An Honest Thief (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
- First Published: 1848
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: The nineteenth century
- Setting: A Russian town
- Principal Characters: Agrafena, Astafy Ivanovitch, Emelyan Ilyitch
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
- Subjects: Homelessness or homeless people, Nineteenth century, Guilt, Alcoholism or alcoholics, Substance abuse, Honesty, Storytelling, Death or dying, Theft, Loneliness, Soldiers, Russia or Russian people
- Locales: Russia
The Story
An anonymous frame narrator tells how his housekeeper, Agrafena, introduces an old soldier named Astafy Ivanovitch into the household as a lodger. Astafy proves to be an affable companion, breaking the monotony and loneliness of the reclusive narrator's existence by relating incidents from his past life.
One day, a stranger enters the apartment and asks for someone who does not live there. He leaves when told to do so but returns the following day and boldly steals a coat from the front hallway. This event incenses Astafy, who professes disgust with thievery....
[The entire page is 1433 words long]
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