Poor Folk · Chapter
September 9th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna explained
Makar writes to Barbara in a state of extreme agitation after a humiliating incident at his office.
What happens
Makar writes to Barbara in a state of extreme agitation after a humiliating incident at his office. He had made a serious copying error on an important document and was summoned before his Excellency. In his panic, a button falls from his coat and rolls to the chief's feet, compounding his shame. However, his Excellency unexpectedly shows him kindness, giving him a hundred-ruble note and shaking his hand, an act that restores Makar's sense of self-worth and fills him with gratitude.
Themes in this chapter
Human Dignity and Self-Worth
Makar's profound shame over his appearance and error is contrasted with his restoration of dignity when his Excellency shakes his hand, an act that 'restored me to myself.'
Bureaucracy and Dehumanization
The office environment reduces Makar to a state of near-invisibility and terror, highlighting the dehumanizing effects of bureaucratic systems.
Poverty and Deprivation
Makar's ragged coat and broken button symbolize his material poverty, and the hundred rubles are a lifeline for his and Barbara's survival.
Characters to notice
- Makar Alexievitch Dievushkin
Narrates the chapter in a letter to Barbara, describing his office humiliation and the unexpected kindness from his Excellency.
- Barbara Alexievna Dobroselova
The recipient of Makar's letter; he sends her forty-five rubles from the money given by his Excellency.
- Thedora
Mentioned by Makar as someone he wishes to pray for his Excellency alongside Barbara.
- Emelia Ivanovitch
A colleague at the office; Makar sits next to him and notes his own diffidence.
- Evstafi Ivanovitch
An official who summons Makar to his Excellency and later speaks on his behalf.
- Timothei Ivanovitch
The official who originally gave Makar the document to copy.
Key passages
“I left out a whole line of the document, and thus made nonsense of it!”
Makar accidentally omitted an entire line while copying, rendering the document meaningless.
This error triggers the central crisis of the chapter.
“a button of mine that was hanging by a single thread suddenly broke off, and hopped and skipped and rattled and rolled until it had reached the feet of his Excellency himself”
A loose button from Makar's coat falls off and rolls to the feet of his superior, compounding his humiliation.
The button incident symbolizes Makar's complete loss of composure and social standing.
“he took this unworthy hand in his, and shook it! Yes, he took this hand of mine in his, and shook it, as though I had been his equal, as though I had been a general like himself!”
His Excellency shook Makar's hand, treating him as an equal, which deeply moves Makar.
This gesture restores Makar's sense of dignity and is the emotional climax of the chapter.