# Tikhon Ilitch — The Village character guide > Tikhon Ilitch in The Village by Ivan Bunin. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Ilitch, Tikhon, St. Peter Tikhon Ilitch, Tikon Ilitch, Tikhon Hitch **First appearance:** 0001-the-village ## Snapshot A former serf turned hard merchant, Tikhon Ilitch rules Durnovka with money and grudges, yet cannot buy the one thing he wants: peace from his own blood. ## Who they are Tikhon Ilitch clawed his way from serfdom to prosperity, and now his wealth sits heavy on him — childless, aging, estranged from his brother Kuzma, and drinking mountain-ash cordial alone while trains roar past Durnovka. He feels his throat hollowing with age, kicks his dog Buyan in a fit of temper, and mutters curses at his brother's piety, caught between the peasant he was and the master he became. His refusal to share a single coin with Kuzma, and his schemes to marry off the shiftless Deniska, set the family's slow collision in motion. ## Relationships ### [Kuzma](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/kuzma) _professional_ Kuzma is Tikhon's hired hand and constant companion, bound by duty and economic dependence. ### [Deniska](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/deniska) _professional_ Deniska serves as Tikhon's worker and errand boy, with a relationship marked by servitude and occasional familiarity. ### [The Bride](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/the_bride) _psychological_ Tikhon exerts a manipulative and possessive influence over the Bride, treating her as a pawn in his schemes. ### [Nastasya Petrovna](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/nastasya_petrovna) _family_ Nastasya Petrovna is Tikhon's wife, and their marriage is cold, distant, and marked by neglect. ### [Rodka](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/rodka) _rivalry_ Rodka and Tikhon clash over authority and the Bride, with mutual hostility and competition. ### [Yakoff](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/yakoff) _professional_ Yakoff is Tikhon's employee and confidant, but their relationship is transactional and wary. ### [Makarka](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/makarka) _professional_ Makarka is Tikhon's hired laborer, and their relationship is purely work-based with little personal warmth. ### [Syery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/syery) _rivalry_ Syery resents Tikhon's authority and wealth, leading to a simmering antagonism. ### [Grey Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/grey_man) _psychological_ The Grey Man is a mysterious, ominous presence that haunts Tikhon, representing guilt and fear. ### [Deniska](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/deniska) _professional_ Deniska serves as Tikhon's worker and errand boy, with a relationship marked by servitude and occasional familiarity. ### [Kuzma](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/kuzma) _professional_ Kuzma is Tikhon's hired hand and constant companion, bound by duty and economic dependence. ### [The Bride](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/the_bride) _psychological_ Tikhon exerts a manipulative and possessive influence over the Bride, treating her as a pawn in his schemes. ## In the story ### [Autobiographical Note](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/autobiographical-note) Mentioned as a character in 'The Village,' which Bunin describes as the first of his works depicting the Russian character without adornment. ### [The Village](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/the-village) The wealthy but embittered landowner of Durnovka, reflecting on his life, his failed marriage, and his lack of an heir. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-i) One of the Krasoff brothers, took over a posting-house and opened a dram-shop and shop after separating from Kuzma. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-ii) Described as aging but still imposing, he is deeply engaged in business, buying land and grain, and ruling over the peasants with a mix of justice and cruelty. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-iii) Ages visibly upon losing hope of children; becomes bitter and sarcastic about the government's liquor monopoly and the ruined rye crop. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-iv) Attends the Fair, fails to sell his horses, suffers from boredom, illness, and a sense of futility. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-v) Drives through the Old Town, visits the cemetery, reflects on his childhood, mortality, and his dead child. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-vi) Travels along the country road, observing poverty and decay, feeling contempt for peasants and proprietors, and reflecting on life's brevity. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-vii) Agitated by rumors of land redistribution, he drinks more, expresses contradictory views on the war and revolution, and argues with peasants about land rights. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-viii) Observes the peasants, engages in a mocking conversation with Yakoff, and reflects on the decline of Durnovka. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-ix) Faces the peasant rebellion at Durnovka, feels humiliated and terrified, and later contemplates selling the estate. ### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-x) Obsessed with the Bride, attempts to seduce her, and later assaults her. His desire for an heir and jealousy toward Rodka drive his actions. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-xi) Reconciles with Kuzma and hires him to manage Durnovka; feels pride and discomfort during their conversation. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-xii) Dismisses Rodka, feels guilt over the Bride's fate, and confesses to Kuzma. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-xiii) Listens to Kuzma's tirade, then resolves to help the Bride and Rodka's family, but is haunted by the suspicion of poisoning. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-xiv) Burdened by farm work and boredom, he reflects on the decline of the land and meets with Sakharoff and Zhikhareff. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-xv) Restless and paranoid, he dreams of thieves and looters, and reacts violently to a workman's insolence. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-xvi) Tikhon is introspective and troubled, drinking and reflecting on his life, his lack of travel, and his irritation with laborers. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-xvii) Contemplates old photographs, his past, and death; then tends to his pigs and stallion, feeling burdened by his possessions. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-xviii) Drowsy and disturbed by the arrival of Makarka and the blind man; he is unsettled by the picture of Richter and dismisses the vagabonds with a mix of bravado and unease. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-xix) Deeply introspective, recalling his past, his wife, and his regrets. ### [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-xx) Reflects on his guilt over the Bride and Rodka, and resolves to help the Bride and the Grey Man's family. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-xxi) Visits the railway station, avoids the drunken cellarman, and returns home to overhear Oska's story. He reflects on his decision to discharge Chaff and his need to manage the farm. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-i-xxii) Drinks and broods over his isolation, aging, and the impossibility of visiting his brother. Reads Deniska's letter and reflects on his own life. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-ii-i) Kuzma's brother, who mocked his literary efforts and managed their shared earnings. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-ii-ii) Mentioned as Kuzma's brother, who also reads but forgets books quickly, and is later mocked by Balashkin as 'Tishka Krasoff'. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-ii-xi) Sends a note to Kuzma, offering a way out of his despair. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-iii-i) Kindly disposed, recalls his youth, and offers Kuzma a position at Durnovka. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-iii-v) Tikhon is mentioned as the brother who brought Kuzma to Durnovka, though he does not appear directly in this chapter. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-iii-vi) Kuzma's brother, who visits occasionally and is the subject of Kuzma's astonishment and frustration. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-iii-vii) Suspicious and distrustful, he makes coarse jokes about Kuzma and the Bride, revealing his loss of composure and his inability to believe in their innocence. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-iii-viii) Kuzma's brother, who is surly, malevolent, and insists on the Bride's marriage to Deniska, causing Kuzma distress. ### [Kuzma's Illness and Ivanushka's Death](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-iii-x) Visits Kuzma with a doctor, informs him of Nastasya Petrovna's death and the sale of Durnovka, and appears detached and businesslike. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-iii-xi) Arranges the Bride's marriage to Deniska and orders the killing of an old horse. He suggests moving to Vorgol with Kuzma. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-iii-xii) Hosts Kuzma, discusses business plans, expresses despair and anger about the peasantry, reveals his drinking and bitterness. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/part-iii-xiii) Sends money and goods for the wedding, indirectly influencing the Bride's decision. ### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/chapters/endnotes) Mentioned in notes regarding his rise in social status and the use of his patronymic. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters/tikhon_ilitch - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_village_se/characters