Question

‘Vanka’ by Anton Chekhov

Answer 1

“Vanka” is a deeply moving and tragic story by the Russian author Anton Chekhov, centred on a nine-year-old orphan boy named Vanka Zhukov. The story takes place on Christmas Eve in Moscow, a time when everyone else is celebrating, but Vanka’s life is filled with misery.

Vanka had been sent by his grandfather to work as an apprentice for a shoemaker named Alyakhin. Life as an apprentice is a nightmare; he is starved, beaten, and forced to sleep on the cold floor. On this lonely Christmas night, while his cruel master and the other apprentices are at church, Vanka finds a rare moment of solitude. He takes out a bottle of ink, a pen, and a crumpled piece of paper to write a desperate letter to his grandfather, Konstantin Makarich, who works as a night watchman in a distant village.

In his letter, Vanka pours out his heart. He describes the horrific beatings he suffers, how he is sent to steal a herring for no reason, and how the master pulls his ears for falling asleep while rocking the master’s baby. He describes Moscow as a place of misery and begs his grandfather to come and rescue him. He writes about his memories of the village, the warmth of his grandfather’s presence, and his longing for the simple, kind life he left behind. He promises to do any work his grandfather asks, even if it is just to watch over his horses or clean his boots, as long as he is no longer abused.

As he writes, he recalls the joy of past Christmas Eves in the village with his grandfather, which contrasts sharply with the cold, hunger, and loneliness he feels now. He finishes the letter, wipes his tear-stained face, and in a moment of childlike hope, he carefully addresses the envelope: ‘To Grandfather in the village.’

Vanka rushes to the post office and slips his letter into the mailbox. He walks back to his master’s house feeling a sense of peace, imagining his grandfather reading the letter and coming to save him. The story ends on a heartbreaking note: Vanka falls into a sound sleep, dreaming of his grandfather sitting by the stove reading the letter, while the reality remains that the letter has no proper address and will never reach the man who is supposed to save him. The story is a powerful critique of poverty and the suffering of children, ending with a lingering sadness that stays with the reader long after the final page.