2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
The art of writing is comparable to the art of cutting. It is not difficult to guess that the author of these words is the master of the short story A. P. Chekhov. "Muddle" (summary follows) is one of his little masterpieces, which was written in 1889. This period in the writer's work is marked by a transition from short humorous stories to the “realm of seriousness”. Indeed, an ordinary conversation between the main character, on behalf of whom the story is being told, and the governess of his children, like a curtain in a theater, reveals a number of questions about understanding the concepts of "spirituality" and "morality".
Summary of Chekhov's story "Scum"
The plot of the story is simple and unpretentious. The protagonist, who is also the narrator, invites the governess, Yulia Vasilievna, to settle accounts. From this moment, you can start a summary (Chekhov,“Smear”) For two months of work, a fee is due, but the girl, thin, delicate, or, as the author himself calls her, “ceremonial”, will never ask the first herself. The young governess sits down and a difficult conversation begins.
The contract was about thirty rubles a month. Yulia Vasilievna timidly objects - no, it was about forty … Now about the timing. She worked for two months. And again, "cutting", because in fact she worked for two months and five days. Nine Sundays should be deducted from them, because instead of classes there were walks … Then my teeth ached for three days, and it was allowed to study until lunch. Three days of celebration. Yes, an expensive cup and saucer was also broken, and Kolya's son, due to her oversight, tore her frock coat.
The salary was melting before our eyes. Instead of eighty rubles, sixty came out, then minus twelve, then another seven, ten, five, three …. To all the timid objections of Yulia Mikhailovna, only one steely argument was heard, that, they say, everything is written down, and there is nothing to argue about. She was silent, blushed, her eyes filled with tears, her chin trembled. But in the end, she accepted the conditions of the host-narrator, took the miserable balance due - eleven rubles, and whispered: "Merci".
Outrage
Continuing the summary (Chekhov, "Muddle"). Resignation, pathetic, according to the protagonist, humility and humility cause him a storm of indignation. He jumps up and practically pounces on her. Is it really possible to dutifully endure bullying, because he brazenly robbed her, stole her honestly earnedher money. Why was she silent? Why didn't you stand up for yourself? "How can you be so sloppy!" You can - says the expression on her face. In other places, they might not have given her at all.
He gives her an envelope prepared in advance with eighty rubles. She thanks him again and quickly leaves. Satisfaction with himself, with that joke, with that cruel lesson that he taught the young girl, and which, perhaps, will help her to continue to be "toothy", quickly passes, and is replaced by another question: is it easy to be brave in life?
Summary. Chekhov, "Muddle": conclusion
The final phrase, a rhetorical question that the protagonist asks himself, and at the same time all readers, leads to deeper reflections. Of course, it is necessary to be a brave, decisive, strong and self-sufficient person. Know how to stand up for your rights and values. But do these qualities exist in their pure form, or are they possible due to some external factors and circumstances? The summary (Chekhov, "Scum"), of course, cannot convey all the subtlety and depth of the plot, so reading the original is highly recommended.
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