About the product
Chekhov's story "The Gooseberry" was written in 1898 and is considered one of the best works of Russian classical literature of the 19th century. It was included in the author’s “Little Trilogy,” which also includes the stories “The Man in a Case” and “About Love.”
In “Gooseberry” Chekhov develops the theme of “caseness”, limitation, revealing it through the image of the landowner Nikolai Ivanovich. The composition of the work is based on the “story within a story” technique - the story of Nikolai Ivanovich is told to his friends by his brother Ivan Ivanovich.
On the site you can read online a summary of “Gooseberry” without prior registration.
The material was prepared jointly with the highest category teacher Lyubov Alexandrovna Koroshchup.
Experience as a teacher of Russian language and literature - 30 years.
Summary of “Gooseberry”
Ivan Ivanovich
and
Burkin
are walking across the field. The village of Mironositskoye is visible in the distance. It starts to rain, and they decide to visit a friend, landowner Pavel Konstantinich Alekhine, whose estate is located nearby in the village of Sofiino. Alekhine, “a man of about forty, tall, plump with long hair, looking more like a professor or an artist than a landowner,” greets guests on the threshold of a barn in which a winnowing machine is noisy. His clothes are dirty, and his face is black with dust. He welcomes the guests and invites them to go to the bathhouse. After washing and changing clothes, Ivan Ivanovich, Burkin and Alekhine go to the house, where over a cup of tea with jam, Ivan Ivanovich tells the story of his brother Nikolai Ivanovich.
The brothers spent their childhood in freedom, on the estate of their father, who himself was a cantonist, but achieved the rank of officer and left the children hereditary nobility. After the death of their father, their estate was seized for debts. From the age of nineteen, Nikolai sat in the government chamber, but he was terribly homesick there and kept dreaming of buying himself a small estate. Ivan Ivanovich himself never sympathized with his brother’s desire to “lock himself up in his own estate for life.” Nikolai simply could not think about anything else. He kept imagining his future estate, where gooseberries
. Nikolai saved money, was malnourished, and married an ugly but rich widow without love. He kept his wife from hand to mouth, and put her money in the bank in his name. The wife could not bear such a life and soon died, and Nikolai, without repenting at all, bought himself an estate, ordered twenty gooseberry bushes, planted them and began to live as a landowner.
When Ivan Ivanovich came to visit his brother, he was unpleasantly surprised by how he had become depressed, aged and flabby. He became a real gentleman, ate a lot, sued neighboring factories and spoke in the tone of a minister phrases like: “education is necessary, but for the people it is premature.” Nikolai treated his brother to gooseberries, and it was clear from him that he was satisfied with his fate and with himself.
At the sight of this happy man, Ivan Ivanovich “was overcome by a feeling close to despair.” The whole night he spent in the estate, he thought about how many people in the world suffer, go crazy, drink, how many children die from malnutrition. And how many other people live “happily”, “eat during the day, sleep at night, talk their nonsense, get married, grow old, complacently drag their dead to the cemetery.” He thought that behind the door of every happy person there should be “someone with a hammer” and remind him with a knock that there are unfortunate people, that sooner or later trouble will befall him, and “no one will see or hear him, just as he is not now.” sees and does not hear others.” Ivan Ivanovich, finishing his story, says that there is no happiness, and if there is meaning in life, then it is not in happiness, but in “doing good.”
Neither Burkin nor Alekhine are satisfied with Ivan Ivanovich's story. Alekhine does not delve into whether his words are fair. It was not about cereals, not about hay, but about something that had no direct relation to his life. But he is happy and wants the guests to continue the conversation. However, it is late, the owner and guests go to bed.
Summary
Ivan Ivanovich and Burkin walked across the field. The village of Mironositskoye was visible ahead. Burkin asked his companion to tell the previously promised story. However, it suddenly began to rain, and the men decided to take shelter from the bad weather at Alekhine’s in Sofiino. The owner met them on the threshold of one of the barns at work - the man was covered in dust, in dirty clothes. Alekhine was very happy with the guests and invited them into the house.
Having gone to the bathhouse, the guests and the owner settled down in armchairs. The maid served tea with jam, and Ivan Ivanovich began the promised story.
Ivan Ivanovich had a younger brother, Nikolai Ivanovich, “two years younger.” Father Chimsha-Himalayan left them “hereditary nobility”, as well as an estate, which was taken away for debts soon after his death.
The boys spent their entire childhood in the village. Having served “in the government chamber” since the age of nineteen, Nikolai Ivanovich missed his freedom. He had a dream to buy a small estate, where gooseberries would certainly grow. The man constantly read “household books”, advertisements for the sale of land, and dreamed of how he would spend time in the village.
Ivan Ivanovich, although he loved his brother, did not share his desire. “It is commonly said that a person only needs three arshins of land. But three arshins are needed by a corpse, not a person.”
Trying to save as much money as possible, Nikolai “didn’t eat enough, didn’t drink enough,” and dressed “like a beggar.” When he was forty years old, the man married an old, ugly widow with money for the same purpose - to buy an estate with gooseberries. He put her money in the bank in his name, and “kept the woman from hand to mouth.” The wife began to waste away and died three years later.
Nikolai Ivanovich, not blaming himself for the death of his wife, soon bought “one hundred and twelve acres with a manor house, with a servant’s house, with a park, but no orchard, no gooseberries, no ponds with ducks; there was a river, but the water in it was the color of coffee,” since there were factories nearby. However, Nikolai Ivanovich was not sad: “he ordered twenty gooseberry bushes for himself, planted them and began to live as a landowner.”
Last year Ivan Ivanovich went to visit his brother. Nikolai Ivanovich “has grown old, plump, flabby.” “This was no longer the former timid poor official, but a real landowner, master.” Nikolai Ivanovich was already suing society and factories, forcing the men to call themselves “your honor.” He developed an “arrogant” conceit, he began to speak “only the truth,” like a minister: “Education is necessary, but for the people it is premature.” Moreover, he called himself a nobleman, as if he had forgotten that their grandfather was a man, and their father a soldier.
In the evening, gooseberries were served, “picked for the first time since the bushes were planted.” Nikolai Ivanovich, tearing up, ate one berry with excitement, admiring how tasty it was, although in fact the gooseberry was hard and sour. Ivan Ivanovich saw before him a “happy man”, “who had achieved his goal in life”; he was “overtaken by a heavy feeling” close to despair. All night Ivan Ivanovich heard Nikolai Ivanovich get up and take a gooseberry each.
Ivan Ivanovich reflected on the fact that we constantly see happy people, but know nothing about those who suffer. “Obviously, the happy feel good only because the unfortunate bear their burden in silence.” Happy people live as if in “hypnosis”, not noticing much around them. “It is necessary that behind the door of every contented, happy person there should be someone with a hammer and constantly remind them by knocking” that sooner or later trouble will happen. Ivan Ivanovich realized that he, too, lived contentedly and happily. He spoke the same words as his brother, taught “how to live, how to believe, how to govern the people,” but he was no longer at the age to change anything.
Ivan Ivanovich suddenly stood up and approached Alekhine. He began to shake the owner’s hands, asking him not to calm down, to continue doing good, because the meaning of life lies in this, and not in personal happiness.
Then everyone sat and was silent. Alekhine wanted to sleep, but he was interested in the guests. He did not delve into what Ivan Ivanovich said - the doctor’s words had nothing to do with his life.
Finally the guests went to bed. “The rain was hitting the windows all night.”
Summary of the story
Two men are walking along a country road: Ivan Ivanovich, a veterinarian, and his friend Burkin, a gymnasium teacher. They have been walking for a long time, the mud has stuck to their boots. Nearby you can see the estate of their friend Pavel Alekhine, whom they decide to visit.
Alekhine had just completed his work on the estate and was also all dirty. He is a large and overweight middle-aged man. Untidy, with an inappropriate hairstyle, he does not look like an ordinary landowner. His estate is not the richest in the area. The beautiful maid Pelageya comes out to the guests, who charmed the guests at first sight.
The owner invites Burkin and Ivan to the bathhouse to wash off all the dirt that has accumulated along the way. While Burkin and Alekhine are sitting in the bathhouse, the doctor swims in the river for a long time. After the steam room, the relaxed guests have a conversation, during which Ivan gives an example of the life of his brother.
He and Nikolai were not of noble family, but their father once had an estate in which they spent their childhood. After the death of the priest, creditors took the estate. The brother served in the government chamber, wrote papers and yearned for a free life on his own land. Gradually, the melancholy grew into a strong desire to buy land and a house. He was a gentle man, kind and sensitive. His older brother did not share his dreams, believing that you cannot lock yourself on a piece of land, you need to explore the whole world.
The brother gradually immerses himself in his idea, making it the main goal of his life. He almost ceases to satisfy his minimal needs, cuts expenses, eats poorly and dresses poorly. All his thoughts are occupied by the estate, where gooseberries must be planted. Nikolai becomes a miser, putting every penny into a bank account.
Several years pass and he marries a wealthy woman whose husband has died. He is also greedy with her, his wife practically starves and, unable to withstand such a life, dies. The entire inheritance goes to Nikolai Ivanovich, who did not even think for a minute that he was to blame for her death.
Here, a doctor recalls how money changes people: One patient at a local hospital had his leg cut off and, bleeding, was worried about the money left in his boot. Burkin brings him back to the story.
Nikolai acquires land and an estate. But not the one he dreamed of - near a lake or river, but next to two factories that poison the environment.
Ivan visits a relative and finds him much changed. Nikolai has recovered and talks like a real landowner, although they are both of very humble origin. Ivan notes his complete inability to lead people. Following the old tradition, Nikolai gets the men drunk, although before that he himself punished them for drinking. At the same time, his brother’s self-esteem has become high; he believes that he treats the peasants well and even considers himself a member of high society.
Meeting of brothers
In the evening, a large plate of gooseberries was served to the table. Nikolai eats it with excitement and joy, repeating “How delicious!” Ivan notes that the berries were hard and sour. Even at night, through the bedroom wall, my brother hears Nikolai clicking on one berry.
Despite the fact that terrible things are happening around, those who have found imaginary prosperity prefer to close their eyes and not notice it. In order for people not to forget that in fact many people need help, to see and hear others, a special person with a hammer is needed. He will periodically knock and signal that there is poverty, loss and illness.
The hero realizes how blind he himself was, saying that ordinary people need to wait for freedom. But why wait and why this should be done gradually is unclear. He does not understand why those who can make the lives of others better hesitate. They themselves do not live a full life, spending their time in idleness.
The doctor complains that he is no longer young and cannot correct the situation in his life. Calls on Alekhine, while he is full of strength, to do good, not to think only about himself.
The listeners, it seems, do not understand at all what their comrade was talking to them so passionately about. The owner of the house goes to bed, the guests lie down in the same room. The only thing that bothers the teacher all night is the smell of tobacco from his smoldering pipe.
