Short Fiction · Chapter
From Which the Reader Can Easily Discover What Is Contained in It explained
The feud between Ivan Ivanovitch and Ivan Nikiforovitch escalates as the stolen petition becomes public knowledge.
What happens
The feud between Ivan Ivanovitch and Ivan Nikiforovitch escalates as the stolen petition becomes public knowledge. Agafya Fedosyevna goads Ivan Nikiforovitch into hiring a scribbler to draft a new, absurdly formal complaint accusing the judge of collusion. The judge, intimidated, tries to reconcile the two friends but fails. The case is processed with bureaucratic speed and then shelved for years. Meanwhile, the chief of police hosts a grand reception, where one-eyed Ivan Ivanovitch proposes a peacemaking effort, and Anton Prokofievitch is deputized to persuade Ivan Nikiforovitch to attend.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Bureaucracy
The chapter mocks the petty legal system and the absurd formalities of the petition, as well as the social hierarchy and pretensions of the Mirgorod gentry.
Absurdity and Satire
The escalating feud over a stolen petition, the ridiculous scribbler, and the comical peacemaking attempt all exemplify Gogol's satirical style.
Characters to notice
- Ivan Nikiforovitch
Urged by Agafya Fedosyevna, he hires a scribbler to file a new petition against Ivan Ivanovitch and the judge. Later, he refuses reconciliation and builds a new goose-shed to distance himself from his neighbor.
- Ivan Ivanovitch
His sow is revealed to have stolen the petition. He angrily refuses reconciliation efforts and continues the feud.
- Agafya Fedosyevna
The mischief-maker who persuades Ivan Nikiforovitch to escalate the conflict by hiring a scribbler and filing a new complaint.
- Anton Prokofievitch Pupopuz
Deputized to persuade Ivan Nikiforovitch to attend the chief of police's reception. Known for his peculiar habits and his trousers that attract dogs.
- The Judge
The Mirgorod district judge who tries to keep the matter secret but is exposed. He attempts reconciliation but fails, then processes the case with bureaucratic promptness before shelving it.
- The Constable
Accidentally reveals the stolen petition. Hosts a grand reception where the peacemaking proposal is made.
Key passages
“In spite of all the judge’s efforts to keep the matter secret, all Mirgorod knew by the next day that Ivan Ivanovitch’s sow had stolen Ivan Nikiforovitch’s petition.”
Despite the judge's attempts at secrecy, the whole town quickly learned that Ivan Ivanovitch's pig had taken Ivan Nikiforovitch's legal complaint.
Sets up the public nature of the feud and the failure of the judge's discretion.
“This man laboured, toiled, and wrote, and finally concocted the following document:—”
The scribbler worked hard and produced a lengthy, convoluted petition.
Introduces the absurdly formal and verbose petition that parodies legal documents.
“Then the case went on with the unusual promptness upon which courts usually pride themselves. Documents were dated, labelled, numbered, sewed together, registered all in one day, and the matter laid on the shelf, where it continued to lie, for one, two, or three years.”
The court processed the case with surprising speed, completing all paperwork in a single day, only to shelve it for years.
Highlights the bureaucratic irony of swift processing followed by neglect.
“Anton Prokofievitch was a truly good man, in the fullest meaning of the term. If anyone in Mirgorod gave him a neckerchief or underclothes, he returned thanks; if anyone gave him a fillip on the nose, he returned thanks too.”
Anton Prokofievitch was a genuinely kind person who thanked everyone equally, whether for gifts or insults.
Characterizes Anton Prokofievitch's passive and comically agreeable nature.
“But the strange part of it was that Anton Prokofievitch had a habit of wearing woollen clothing in summer and nankeen in winter.”
Oddly, Anton Prokofievitch wore warm wool in summer and light cotton in winter.
Emphasizes his eccentric and impractical behavior.
