# Old Sergei — The Faraway Bride character guide

> Old Sergei in The Faraway Bride by Stella Benson.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Sergei, Old, Poor Old Sergei, The Faraway Bride

**First appearance:** 0002-the-faraway-bride

## Snapshot

A blind old man who sits just inside the window to keep his impatient wife pinned on the porch, and loses the furniture when his son's voice returns.

## Who they are

Nineteen years of marriage have taught Old Sergei that humiliation is better than silence, and that Anna's petulant departures are a kind of company. He spreads small snares for a kind word and never catches one; still, wherever she sews, he sits near. When Seryozha's far-off shout of 'Mamma!' reaches him, his homely room becomes a quivering jungle, the dresser an anonymous obstacle, and the door a squat pillar of light he must grope toward.

## Relationships

### [Anna Semionovna](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/anna_semionovna)

_family_

Anna Semionovna and Old Sergei share a close familial bond, likely as mother and son or close relatives, given their high interaction frequency.

### [Seryozha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/seryozha)

_family_

Old Sergei and Seryozha are probably father and son or grandfather and grandson, with a warm and frequent connection.

### [Wilfred Chew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/wilfred_chew)

_friendship_

Old Sergei and Wilfred Chew are friends or allies, with a bond that bridges generations.

### [Pavel Ostapenko](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/pavel_ostapenko)

_rivalry_

Old Sergei and Pavel Ostapenko are rivals or antagonists, with tension stemming from family or personal conflicts.

### [Anna Semionovna](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/anna_semionovna)

_family_

Anna Semionovna and Old Sergei share a close familial bond, likely as mother and son or close relatives, given their high interaction frequency.

### [Pavel Ostapenko](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/pavel_ostapenko)

_rivalry_

Old Sergei and Pavel Ostapenko are rivals or antagonists, with tension stemming from family or personal conflicts.

### [Seryozha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/seryozha)

_family_

Old Sergei and Seryozha are probably father and son or grandfather and grandson, with a warm and frequent connection.

### [Seryozha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/seryozha)

_family_

Old Sergei and Seryozha are probably father and son or grandfather and grandson, with a warm and frequent connection.

### [Anna Semionovna](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/anna_semionovna)

_family_

Anna Semionovna and Old Sergei share a close familial bond, likely as mother and son or close relatives, given their high interaction frequency.

### [Wilfred Chew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/wilfred_chew)

_friendship_

Old Sergei and Wilfred Chew are friends or allies, with a bond that bridges generations.

### [Wilfred Chew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/wilfred_chew)

_friendship_

Old Sergei and Wilfred Chew are friends or allies, with a bond that bridges generations.

### [Pavel Ostapenko](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/pavel_ostapenko)

_rivalry_

Old Sergei and Pavel Ostapenko are rivals or antagonists, with tension stemming from family or personal conflicts.

## In the story

### [Author's Note](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/chapters/author-s-note)

Mentioned as the patriarchal figure analogous to Tobit, whose biased perspective the author deliberately discounts.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/chapters/i)

Walks ahead, speaks through his neck, is a 'homemade old man' made by Anna, argues with Seryozha about the dead, cries and prays, chases the Chinese soldiers.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/chapters/iii)

Old Sergei attempts to impart dying advice to his son, emphasizing loyalty, purity, and reputation, but feels impotent as his words are ignored or contradicted by his family.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/chapters/v)

Manipulative and sanctimonious; uses guilt and feigned selflessness to push for the journey, invoking God and poverty.

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

Referenced as Seryozha's father who warned him against visiting the Ostapenkos and called Tatiana a possible child of a bad man.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/chapters/ix)

Mysteriously 'sees' the silver cross on Alexander's body; is left in the street by Anna and cries for help; insists he is blind.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/chapters/xiv)

Sits near Anna, feeling safe despite her impatience, and becomes confused and disoriented when Seryozha returns.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters/old_sergei
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_faraway_bride_se/characters