The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories · Chapter
The Candle explained
During the time of serfdom, a cruel peasant-turned-superintendent, Michael Simeonovitch, tyrannizes the serfs on a nobleman's estate, forcing them to work excessively even on holy days.
What happens
During the time of serfdom, a cruel peasant-turned-superintendent, Michael Simeonovitch, tyrannizes the serfs on a nobleman's estate, forcing them to work excessively even on holy days. The desperate peasants secretly plot against him. On Easter Monday, the superintendent forces them to plough a field. One serf, Peter Mikhayeff, ploughs while singing hymns with a candle burning brightly on his plough, an act of peaceful defiance. When the superintendent learns of this, he is deeply troubled. Later, while trying to ride to the field, he accidentally impales himself on a fence and dies. The nobleman, learning of the superintendent's cruelty, frees the serfs.
Themes in this chapter
Fate, Injustice, and Suffering
The serfs endure extreme overwork and cruelty under a tyrannical superintendent, leading them to despair and secret plots.
Moral Philosophy and Virtue
Contrasts the superintendent's evil and violence with Peter Mikhayeff's peaceful, Christian non-resistance, symbolized by the candle. The conclusion emphasizes that divine power is manifested in goodness, not evil.
Social Class and Hierarchy
Explores the brutal dynamics of serfdom, highlighting the particular cruelty of managers who rose from the peasantry. The nobleman's final act of liberation alters the class relationship.
Characters to notice
- Michael Simeonovitch
The cruel peasant-turned-superintendent who tyrannizes the serfs, forcing them to work on Easter Monday. He is troubled by Peter's candle and meets an accidental, gruesome death.
- Peter Mikhayeff
A wise and silent serf who ploughs on Easter Monday while singing hymns with a candle burning on his plough, embodying non-resistance and peace.
- The Elder
The serf appointed as foreman who reports the peasants' curses and Peter's strange, pious actions to the superintendent.
- Michael Simeonovitch's Wife
A good-hearted woman who pleads with her husband to let the serfs go for the holy day and tries to warn him after a bad dream.
- Vasili
One of the serfs who curses the superintendent, saying he will 'die like a dog, having no chance to repent.'
- The Nobleman
The estate owner who, upon learning of his superintendent's cruelty and death, frees the serfs, charging only a small rent.
Key passages
“"He has conquered me!" he repeated. "I am lost!"”
The superintendent, upon hearing of Peter's pious act with the candle, feels spiritually defeated and doomed.
Shows the power of peaceful, faithful resistance over brute force and tyranny.
“Peter closed the dead man’s eyes, after which he put the body in a wagon and took it home.”
Peter, the serf who ploughed with the candle, is the one who shows mercy and dignity to the superintendent's corpse.
Demonstrates Peter's commitment to peace and compassion, even towards his oppressor.
“And thus the peasants clearly understood that the power of God is manifested not in evil, but in goodness.”
The serfs learned that true divine power is shown through acts of goodness, not through violence or cruelty.
The moral and thematic conclusion of the chapter.