Short Fiction · Chapter
Too Early! explained
Two peasant sportsmen, Filimon Slyunka and Ignat Ryabov, try to retrieve their pledged gun from the publican Semyon to go snipe hunting, but Semyon refuses until the debt is paid.
What happens
Two peasant sportsmen, Filimon Slyunka and Ignat Ryabov, try to retrieve their pledged gun from the publican Semyon to go snipe hunting, but Semyon refuses until the debt is paid. They argue and plead, then walk to the forest edge at dusk, hoping to hear snipe, but find none. They conclude it is too early in the spring for the birds to have arrived.
Themes in this chapter
Suffering and Compassion
Slyunka's desperate pleading and Semyon's meek refusal highlight the tension between need and moral obligation.
The Passage of Time
The changing light from sunset to dusk and the men's patient waiting for the snipe emphasize the seasonal and daily rhythms.
Illusion vs. Reality
The sportsmen's hopeful expectation of snipe contrasts with the reality that it is still too early in spring.
Characters to notice
- Slyunka
Filimon Slyunka, an old former house-serf and carpenter, is desperate to get his gun back from pawn to go snipe shooting.
- Ryabovitch
Ignat Ryabov, a sturdy, silent peasant, joins Slyunka in pleading for the gun and accompanies him to the forest.
- Semyon
Semyon Mitritch, the publican, refuses to release the gun without repayment, citing fairness and Lenten propriety.
Key passages
“It’s time to prepare for your end. Here, you ought to go to the midnight service.”
Semyon tells Slyunka he should focus on spiritual readiness for death rather than hunting.
Semyon uses Lenten piety to refuse the gun, pointing to Slyunka's age.
“A sportsman without a gun is like a sacristan without a voice.”
Slyunka argues that a hunter needs his gun as much as a church assistant needs his voice.
Slyunka's plea emphasizes the essential nature of the gun to his identity.
“The snipe’s a bird that wants watching. If you are unlucky, you may sit waiting at home, and miss his flying over.”
Slyunka explains that snipe require careful timing; one might miss them if not alert.
He justifies the urgency of getting the gun despite the early season.