Short Fiction · Chapter
What Took Place Before the District Judge of Mirgorod explained
Ivan Ivanovitch and Ivan Nikiforovitch each file formal complaints against the other before the district judge of Mirgorod.
What happens
Ivan Ivanovitch and Ivan Nikiforovitch each file formal complaints against the other before the district judge of Mirgorod. Ivan Ivanovitch's plaint accuses Ivan Nikiforovitch of insulting him by calling him a goose and of building a goose-shed that encroaches on his property, while Ivan Nikiforovitch's plaint accuses Ivan Ivanovitch of destroying his goose-shed and threatening his life. The judge attempts to reconcile them, but both insist on legal action. After the plaints are read, a brown sow unexpectedly rushes into the courtroom and snatches the plaint of Ivan Nikiforovitch, adding an absurd twist to the proceedings.
Themes in this chapter
Absurdity and Satire
The chapter satirizes the pettiness of the two Ivans' feud and the absurdity of the legal system, culminating in a sow snatching a plaint from the courtroom.
Social Class and Bureaucracy
The formal complaints emphasize the nobles' concern for rank and honor, while the court's procedures and the judge's attempts at mediation highlight bureaucratic inefficiency.
Characters to notice
- Ivan Ivanovitch
Files a formal plaint against Ivan Nikiforovitch for insult and property encroachment, insisting on legal action despite the judge's attempts at reconciliation.
- Ivan Nikiforovitch
Files a counter-plaint accusing Ivan Ivanovitch of destroying his goose-shed and threatening his life; struggles to enter the courtroom and is squeezed through the door by clerks.
- The Judge
Presides over the court, attempts to mediate between the two Ivans, and is astonished by the absurd turn of events when a sow snatches a plaint.
- Judge Demyan Demyanovitch
Addressed by Ivan Ivanovitch as he rejects the judge's suggestion of a friendly settlement.
- Gapka
Mentioned in Ivan Nikiforovitch's plaint as the mistress ordered to kill a sheep on the eve of St. Philip's.
Key passages
“Read it, Taras Tikhonovitch,” said the judge, turning to the secretary. Taras Tikhonovitch took the plaint; and blowing his nose, as all district judges’ secretaries blow their noses, with the assistance of two fingers, he began to read”
The judge instructs the secretary to read the plaint, and the secretary performs his habitual nose-blowing before commencing.
Highlights the ritualistic and somewhat comical behavior of court officials.
“Ivan Nikiforovitch, in terror at having got so far from home, and at having undergone such a fearful quarantine, made haste to crawl through the door, saying, “Don’t trouble yourself. It is with pleasure that I—” and closed it after him, leaving all present stupefied.”
Frightened by his ordeal, Ivan Nikiforovitch quickly exits the courtroom, leaving everyone astonished.
Emphasizes Ivan Nikiforovitch's anxiety and the absurdity of his abrupt departure.
“just at that moment a brown sow rushed into the room and snatched, to the amazement of the spectators, neither a pie nor a crust of bread but”
Suddenly, a brown sow bursts into the courtroom and seizes something unexpected, astonishing everyone present.
The sow's entrance adds a surreal and humorous twist to the legal proceedings.