Lessons 37–38 · 2 lessons · G. T. Gasilova, Yu. Yu. Musurmanova. Russian Language, Grade 6 (for schools with Uzbek and other languages of instruction). 2nd revised edition. “O‘zbekiston milliy ensiklopediyasi”, Tashkent, 2017
38
A. P. Chekhov. “Ванька” (Vanka)
Textbook, pp. 139–141
GoalUnderstand A. P. Chekhov’s story «Ванька» and explain the character of Vanka and the meaning of his letter.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904) was a great Russian writer and playwright. In «Ванька» (1886) nine-year-old Vanka Zhukov is an apprentice to the shoemaker Alyakhin in Moscow. On Christmas Eve, when everyone has gone to church, he spends the night writing a letter to his grandfather. In it Vanka says he lives badly: there is no food, he is beaten, and he cannot sleep because he must rock the baby. He begs his grandfather to take him back to the village. Vanka remembers happy village days, his grandfather and the dog Eel (Вьюн). The tragedy of the story: the boy writes on the envelope «На деревню дедушке» (To grandfather in the village), without a real address, so the letter will never reach its reader. Still, he falls asleep with a sweet dream. Through these contrasts (village happiness — city hardship; hope — nothing) Chekhov shows the boy’s loneliness and social injustice.
Worked examples
«Письмо» (summary in my own words). «Мальчик Ваня жил в городе у сапожника. Ночью он тайком написал письмо дедушке и пожаловался на тяжёлую жизнь. Он вспомнил деревню, ёлку и добрый дом. Но на конверте вместо адреса Ваня написал только «На деревню дедушке». Письмо бросил в ящик и уснул счастливым, не зная, что оно не дойдёт.» (Little Vanya lived in the city with a shoemaker. At night he secretly wrote a letter to his grandfather and complained about his hard life. He remembered the village, the Christmas tree and a kind home. But on the envelope instead of an address Vanya wrote only «На деревню дедушке». He dropped the letter into the box and fell asleep happy, not knowing it would never arrive.)
Vocabulary: «сапожник» (shoemaker), «ученье» (apprenticeship), «сирота» (orphan), «конверт» (envelope). Remember: «на деревню дедушке» is not a real address.
Class activity
“A letter to Vanka”. Pupils write a reply (3–4 sentences): «Дорогой Ваня! …» Then the class discusses why the real letter will not arrive.
Practice
1
How old is Vanka and where does he work?
Ему девять лет; он ученик сапожника в Москве.
2
To whom does Vanka write and what does he ask?
Дедушке Константину Макарычу; просит забрать его в деревню.
3
Why can’t «На деревню дедушке» serve as an address?
It has no village name, street or full name.
4
Why does the story end sadly? What does the author want to say?
The boy believes the letter will arrive but it will not: Chekhov draws attention to children’s loneliness and injustice.