Short Fiction · Chapter
Old-Fashioned Farmers explained
The narrator fondly describes the quiet, simple life of an elderly couple, Afanasii Ivanovich Tovstogub and Pulcheria Ivanovna, who live in a remote village in Little Russia.
What happens
The narrator fondly describes the quiet, simple life of an elderly couple, Afanasii Ivanovich Tovstogub and Pulcheria Ivanovna, who live in a remote village in Little Russia. Their home is filled with warmth, old-fashioned decor, and mutual affection. After Pulcheria Ivanovna's death, Afanasii Ivanovich is consumed by grief, and the narrator reflects on the power of habit and love over passion.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Romance
The deep, quiet love between Afanasii Ivanovich and Pulcheria Ivanovna is central; their mutual affection and the husband's enduring grief after her death highlight a gentle, enduring romance.
Social Class and Bureaucracy
The narrator contrasts the old-fashioned, patriotic families with the 'baser' Little Russians who climb social ranks through corruption and change their surnames.
Characters to notice
- Afanasii Ivanovich Tovstogub
The elderly husband, gentle and kind, deeply devoted to his wife; after her death, he is overcome with grief and dies soon after.
- Pulcheria Ivanovna
The elderly wife, serious and good-hearted, who manages the household with care; her death leaves a profound void.
Key passages
“I love sometimes to enter for a moment the sphere of this unusually isolated life, where no wish flies beyond the palings surrounding the little yard, beyond the hedge of the garden filled with apples and plums, beyond the izbás of the village surrounding it, having on one side, shaded by willows, elder-bushes and pear-trees.”
The narrator enjoys briefly stepping into the secluded, peaceful world of these old-fashioned estates, where desires are limited to the immediate surroundings.
Sets the tone for the idyllic, isolated life of the couple.
“Which wields the most powerful sway over us, passion or habit? Or are all our strong impulses, all the whirlwinds of our desire and boiling passions, but the consequence of our fierce young growth, and only for that reason seem deep and annihilating?”
The narrator questions whether passion or habit is stronger, suggesting that youthful passions may seem intense only because of our age.
Reflects on the nature of grief and the power of long-standing habits.