Mr. Prohartchin. a Story by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Name: Mr. Prohartchin. a Story
Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky

Semyon Ivanovitch Prohartchin is a frugal, taciturn elderly clerk lodging in the humblest corner of Ustinya Fyodorovna's flat, paying only five roubles a month and remaining her favorite despite the mockery of her dozen other boarders. He eats cheaper food than the standard dinner, refuses to lend his teapot, neglects his linen, and guards an old trunk under his bed as though it held treasure, though everyone assumes it holds only rags. He explains his stinginess by claiming poverty and a sister-in-law in Tver to whom he must send five roubles monthly. When young Zinovy Prokofyevitch jokingly suggests Prohartchin is hoarding money for descendants, Prohartchin reacts with a long, confused tirade, then later corners the tea-drinking lodgers to insist on his poverty. The lodgers, especially the intelligent Mark Ivanovitch, begin amusing themselves by inventing absurd office rumors — about promotions favoring married clerks, dancing lessons, examinations — which Prohartchin, credulous and slow-witted, takes seriously. He grows visibly anxious, starts investigating the truth of rumors, even questioning his superior Demid Vassilyevitch, and eventually so unsettles Demid Vassilyevitch in a corridor that he flees the office and disappears. The lodgers search for him and learn he has been seen wandering with a drunken cadger named Zimoveykin, a former disgraced provincial clerk who had earlier ingratiated himself with the household, been thrown out for misbehavior, and stolen Prohartchin's breeches. Prohartchin is finally brought home by a cabman, unconscious and unable to speak. Put to bed near a mock "sister-in-law" the lodgers had arranged as a prank, he reacts with terror and clutches his trunk. Over the following days Prohartchin lies feverish and delirious, dreaming of a burning house he had once watched with Zimoveykin, a crowd, a woman he had cheated, and threatening figures accusing him. Waking periodically, he quarrels with Mark Ivanovitch and the others, ranting incoherently about his job possibly being abolished, his sister-in-law, poverty, and fears of dismissal or being called "seditious." The lodgers, at first amused, grow alarmed and pity him; Zinovy Prokofyevitch even starts a subscription to help him. Zimoveykin arrives disheveled and tries roughly to rouse him, hinting he knows some secret about him, which frightens Prohartchin further. Mark Ivanovitch mockingly demands whether Prohartchin thinks himself a Napoleon; Prohartchin only weeps and begs for pity. That night the lodgers take turns watching him, but grow bored, quarrel, and fall asleep. Before dawn, Okeanov half-glimpses Zimoveykin waking his companion Remnev and fumbling with the kitchen key. A terrible shriek is heard from behind Prohartchin's screen; the lodgers find Zimoveykin and Remnev fighting, and Prohartchin dead on the floor beneath his bed. Officials arrive, led by Yaroslav Ilyitch, to investigate. Okeanov, previously the quietest lodger, had slipped out to fetch them. On opening Prohartchin's trunk and mattress, they discover it stuffed with a substantial hoard — coins old and new, totaling 2497½ roubles — revealing that his professed poverty and the sister-in-law were fictions. The lodgers and landlady react with astonishment, resentment, and regret, realizing the eccentric, frightened man they mocked had secretly amassed a fortune while starving himself and hiding behind imagined threats. The narrative closes with Prohartchin's corpse laid out, its expression seeming shrewd and unfinished, as though about to speak — imagined by the narrator as questioning what would happen if he were not really dead and got up again.

By Fyodor Dostoevsky · First published 1846 · Genre: Realism, Psychological Fiction, Satire · 15,151 words

First lines

In the darkest and humblest corner of Ustinya Fyodorovna's flat lived Semyon Ivanovitch Prohartchin, a well-meaning elderly man, who did not drink. Since Mr. Prohartchin was of a very humble grade in the service, and received a salary strictly proportionate to his official capacity, Ustinya Fyodorovna could not get more than five roubles a month from him for his lodging. Some people said that she had her own reasons for accepting him as a lodger; but, be that as it may, as though in despite of all his detractors, Mr. Prohartchin actually became her favourite, in an honourable and virtuous sense, of course.

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Mr. Prohartchin. a Story is listed on Textopian as a short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky, dated 1846 CE.

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Work type: Short story
Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Date: 1846 CE
Language: English
Genres: Realism, Psychological Fiction, Satire, Social Commentary
Length: 15,151 words
Structure: 1 section, 140 paragraphs
Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)

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Genres

Realism — The story focuses on the everyday life and struggles of an ordinary man, highlighting realistic social conditions and character development.
Psychological Fiction — The narrative delves into the psychological aspects of the protagonist, exploring his inner thoughts and motivations.
Satire — The story uses humor and irony to critique social norms and the behavior of individuals within society.
Social Commentary — The narrative provides insight into the social issues and class dynamics of the time, reflecting on societal values and structures.