Peasants (Chekhov)
Short summary
Russian countryside, late 19th century. Nikolay Tchikildyeev, a Moscow hotel waiter, fell ill and returned to his native village Zhukovo with his wife Olga and daughter Sasha. They found the village impoverished and the family hut crowded and filthy. Nikolay's parents, his brother Kiryak, and sisters-in-law Marya and Fyokla lived there in desperate conditions.
Life in Zhukovo was harsh. Kiryak regularly came home drunk and beat his wife Marya. The family survived on meager food, and the old grandmother constantly nagged everyone. Olga and Sasha were shocked by the crude village life, but tried to adapt. Sasha read the gospel to the villagers, who were impressed by her literacy.
One night, a fire broke out in the village. Everyone rushed to help, including Olga and Marya who carried water. A student and his sisters from across the river came with a fire engine and helped extinguish the blaze. Later, Fyokla was stripped naked by some men and had to return home in that state, adding to the family's humiliation.
Nikolay's health deteriorated. He tried folk remedies, including cupping performed by a converted Jew, but died shortly after. The winter was particularly harsh, with food shortages and bitter cold. When spring finally arrived, Olga decided to return to Moscow to work as a servant, taking Sasha with her.
Olga remembered the pitiful, humiliated look of the old people when in the winter Kiryak had been taken to be flogged.... And now she felt sorry for all these people, painfully so, and as she walked on she kept looking back at the huts.
As Olga and Sasha left the village, Marya accompanied them part of the way, then fell to the ground wailing. The two continued their journey, encountering the old cook who had once worked for General Zhukov. By midday, they reached another village where they began begging for alms, starting their new life away from Zhukovo.
Detailed summary by chapters
Chapter titles are editorial.
Chapter 1. Nikolays Return to the Village
Nikolay Tchikildyeev, a waiter at the Moscow hotel Slavyansky Bazaar, fell ill with numbness in his legs that affected his ability to walk. After an incident where he fell while carrying a tray of food, he had to leave his job. Having spent all his savings on doctors and medicines, he decided to return to his native village of Zhukovo with his wife and daughter.
Upon arriving at Zhukovo, Nikolay, his wife Olga, and their daughter Sasha were shocked by the poverty they encountered. The hut was dark, crowded, and unclean, with a large sooty stove taking up nearly half the space. The walls were covered with bottle labels and newspaper cuttings instead of pictures.
Nikolay and Olga realized from the first glance what life was like here, but said nothing to one another; in silence they put down their bundles, and went out into the village street.
They walked through the village, observing the poor huts and the beautiful landscape beyond. When they returned, they met Nikolay's elderly parents and his brothers' wives, Marya and Fyokla. Nikolay's brother Kiryak was away working as a keeper in the merchant's woods, while his other brother Denis was in the army.
Chapter 2. Attending Church and Social Divisions
One day, Olga and Marya went to church together. As they walked down the path toward the meadow, Olga spoke sedately about religious matters, quoting from the gospel. She believed in God, the Holy Mother, and the Saints, and was convinced that one must not offend anyone in the world.
At the church, Marya stood at the entrance, not daring to go further or sit down. While the gospel was being read, the crowd parted to make way for a family from the great house - two young girls in white frocks and a chubby boy in a sailor suit. Olga was touched by their refined appearance, while Marya looked at them sullenly, as if they were monsters who might crush her.
Chapter 3. Village Visitors and Sashas Bible Reading
After the church service, many villagers gathered in the Tchikildyeevs' hut to inquire about their relatives who were working in Moscow. The village of Zhukovo was known as Slaveytown because many of its men worked as waiters or butlers in Moscow, a tradition started by a legendary figure named Luka Ivanitch.
Nikolay spoke about Ivan Makaritch, who had been his benefactor and helped him get a job in Moscow. The villagers looked at Nikolay's pale face and felt boots, commenting that he was not one to get on in life. They were particularly interested in Sasha, who stood out among the village children with her white face, big dark eyes, and red ribbon in her hair.
Olga proudly mentioned that Sasha could read, and asked her to demonstrate. Taking the old leather-bound testament from the corner, Sasha began reading in a loud, rhythmic chant about the angel appearing to Joseph. Olga became emotional, and soon Marya and others began to weep as well. When the reading was over, the neighbors departed, feeling touched and pleased with Olga and Sasha.
Chapter 4. Harsh Punishment and Family Tensions
As it was a holiday, the family spent the day at home. Granny, Nikolay's mother, tried to do everything herself, constantly worrying that someone might eat too much or that her husband and daughters-in-law would sit idle. She was cross and grumbling from morning till night, often raising such an outcry that passersby stopped in the street.
Granny was not affectionate toward her husband, constantly nagging him as a lazybones. He, in turn, complained at length about his enemies and the insults he endured from neighbors. For the holiday meal, they bought a herring at the tavern and made soup from its head, but Granny hid the herring itself.
In the evening, a potter began firing pots on the ravine, and girls gathered in the meadow to sing and play the concertina. Meanwhile, the peasants were noisy and drunk at the tavern, swearing loudly. Olga was amazed that even the old men near their end used such foul language, and that children heard it without being disturbed.
Chapter 5. The Village Fire
One evening, between ten and eleven, the villagers who were merrymaking in the meadow suddenly raised an alarm. A fire had broken out on the thatched roof of one of the end cottages. The whole village was soon bathed in a red glow as the fire spread rapidly. Black shadows moved over the ground, and there was a smell of burning in the air.
Marya was distraught, weeping and wringing her hands, though the fire was at the other end of the village. Near the village constable's hut, an iron sheet was struck repeatedly, sending a pang to everyone's heart. The old women stood with holy icons, while livestock was driven out of the backyards into the street.
The village elder, Antip Syedelnikov, arrived at the burning hut with an axe and began hacking out the windows, then chopping up the roof. The peasants, many of whom had been drinking at the tavern, dragged up the fire engine. Women and girls ran to fetch water from the spring, and Olga, Marya, Sasha, and Motka all helped bring water.
Eventually, stewards and watchmen from the estate across the river arrived with another fire engine. A young student in an unbuttoned white tunic rode up on horseback and took charge of the firefighting efforts. The fire was finally extinguished, and as people began to disperse, they noticed that day was breaking.
Two young ladies, likely the student's sisters, came from across the river to watch. After learning that Olga and Sasha were from Moscow, one of the young ladies gave Sasha a twenty-kopeck piece. Olga later described the encounter to her husband with enthusiasm, calling the people good and beautiful, while Fyokla responded spitefully.
Chapter 6. Daily Struggles and Hostility
Marya considered herself unhappy and said she would be glad to die, while Fyokla found their impoverished life to her taste. She ate whatever was given to her, slept anywhere, and was careless about cleanliness. From the first day, she took a dislike to Olga and Nikolay because they did not embrace this lifestyle.
One morning, Fyokla brought up two pails of water and sarcastically commented on Olga and Marya's tea-drinking habit. She swung the yoke and hit Olga on the shoulder, causing the sisters-in-law to exclaim in dismay. Fyokla then went to the river to wash clothes, swearing loudly the entire time.
In the evenings, the family wound silk from a nearby factory, earning very little for their efforts. Osip reminisced about life before the emancipation, when they used to hunt with harriers and greyhounds, and wagonloads of game were sent to Moscow. Granny also shared memories of her kind mistress whose husband was a profligate and whose daughters all made unfortunate marriages.
One night, Fyokla returned home naked, explaining that some men had undressed her and turned her out. Olga quietly brought her clothes and helped her dress, trying not to wake the others. Granny, however, was already stirring and muttered angrily about Fyokla's nightwalking.
Chapter 7. The Tax Collectors Visit
The village was visited by a police inspector, whom they called "the master." He had come to collect the arrears of rates and taxes, which amounted to more than two thousand roubles despite there being only forty households in Zhukovo. The inspector stopped at the tavern before proceeding to the village elder's hut, where those in debt were waiting.
When Osip's turn came, the elder informed the inspector that Osip owed one hundred and nineteen roubles and had paid only one rouble before Easter. Osip tried to explain his circumstances, complaining about the elder, but the inspector dismissed him. Shortly after the inspector left, Antip came to confiscate the Tchikildyeevs' samovar, with Granny screaming and trying to prevent him.
The loss of the samovar was humiliating for the family. Granny continued to scream, Marya cried, and the little girls joined in. Osip went to plead with Antip to return the samovar but was told he would need to pay three roubles to get it back. When Osip couldn't pay, Antip informed him that he could state his grievances at the administrative session.
Ten days later, the police inspector returned. During those days, the weather had turned cold and windy, and the river had frozen. On the eve of a holiday, some neighbors came to Osip's hut to talk. They discussed unpleasant news about livestock being confiscated for arrears and dying due to neglect. When discussing who was to blame for their troubles, they unanimously blamed "the Zemstvo," though none of them knew what it meant.
And as ill-luck would have it, there was a sharp frost all the winter, the snow drifted in high heaps, and the winter dragged on. At Annunciation there was a regular blizzard, and there was a fall of snow at Easter.
Chapter 8. Religious Beliefs and Practices
The parish church was nearly five miles away, so the villagers only attended it for baptisms, weddings, or funerals. On holidays in fine weather, the girls would dress in their best and walk to the church across the river. Those who did not manage to go to confession during Lent had to pay fifteen kopecks to the parish priest when he came around with the cross at Easter.
Osip did not believe in God, as he hardly ever thought about Him. Granny believed, but her faith was hazy, and she often forgot prayers. Marya and Fyokla crossed themselves and fasted but understood nothing of religion. The children were not taught prayers or told about God; they were only forbidden to eat meat or milk during Lent.
Death they did not fear, but of every disease they had an exaggerated terror. The merest trifle was enough—a stomach upset, a slight chill, and Granny would be wrapped up on the stove, and would begin moaning loudly and incessantly.
Despite their general lack of religious understanding, everyone in the village loved the Holy Scripture and respected Olga for reading the gospel to them. For church holidays, the peasants drank heavily, even spending community funds on vodka. However, there was once a genuine religious enthusiasm when the icon of the Holy Mother was carried through the village. Everyone, including Osip, Granny, and Kiryak, reached out to the icon and wept, feeling that there was still a refuge from their suffering.
Chapter 9. Nikolays Death and Olgas Departure
The harsh winter finally gave way to spring. The meadows flooded, wild ducks rose in flocks, and the spring sunset created extraordinary colors among the clouds. Standing at the edge of the ravine, Olga looked at the flooded meadow and the bright church, longing to leave Zhukovo. It was decided that she would return to Moscow to work as a servant, and Kiryak would go with her to find work as a porter.
The spring sunset, flaming among gorgeous clouds, gave every evening something new, extraordinary, incredible—just what one does not believe in afterwards, when one sees those very colours and those very clouds in a picture.
Before leaving, Olga reflected on her time in the village. She remembered how Nikolay had fallen ill during the winter and died, and how a requiem had been ordered for him at almost every hut. Despite the villagers' coarseness, dishonesty, and drunkenness, Olga recognized their humanity and the hardships they endured.
Hard labour that made the whole body ache at night, the cruel winters, the scanty harvests, the overcrowding; and they had no help and none to whom they could look for help.