Summary of "Mumu" Turgenev I. S

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev wrote Mumu, according to his sister Varvara, based on a real drama that happened before their eyes. She claimed that their mother became the prototype of the lady, and Gerasim was her janitor Andrei, also dumb, as in the work.

Summary of Turgenev's "Mumu": meeting Gerasim

A lady once lived in one of the old houses on the very outskirts of Moscow. She went out into the world very rarely, her sons remained in the service in St. Petersburg, her daughters got married, her husband died. The mistress was surrounded only by a numerous household. The most interesting of her servants was the janitor Gerasim, deaf and mute from birth. Once he lived in a village, in a hut separate from his brothers. This tall hero possessed extraordinary strength, it was pleasant to watch how any work in his hands argues. If not for his vice, any girl would marry him. But then they took Gerasim to Moscow, dressed him up, shod him in boots and assigned him to serve as a janitor. He did not like his new life very much, but, like everyone else,man, gradually he got used to it.

Summary of Turgenev's "Mumu": Tatyana's wedding

A year after moving to the city, one incident happened to him. The lady decided to ward off her shoemaker Kapiton Klimov from wine by marriage. Choosing a bride for him, she settled on the washerwoman Tatyana. She was a twenty-eight-year-old shy, thin, small woman. More than anyone in the world, Tatyana was afraid of Gerasim, although he was affectionate with her, sometimes even gave her a ribbon or a candy. After her marriage, he became even gloomier and stopped paying attention to her. Marriage did not help Kapiton. Exactly a year later, he completely drank himself. The mistress ordered to send him and his wife to a remote village. Gerasim gave a red handkerchief to Tatiana as a farewell and saw them off for a bit.

Summary of Turgenev's "Mumu": saving a little dog

When he returned to the estate along the river in the evening, he noticed how something was floundering near the shore. Gerasim bent down and saw a white puppy with black spots in the water. The little dog could not get out on land. Gerasim pulled it out, put it in his bosom and went home. Watching the puppy greedily, choking, drinking milk, the deaf-mute even laughed. Gerasim looked after the dog better than any other mother takes care of her child. At first she was ugly and weak. But when she grew up, she turned into a pretty, Spanish breed dog. Gerasim called her Mumu. She became so attached to the owner that she followed him on his heels. Everyone in the house fell in love with Mumu, not to mention the janitor.

Summary of Turgenev's "Mumu": hatred of the lady

Another year has passed. The lady was in an excellent mood, but this frightened the servants, as it was replaced by a very bad mood. She looked out the window into the courtyard and noticed Mumu, who was lying under a rose bush. The lady was surprised and ordered to bring the dog to her.

When she wanted to pet her, frightened Mumu growled. The lady, of course, withdrew her hand and became angry. She summoned Gavrila, the butler, to her, and said that this dog should not be on the estate and spirit. When Gerasim was busy, Mumu was caught and sold at the market for fifty dollars. For a long time the deaf-mute was looking for his favorite, but to no avail. The next day he worked stone-faced. However, after a few days, Mumu again ran home: she ran away from the new owners. After this event, Gerasim began to hide her in his room during the day, and took her outside only at night. Once, during such a walk, Mumu barked at a drunken passer-by and thereby woke up the lady, who was just beginning to fall asleep. She got angry and ordered to drown this dog. This order was hardly explained to the janitor. Having figured out what the matter was, he made it clear that he would do it himself.

A brief retelling of Turgenev's "Mumu": execution of an order

Gerasim dressed up in a festive way and went with Mumu to the tavern. There he fed her cabbage soup with meat and went to the river. Gerasim jumped into the first boat that came across and swam in it to the middle of the river. The janitor picked up Mumu and looked at her for the last time. She still trusted him, not afraid. Gerasim screwed up his eyes, turned away and unclenched his hands. It is clear that he did not hear a splash of water or a squeal of a dog. In the evening, the janitor gathered his belongings in a sack, threw it on his shoulders and walked along the road outside the city. Gerasim returned home to his village without looking back.