The Village · Chapter
XII explained
Kuzma visits Tikhon at Durnovka, where they discuss news, executions, and Tikhon's plans to sell the estate and move to town.
What happens
Kuzma visits Tikhon at Durnovka, where they discuss news, executions, and Tikhon's plans to sell the estate and move to town. Their conversation turns into a heated argument about the Russian people, faith, and their own wasted lives, revealing Tikhon's despair and Kuzma's disillusionment.
Themes in this chapter
Family and Heredity
The brothers' conversation reveals their shared heritage and the weight of their family history, as they both feel trapped in their roles as 'Durnovka folk.'
Search for Meaning and Faith
Kuzma questions the role of God in their lives, while Tikhon mentions candles and good deeds, reflecting their search for redemption and purpose.
Class and Social Hierarchy
Tikhon's contempt for the peasantry and his own rise from poverty highlight the class tensions and social divisions in rural Russia.
Characters to notice
- Tikhon Ilitch
Hosts Kuzma, discusses business plans, expresses despair and anger about the peasantry, reveals his drinking and bitterness.
- Kuzma
Visits Tikhon, argues about faith and the people, feels hopeless and confused by his brother's erratic behavior.
- Deniska
Mentioned as the intended husband for the Bride, criticized by Kuzma for his cynicism and boastfulness.
- The Bride
Referenced in the context of Deniska's crude remarks and Tikhon's marriage plans.
- Makar Ivanovitch
Mentioned as a pilgrim who committed a crime with a friend, now in jail.
Key passages
“You are growing very thin, dear brother!”
Tikhon notices Kuzma's gaunt appearance.
Reflects the physical toll of their struggles.
“We are—Durnovka folk. We're neither candle for God nor oven-fork for the devil.”
Kuzma declares that they are worthless and fit for neither heaven nor hell.
Expresses their sense of futility and moral emptiness.
“The people! Lewd, lazy, liars, and so shameless that not one of them believes another!”
Tikhon condemns the peasantry as immoral and untrustworthy.
Highlights his bitterness and class prejudice.