# Ivan Ivanitch — Short Fiction character guide > Ivan Ivanitch in Short Fiction by Anton Chekhov. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Poor Ivan Ivanitch, Ivan Ivanitch Kuzmitchov, Kuzmitchov, Ivan Ivanitch Bragin **First appearance:** 0000-a-living-chattel ## Snapshot A brisk, practical merchant who refuses Moisey Moisevitch's pleas for tea and rest, pressing on toward Varlamov's wagons and the Molokans' farm without a moment to spare. ## Who they are Ivan Ivanitch Kuzmitchov travels with Father Christopher and young Yegorushka, asking after Varlamov's wagons and calculating each stop against the day's schedule. When Moisey Moisevitch begs him to stay for tea, flinging up his hands and crying out in horror, Kuzmitchov relents only briefly, then insists they must push on to the Molokans'. His impatience with hospitality and his eye for the road mark him as a man of business in a story full of wandering and waiting. He is the steady, unsentimental center of the journey. ## Relationships ### [Dr. Andrey Yefimitch Ragin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/characters/dr_andrey_yefimitch_ragin) _friendship_ Dr. Ragin and Ivan Ivanitch are close companions, often engaging in philosophical discussions. ### [Yegorushka](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/characters/yegorushka) _family_ Ivan Ivanitch and Yegorushka are uncle and nephew, with Ivan acting as a mentor or guardian. ### [Dr. Andrey Yefimitch Ragin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/characters/dr_andrey_yefimitch_ragin) _friendship_ Dr. Ragin and Ivan Ivanitch are close companions, often engaging in philosophical discussions. ### [Dr. Andrey Yefimitch Ragin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/characters/dr_andrey_yefimitch_ragin) _friendship_ Dr. Ragin and Ivan Ivanitch are close companions, often engaging in philosophical discussions. ### [Yegorushka](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/characters/yegorushka) _family_ Ivan Ivanitch and Yegorushka are uncle and nephew, with Ivan acting as a mentor or guardian. ### [Yegorushka](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/characters/yegorushka) _family_ Ivan Ivanitch and Yegorushka are uncle and nephew, with Ivan acting as a mentor or guardian. ## In the story ### [The Orator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/the-orator) Poplavsky, the colleague who fetches Zapoikin for the funeral. ### [Verotchka](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/verotchka) Ivan Alexeyitch Ognev, the statistician who cannot return Vera's love and struggles with his own emotional coldness. ### [A Problem](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/a-problem) The kind-hearted maternal uncle who pleads for leniency, invoking compassion, family honor, and even Lombroso's theories. ### [IV: Marvels on a Hurdle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/iv-marvels-on-a-hurdle) The gander who performs tricks such as bowing, playing dead, ringing a bell, and firing a pistol. ### [V: Talent! Talent!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/v-talent-talent) The gander who wakes first and talks unintelligibly, now seen as a tiresome chatterbox by Kashtanka. ### [VI: An Uneasy Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/vi-an-uneasy-night) The gander who screams in the night and dies from an injury sustained earlier. ### [The Steppe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/the-steppe) Yegorushka's uncle, accompanying him on the journey. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/i) Merchant of N, Yegorushka's uncle; businesslike and reserved, he debates the value of education with Father Christopher and shows little sympathy for his nephew's tears. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/ii) Sleeps with a businesslike expression, dreaming of wool and prices, fanatically devoted to his work. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/iii) Counts money for business, discusses wool trade with Father Christopher, and prepares to leave. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/iv) Rides in the chaise and later calls out to the wagoners, asking about Varlamov. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/iv) Discusses the countess and Varlamov with Father Christopher. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/viii) Ivan Ivanitch arranges Yegorushka's boarding and expresses frustration at the burden of responsibility, but he is committed to helping his nephew. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/i) The narrator's grandfather, an old man of seventy. ### [The Teacher of Literature](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/the-teacher-of-literature) Ivan Ivanitch appears as a friend or colleague, offering perspective on the teacher's situation. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/i) Suggested by Marya Gerasimovna as a reliable person to help with the peasant crisis; the narrator decides to invite him. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/ii) An old, corpulent, and listless former acquaintance who offers fatalistic advice and dismisses the narrator's concerns about the famine. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/iii) Visits the house, drinks tea, and mutters; the narrator's wife listens to him with a docile expression. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/vi) Hosts the narrator and Dr. Sobol; shows off his home and furniture; admits he does not respect the narrator despite being fond of him. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/vii) Accompanies the narrator and Sobol to the steps, part of the farewell party. ### [An Artist's Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/an-artist-s-story) A friend or acquaintance who engages in conversations about art and society. ### [My Life: The Story of a Provincial](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/my-life) A minor character embodying the provincial mindset and resistance to change. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/iv) Not present in this chapter. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/xvi) The narrator (Misail) reflects on his own feelings of inadequacy and his role as a mere 'sledge-driver' in Masha's life. ### [The Man in a Case](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/the-man-in-a-case) The narrator who recounts Byelikov's story and comments on the absurdity of the matchmaking. ### [Gooseberries](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/gooseberries) The veterinary surgeon who tells the story of his brother Nikolay and reflects on the meaning of life. ### [At Christmas Time](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/at-christmas-time) Mentioned in connection with Yegorushka, contributing to the theme of reunion or loss. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/characters/ivan_ivanitch - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/characters