Granny Sasha

Nadya Zelenin

Granny Sasha and Nadya Zelenin are grandmother and granddaughter, with a loving and nurturing bond.

Nadya Zelenin

Granny Sasha and Nadya Zelenin are grandmother and granddaughter, with a loving and nurturing bond.

Nadya Zelenin

Granny Sasha and Nadya Zelenin are grandmother and granddaughter, with a loving and nurturing bond.

Love

The narrator's fiancée, a nineteen-year-old girl who is more interested in the romantic mystery and material details of their relationship than in the narrator's deeper plans and projects.

On the Road

Liharev's young daughter, who sleeps on a fox-skin coat and is briefly woken by the midnight chimes.

Shrove Tuesday

Referred to as Granny Markovna, the midwife who helped deliver Styopa; she partakes in the tea and jam, and asks forgiveness.

Zinotchka

The narrator's mother, a stern and virtuous lady who handles Zinotchka's departure diplomatically to avoid scandal.

III

Mentioned as Aglaia, Yakov's sister, who follows his example in not attending church and is rumored to be a secret Flagellant.

VI

Dashutka, the young girl who helps carry the body and is later arrested and sentenced to six years.

I

Nina Fyodorovna's eldest daughter, sits with her mother and reads aloud.

VIII

Sasha is the daughter of Nina Fyodorovna and Panaurov; she runs to fetch her father as her mother dies.

IV

Not present in this chapter.

III

The domineering old woman of the household; constantly grumbling, scolding, and guarding the garden and chickens.

IV

The harsh, toothless, hunchbacked grandmother who beats Sasha and Motka with a switch for letting geese into the kitchen-garden, and is imagined by the children as destined for hell.

IV

The young girl who tells Motka about God, angels, and hell, and is beaten by Granny for neglecting her watch over the geese.

V

Sasha is Olga's daughter, present at the fire and given a twenty-kopeck piece by the student.

VI

Granny tells stories of the past, remembers her mistress and the unhappy marriages of her daughters, and scolds Fyokla.

VII

Protests violently when the samovar is seized, beating her breast and shouting for neighbors to take her part.

Chapter VIII

Granny is superstitious about health, frequently visiting doctors and seeking cures; she brings a converted Jew to treat Nikolay with cupping.

IX

Sasha accompanies Olga on the journey, begging for alms alongside her.

III

Referred to as Auntie Dasha; uses Vera's inheritance for bank interest, dismisses the illegitimate laborer.

The Bishop

The bishop's mother, who visits him and represents his humble origins and familial ties.

II

The bishop's mother, who visits with her granddaughter Katya; she is formal and respectful, feeling more like a deacon's widow than his mother.

Chapter IV

The bishop's old mother, who is timid and respectful with him but later mourns him as a son.

Betrothed

Nadya's grandmother, who represents traditional values and the societal expectations placed on Nadya.

I

The grandmother, Marfa Mihalovna, a stout, plain old lady who is the most important person in the house, owns shops and the house, and prays against ruin.

II

Nadya's grandmother, who goes to lie down after dinner and is the subject of Sasha's teasing.

III

Sasha is bored and disgusted with the town, decides to return to Moscow early, but is persuaded to stay until July 1st.

III

Granny tries to persuade Sasha to stay for the wedding, speaking in a whisper, and is busy with the trousseau preparations.

IV

Sasha is the catalyst for Nadya's decision, encouraging her to turn her life upside down and offering practical help for her departure.

V

Bids Nadya and Sasha farewell from the steps, urging them to write from Moscow.

Chapter VI

Aged and tearful, she prays and mourns Sasha's death.