Schoolmistress | Anton Chekhov | Summary | Neb English Support Class 12

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Schoolmistress | Anton Chekhov | Summary | Neb English Support Class 12

Schoolmistress

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Schoolmistress by Anton Chekhov 

The Carriage Ride

At 8:30, Marya Vassilyevna, a schoolmistress in s rural Russia, rides a carriage home from town with her salary. It's April, and even though spring is pretty, Marya isn't affected by the weather. She just wants her trip to end quickly. Teaching for 13 years has been dull and tough for her, but she can't picture a different life.

Marya hardly recalls her earlier life in Moscow with her family; she became an orphan around age 10. She used to write to her brother, who was a soldier. The only thing she has left from her past is a photo of her mother, so old that only the hair and eyebrows are visible.

Marya's driver, Semyon, shares that a government clerk got arrested for the mayor's assassination in Moscow, which he heard from someone reading the paper in a tavern. They sit quietly, and Marya thinks about the exam she's sending four boys and a girl to take. Suddenly, another carriage arrives with Hanov, a local landowner who conducted the exam last year and whom Marya finds attractive. He greets her.

Hanov

Hanov is a 40-year-old, unmarried man who drinks a lot. Despite being good-looking and liked by women, he's starting to look older. Marya Vassilyevna remembers when Hanov gave exams; he smelled strongly of alcohol, forgot the questions, didn't know any prayers, but was polite and gave high grades to everyone. She felt shy sitting next to him because she found him so attractive.

Hanov says that he's going to visit Bakvist, but he's been told Bakvist isn't at home. He guides the carriages on a tough, muddy road to the countryside. Hanov drives a bit crazy, and his horses seem tired. Meanwhile, Marya thinks about her problems as a teacher. She's unsure about the math questions on the exam and can't find anyone on the Zemstvo board. She thinks the board is "unbusinesslike." 

She has been telling the zemstvo for years to change her watchman. He's mean to her, hits the students, and doesn't do his job. Even if she finds the president, he can't help. The school inspector got his job because of favouritism and doesn't do his duties. The school council meets rarely and in secret. The school guardian can't read and supports the watchman. She has no one to ask for help to make things better.

Marya stops daydreaming to admire Hanov, who finds humour in the bad road. She wonders why he lives in the countryside instead of in a nicer place like Petersburg or Europe. He doesn't grasp the challenges of the lower classes on his land or the exam questions. Instead of fixing the road, he laughs about it. He wrongly sees himself as a helpful person in popular education, though he hasn't contributed much to the school except a set of globes.

The road is steep and in bad shape, and Hanov says it could wreck a carriage. Semyon abuses him, saying he should stay home in this weather. Hanov replies that he feels bored at home. Marya notices that he looks lively but is close to falling apart. She imagines being his wife or sister, taking care of him, and preventing his downfall. However, she knows it's unrealistic; thinking of him as an equal is absurd. She reflects on how complex human relationships are and finds it unfair that charming people can be worthless.

Hanov leaves the road and waves, saying goodbye and wishing Marya Vassilyevna and Semyon all the best.

Marya Vassilyevna thinks it's absurd to imagine being Hanov's wife. She lives in a cold and miserable way, always uncomfortable and dependent on the school guardian for warmth. Her difficult life has made her unattractive, rough, and shy. Even if she was in love, she wouldn't have the power to do anything about it because of her situation. She's not passionate about teaching; her focus is just on passing exams practically. People with passion or ambition leave the profession, leaving only steady, but less enthusiastic, teachers like Marya Vassilyevna.

Nizhneye Gorodistche

Marya Vassilyevna daydreams about a life as a schoolmistress filled with beauty, love, and happiness, but she realises it can never happen. She reflects on her ordinary daily life, feeling that the routine events have made her look old, rough, and unattractive. She finds the idea of falling in love again to be absurd.

Marya admits that she took her job because she had to, and she doesn't have any passion for her work besides focusing on exams. When you're not paid well, there's no time to think about a calling or serving the cause of enlightenment.

Semyon tries to find a dry and simple path, but he faces challenges from angry peasants, land owned by priests, and a ditch dug by tavern owner Ivan Ionov around his recent purchase. Finally, they reach the fictional village of Nizhneye Gorodistche and pause at a busy tavern where Marya has tea.

The peasants in the tavern are loud and drunk. Semyon scolds them for using bad words in front of Marya. The peasants then insult Marya, considering she's neither young nor a lady. But a small man at another table recognises her as the schoolmistress from Vyazovye and says she's a decent person. Some people even shake her hand as they leave.

As they walk away from the tavern, Semyon talks about his old plan to build a school in Nizhneye Gorodistche. He claims that the president, the guardian, and the teacher took two and a half thousand rubles, and nothing was built. Marya disagrees, saying it's slander because a whole school only costs a thousand. Semyon doesn't believe in her words.

The peasants think Marya is corrupt too. They point to her 21-ruble monthly salary and believe she keeps a lot of the money she collects for school firewood for herself. Even the guardian thinks the same, even though he's making money from the firewood and unfairly collecting extra fees from the villagers.

Vyazovye

They come out of the forest, and Vyazovye's rail station is seen. Semyon decides to cross a river instead of taking the longer route around to the bridge. Marya objects to his words, but Semyon says they won't be too deep. In summer, the river dries up, but in spring, it can flood. Seeing tracks that have signs of previous crossings, Semyon drives through. They manage to cross, but the water is deep, soaking them as well as Marya's sugar and flour. Stuck in the mud, they both get out to help the horses. Semyon blames Zemstvo for the situation.

As the train goes by, Marya Vassilyevna sees a woman on the platform who looks similar to her mother. Seeing this lady on the platform brings back her memories of a better life very clearly. Marya shouts for that woman, saying "Mother," and starts crying without knowing why. Hanov arrives there, and she imagines being able to greet him as an equal in a world where her parents hadn't died, as if the last 13 years were just a bad dream. But then she returns to the cold reality. Hanov provides her with a ride into town, and the train's signalman tells the passengers that they've reached the village.

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