Hilarious. Dostoevsky never gave me a chance to bring back the severe expression which is generally used here for the public etiquette. I kept guffawing inside and covered it with suppressed smiles just to keep those manners.
This is the story of an young General (higher official in some department) who brags about the humanness to his old friends/colleagues (Please mind that, here the adjective is by the age :P). He defines 'humanness' as one's well behaviour with his subordinates and servants. His friends who had been once young and boiled their blood in the same way for social problems will just laugh at him saying that one cannot keep the humanness. But our hero is not to give in so easily and sets out to show them with an example by attending his servant's (whose salary is only 10 roubles) wedding uninvited. He thinks of complimenting the couple and then having a cup of drink only after the pressing requests to do so and then to talk about the present problems of Russia and to leave after that immediately. He expects that they would feel gratified by his presence and pass on the information that such and such General had come for his wedding to his grandchildren.
Unfortunately in the present case, nothing of the sort happens. The servant gets bewildered on seeing His Excellency. Though the servant is obedient, the General faces difficulty in finding the trace of life in his eyes. The General keeps feeling that nobody there likes him and are laughing at him for some reason. Many times, he feels an urge to take leave but doesn't for he thinks that is improper. He is offered two bottles of vodka and then wedding dinner with much pressing by the groom's mother. But somehow, he offends a man, who happens to be a contributor to 'The Brand', a magazine. Later, the contributor to The Brand insults the General calling him 'Retrograde' for the umbrage he took. At this point, the General bursts out and almost comes to crying. He jumps off from his seat and sets out to leave. But he drops on the floor by the first step and falls asleep.
Now Dostoevsky completely changes his view of things from the General to the servant. The servant is a poor wretch and is often laughed at by his colleagues to have bath at least once in a month. On a fine day, a retired officer calls him, to offer his daughter with a dowry of 400 roubles and a wooden house for the good his father had done him when he was alive. His would be father-in-law also tells him that his daughter has seven devils in her and it is his responsibility to beat her and drive them away. Though he knows that he can neither handle a father-in-law like him nor a wife who has devils in her, he accepts the marriage for the 400 roubles, he is badly in need of.
When he is counting kopecks for the wedding expenses, here is His Excellency like a bolt. He already spent for those two bottles of fine vodka, His Excellency drank. Now the General is on the floor sleeping like a baby. The Servant gives up his bridal bed to His Excellency even after many reproaches from his bride and her mother. The groom's mother nurses the General like her own son till the next morning as he suffers from diarrhea. When he wakes up in the morning and recollects all that happened, he flushes himself out with shame. He finally agrees with his old friends (again 'old' is by the age) that one cannot keep the humanness.
This is for everybody with a variance in levels. Specially, rachhabanda daggara rechhi poyi rachha chese valla kosam. ;)
Good News: Himalaya Book Centre has finally got Dostoevsky on the shelves, unfortunately all I read.
Bad News: Today is 1st of July. Chichikov is singing.. "June pote... July gaali.."
This is the story of an young General (higher official in some department) who brags about the humanness to his old friends/colleagues (Please mind that, here the adjective is by the age :P). He defines 'humanness' as one's well behaviour with his subordinates and servants. His friends who had been once young and boiled their blood in the same way for social problems will just laugh at him saying that one cannot keep the humanness. But our hero is not to give in so easily and sets out to show them with an example by attending his servant's (whose salary is only 10 roubles) wedding uninvited. He thinks of complimenting the couple and then having a cup of drink only after the pressing requests to do so and then to talk about the present problems of Russia and to leave after that immediately. He expects that they would feel gratified by his presence and pass on the information that such and such General had come for his wedding to his grandchildren.
Unfortunately in the present case, nothing of the sort happens. The servant gets bewildered on seeing His Excellency. Though the servant is obedient, the General faces difficulty in finding the trace of life in his eyes. The General keeps feeling that nobody there likes him and are laughing at him for some reason. Many times, he feels an urge to take leave but doesn't for he thinks that is improper. He is offered two bottles of vodka and then wedding dinner with much pressing by the groom's mother. But somehow, he offends a man, who happens to be a contributor to 'The Brand', a magazine. Later, the contributor to The Brand insults the General calling him 'Retrograde' for the umbrage he took. At this point, the General bursts out and almost comes to crying. He jumps off from his seat and sets out to leave. But he drops on the floor by the first step and falls asleep.
Now Dostoevsky completely changes his view of things from the General to the servant. The servant is a poor wretch and is often laughed at by his colleagues to have bath at least once in a month. On a fine day, a retired officer calls him, to offer his daughter with a dowry of 400 roubles and a wooden house for the good his father had done him when he was alive. His would be father-in-law also tells him that his daughter has seven devils in her and it is his responsibility to beat her and drive them away. Though he knows that he can neither handle a father-in-law like him nor a wife who has devils in her, he accepts the marriage for the 400 roubles, he is badly in need of.
When he is counting kopecks for the wedding expenses, here is His Excellency like a bolt. He already spent for those two bottles of fine vodka, His Excellency drank. Now the General is on the floor sleeping like a baby. The Servant gives up his bridal bed to His Excellency even after many reproaches from his bride and her mother. The groom's mother nurses the General like her own son till the next morning as he suffers from diarrhea. When he wakes up in the morning and recollects all that happened, he flushes himself out with shame. He finally agrees with his old friends (again 'old' is by the age) that one cannot keep the humanness.
This is for everybody with a variance in levels. Specially, rachhabanda daggara rechhi poyi rachha chese valla kosam. ;)
Good News: Himalaya Book Centre has finally got Dostoevsky on the shelves, unfortunately all I read.
Bad News: Today is 1st of July. Chichikov is singing.. "June pote... July gaali.."
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