Poor Folk · Chapter
June 27th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch explained
Barbara writes to Makar, seeking his advice on whether to accept a governess position offered through Thedora.
What happens
Barbara writes to Makar, seeking his advice on whether to accept a governess position offered through Thedora. She expresses anxiety about entering a strange household, her loneliness, and her declining health. She recalls her mother and fears dying in a strange place. She mentions selling a carpet for fifty roubles, plans to make a waistcoat for Makar, and sends him Pushkin's 'The Stories of Bielkin' while criticizing Rataziaev's works.
Themes in this chapter
Isolation and Loneliness
Barbara describes her profound loneliness, especially at dusk when Thedora is out, and her fear of dying in a strange place without anyone to mourn her.
Memory and Nostalgia
Barbara recalls her past, particularly her mother, and the familiar faces that appear to her 'as out of a mist,' highlighting her longing for lost times.
Poverty and Deprivation
Barbara's need to sell a carpet for money, her plan to make a plain dress and a waistcoat, and her concern over Makar spending money on comfits reflect their financial struggles.
Characters to notice
- Barbara Alexievna Dobroselova
Writes to Makar, expressing anxiety about a governess position, loneliness, and declining health; recalls her mother and fears dying in a strange place.
- Makar Alexievitch Dievushkin
Addressee of the letter; Barbara chides him for not visiting and asks for his advice.
- Thedora
Informs Barbara about the governess position and sells a carpet for fifty roubles on Barbara's behalf.
- Rataziaev
Mentioned as a writer whose works Barbara considers rubbish, warning Makar not to borrow books from him.
- Pushkin
Author of 'The Stories of Bielkin,' which Thedora brought for Barbara and which she plans to send to Makar.
Key passages
“Thedora tells me that, should I wish, there are some people who will be glad to help me by obtaining me an excellent post as governess in a certain house.”
Thedora has informed me that some people are willing to help me secure a good governess position in a certain household.
Barbara relays Thedora's news about a potential governess job, which is the central dilemma of the letter.
“I like to live in a corner to which I have long grown used. Yes, the place with which one is familiar is always the best. Even if for companion one has but sorrow, that place will still be the best.”
I prefer to stay in the familiar corner I've grown accustomed to, even if sorrow is my only companion there.
Barbara expresses her attachment to familiar surroundings and her reluctance to leave them, despite the sorrow she feels.
“I feel that my health is breaking, so weak am I. When this morning I arose, sickness took me until I vomited and vomited. Yes, I feel, I know, that death is approaching.”
I feel my health deteriorating; this morning I woke up so ill that I vomited repeatedly. I am certain that death is near.
Barbara describes her physical decline and premonition of death, underscoring her vulnerability.