beyond the garden lay fields and a river overgrown with reeds. Despite the beauty of the steppe, Vera felt a sense of emptiness and wondered if she would be happy there.
Dr. Neshtchapov soon came to visit. He was a pale, dark man in a white waistcoat, perpetually silent and difficult to understand when he did speak. He stayed from midday until midnight without saying much, yet Vera's aunt was enthusiastic about him as a potential match.
Life at the estate settled into a routine. Auntie Dasha managed everything, constantly complaining about lazy servants. She changed cooks and housemaids weekly, and none of the village people would work at the house. Only one girl from the village, Alyona, stayed because her family depended on her wages.
Vera's grandfather spent his days playing patience or dozing, eating enormous meals. Sometimes he would become sentimental toward Vera, calling her "my only grandchild," or suddenly angry if his food wasn't prepared exactly as he wanted.
She ordered books and magazines, and used to read them in her room. And she read at night, lying in bed. When the clock in the corridor struck two or three... she sat up in bed and thought, 'What am I to do? Where am I to go?'
Despite her restlessness, Vera found herself drawn into the social life of the area. Her aunt insisted she entertain visitors, and soon Vera was attending parties, playing cards, and participating in dances at the works or neighboring houses. The young people argued loudly about topics they didn't understand, and Dr. Neshtchapov remained silent and inscrutable, though the ladies admired him and envied Vera for attracting his attention.
Chapter 3. Crisis and decision to marry
One Sunday in Lent, Vera's aunt suggested she should marry Dr. Neshtchapov. Vera objected that he hardly spoke, but her aunt insisted he was merely shy. Later that day, Auntie Dasha asked to borrow money from Vera's inheritance to pay interest on a bank loan.
In the garden, Vera watched a new laborer, a young soldier, making paths at her request. She learned he had no home to return to after his army service because his mother had died and he was illegitimate. When Auntie Dasha overheard their conversation, she immediately dismissed the soldier, telling him to take his passport and leave.
She was indignant with her aunt, she hated her... But what was she to do? To stop her mouth? To be rude to her? But what would be the use? It would be like killing one mouse or one snake in the boundless steppe.
Vera was filled with anger toward her aunt and the situation, but felt helpless to change anything. When Alyona came in to clean her room, Vera lost her temper and shouted at the servant girl, causing her to drop and break Vera's gold watch. Horrified by her own behavior, Vera ran from the house and hid in the ravine among the sloe trees.
Lying on the grass, Vera reflected that she could not continue living this way. She needed to take control of her life. When she saw Dr. Neshtchapov drive by, she made a decision. Upon returning home, she told her aunt she would marry the doctor, asking her aunt to speak to him as she couldn't do it herself.
Vera went back to the fields, wandering aimlessly. She resigned herself to the idea that this would be her life - looking after the house, doctoring peasants, teaching in the school, like other women of her circle. She would expect nothing better.
Beautiful nature, dreams, music, told one story, but reality another. Evidently truth and happiness existed somewhere outside real life... One must give up one's own life and merge oneself into this luxuriant steppe...
A month later, Vera was living at the works as Dr. Neshtchapov's wife.