# Kashtanka — Short Fiction character guide

> Kashtanka in Short Fiction by Anton Chekhov.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Old Kashtanka

**First appearance:** 0000-a-living-chattel

## Snapshot

A small dog with a foxlike face whose world is upended when she wanders from her drunken master into the hands of a kind stranger.

## Who they are

Kashtanka belongs first to Luka, a capering carpenter who feeds her scraps and drags her through muddy streets. When she is lost, a gentle circus performer named Mr. Georges takes her in, and she must weigh canine loyalty against a new life of warm beds and strange tricks. Her divided heart drives the story's central question of where a creature truly belongs.

## In the story

### [Misery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/misery)

Iona's horse, the only creature that listens to his tale of sorrow.

### [Vanka](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/vanka)

One of the dogs that follows Vanka's grandfather during his night watch, sneezes when offered snuff.

### [Kashtanka](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/kashtanka)

The protagonist dog who gets lost, adopted by a circus trainer, and ultimately returns to her original owners.

### [I: Misbehaviour](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/i-misbehaviour)

The young mongrel dog, lost and distressed after her master disappears.

### [II: A Mysterious Stranger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/ii-a-mysterious-stranger)

The lost dog, hungry and cold, is rescued by a stranger and experiences a mix of relief and melancholy as she remembers her former life.

### [III: New and Very Agreeable Acquaintances](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/iii-new-and-very-agreeable-acquaintances)

Wakes up in the stranger's room, explores, meets the cat and gander, and is renamed 'Auntie'.

### [IV: Marvels on a Hurdle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/iv-marvels-on-a-hurdle)

Observes the training session with delight, barking and running around.

### [V: Talent! Talent!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/v-talent-talent)

Now called Auntie, she has grown sleek and well-groomed, learns tricks eagerly, and feels melancholy in the evenings.

### [VI: An Uneasy Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/vi-an-uneasy-night)

Auntie, the dog, is the central perspective; she experiences fear, unease, and grief over the gander's death.

### [VII: An Unsuccessful Debut](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/vii-an-unsuccessful-debut)

Auntie, the dog, is taken to the circus for her debut, but she recognizes her former owners and leaves the master to follow them.

### [Whitebrow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/whitebrow)

The she-wolf is the central character, depicted as old, hungry, and nervous, struggling to hunt and care for her cubs.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/iv)

Not present in this chapter.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/chapters/vi)

The old cook (General Zhukov's cook) visits and tells stories about old gentry dishes.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/characters/old_kashtanka
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_5_se/characters