In the Ravine (Chekhov)
Short summary
In the village of Ukleevo, located in a ravine, lived Grigory Petrovitch Tsybukin, a shopkeeper who ran a grocery store but actually made his money selling vodka, cattle, and other goods. He had two sons: Anisim, who worked in the police detective department, and Stepan, who was deaf and helped in the shop.
Stepan was married to Aksinya, a beautiful woman who showed extraordinary business skills. Grigory, a widower, remarried a woman named Varvara. Anisim, who rarely visited home, returned for his wedding to Lipa, a poor, shy girl from a neighboring village.
After the wedding, Anisim returned to town and was later imprisoned for counterfeiting money. Lipa gave birth to a son named Nikifor. Meanwhile, Aksinya grew increasingly powerful in the household, especially after starting a brickyard business on land that Grigory had intended to leave to his grandson Nikifor.
When Aksinya discovered Grigory's plan to give Butyokino (where her brickyard was located) to Nikifor, she became enraged. Finding Lipa washing clothes with baby Nikifor nearby, she took terrible revenge.
"You've taken my land, so here you are!" Saying this Aksinya snatched up the ladle with the boiling water and flung it over Nikifor. After this there was heard a scream such as had never been heard before in Ukleevo...
Nikifor died at the hospital. Lipa carried her dead baby home, encountering an old man on the way who offered her comfort. Upon returning, Aksinya ordered her to leave. Years later, Aksinya had become powerful, running the business with the Hrymin Juniors, while old Tsybukin wandered about forgotten and neglected. Lipa occasionally passed through the village with her mother, and once gave the old man some food, which he ate in silence.
Detailed summary by chapters
Chapter titles are editorial.
Chapter 1. Introduction to Ukleevo village and the Tsybukin family
The village of Ukleevo was situated in a ravine, making only its belfry and factory chimneys visible from the high road and railway station. The village was known for an incident where a deacon had eaten all the caviar at a funeral ten years earlier, as this was the only notable event people remembered about the place.
The village of Ukleevo lay in a ravine so that only the belfry and the chimneys of the printed cottons factories could be seen from the high road and the railway-station.
Ukleevo was plagued by fever and mud, even in summer. The factories and tanyard polluted the local river, causing cattle disease, though the tanyard continued operating secretly despite orders to close it. In the village stood two decent brick houses: the local court and the two-story home of a shopkeeper named Grigory Petrovitch Tsybukin.
Grigory ran a grocery shop as a front for his real business of selling vodka, cattle, hides, grain, and pigs. He had two sons: Anisim, who worked in the police detective department and rarely came home, and Stepan, who helped with the business despite being deaf and in poor health. Stepan's wife Aksinya was beautiful, energetic, and business-savvy, managing the shop keys and accounts.
A year after his son's marriage, Grigory himself remarried to Varvara Nikolaevna, a good-looking woman from a decent family. Her presence brightened the house with icons, white tablecloths, and flowers. She helped beggars and pilgrims with money, bread, and items from the shop, which initially concerned Stepan until his father assured her she could take whatever she needed.
Chapter 2. Anisims return and marriage arrangements
Anisim, the elder son, rarely visited home but often sent letters with formal language and gifts. Just before Carnival, he unexpectedly arrived looking anxious and troubled, as though he had been dismissed from service. Varvara, seeing that Anisim was already twenty-eight and still unmarried, decided it was time for him to wed.
The family found a bride for Anisim in the village of Torguevo. Her name was Lipa, a beautiful but extremely poor girl who worked as a day laborer with her mother Praskovya. Despite Lipa's poverty, the Tsybukins arranged a visit of inspection with lunch and wine. Lipa wore a new pink dress with a crimson ribbon in her hair.
She was young and shy with a trustful, curious look. Her only unattractive feature was her large, masculine hands. During the visit, Lipa stood in the doorway looking submissive while her mother hid in the kitchen out of shyness. After the inspection, the wedding was set for Low Sunday. Anisim showed no enthusiasm for the marriage, suggesting he was only getting married to please his parents and follow village custom.
Chapter 3. The wedding celebration and Anisims troubled thoughts
Two dressmakers from the Flagellant sect made the wedding clothes: a brown dress with black lace for Varvara and a light green dress with a yellow front for Aksinya. They were paid in goods from the shop rather than money, which left them depressed.
Anisim arrived three days before the wedding in new clothes, including india-rubber goloshes and a red cord with little balls instead of a tie. He gave his family new silver coins as gifts and spoke freely about his life in town, mentioning his friend Samorodov who wrote his letters. He boasted about his detective skills, claiming he could identify stolen goods by instinct.
On the wedding day, the village was bustling with activity. Horses decorated with colorful ribbons drove through Ukleevo while rooks cawed in the willows and starlings sang. Inside the Tsybukin house, tables were laden with food and drink. Aksinya, still in her undergarments, rushed about the yard preparing for the celebration.
Lipa sat as though turned to stone, still with the same expression as in church. Anisim had not said a single word to her since he had made her acquaintance, so that he did not yet know the sound of her voice...
The wedding ceremony took place in a crowded church. During the service, Anisim felt touched and tearful, praying that his impending misfortunes might pass him by. He was troubled by his accumulated sins, feeling it was hopeless to ask forgiveness, yet he did so anyway. When a child cried out during the ceremony, the priest called for quiet.
After the church service, the celebration continued at the Tsybukin house with music, singing, and abundant food and drink. Elizarov, a carpenter nicknamed Crutch, addressed the couple with emotional words about love and God's blessing. He alternated between crying and laughing throughout the feast.
The guests included local clergy, factory clerks with their wives, tradesmen, and tavern-keepers. The clerk and rural district elder, both corrupt officials who had served together for fourteen years, sat side by side. The clerk's wife kept stealing food to put in her pockets. As the celebration continued into the evening, people danced to the band, including old Tsybukin himself, who was cheered by the villagers despite his wrongdoings.
The party lasted until two in the morning. As it broke up, someone took the wrong coat, and Anisim, suddenly enraged, shouted about finding the thief. He was locked in the room where Lipa was being undressed by her aunt.
Chapter 4. Anisims departure and Lipas transformation
Five days after the wedding, Anisim prepared to leave. He went to say goodbye to Varvara, who was knitting by the window. She expressed concern about the family's dishonest business practices, saying they treated people badly and sold rancid oil in the shop. When she suggested Anisim talk to his father about it, he replied that each person had their job.
"Perhaps there is a God, only there is no faith. When I was being married I was not myself. Just as you may take an egg from under a hen and there is a chicken chirping in it, so my conscience was beginning to chirp in me..."
Anisim shocked Varvara by declaring there was no God. He explained that neither his father nor the village officials truly believed, though they kept up appearances. Before leaving, he hinted at trouble involving his friend Samorodov, saying he would either make his fortune or come to grief.
At the front door, Anisim found Lipa standing motionless. He barely acknowledged her, just touching her cheek with his lips before departing with his father to the station. As they drove away, Anisim looked back at the village with nostalgia, wishing he could stay in the past.
When old Tsybukin returned home alone, he didn't recognize his younger daughter-in-law. Lipa had transformed completely - barefoot, with sleeves rolled up, she was scrubbing the stairs and singing in a silvery voice. An old laborer passing by remarked that Tsybukin's daughters-in-law were a blessing from God.
Chapter 5. Lipa and Crutchs conversation about the familys tensions
On July 8th, Elizarov (Crutch), Lipa, and her mother Praskovya were returning from a church service in the village of Kazanskoe. As they walked, Lipa confided in Crutch about her fears. Though she enjoyed the comforts of the Tsybukin household, including tea with jam, she was frightened of Anisim and especially of Aksinya.
Lipa explained that Aksinya had fierce eyes with a green gleam like a sheep's. The Hrymin Juniors were encouraging Aksinya to build a brickyard on Tsybukin's land at Butyokino, where there was sand and water. When Aksinya had mentioned this at dinner, old Tsybukin had objected, saying the family should stay together. This had angered Aksinya.
Lipa also worried about Aksinya's sleeplessness - she only slept half an hour before getting up to check if peasants had stolen anything or set fires. Meanwhile, the Hrymin brothers were quarreling over Aksinya, causing their factory to stand idle for a month.
They stopped to rest near a copse of young aspen trees. Crutch touched a milestone and read it. When Praskovya caught up, they continued walking. Crutch called out to some Ukleevo girls gathering mushrooms in the copse, and they laughed in response.
And when they were awakened by somebody's steps it was bright moonlight... She did not sleep, but breathed heavily, tossing from side to side with the heat... And in the magic moonlight what a beautiful, what a proud animal she was!
As they approached Ukleevo, they could see the village from above - beautiful and peaceful except for the gloomy factory roofs. It was harvest time, with rye in stacks and oats glistening like mother-of-pearl. Though it was a holiday, tomorrow they would harvest, followed by another holiday on Sunday. There were distant rumblings of thunder, and everyone felt both joyful and anxious about getting the harvest in on time.
People were returning from the fair at Kazanskoe - women, factory workers, beggars, and children. When they reached the village, Lipa and Praskovya found old Tsybukin and Aksinya having tea under a birch tree. Crutch joined them and mentioned that Sashka the blacksmith had been arrested for passing a counterfeit half-rouble, claiming he got it from Anisim at his wedding.
This news disturbed old Tsybukin. After Crutch left, he went inside and returned with a parcel of new roubles. Testing one with his teeth, he realized they were counterfeit - Anisim's wedding gift. He instructed Aksinya to throw them into the well to avoid trouble.
Chapter 6. The discovery of counterfeit money and Anisims imprisonment
News eventually arrived that Anisim had been imprisoned for counterfeiting and passing bad money. Months passed, winter ended, and spring began, but Anisim remained in prison awaiting trial. His absence cast a shadow over the house, which seemed darker with the green shop door developing cracks.
Old Tsybukin had grown dingy and stopped cutting his hair and beard. People feared him less, though he still paid bribes to the police officer. He was repeatedly summoned to town for trials related to illegal spirits trading, but the cases were continually adjourned due to missing witnesses.
The old man often visited his son in prison, hiring people and submitting petitions. He even presented the prison governor with a silver glass stand inscribed "The soul knows its right measure." Varvara lamented that no one was looking after their affairs and suggested asking influential people to write to officials to at least get Anisim released on bail.
"We live comfortably; we have plenty of everything. We celebrated your wedding properly, in good style... In fact we live like merchants, only it's dreary. We treat the people very badly. My heart aches..."
Meanwhile, Aksinya was taking charge of business matters. She was developing a new brickyard project in Butyokino and drove there almost daily in the chaise. Lipa had given birth to a baby boy before Lent, named Nikifor. She played with him constantly, talking to him as though he were grown up.
Finally, the day of Anisim's trial arrived. Tsybukin went away five days before, along with witnesses including their old workman. On Tuesday evening, Varvara sat by the window waiting for news while Lipa played with her baby. Suddenly they heard a cart roll by - it was the witnesses returning from the station. The old workman announced that Anisim had been sentenced to six years of penal servitude in Siberia with deprivation of rights and property.
Chapter 7. Aksinyas cruelty and the tragedy of Nikifors death
Old Tsybukin returned from the station later that evening but spoke to no one. He had tried to help Anisim by paying a lawyer in advance and planned to try again after a week. He confessed to Varvara that he was troubled about his money, unable to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit roubles.
Varvara urged him to secure something for his grandson Nikifor, suggesting he make a deed for the Butyokino land. The old man, who had forgotten about his grandson, agreed to look at the child. He blessed the baby and told Lipa to ask for anything she needed, noting that while his son was gone, his grandson remained.
Shortly afterward, Tsybukin went to town to make his will, leaving Butyokino to Nikifor. When Aksinya learned of this, she was furious. She gathered all the shop keys and threw them at her father-in-law's feet, declaring she would no longer work for him. She felt she was being treated as a servant while "the convict's wife" and her child were becoming the real masters.
Aksinya's outburst terrified Tsybukin, who hid behind a cupboard, and Varvara, who couldn't rise from her seat. A crowd gathered at the gate as Aksinya continued shouting, tearing down clothes from the lines and trampling those that weren't hers.
Aksinya then stormed into the kitchen where Lipa was washing clothes alone with Nikifor on a nearby bench. She snatched her chemise from Lipa, telling her a convict's wife should know her place. Then, seeing the child, she grabbed a ladle of boiling water and poured it over Nikifor, saying, "You've taken my land, so here you are!" A terrible scream followed, then silence fell over the yard.
Chapter 8. Lipas journey home with her dead child
Nikifor was taken to the district hospital where he died that evening. Lipa did not wait for anyone to come for her but wrapped her dead baby in his quilt and carried him home. On her way, she stopped by a pond where a woman was trying to get her horse to drink. A boy was washing his father's boots at the water's edge, but otherwise, the area was deserted.
As night fell, the sounds of nature surrounded her - a bittern's hollow cry, nightingales trilling, cuckoos calling, and frogs croaking angrily. All these creatures seemed to be celebrating life, which is given only once. Lipa lost track of time sitting by the pond, and when she finally continued her journey, the village was asleep with no lights visible.
Oh, how lonely it was in the open country at night, in the midst of that singing when one cannot sing oneself; in the midst of the incessant cries of joy when one cannot oneself be joyful...
She wondered where her baby's soul was now - following her or floating among the stars. The moon shone down, indifferent to whether it was spring or winter, whether people lived or died. In her grief, Lipa longed for human company.
Suddenly, Lipa heard human voices and saw a campfire with two carts nearby. An old man and a younger companion named Vavila were preparing to travel. The old man approached Lipa kindly when she greeted them. She explained that her son had died at the hospital and she was carrying him home.
The old man offered her a ride to Ukleevo. During their journey, he shared his life story - how he had traveled across Russia, even to Siberia, experiencing both good and bad times. He philosophized that humans were not meant to know everything, only what they needed to live. When Lipa asked how long a soul walks the earth after death, Vavila claimed nine days, though his uncle's soul had stayed thirteen days, knocking in the stove.
Chapter 9. The aftermath and the changed family dynamics
When Lipa reached home at dawn, she found her father-in-law awake. He immediately understood what had happened and said sorrowfully that she hadn't taken care of his grandchild. Varvara woke up, clasped her hands, and began sobbing as she laid out the baby's body, lamenting that Lipa had only one child and hadn't taken proper care of him.
A requiem service was held morning and evening, with the funeral the following day. After the service, the guests and priests ate greedily. Lipa waited at table, and the priest told her not to grieve for the baby, as "of such is the kingdom of heaven." Only when everyone had left did Lipa fully realize her child was gone forever and broke into sobs.
Aksinya, appearing in the doorway dressed in new clothes with a powdered face, shouted at Lipa to stop crying. When Lipa couldn't stop, Aksinya ordered her to leave the yard and never return, calling her "convict's wife." Though the old man tried to intervene, Aksinya mimicked him mockingly. The next morning, Lipa left for her mother's home in Torguevo.
Three years later, the Tsybukin house had been repainted, and the events of the past were almost forgotten. Grigory Petrovitch was still considered the master, but in reality, everything had passed into Aksinya's hands. She had partnered with the Hrymin Juniors, and their factory was now called "Hrymin Juniors and Co." They had opened a tavern near the station where the expensive concertina was now played.
The old man stopped and, saying nothing, looked at the two in silence; his lips were quivering and his eyes full of tears. Lipa took out of her mother's bundle a piece of savoury turnover and gave it him. He took it and began eating.
Aksinya had become powerful and feared. Everyone in the house, village, and brickyard was afraid of her. Officials jumped up when she entered the post office, and a middle-aged landowner sold her a horse at a reduced price, hoping for her favors.
Old Tsybukin no longer participated in the business, unable to distinguish good money from counterfeit. He had become forgetful and often went without food if not served. Summer and winter, he wore a fur coat and walked about the village or sat by the church gates. Rumors circulated that Aksinya had turned him out and he survived on charity, which some found satisfying and others pitiful.
One fine autumn evening, Tsybukin sat near the church gates with Crutch and Yakov, the school watchman. They discussed how children should honor their parents, with Yakov criticizing Aksinya for turning her father-in-law out of his own house. As they walked away, the old man followed uncertainly behind them.
The sun was setting as they encountered a crowd of women and girls returning from the brick factory, covered in red dust. Among them was Lipa, singing in a high voice with her eyes turned upward. Her mother Praskovya walked with her, carrying a bundle. When they met old Tsybukin, Lipa bowed low and gave him a piece of turnover. He took it and began eating silently as tears filled his eyes.