Short Fiction · Chapter
Ivan Matveyitch explained
A man of learning impatiently awaits his secretary, Ivan Matveyitch, who arrives late after attending his aunt's name-day party.
What happens
A man of learning impatiently awaits his secretary, Ivan Matveyitch, who arrives late after attending his aunt's name-day party. The man scolds him for his tardiness and lack of precision, then dictates scholarly work. During breaks, Ivan Matveyitch talks about his past, including catching tarantulas and birds in the Don region. The man of learning advises him to read Gogol and Turgenev, and suggests he consider university. Despite the scolding, Ivan Matveyitch feels drawn to the warmth and comfort of the study, contrasting with his own poverty at home.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Inequality
The contrast between the comfortable, warm study of the man of learning and Ivan Matveyitch's poverty at home underscores class differences.
Suffering and Compassion
Despite the scolding, the man of learning shows compassion by offering books and advice, while Ivan Matveyitch's hunger and discomfort evoke sympathy.
Characters to notice
- Ivan Matveyitch
A young amanuensis, eighteen years old, with an oval face and no moustache, wearing a shabby overcoat. He arrives late after his aunt's name-day party, is scolded by his employer, and shows a fondness for catching tarantulas and birds. He feels drawn to the comfort of the study.
- The Man of Learning
A fairly well-known man of learning who employs Ivan Matveyitch as a secretary. He is impatient and scolds Ivan for being late, but also shows concern for his education and well-being, offering him books by Gogol and Turgenev.
- Katya
The wife of the man of learning, mentioned briefly when he knocks on her door to vent his frustration about Ivan Matveyitch's lateness.
Key passages
“It shows the utmost disrespect for another man's time and work. In England such a person would not earn a farthing, he would die of hunger.”
The man of learning complains that Ivan Matveyitch's lateness is disrespectful and would not be tolerated in England.
Highlights the man's frustration and his view of punctuality as a moral virtue.
“Ivan Matveyitch smooths his bristling cropped hair and takes up his pen.”
Ivan Matveyitch prepares to write after being scolded.
Shows his submissive response to the reprimand.
“At home there is poverty, hunger, cold, his grumbling father, scoldings, and here it is so quiet and unruffled, and interest even is taken in his tarantulas and birds.”
Ivan Matveyitch contrasts his harsh home life with the peaceful and engaging atmosphere of the study.
Reveals his longing for comfort and intellectual stimulation.