Short Fiction · Character

Makar

A miller whose cunning scheme to keep two wives and a workman's labor in one household detonates in Galya's garden with pitchforks and curses.

major

First appearance: short fiction

As a major figure in Short Fiction, Makar is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The narrator's comrade who has left, leaving the narrator alone in the yurt.

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Makar has climbed from workman to miller, and the promotion has gone straight to his head: he proposes that Galya marry his hired hand Gavrilo while he himself weds Motria, so that nothing in his old life need be surrendered. Galya answers this arithmetic with a scream for the pitchfork, and he retreats over the hedge vowing to seize her hut for debt. His scheming sets the story's quarrel in motion and reveals how quickly a man's rise can curdle into greed.

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Character Web

14 connections

A slice of how Makar sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Professional
Other

Character groups

Central family and authority
Village community figures
Mysterious and noble figures

+9 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where the narrator’s…

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Relationships

The Toyon
professional · ambivalent
Makar is a worker or subordinate to The Toyon, a local chief or landowner. How this plays out →
The Count
professional · ambivalent
Aliosha
friendship · positive
The Toyon
professional · ambivalent
Makar is a worker or subordinate to The Toyon, a local chief or landowner. How this plays out →
The Count
professional · ambivalent
The Toyon
professional · ambivalent
Makar is a worker or subordinate to The Toyon, a local chief or landowner. How this plays out →
The Count
professional · ambivalent

The Toyon
Makar is a worker or subordinate to The Toyon, a local chief or landowner.
The Count
Makar interacts frequently with The Count, likely as a servant or laborer on the estate.
Aliosha
Aliosha and Makar are friends or fellow travelers, sharing adventures or hardships.
The Toyon
Makar is a worker or subordinate to The Toyon, a local chief or landowner.
The Count
Makar interacts frequently with The Count, likely as a servant or laborer on the estate.
The Toyon
Makar is a worker or subordinate to The Toyon, a local chief or landowner.
The Count
Makar interacts frequently with The Count, likely as a servant or laborer on the estate.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

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In the story

Makar appears across 12 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

A Saghálinian
The narrator's comrade who has left, leaving the narrator alone in the yurt.
VI
Falls on Vasíli and the soldier during the fight.
VII
Narrator and leader of the escape group; makes decisions and interacts with Samárof.
Sketches of a Siberian Tourist
Mentioned as a fellow traveler or local figure encountered during the journey.
IX
The narrator; encounters Urmánov and his wife, goes fishing with Evelyn, feels awkward and clumsy.
X
The narrator, who walks arm-in-arm with a woman for the first time, daydreams about a girl from the Volga, and later witnesses Urmánov's outburst.
The Last Ray
Present in the chapter, engaged in quiet reflection as the last ray of sunlight fades.
I
The old man teaching the boy to read; described as having a pale face, gray beard, and a goiter; patient and affectionate with the boy.
Makar's Dream
The protagonist, a poor Russian peasant who dies and dreams of the afterlife. He defends his life before the Toyon and experiences a crisis of despair and self-pity.
Makar's Dream
Makar's wife, a sturdy and sinewy woman who sees through his plans to drink alone on Christmas Eve.
In Bad Company
One of the boys in the group, participating in their activities.
On the Volga
Present along the Volga, engaged in the setting.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Makar unlock in the free preview.

See Makar in short fiction

See Makar in A Saghálinian