Essay Questions

What is the role of the narrator in the story?

The narrator, who is the mouthpiece of the author, begins the story. He introduces the characters of Savka, Agafya and Yakov and also presents their character traits. He is presented as a close acquaintance of Savka.

At the beginning of the story, Savka and the narrator indulge in a leisurely talk about nature and birds while fishing together. Suddenly Savka recalls that he has an appointment with Agafya. She arrives at the scene and then the narrator, the only guiding spirit of the story, comes into action. He warns both Savka and Agafya about the dire consequences they have to face if Yakov gets any hint of their tryst.

At last Agafya gets caught by her husband and the narrator is seen in a passive role, only reporting the eventualities to the readers.

What is the attitude of Savka towards women?

Savka, the wayward outcast of his village, takes pleasure in fishing and other meaningless activities. He wastes his energy and time, though he is a poor fellow. He loves to have female companionship especially from the married ones. Agafya, the teen wife of the signalman Yakov, is now his tryst partner.

After Agafya's arrival in the scene he deliberately leaves her with the narrator to catch a nightingale in the woods. Her presence is nothing but a mere routine work for him. At the later stage of the story the narrator reveals how Savka gets so much attention from the opposite sex.

He says, "With all his soft-heartedness and good-nature, Savka despised women. He behaved carelessly, condescendingly with them, and even stooped to scornful laughter of their feelings for himself. God knows, perhaps this careless, contemptuous manner was one of the causes of his irresistible attraction for the village Dulcineas. He was handsome and well-built; in his eyes there was always a soft friendliness, even when he was looking at the women he so despised, but the fascination was not to be explained by merely external qualities. Apart from his happy exterior and original manner, one must suppose that the touching position of Savka as an acknowledged failure and an unhappy exile from his own hut to the kitchen gardens also had an influence upon the women."

At the end of the story Savka makes it clear how he sees Agafya and other women. He remarks, "The cat knows whose meat it has eaten,...She goes with her tail hanging down ... They are sly as cats, these women, and timid as hares ..." In this way, Savka makes his point about the status of Agafya in his heart as well as other women.