The Schoolmistress

by Anton Chekhov

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"The Schoolmistress" Characters

The main characters in “The Schoolmistress” are Marya Vassilyevna, Hanov, and Semyon.

  • Marya Vassilyevna once lived comfortably in Moscow with her parents and brother but now dwells in poverty, isolation, and hopelessness as a schoolmistress in a small village.
  • Hanov is a wealthy landowner who, though handsome and charming, seems to live a life as dull and lonely as Marya’s and who is rumored to drink heavily.
  • Semyon is an old cart driver who attempts to engage Marya in conversation about local scandals while driving her back to the village.

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Characters

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Marya Vassilyevna

Marya Vassilyevna is a sad, dull-spirited woman whose life lacks any spark of enthusiasm or ambition. She was not always that way. Once, long ago, when her parents were alive and she lived in Moscow, she had a different life, but that is long gone now. Her parents are dead, her brother no longer answers her letters, and Marya is alone in the world. Part of her would like to marry, and she is attracted to Hanov but not interested enough to pursue him. She believes she would have no chance in any case, for he is rich and she is poor, and there is no help for it.

Marya cannot even take comfort in her position as schoolmistress, for it is merely a job, not a vocation. She does not choose to teach school; she accepts the profession out of necessity. She must earn her living somehow, and women have few options. Yet teaching is not at all her calling. She does not care about enlightening her students. She makes no attempt to connect with them or with their parents or to inspire them toward higher learning or a better life. After all, she has no inspiration to share, no sense that there is actually a better life.

Indeed, Marya is focused on merely surviving on twenty-one roubles per month. Her room is small. Her food is poor, and it gives her heartburn every day. Her head aches. She struggles to have enough money for firewood, and the school guardian pockets some of that for his own use. She bows and scrapes before the school board just to keep her position, not daring to complain too much. Marya's thoughts concentrate almost exclusively on school matters and her daily existence. She never recalls interesting books or beautiful art or music. She has almost forgotten her past and family; they have faded like her mother's photograph. She does not even seem to enjoy the concertina music at the tavern, and she completely fails to notice the beauty of the spring day that surrounds her. She has turned in upon herself and is trapped in her own mind, fettered by her near despair, chained by apathy.

Yet there is still a hint of a spark somewhere deep within Marya, and that spark occasionally pushes its way to the surface of the schoolmistress's consciousness. She recognizes her attraction to Hanov, for instance, imagining for a few moments what it might like to be married to him, but she quickly returns her thoughts to the school, longing “to think of beautiful eyes, of love, of the happiness which would never be” but stopping herself from following that path. It would be awful for her, poor as she is, to fall in love. She can predict only heartache.

The spark flares again, much more strongly, at the end of the story when Marya watches the train pass and sees a lady standing on the platform between two carriages. In Marya's eyes, the lady looks exactly like her mother, and the schoolmistress's imagination explodes into vivid pictures of her parents, her brother, and their home in Moscow. She recalls even the smallest details, sights and sounds she has long repressed. Joy fills her, and she is happier than she has been in years. Hanov drives up at that moment, and Marya's imagination extends its power toward him. She smiles and greets him as a friend, and for a moment, her life is different. She is not a schoolmistress caught up in circumstances beyond her control. She has hope, promise, and opportunity. Then, in an...

(This entire section contains 1251 words.)

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instant, the vision vanishes. The spark burns out. Marya is left numb and cold as she enters the village.

Hanov

Hanov is a wealthy landowner who tries to put on a careless, charming air but who, beneath the surface, is as dull and lonely as the story's other characters. As Hanov's four-horse carriage approaches the cart carrying Marya and Semyon, Hanov greets Marya with a pleasant “Good-morning.” Yet his expression does not entirely match his words. He looks listless, and while he is still handsome, his face is showing “signs of wear,” as though he is tired of life and bored with his existence. Local rumor relates that he spends much of his day walking around his large house whistling or playing chess with a servant. People also whisper that he drinks.

Hanov's face suggests that the rumors may be true, yet he assumes a nonchalant manner, laughing as the vehicles struggle and lurch over the rutted road. He soon gets out of his carriage and walks, joking lamely that the road “would soon smash up one's carriage,” implying that if it did, he could merely buy another. Semyon, who is battling the road in earnest, mutters that Hanov should stay home. Hanov complains that he does not like being at home, for he is “dull” there.

These words reveal that Hanov is not as carefree as he seems on the surface. In fact, he is on his way to visit a friend who he knows will most likely not be at home. There is a desperation in his journey, which will probably be useless. Hanov is reaching out for human companionship and failing to find it. Perhaps he is trying to pull himself out of the ever-encroaching dullness and loneliness of his life.

Indeed, when Marya looks at Hanov, she notices that despite his seeming grace and vigor, he is “touched by decay” and weakness, and she thinks that he is “on the road to ruin.” Hanov appears to be slowly losing his battle with despair and with life. He is still able to wish Marya “all things good,” but he does not seem to be finding much good for himself.

Semyon

Semyon the cart driver is an elderly man, slow, steady, solid, and simple. He drives faithfully down the rutted, muddy roads, practically and skillfully guiding the cart and encouraging the tired horse. He grimaces in concentration yet still calls out to Marya to hold on in especially rough patches, showing that on some level, he cares about his passenger.

Semyon can be outspoken at times, and he knows his own mind. He unceremoniously answers Hanov's careless comment by saying, “Nobody obliges you to drive about in such weather. . . . You should stay at home.” Semyon does not mind that Hanov is a rich landowner; he will speak his piece nonetheless. This elderly driver also possesses a sense of propriety and decency. When a man starts swearing at the tavern, Semyon speaks up immediately, reminding the patrons that there is a young lady present. Later, Semyon is positive that he can ford the river even in its flooded state, for he does not care to drive out of his way to reach the bridge. He is right; the horse and cart do cross over safely, but Marya and her purchases are soaked in the process. Semyon, perhaps realizing his mistake, mutters, “Nice mess it is, Lord have mercy upon us!”

Despite his gruff, gossipy manner, Semyon makes an honest attempt to reach out to Marya and engage her in conversation. His choice of topics is not the best, for he speaks first of a government clerk who was arrested for involvement in a plot to kill Moscow's mayor and second of a school building embezzlement scandal. Marya is simply not interested, but at least Semyon tries to expand her world the best way he knows how.

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