Yashka · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Yashka by Maria Bochkareva.

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Chapter 1
Yashka
Maria Bochkareva recounts her early life of poverty and hardship in a Siberian peasant family, her abusive father, and her mother's suffering. She describes her childhood of toil, her lack of education, and her growing desire to escape her circumstances. The chapter ends with her being seduced and abandoned by Lieutenant Lazov, leading to her forced marriage to Afanasy Bochkarev.
Chapter 2
Part I: Youth
This section covers Maria Bochkareva's early life, including her childhood of toil, her abusive family, her seduction and abandonment by Lieutenant Lazov, her forced marriage to Afanasy Bochkarev, her escape from him, her time in Irkutsk and escape from a brothel, her exile with Yasha Buk and his attempted hanging, and her eventual escape from exile.
Chapter 3
My Childhood of Toil
Maria Bochkareva recounts her early childhood, born into extreme poverty in a family of former serfs. Her father, Leonti Frolkov, a decorated veteran of the Russo-Turkish War, becomes abusive and alcoholic. The family migrates to Siberia in search of land, enduring hunger, illness, and homelessness. At age eight, Maria is sent to work as a nursemaid, facing harsh treatment and contemplating suicide. She briefly runs away, is taken to a police station, and is eventually reunited with her mother. The chapter ends with the family renting a basement and Maria encountering the grocer Nastasia Fuchsman.
Chapter 4
II: Marriage at Fifteen
Maria, now fifteen, works for the Lazov family and begins a relationship with Lieutenant Vasili Lazov, who seduces her with promises of marriage. When his regiment is transferred, he abandons her, leading to a violent confrontation. Maria returns home to brutal beatings from her father. Desperate to escape, she marries Afanasy Bochkarev, a coarse soldier, only to find herself trapped in another abusive relationship. After Afanasy steals her savings, Maria attempts to kill him but is stopped by her father. She flees to Irkutsk, stowing away on trains.
Chapter 5
III: A Little Happiness
Maria arrives in Irkutsk penniless and struggles to find stable work, enduring a series of harsh jobs including dishwashing, laundry, and asphalt labor. She eventually finds a measure of peace living with Yasha Buk, supporting herself by making ice cream and caring for the poor. Their quiet life is shattered when a revolutionary fugitive seeks refuge, leading to a police raid, Yasha's arrest and release, and ultimately Maria's own arrest after Yasha helps the fugitive escape.

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Yashka

Part I: Youth

My Childhood of Toil

II: Marriage at Fifteen

III: A Little Happiness