The Steppe (Chekhov)
Short summary
Russia, late 19th century. Nine-year-old Yegorushka traveled with his uncle Ivan Ivanitch Kuzmitchov and Father Christopher to a distant town where the boy was to be enrolled in school. They journeyed across the vast steppe in a chaise, later joining a caravan of wool-laden wagons headed for the same destination.
During their journey, they encountered various characters: Moisey Moisevitch, a Jewish innkeeper with his strange brother Solomon; Dymov, a bully among the wagoners; Konstantin, a newly married peasant overflowing with happiness; and Countess Dranitsky, a beautiful noblewoman. They also searched for the elusive merchant Varlamov, who was constantly "on his rounds" in the steppe.
The travelers experienced the changing moods of the steppe - scorching heat during the day, thunderstorms, and the mysterious beauty of the nights. Yegorushka was moved by the vastness of the landscape and its melancholy beauty. The steppe evoked both wonder and loneliness in those who crossed it.
In the triumph of beauty, in the exuberance of happiness you are conscious of yearning and grief, as though the steppe knew she was solitary, knew that her wealth and her inspiration were wasted for the world, not glorified in song.
As they traveled, Yegorushka fell ill with fever. When they finally reached town, his uncle and Father Christopher left him with Nastasya Petrovna, a friend of his mother's. The woman welcomed him warmly, treating him like her own child. Before departing, his uncle gave him ten kopecks and promised to support him if he studied diligently. Father Christopher blessed him and also gave him money.
Left alone with Nastasya Petrovna, Yegorushka felt abandoned and cried bitterly, facing the unknown life that awaited him. The story ends with him contemplating what his future might hold in this strange new place, far from everything familiar.
Detailed summary by chapters
Chapter titles are editorial.
Chapter 1. The journey begins; Yegorushka joins his uncle and Father Christopher
On a July morning, a shabby covered chaise departed from the town of N---- in the province of Z----. Inside the vehicle sat Ivan Ivanitch Kuzmitchov, a merchant, and Father Christopher Sireysky, the priest of the Church of St. Nikolay. They were traveling to sell wool. On the box beside the coachman sat nine-year-old Yegorushka, Kuzmitchov's nephew, who was being taken to school.
As they left town, Yegorushka looked back at familiar places - the prison, the cemetery, the brickyards - feeling sad to leave his home. His mother, Olga Ivanovna, had entrusted him to his uncle's care so he could receive an education. When they reached the open steppe, Yegorushka was struck by the vast, boundless plain encircled by a chain of low hills. The morning sun rose, illuminating the landscape with its warm light.
Chapter 2. Encounters on the steppe and observations of nature
By midday, the travelers stopped by a stream to rest and feed the horses. Father Christopher and Kuzmitchov sat on a mat in the shade of the chaise, while Yegorushka wandered about. The priest told stories of his youth, how he had learned Latin and impressed the Bishop with his knowledge. The heat was oppressive, and time seemed to stand still in the stifling air.
After their meal, the adults fell asleep, leaving Yegorushka to observe the unchanging steppe alone. He noticed a peasant woman sowing in a distant field and a little bareheaded boy standing motionless nearby. Later, this curious boy approached Yegorushka, introducing himself as Tit before scrambling back up the hill. The stillness of the afternoon was eventually broken by a violent squall of wind that whirled dust into the air and sent plants tumbling across the steppe.
The monotonous twitter soothes to sleep like a lullaby; you drive and feel you are falling asleep, but suddenly there comes the abrupt agitated cry of a wakeful bird, or a vague sound like a voice crying out in wonder "A-ah, a-ah!"
Birds flew up in alarm - a bustard, a corncrake, and lapwings. The steppe seemed to be struggling against some oppressive force. Despite the brief storm, the stillness soon returned, and evening began to fall. The travelers continued their journey as darkness approached.
Chapter 3. The inn at the Armenian settlement; Moisey Moisevitch and Solomon
In the evening, the chaise stopped at a posting-inn in the middle of the steppe. They were greeted enthusiastically by Moisey Moisevitch, the innkeeper, a pale man with a handsome black beard who wore a threadbare coat that flapped like wings when he moved. He led them into a gloomy room with sparse furniture and insisted they stay for tea despite Kuzmitchov's protests that they must hurry on.
Solomon, Moisey Moisevitch's brother, appeared - a short young Jew with a big beak-like nose and a bald patch surrounded by red curly hair. Unlike his fawning brother, Solomon maintained a contemptuous attitude, with a sarcastic smile that expressed undisguised scorn. When Kuzmitchov mentioned Solomon's performances of Jewish scenes at a fair, Solomon made no response.
While the adults drank tea, Moisey Moisevitch took Yegorushka to see his family. In a small, foul-smelling room, Yegorushka met the innkeeper's wife and several children who peered out from under a greasy quilt. The woman gave Yegorushka bread with honey, lamenting that he was traveling without his mother.
Back in the main room, Kuzmitchov counted out money for his wool business, setting aside seven thousand eight hundred for someone named Varlamov. Solomon spoke bitterly about money and Jews, claiming that while Varlamov was Russian, he was "at heart a scabby Jew" who lived only for money and gain. Solomon, who had thrown his own money "in the stove," considered himself wiser than Varlamov and more of a man.
Suddenly, a beautiful young woman in a black dress entered - Countess Dranitsky. She asked if Varlamov had been there and requested that he be told to visit her. She noticed Yegorushka, called him charming, and kissed him on both cheeks. After she left, Panteley, one of the wagoners, explained that she was Countess Dranitsky, a wealthy landowner like Varlamov.
Chapter 4. The mysterious Varlamov; the Countess Dranitsky; a night thunderstorm
As the journey continued, Yegorushka wondered about the elusive Varlamov, whom everyone talked about but he had never seen. He knew Varlamov owned vast lands, many sheep, and great wealth, but little else. Similarly, he had heard much about Countess Dranitsky, who owned extensive property and a stud farm, and whose house contained magnificent treasures, including a remarkable clock with a gold horse and rider.
Kuzmitchov decided that Yegorushka should travel with the wagons carrying wool while he and Father Christopher went ahead to look for Varlamov. Yegorushka was placed on top of the bales of wool in one of the wagons. As night fell, he gazed up at the stars, feeling small beneath the vast sky.
When you gaze a long while fixedly at the deep sky thoughts and feelings for some reason merge in a sense of loneliness. One begins to feel hopelessly solitary, and everything one used to look upon as near and akin becomes infinitely remote.
Yegorushka thought about his grandmother who had died and was buried under the cherry trees in the cemetery. He imagined her in her narrow coffin, alone and helpless. Though he could contemplate the death of others, he could not imagine his own mortality.
Later that night, a thunderstorm approached. The sky grew dark, and lightning flashed across the horizon. Yegorushka, still atop the wool bales, covered himself with a mat but could not escape the rain that soon began to fall. The storm intensified, with deafening thunder and blinding lightning.
The blackness in the sky yawned wide and breathed white fire. At once there was another clap of thunder. It had scarcely ceased when there was a flash of lightning so broad that Yegorushka suddenly saw through a slit in the mat the whole high road.
Terrified, Yegorushka imagined three giants with pikes following the wagon. He called out to Panteley, but the old man couldn't hear him over the storm. Eventually, the wagons stopped at a village, and Yegorushka was taken into a hut where he could dry off and rest.
Chapter 5. Bathing in the river; confrontation with Dymov
The next day, the wagons stopped by a river. The heat was stifling, and the water looked invitingly cool. Styopka, a young wagoner, was the first to undress and dive in. Dymov and Kiruha followed, laughing and splashing. Yegorushka joined them, enjoying the sensation of the water lifting him to the surface.
While swimming, Dymov grabbed Yegorushka's leg and tried to pull him under. Frightened and disgusted, Yegorushka broke free and called Dymov a blackguard and a son of a bitch. Dymov ignored the insult and swam off to catch fish with Kiruha. Yegorushka, upset by the encounter, got out of the water, his enjoyment spoiled.
Later, Yegorushka wandered to the village and entered the church. There he saw Emelyan, another wagoner who had once been a choir singer but had lost his voice after bathing in the Donets river. When Yegorushka greeted him, Emelyan sternly told him not to play in church. After the service, Yegorushka explored the village marketplace before returning to the wagons.
Chapter 6. Evening on the steppe; stories of robbers; Konstantins happiness
That evening, the wagons continued across the steppe. Yegorushka lay on the bales of wool, gazing up at the darkening sky. The night was peaceful, with stars gradually appearing overhead. The air was filled with the sounds of insects and occasional bird calls.
The day had passed peacefully; the quiet peaceful night had come... Yegorushka saw the sky by degrees grow dark and the mist fall over the earth—saw the stars light up, one after the other...
At midnight, the wagons stopped to rest. The men built a campfire, and Panteley began telling stories of his travels. He recounted how he once saved a merchant from being murdered at an inn by robbers, and another tale of narrowly escaping death himself. The wagoners listened intently, impressed by these tales of danger and narrow escapes.
The Russian loves recalling life, but he does not love living. Yegorushka did not yet know that, and before the stew had been all eaten he firmly believed that the men sitting round the cauldron were the injured victims of fate.
Near their campsite stood a wooden cross marking the spot where merchants had been murdered by mowers. Dymov explained how the merchants had been followed and then attacked with scythes. The son had fought back, but they were outnumbered. The robbers had found little money afterward, and three of them later died from wounds inflicted by the merchant's son.
As they sat by the fire, a stranger approached carrying a dead bustard. He introduced himself as Konstantin Zvonik from Rovno, a beekeeper and pig farmer. Konstantin was in an exceptionally good mood and explained that he had recently married after pursuing his wife for three years. She had repeatedly refused him until Easter, when something he said finally won her heart.
Now his wife was visiting her mother, and Konstantin wandered the steppe, unable to stay at home without her. His obvious happiness affected everyone around the fire, making them yearn for similar joy in their own lives. Dymov, usually harsh and bullying, grew melancholy. Emelyan tried to sing a sacred song but could produce only discordant gasps.
Yegorushka, watching this scene from atop the bales, thought about marriage and women. He recalled the beautiful Countess Dranitsky and imagined it might be pleasant to live with such a woman. Eventually, he fell asleep, lulled by these thoughts and the soft warmth of the night.
Chapter 7. Yegorushka falls ill; taking shelter from the storm
The next day, Yegorushka woke to find the wagons stopped. In the distance, he saw white buildings - the Armenian settlement. A man on horseback was talking to Dymov and Kiruha. This was Varlamov himself, though Yegorushka found it hard to believe that this ordinary-looking man in a white cap was the mysterious, wealthy figure everyone sought.
By midday, the heat had become unbearable. The wagons continued their journey, and Yegorushka grew increasingly uncomfortable. The endless steppe, the monotonous jolting of the wagon, and the oppressive heat made him feel ill. That evening, during dinner around the campfire, Dymov began bullying Emelyan, taking his spoon and insulting him until the former singer began to cry.
Unable to bear Dymov's cruelty, Yegorushka confronted him, declaring that he was the worst of the lot and couldn't be tolerated. Overwhelmed by emotion, Yegorushka began shaking and crying, then ran back to the wagon. He felt abandoned and afraid, wondering where his uncle and Father Christopher were and why they had left him with these strangers.
Yegorushka felt that he could not breathe; and something which had never happened to him before—he suddenly began shaking all over, stamping his feet and crying shrilly... Tears gushed from his eyes; he felt ashamed, and ran staggering back to the wagon.
Later that night, Dymov approached Yegorushka and, in an unexpected gesture of reconciliation, asked the boy to hit him. When Yegorushka didn't respond, Dymov jumped down from the wagon and walked away, muttering about how dreary he felt. A storm was brewing, and the wagoners hurried to reach shelter before it broke.
Chapter 8. Arrival at Nastasya Petrovnas; saying farewell to begin a new life
The next morning, the wagons arrived at a town. Yegorushka was feverish and ill from his journey. Deniska, who had gone ahead with Kuzmitchov and Father Christopher, came to fetch him. He led Yegorushka to an inn where his uncle and the priest were staying.
Father Christopher, seeing that Yegorushka was unwell, rubbed him with oil and vinegar. The next morning, Yegorushka felt better. Father Christopher gave him advice about his education, telling him to study languages, mathematics, history, and philosophy, following the example of the saints. He assured Yegorushka that Ivan Ivanitch would assist with the expenses of his education.
Ivan Ivanitch announced that he had arranged for Yegorushka to board with Nastasya Petrovna Toskunov, a friend of his sister. They went to find her house, eventually discovering that she had moved years ago. When they finally located her, she greeted Yegorushka warmly, recognizing him as Olga Ivanovna's son. After some discussion, she agreed to take him in as a boarder for ten roubles a month.
The next day, Ivan Ivanitch and Father Christopher came to say goodbye. Ivan Ivanitch reminded Yegorushka to work hard and not forget his mother. He gave him ten kopecks. Father Christopher blessed him and also gave him ten kopecks, asking Yegorushka to remember him in his prayers. Both men seemed hurried, and Yegorushka sensed he might never see Father Christopher again.
After they left, Yegorushka ran to the gate but saw only their backs as they turned the corner. He felt that everything he had known until then had vanished forever. Overwhelmed by the prospect of his new life, he sat on a bench and wept.
He sank helplessly on to the little bench, and with bitter tears greeted the new unknown life that was beginning for him now... What would that life be like?