THE PIPE

In “The Pipe,” Meliton Shishkin, a bailiff from the Dementyev farm, emerges from the woods with his dog Damka, exhausted and covered in the remnants of his trek. It’s a damp, overcast morning, and Meliton encounters a shepherd playing a simple, mournful tune on a pipe. This shepherd, tending the Artamonovs’ herd, shares a bleak view of the world with Meliton, suggesting nature and society alike are in decline. The conversation between the two illustrates a shared sentiment of environmental and societal degradation. The shepherd, reflecting on his extensive experience, notes a stark decrease in the wildlife population, indicating a broader, unsettling trend toward ruin.

Meliton, agreeing with the shepherd’s observations, also laments the changing world but considers human cleverness as a positive contrast, though the practical benefits of such intelligence seem negligible against global decay. The shepherd rebuts this by emphasizing the physical weakening of humans over generations, attributing it to lifestyle changes and a departure from hardy, simple living.

As they delve deeper into their dialogue, the focus shifts towards a broader existential crisis — the end of the world. Both men express sorrow and disappointment in the face of perceived environmental and societal declines, pondering the significance of their own hardships and the broader implications of a world seemingly on the brink of collapse.

The chapter concludes with Meliton feeling a keen sense of personal and communal despair, reflecting on his own difficult life as a reflection of broader societal malaise. Their conversation, set against the backdrop of a damp, dreary forest and the monotonous sound of the shepherd’s pipe, serves as a poignant meditation on the transient nature of life and the irrevocable changes impacting both the natural world and human society.