Poor Folk · Chapter
April 12th: Dearest Mistress Barbara Alexievna explained
Makar writes to Barbara, expressing concern for her health and describing his living quarters in detail.
What happens
Makar writes to Barbara, expressing concern for her health and describing his living quarters in detail. He recounts the unpleasant conditions of the house, the gambling habits of the other tenants, and the impoverished family of Gorshkov, whose silent suffering deeply moves him. He ends by lamenting his lack of education and his inability to write with style.
Themes in this chapter
Poverty and Deprivation
Makar describes the extreme poverty of the Gorshkov family, their ragged clothes, and their silent suffering, highlighting the theme of material deprivation.
Isolation and Loneliness
Gorshkov's family lives in near silence, and Makar himself feels isolated among the other tenants, who ignore him after he refuses to gamble.
Bureaucracy and Dehumanization
Gorshkov lost his post due to a legal suit, and his subsequent poverty and fear of others illustrate the dehumanizing effects of bureaucratic misfortune.
Characters to notice
- Makar Alexievitch Dievushkin
Writes a long letter to Barbara describing his living conditions and his concern for her health.
- Barbara Alexievna Dobroselova
The recipient of the letter; Makar urges her to take care of herself and expresses worry about her health.
- Gorshkov
A poor former chinovnik living in the same house with his family; his silent suffering and poverty move Makar deeply.
- The Naval Officer
A tenant who invited Makar to tea and tried to involve him in card games.
- Phaldoni
The landlady's servant, described as a red-haired, snub-nosed lout who quarrels with Theresa.
- Theresa
A servant who frequently argues with Phaldoni.
Key passages
“I pray you, my beloved, to tell me what ails you. Every one of your letters fills me with alarm.”
Makar begs Barbara to explain what is wrong, as each of her letters worries him more.
Shows Makar's deep concern for Barbara's health.
“Canaries, however, soon die in this house. A naval officer here has just bought his fifth.”
The air in the house is so foul that canaries cannot survive; the naval officer is on his fifth bird.
Illustrates the unhealthy living conditions in the boarding house.
“I declined, as I say, to play cards, and was, therefore, requested to discourse on philosophy, after which no one spoke to me at all.”
When Makar refused to gamble, the others asked him to talk about philosophy, but then ignored him completely.
Highlights Makar's social isolation and the tenants' obsession with gambling.
“Never does one hear even the children—which is an unusual thing, seeing that children are ever ready to sport and play, and if they fail to do so it is a bad sign.”
The Gorshkov children are never heard playing, which is a troubling sign of their family's distress.
Emphasizes the silent suffering of the Gorshkov family.