The Peasants · Chapter
V explained
Boryna goes to the scrivener to file a complaint against the manor-folk for the death of his cow and the beating of his boy, then meets Yagna in the marketplace and flirts with her.
What happens
Boryna goes to the scrivener to file a complaint against the manor-folk for the death of his cow and the beating of his boy, then meets Yagna in the marketplace and flirts with her. Later, he negotiates a wage increase with his farmhand Kuba, lecturing him on social order. The chapter closes with a lyrical description of late autumn's decay and the village's quiet preparations for winter.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Injustice
Boryna's legal complaint against the manor-folk and his lecture to Kuba about maintaining social order highlight class tensions and the desire for justice.
Nature and the Seasons
The extended description of late autumn—pale days, hoarfrosts, falling leaves, and the stork—underscores the season's melancholy and the village's rhythm.
Peasant Life and Labor
Kuba's wage negotiation and Boryna's assessment of his worth as a farmhand reflect the economic realities and labor relations of peasant life.
Characters to notice
- Maciej Boryna
Files a legal complaint against the manor, flirts with Yagna in the marketplace, and negotiates Kuba's wages.
- Antek Boryna
Exchanges harsh words with his father Boryna, demanding money for drink and food.
- Yagna Borynova
Meets Boryna at the capmakers' stalls; they engage in playful, flirtatious banter.
- Kuba
Negotiates a wage increase with Boryna, initially demanding four paper roubles but settling for three roubles and two shirts.
- Vitek
Feeds a broken-winged stork near Boryna's cornstacks.
Key passages
“Then bargain away, if it amuses you.”
Boryna dismissively tells the Jews to continue their haggling if they find it entertaining.
Shows Boryna's impatience with the Jewish merchants examining his wheat.
“Just get hold of the keeper, fasten him to a pine-trunk, and cudgel him till his ribs clatter: then you'll have justice done!”
Antek sarcastically suggests that his father should take violent revenge on the gamekeeper rather than seek legal redress.
Highlights Antek's contempt for formal justice and his preference for direct action.
“Yes; coin your blood to money, and give it away to all!”
Boryna bitterly reflects that he works hard to earn money only to have it taken by others.
Reveals Boryna's resentment at being constantly asked for money.
“As sure as a Pater ends with Amen, you'll get a verdict in your favour!”
The scrivener assures Boryna that winning the case is as certain as the end of a prayer.
Demonstrates the scrivener's confidence and his manipulation of legal language.
“I am not a brute beast, and know what words mean.”
Kuba defends his intelligence, insisting he understands Boryna's lecture about social hierarchy.
Shows Kuba's dignity and awareness of his subordinate position.
“In whatsoever nook you are, God will hear you: fear nothing.”
Boryna tells Kuba that God listens to prayers from any corner of the church, so he need not push to the front.
Reflects Boryna's use of religion to reinforce social order.
