The Peasants · Chapter
Chapter III explained
Boryna attends the law court in Timow to confront Eva over her claims, while the village women scutch flax and the community grumbles about moral decay and disobedience.
What happens
Boryna attends the law court in Timow to confront Eva over her claims, while the village women scutch flax and the community grumbles about moral decay and disobedience. The chapter depicts Boryna's domestic tensions with his son Antek and his preparations for the fair, as well as the bustling court scene where Eva insults him.
Themes in this chapter
Peasant Life and Labor
Detailed depiction of women scutching flax, men preparing for court, and the daily round of farm work.
Social Class and Injustice
The court scene highlights the power dynamics between peasants and officials, and Eva's legal claim against Boryna reflects class tensions.
Community and Conflict
Village gossip about moral decay, family quarrels between Boryna and Antek, and the public confrontation with Eva.
Characters to notice
- Maciej Boryna
Drives to Timow for the court case against Eva, quarrels with his son Antek, and gives orders to Yuzka and Vitek before leaving.
- Yagna Borynova
Scutches flax outside the churchyard, exchanges a flirtatious smile with Boryna.
- Antek Boryna
Quarrels with his father Boryna over work and inheritance, refuses to obey orders.
- Yuzka Boryna
Milks cows, prepares breakfast, and receives instructions from Boryna about selling meat and managing the household.
- Eva
Appears at the court in Timow with her child, insults Boryna and tries to claw at him.
- Vitek
Audaciously replies to Boryna's order to tend the cattle, then hides behind the barn.
Key passages
“One has scarce begun to be a man, when he flies in his father's face, loudly demanding a portion of his land; and the young only scoff at the old.”
As soon as a boy becomes a man, he defies his father and demands land, while the youth mock the elderly.
Reflects the generational conflict and theme of social decay discussed by the villagers.
“A girl as graceful as a hind!”
A girl as graceful as a deer.
Boryna's admiring thought about Yagna as he drives away from the flax-scutching.
“Silence, you bitch, or I'll give you such a drubbing that your own mother won't know you!”
Shut up, you wretch, or I'll beat you so badly that even your mother won't recognize you.
Boryna's angry retort to Eva's insults in the crowded courtroom.