The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories · Chapter
The Snowstorm explained
The narrator and his companions, including the driver Ignat and the boy Alyoshka, set out on a sledge journey across a desolate Don Cossack steppe at night.
What happens
The narrator and his companions, including the driver Ignat and the boy Alyoshka, set out on a sledge journey across a desolate Don Cossack steppe at night. They are quickly engulfed by a fierce snowstorm, lose the road, and drive in circles, encountering a train of wagons and debating their location. The narrator drifts into a fearful, half-frozen sleep, experiencing vivid, surreal dreams about their potential fate.
Themes in this chapter
Fate, Injustice, and Suffering
The travelers are at the mercy of the brutal, indifferent storm, highlighting human vulnerability against nature's force. The peasant driver's resigned attitude ('Go whither God leads us') and the narrator's acceptance of a potentially tragic fate underscore themes of powerlessness and suffering.
Rural Life and the Landowner
The old driver's backstory reveals the hardships of serf life: little land, crop failure, and the need to leave home to earn money to support his family, painting a picture of peasant struggle and economic migration.
Characters to notice
- The Master
The narrator of the story, who is traveling by sledge and observes the events with growing anxiety and detachment.
- Alyosha
Traveling with the narrator in the sledge; expresses concern about being lost and suggests turning back.
- Ignat
The primary driver of the narrator's sledge; loses his way in the storm, argues about their location, and shows signs of fear and irritation.
- The Counsellor
A fellow traveler in another sledge; offers calm, self-confident advice on how to act during a blizzard and disputes Ignat's navigation.
- The Old Man
A peasant driver from Tula, part of the traveling party; shares his life story and is noted for his God-fearing, resigned demeanor.
Key passages
“'God knows,' he answered, without turning his head. 'How it drives along the ground! Can’t see the road a bit. Lord, ’a’ mercy!'”
The driver expresses helplessness and piety in the face of the blinding storm, acknowledging that their fate is uncertain and in God's hands.
Highlights the theme of human powerlessness against nature.
“'Well, I think it would be better to turn back,' said Alyoshka; 'it’s poor fun being lost.'”
Alyoshka, the narrator's companion, voices a pragmatic desire to retreat from the dangerous situation.
Shows the character's fear and common sense in contrast to the driver's resigned persistence.
“'What are we to do? Go whither God leads us.'”
The driver responds to the narrator's question about their course with a phrase of complete fatalistic surrender.
Epitomizes the peasant's acceptance of fate and lack of control.
“I must own that, though I was a little frightened, the desire that something extraordinary and rather tragic should happen to us was stronger than a little fear.”
The narrator admits to a morbid curiosity and a wish for a dramatic, even catastrophic, outcome to their ordeal.
Reveals a complex psychological state blending fear with a romanticized attraction to tragedy.