# Peter — Short Fiction character guide

> Peter in Short Fiction by Nikolai Gogol.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** whither Peter, Peter Feodorovitch

**First appearance:** 0002-st-john-s-eve

## Snapshot

An orphan labourer with a coat full of holes and a heart full of Pidorka, he is exactly the kind of man a demon knows how to tempt.

## Who they are

Peter the Orphan works for the Cossack Korzh, mocked for his grey gaberdine yet admired for what he might become in a red sash and a lambskin cap. His love for Korzh's daughter Pidorka is tender and reckless, and one stolen kiss brings the whip down on his back. When Basavriuk offers him gold, Peter's poverty and passion collide, making him the story's central wager between love and damnation.

## Relationships

### [Basavriuk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_40_se/characters/basavriuk)

_psychological_

Basavriuk is a demonic figure who manipulates and ultimately destroys the innocent Peter through a pact.

### [Ivan Ivanovitch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_40_se/characters/ivan_ivanovitch)

_friendship_

Ivan Ivanovitch and Peter are friends and fellow townsmen, sharing in local social life and conflicts.

### [Ivan Ivanovitch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_40_se/characters/ivan_ivanovitch)

_friendship_

Ivan Ivanovitch and Peter are friends and fellow townsmen, sharing in local social life and conflicts.

### [Basavriuk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_40_se/characters/basavriuk)

_psychological_

Basavriuk is a demonic figure who manipulates and ultimately destroys the innocent Peter through a pact.

## In the story

### [St. John's Eve](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_40_se/chapters/st-john-s-eve)

A young Cossack deeply in love with Pidorka; he becomes despondent when her father arranges her marriage to a Pole, and ultimately makes a pact with Basavriuk for gold.

### [V: In Which Are Detailed the Deliberations of Two Important Personages of Mirgorod](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_40_se/chapters/v-in-which-are-detailed-the-deliberations-of-two-important-personages-of-mirgorod)

The chief of police who confronts Ivan Ivanovitch about the sow and tries to mediate peace between the two Ivans.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_40_se/characters/peter
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_40_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_40_se/characters