About the product
Gorky's story "Chelkash" was written in 1894. First published in 1895 in the magazine “Russian Wealth”. Literary critics attribute the work to late romanticism with elements of realism. With the story “Chelkash,” Gorky anticipated the emergence of the socialist realism movement in Russian literature. In the work, the author touches on the themes of freedom, the meaning of life; contrasts vagrancy and peasantry, but does not come to a precise conclusion which way is better.
You can read the online summary of “Chelkash” directly on our website. To consolidate your knowledge, we recommend taking a test based on a retelling of the work.
The material was prepared jointly with a teacher of the highest category, Kuchmina Nadezhda Vladimirovna.
Experience as a teacher of Russian language and literature - 27 years.
Chapter 1
During the loaders' lunch, Grishka Chelkash appeared at the port. He was a clever thief and an avid drunkard, poorly dressed. Grishka just woke up. Chelkash walked slowly, looking for someone. He resembled a steppe hawk due to his predatory thinness and special gait, similar to the flight of a bird of prey. Chelkash asked the watchman about Mishka, his partner. He replied that his leg was crushed by a slab. Grishka went further, thinking how he would now go about his business without his accomplice.
The main character noticed a young guy sitting on the pavement. His face was tanned, his figure was stocky, his shoulders were broad. The blue-eyed guy (his name was Gavrila) looked good-naturedly at Grishka, and he decided to talk to him. It turned out that the boy hired out to mow, but received only pennies for his work. Chelkash said that he was going out to sea, but he was not interested in fish. He invited the peasant to work together that night.
Together they went to a tavern, where Chelkash ordered the guy a good lunch and a drink on credit. Gavrila soon became drunk. Chelkash felt sorry for the guy with whom he had to go to work, but he needed him.
Main characters
- Grishka Chelkash is “an inveterate drunkard and a clever, brave thief,” “long, bony, slightly stooped” with a humped, predatory nose and “cold gray eyes.”
- Gavrila is Chelkash’s assistant, a village guy, “broad-shouldered, stocky, fair-haired, with large blue eyes that looked trustingly and good-naturedly.”
And we also have:
for the most impatient -
A very brief summary of “Chelkash”
for the busiest -
Reader's diary "Chelkash"
for the most curious -
Analysis of "Chelkash" Gorky
for the coolest -
Read "Chelkash" in full
Retelling of the work “Chelkash” in chapters
The story begins with a short introduction containing a colorful description of the sea harbor and the life of the port, which, under Gorky’s pen, appears to be an industrial community.
“Granite, iron, wood, harbor pavement, ships and people - everything breathes with powerful sounds.”
The noisy and huge port is the creation of human hands, but it seems to “absorb” a person; against its background, bustling people look “pathetic”; among the noise, in a series of many different sounds, human voices are barely audible.
It was a hot day. The heat “baked from exhaustion.” The atmosphere is so tense that it seems that a “catastrophe” is about to break out, an explosion, after which it will be easy to breathe, calm and tranquility will come.
Twenty measured strokes of the bell is a special signal that notifies the beginning of the lunch break; everything in the port quiets down for a while, people’s voices become more audible.
Chapter I
The porters “scattered throughout the harbor”, rushed in noisy groups to the traders, bought various foodstuffs from them and began to eat. During lunch, a seasoned thief, Grishka Chelkash, well known to the local people, appears at the port. With his appearance, he stood out strikingly against the background of the port contingent.
Grishka Chelkash, an old poisoned wolf... an avid drunkard and a clever, brave thief. He was barefoot, in old, threadbare corduroy trousers, without a hat, in a dirty cotton shirt with a torn collar, revealing his dry and angular bones, covered in brown leather. From his tousled black and gray hair and his crumpled, sharp, predatory face, it was clear that he had just woken up...
Chelkash came here to find his friend and accomplice named Mishka. He came alongside a group of workers, among them was a “stocky fellow” with signs of beatings. Grishka talks to him, asks about Mishka, but the guy can’t help him in any way: “I haven’t seen him for a long time!” - he shouted, leaving to join his comrades.
Summary
Harbor. The ringing of anchor chains, the roar of carriages, the whistles of steamships, the shouts of workers “merge into the deafening music of a working day.” People running are “ridiculous and pathetic.” “What they created enslaved and depersonalized them.”
“Twelve measured and ringing strikes of the bell rang out.” It's time for lunch.
I
The porters, hidden in the shadows of the pavement, were having lunch. Grishka Chelkash appeared - “among hundreds of sharp tramp figures like him, he immediately attracted attention with his resemblance to a steppe hawk.” It was clear that he belonged here. Chelkash was not in the mood. The thief was looking for his friend and accomplice Mishka. However, the customs guard Semenych said that Mishka’s leg was crushed by a cast-iron bayonet, and he was taken to the hospital. Despite the unfortunate news, the conversation with the watchman cheered up the thief. “A solid income was ahead of him,” but he needed an assistant.
On the street Chelkash noticed a young peasant guy. He began to complain that he really needed money, but could not earn it. He was on the “kosovitsa” in Kuban, but now the pay there is very bad. Recently, a guy’s father died, leaving behind his old mother and a house in the village. If he could earn about “one hundred and a half rubles”, he could get back on his feet. Otherwise, you will have to go “in-law” to a rich man.
When the guy asked what Chelkash did, the thief replied that he was a fisherman. The guy doubted that Chelkash was earning money legally, and admitted that, like the tramps, he loved freedom very much. After thinking a little, the thief invited the guy to work with him that night: all he had to do was “row”. The guy began to hesitate, fearing that he might “get into something” with his new acquaintance.
Chelkash experienced hatred for the guy because “he has a village somewhere there, a house in it,” “and most of all because this child dares to love freedom, which he does not know the price of and which he does not need.”
However, the guy agreed to earn extra money, and they went to the tavern. The guy introduced himself: his name was Gavrila. At the tavern, Chelkash ordered food on credit. The guy immediately developed respect for the new owner. Chelkash got Gavrila very drunk. The thief “saw before him a man whose life had fallen into his wolf’s clutches.” Chelkash felt sorry for the guy, all his feelings finally merged into something “fatherly and economic. I felt sorry for the little one, and the little one was needed.”
II
Dark night. Chelkash and Gavrila set sail and go out to the open sea. The thief loved the sea very much, but the guy was scared. Gavrila, suspecting something was wrong, asked where the tackle was. The thief felt “offended to lie in front of this boy,” and he shouted at the guy. Suddenly, from afar, the screams of the “devils” - the guards - were heard. Chelkash, hissing, ordered Gavrila to row as quickly as possible. When they set sail, the thief said that if they were caught up, it would be the end for them.
Frightened, Gavrila began to beg Chelkash to let him go, began to cry and continued to sob until they reached the harbor wall. To prevent the guy from running away, Chelkash took his knapsack with his passport. Having disappeared into the air, the thief soon returned and lowered something cubic and heavy into the boat. All they had to do was “swim between the devils’ eyes” one more time, and then everything would be fine. Gavrila began to row with all his might. The guy wanted to quickly go ashore and run away from Chelkash.
The men swam to the cordons. Now the boat moved completely silently. Realizing that there might be people nearby, Gavrila was about to call for help, when suddenly a “huge fiery blue sword” appeared on the horizon. Frightened, the guy fell to the bottom of the boat. Chelkash swore: it was the lantern of a customs cruiser. Fortunately, they managed to pass unnoticed.
On the way to the shore, Chelkash shared with Gavrila that today he managed to “snatch half a thousand,” and maybe more: how lucky he would be to sell the stolen goods. Gavrila immediately remembered his wretched household. Trying to encourage the guy, Chelkash started a conversation about peasant life. Gavrila even managed to forget that in front of him was a thief, having seen the same peasant in Chelkash. Lost in thought, the thief remembered his past, his village, childhood, mother, father, wife, how he was a guards soldier, and the father was proud of his son in front of the whole village.
Swimming up to the barge of the accomplices, they went upstairs and, lying down on the deck, fell asleep.
III
Chelkash woke up first. Having gone away for a couple of hours with the loot, he returned in new clothes. Chelkash woke up Gavrila, and they swam to the shore. The guy was no longer so scared and asked how much Chelkash got for the stolen goods. The thief showed him five hundred and forty rubles and gave Gavrila’s share - forty rubles. The guy greedily hid the money.
When they came ashore, Gavrila suddenly rushed at Chelkash’s feet and knocked him to the ground. The thief just wanted to hit the guy when he started begging him to give him the money. “Frightened, amazed and embittered,” Chelkash jumped to his feet and threw bills at Gavrila, “trembling with excitement, acute pity and hatred for this greedy slave.”
Gavrila was delighted and hid the money in his bosom. Looking at the guy, Chelkash thought that he would never be so greedy and low. To celebrate, Gavrila said that he had already thought about hitting Chelkash with an oar and taking the money: no one would catch the thief anyway.
Angry and grabbing Gavrila by the throat, Chelkash demanded the money back. Having taken what he had earned, the thief walked away. Gavrila threw a stone at him. Chelkash grabbed his head and fell. Gavrila abandoned the thief and ran away. It started to rain. Gavrila unexpectedly returned and began to ask the thief for forgiveness. The exhausted Chelkash chased him away, but he did not let up. The thief kept one bill for himself and gave the rest of the money to Gavrila.
They went in different directions. “On the deserted seashore there was nothing left to remember the little drama that played out between two people.”
A very short retelling
The narrative begins with a description of the sea harbor and the port located in it. In the midst of lunch, the thief Grigory, nicknamed Chelkash, appears at the port. He is looking for his accomplice Mishka, so that together with him he can pull off another business and make some money. From the port watchman Semenych, Chelkash learns that his friend broke his leg and is now in the hospital. Grishka will have to do without him and look for a new accomplice.
On the street he meets a village guy, Gavrila, and introduces himself to him as a fisherman. Gavrila really needs money and is looking for a job. Grishka offers a simple-minded village boy to earn extra money by passing off an upcoming criminal event as a fishing trip.
Gabriel doesn’t trust the random guy he meets too much: he looks very suspicious, doesn’t look like a respectable worker, but still agrees to his proposal. Together the heroes go to a tavern, where Gavrila gets drunk.
They go out to work at night. Gavrila feels fear, he understands that they did not go fishing, and the matter is connected with crime. Giving up slack, Gavrila asks Chelkash to let him go, he is rude, calls on him not to whine, and takes the guy’s bag with his passport. When the boat sailed to the harbor wall, Chelkash disappears, and soon bales of contraband goods are dumped into the boat. The accomplices overcome the cordons, remaining unnoticed, they approach the ship, dark-skinned people meet them and accept the goods. The case was a success. The heroes stay overnight.
The next morning, Gavrila became bolder; he was ready to continue working with Chelkash, as this was a good way to get rich. Upon returning to shore, Chelkash settles accounts with his accomplice, allocating him the promised modest share. He keeps most of it for himself.
Greed has awakened in Gavril, he asks the thief to give him all the money. In the eyes of Chelkash, Gavrila looks pitiful, the hero gives him everything.
Gavrila admits that he had the idea of killing Chelkash in order to take possession of the loot. These words angered the thief. A fight begins between Grishka and Gavrila. Having defeated his accomplice, Grishka leaves with the money. Gavrila throws a stone at him and thinks he has killed him. He was seriously scared and wanted to run away, but his conscience forced him to return. Gavrila is glad that Chelkash is alive. He asks his partner for forgiveness. Chelkash gives him the money he earned at night, leaving only one bill for himself.
Chapter 3
The next morning Chelkash woke up his friend, and they swam ashore. Gavrila looked at the money greedily. Chelkash offered the peasant his share. He took the money with trembling hands, and Chelkash noticed that he was greedy. Gavrila started talking about what he would do with his share. When they swam to the shore, the peasant threw himself at his feet and began to ask him to give him everything he had earned that night, because Chelkash got the money so easily. He promised that he would pray for him all his life. Chelkash threw the pieces of paper to his friend with contempt. He said that he himself was thinking of giving all the proceeds to him. Chelkash thought that he, a reveler and a thief, would never stoop to such a thing. He won’t be so low, greedy, and not remembering himself...
The peasant admitted that he was planning to kill his new acquaintance in order to get money. When Chelkash heard this, he took the money from Gavrila and walked away. Then the peasant caught up with him and threw a stone at his head. Chelkash fell. Rain is coming.
Gavrila ran away, but soon returned. He began to turn Chelkash over, he woke up. The peasant began to ask for forgiveness. Chelkash spat in his face. Gavrila did not let up and continued to ask for forgiveness. Chelkash took out the money and gave it to him, leaving only one piece of paper for himself. Gavrila again began to ask for forgiveness, but Chelkash coldly said: “Nothing!” and walked away staggering. The peasant went in the opposite direction. This ends Gorky's story "Chelkash".
