Russian Folktales · Chapter
Sorrow explained
A poor peasant, tormented by a personified Sorrow, drinks away all his possessions until Sorrow leads him to a hidden treasure.
What happens
A poor peasant, tormented by a personified Sorrow, drinks away all his possessions until Sorrow leads him to a hidden treasure. The peasant traps Sorrow under a stone, becomes rich, and later his envious brother frees Sorrow, who then ruins him. The brother eventually tricks Sorrow into a wheel and drowns him.
Themes in this chapter
Trickery and Cunning
The poor peasant uses cleverness to trap Sorrow under a stone and later drown him in a wheel, while the rich brother's envy leads him to foolishly free Sorrow.
Social Class and Hierarchy
The contrast between the rich and poor brothers highlights class disparities; the poor man's rise to wealth and the rich man's fall due to envy.
Fate and Divine Justice
The poor man's initial suffering and eventual reward, and the rich brother's punishment for envy, suggest a moral order where cunning and perseverance are rewarded.
Characters to notice
- The Old Man
The poor peasant who is plagued by Sorrow, loses everything, then gains treasure and traps Sorrow.
- Sorrow
A personified entity that attaches itself to the poor peasant, drives him to drink, and later is trapped and drowned.
- The Old Woman
The poor peasant's wife, who suffers alongside him and is present during the name-day visit.
- The Rich Man
The poor peasant's wealthy brother who initially refuses to help, later becomes envious and frees Sorrow.
Key passages
“So the peasant took the sarafán, drank it up; and he thought: 'Now I have not anything left, neither house, nor clothes, nor anything else for myself or my wife!'”
The peasant drank away his wife's dress, leaving them with nothing.
Shows the extent of Sorrow's influence, driving the peasant to destitution.
“Under the stone there was a hollow filled with gold. 'Now, what do you see?' said Sorrow. 'Load it all up quickly on to the coach.'”
Sorrow revealed a hidden treasure of gold under a stone and told the peasant to load it onto the cart.
The turning point where the peasant gains wealth but also the opportunity to trap Sorrow.
“So Sorrow went into the pit, and as soon as he was in the peasant cast the stone in. 'Things will now go better,' said the peasant, 'for if I were to take you back with me, Sorrow, you would drink up all of this money!'”
The peasant tricked Sorrow into the pit and sealed it with the stone, reasoning that Sorrow would otherwise waste all the gold.
Demonstrates the peasant's cunning in freeing himself from Sorrow.