# Gone Astray explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Anton Chekhov.

## What happens

Two intoxicated lawyers, Kozyavkin and Laev, return from the station on foot and mistakenly enter a stranger's cottage in the dark, believing it to be Kozyavkin's home. Kozyavkin climbs through a window, only to find the room full of hens and a turkey, causing chaos. Laev waits outside, exhausted and thirsty, as Kozyavkin fumbles for his belongings. The commotion attracts the owner and villagers, leading to a confrontation where Kozyavkin learns they are in Sicklystead, not Rottendale. Laev collapses from weariness as the scene descends into a cacophony of barking dogs, cackling fowls, and angry voices.

## Themes in this chapter

### Illusion vs. Reality

Kozyavkin's drunken confidence in recognizing his own cottage is shattered when he discovers he has entered the wrong house, filled with chickens instead of his wife.

### Hypocrisy and Moral Failure

Kozyavkin's idealized vision of a loving wife welcoming him home contrasts with his actual drunken, disorderly behavior and the chaos he causes.

## Character check-ins

### Verotchka

Kozyavkin's wife, expected to be home but absent; her name is called repeatedly.

### The Policeman

Mentioned as being summoned to the scene by the cottage owner.

## Key lines

> Verotchka, my dumpling; Verotchka, my poppet... my little angel, my wife beyond compare, get up and tell Aksinya to unlock the gate for us!

Kozyavkin affectionately calls to his wife, asking her to wake up and instruct the servant to open the gate.

_Shows Kozyavkin's drunken, sentimental expectation of a warm welcome._

> I've had a cottage in Rottendale for five years.

Kozyavkin claims he has owned a summer cottage in Rottendale for five years.

_Reveals his mistaken belief about his location, leading to the comedic error._

> Do you take this for the Dale? This is Sicklystead, but Rottendale is farther to the right, beyond the match factory. It's three miles from here.

The cottage owner corrects Kozyavkin, informing him that he is in Sicklystead, not Rottendale, which is three miles away.

_Climactic revelation that the lawyers have gone astray, highlighting the theme of illusion vs. reality._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/gone-astray
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_5_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters