# Pokrovski — Poor Folk character guide

> Pokrovski in Poor Folk by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Pokrovski, this Pokrovski, the younger Pokrovski, young Pokrovski, the elder Pokrovski

**First appearance:** 0001-april-8th-my-beloved-makar-alexievitch

## Snapshot

A poor, irritable young tutor with a room full of rare books and a constitution too frail for the university, who becomes the tender center of Barbara's girlhood.

## Who they are

Pokrovski boards in the same house as Barbara, teaching French and German to a rude girl named Sasha while his own health and hopes quietly fail. He is excitable, awkward, and absurdly proud of his books, and Barbara's early cruelty to him turns to remorse, then to something deeper and more painful. He matters because he is Barbara's first experience of intellectual longing and romantic grief, a memory that shadows her present and explains the melancholy she carries into every letter.

## Relationships

### [Monsieur Bykov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poor_folk_se/characters/monsieur_bykov)

_rivalry_

Bykov and Pokrovski are antagonists, likely competing for influence or affection, with Bykov viewing Pokrovski as an obstacle.

### [Anna Thedorovna](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poor_folk_se/characters/anna_thedorovna)

_psychological_

Anna Thedorovna exerts manipulative control over Pokrovski, exploiting his vulnerable position for her own gain.

### [Sasha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poor_folk_se/characters/sasha)

_friendship_

Pokrovski and Sasha are close companions, possibly sharing intellectual interests or mutual support in their difficult lives.

## In the story

### [June 1st: My Beloved Makar Alexievitch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poor_folk_se/chapters/june-1st-my-beloved-makar-alexievitch)

Mentioned as a figure from Barbara's past life recorded in the manuscript.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poor_folk_se/chapters/ii)

The younger Pokrovski; dies of consumption in mid-autumn; Barbara nurses him during his final illness.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poor_folk_se/characters/pokrovski
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poor_folk_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poor_folk_se/characters