The Dependents (Chekhov)
Short summary
Russia, late 19th century. Mihail Petrovitch Zotov, a seventy-year-old artisan, woke up one morning to find he had no tea. He began his day by grumbling about his dependents - an old horse and a dog named Lyska.
Frustrated by his poverty, Zotov visited his friend Mark Ivanitch, a shopkeeper, who gave him oats for his horse but suggested he take his useless animals to Ignat the slaughterer. Mark also recommended Zotov go live with his great-niece Glasha, who would inherit his house.
Inspired by vodka and this idea, Zotov packed his belongings and set off for his great-niece's farm. He left his gate unlocked, but his horse and dog followed him anyway. Realizing he couldn't bring the animals to his niece, he decided to take them to Ignat's slaughterhouse instead.
When Lyska, seeing the death of her friend, flew at Ignat, barking shrilly, there was the sound of a third blow that cut short the bark abruptly. Further, Zotov remembers that in his drunken foolishness... he put his own forehead ready for a blow.
For the rest of the day, Zotov's vision remained clouded by a haze, and he couldn't even see his own fingers.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
Zotovs morning routine and resentment toward his dependents
Mihail Petrovitch Zotov, a seventy-year-old artisan, woke up to the cold and aching in his limbs. After checking the time, he performed his morning prayers, swept his room and entry, and set up his copper samovar, all according to his long-established habits.
When the samovar began to hum, Zotov recalled dreaming of a stove the previous night, which he interpreted as an omen of sorrow. His prediction seemed to come true when he discovered he had no tea left. Grumbling about his poverty despite being an artisan and homeowner, Zotov put on his overcoat and clumsy boots and went out into the yard.
In the yard, Zotov was approached by his dog Lyska, who came timidly with her right eye shut. The old man angrily stamped his foot and shouted at the dog to go away.
Then from the shed emerged his old horse, as decrepit and timid as Lyska. Zotov looked at both animals with contempt and hatred, complaining that he was not obliged to feed such worthless creatures.
"I am not obliged to feed you, you loafers! I am not some millionaire for you to eat me out of house and home! I have nothing to eat myself, you cursed carcases, the cholera take you! I get no pleasure or profit out of you."
Zotov drives the horse and dog out of his yard
As Zotov continued to grumble, the horse and dog listened with submissive expressions. Their pitiful appearance only infuriated the old man more. In a sudden burst of anger, he decided to drive them out of his yard.
Whether these two dependents understood that they were being reproached for living at his expense, I don't know, but their stomachs looked more pinched than ever, and their whole figures shrivelled up, grew gloomier and more abject than before.
Zotov opened the gate and, picking up a stick, drove the animals out into the street. They walked about twenty paces and stopped by the fence, looking dejectedly back at the gate. The old man felt calmer after expelling his dependents and continued sweeping the yard.
Occasionally, Zotov peeked out into the street where the horse and dog stood like posts by the fence. After enjoying their crushed expressions and grumbling to his heart's content, he went out and shouted at them for blocking the road. The animals turned back toward the gate with drooping heads and guilty expressions. Lyska whined piteously, sensing she did not deserve forgiveness.
Zotov allowed them back into the yard but warned they would get no food from him, even if they died of hunger.
Conversation with Mark Ivanitch about poverty and responsibility
As the sun broke through the morning mist, Zotov went to visit his friend and neighbor Mark Ivanitch, who kept a small general shop. The old men sat down and began talking about the weather, the new deacon, and the choristers. They lost track of time as they conversed, and when the shopboy brought in a teapot of boiling water, they continued their conversation over tea.
After his sixth glass of tea, Zotov asked Mark Ivanitch for a gallon of oats for his horse. His friend sighed deeply but agreed to provide the oats. However, he questioned why Zotov kept such useless animals and suggested taking them to Ignat the slaughterer.
"You live like a beggar and keep animals," the friend went on. "I don't grudge the oats... God bless you. But as to the future, brother... I can't afford to give regularly every day! There is no end to your poverty!"
Mark Ivanitch suggested that Zotov should either die or go to an almshouse. Zotov replied that he had relations - specifically a great-niece named Glasha, who was the daughter of his niece Katerina. Since his house would be left to Glasha, Zotov believed she was obligated to take care of him.
Decision to seek support from his great-niece
Mark Ivanitch encouraged Zotov to go to his great-niece rather than continue living in poverty. The idea appealed to Zotov, who declared he would go to her that very day. After another glass of vodka, he became enthusiastic about his plan.
Zotov returned home, gathered his belongings in a bundle, said a prayer, took his stick, and set out. He walked along the dry road, thinking about the abrupt change in his life and his dependents. He had left the gate unlocked, giving the animals freedom to go wherever they wished.
He had not gone a mile into the country when he heard steps behind him. He looked round and angrily clasped his hands. The horse and Lyska, with their heads drooping and their tails between their legs, were quietly walking after him.
Zotov ordered them to go back, but they stopped and looked at him. He continued walking, and they followed. He realized he could not take these creatures to his great-niece, whom he hardly knew, but he also could not return home to shut them up since the gate was useless.
The tragic journey to the slaughterhouse
Considering his options, Zotov thought about taking the animals to Ignat the slaughterer. Though he had not fully made up his mind, he turned toward Ignat's hut, which stood on the town pasture-ground a hundred paces from the flagstaff. Zotov's head was giddy and his vision blurred.
Zotov remembered little of what happened at the slaughterer's yard. He recalled the sickening smell of hides and the savory steam of cabbage soup that Ignat was eating. As if in a dream, he saw Ignat making him wait for two hours while preparing something, changing clothes, and talking to some women about corrosive sublimate.
As in a dream he saw Ignat... he remembered the horse was put into a stand, after which there was the sound of two dull thuds, one of a blow on the skull, the other of the fall of a heavy body.
When Lyska saw her friend's death, she flew at Ignat, barking shrilly, but a third blow cut her bark short. In his drunken state, Zotov approached the stand and offered his own forehead for a blow. For the rest of the day, his eyes were dimmed by a haze, and he could not even see his own fingers.