VI -The Witchand Other Stories
by LovelyMayIn this chapter, the stark contrast between two inhabitants of a poor, rural household, Marya and Fyokla, reveals the varying attitudes towards their harsh living conditions. Marya, filled with a sense of unhappiness and longing for death, contrasts sharply with Fyokla, who embraces the life of poverty, uncleanliness, and disorder. Fyokla’s scorn for her relatives, especially Olga, whom she sees as too soft and accustomed to the comforts of city life, manifests in physical aggression and verbal insults. This animosity underscores the daily struggle and the older generation’s nostalgia for the past, a time they remember as more structured and rewarding under the gentry’s rule.
Through the act of silk winding, a meager source of income for the family, discussions emerge about the bygone era of abundance and strictness, offering a glimpse into the social changes post-emancipation. These reflections on the past transition into a communal storytelling session, bringing together not only the family but also an outsider—the cook from General Zhukov’s household. The stories they share, ranging from hunting expeditions to elaborate dishes prepared for the nobility, serve both as an oral preservation of their history and a means of momentarily escaping their present misery.
The chapter also depicts the communal aspect of their lives, where personal stories and shared memories create a temporary solace from their hardships. However, this brief respite is overshadowed by the looming presence of death and the stark realization of their unchangeable, impoverished state. The chapter closes with a haunting, moonlit scene of Fyokla, returned from the river, presenting a stark image of vulnerability and exposure that contrasts with the warmth and safety of the family gathering inside the hut. This ending not only highlights the physical and emotional bareness faced by those living on the fringes of society but also reflects the raw, unvarnished reality of rural life in this period.
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