# September 9th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna explained — Poor Folk

> Chapter companion for Poor Folk by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poor_folk_se/chapters/september-9th-my-dearest-barbara-alexievna
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poor_folk_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poor_folk_se/chapters