# Nastasya Petrovna — The Village character guide

> Nastasya Petrovna in The Village by Ivan Bunin.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Petrovna

**First appearance:** 0001-the-village

## Snapshot

A young widow known as the Bride, silent and nun-like in her grief, whose modesty becomes the raw material of village gossip.

## Who they are

Nastasya Petrovna works in Tikhon Ilitch's household after autumn brought her disgrace and Rodka's death, her mother gone begging and the cottage locked. Taciturn and shy, she sleeps behind a partition near Kuzma, whose paternal tenderness toward her is twisted by Tikhon's coarse, suspicious insinuations. Her crushed dignity and the rumors that trail her expose how little the village cares for another's woe, and how readily innocence is read as guilt.

## Relationships

### [Tikhon Ilitch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/tikhon_ilitch)

_family_

Nastasya Petrovna is Tikhon's wife, and their marriage is cold, distant, and marked by neglect.

### [Tikhon Ilitch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/tikhon_ilitch)

_family_

Nastasya Petrovna is Tikhon's wife, and their marriage is cold, distant, and marked by neglect.

### [Tikhon Ilitch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/tikhon_ilitch)

_family_

Nastasya Petrovna is Tikhon's wife, and their marriage is cold, distant, and marked by neglect.

## In the story

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-ii)

Tikhon's wife, who waddles due to frequent pregnancies, supports his harsh treatment of peasants and manages the dram-shop.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-iii)

Secretly prays and weeps, consults an oracle, and asks to be taken to a holy man; her desperation is palpable.

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-xiii)

Mimics Tikhon's manner while serving Yakoff, and echoes the question about the Bride poisoning Rodka.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-xiv)

Her presence irritates Tikhon, and she leaves for a visit to town.

### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-xvi)

Her wedding-casket is mentioned as being in Tikhon's room, containing contracts and old medicines.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-iii-i)

Tikhon's wife, mentioned as treating Kuzma to preserves and being ridiculed by Tikhon for her religious trips.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-iii-viii)

Tikhon's wife, who appears pitiable and fearful of her husband, praising him awkwardly.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/nastasya_petrovna
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters