Year of publication of the story: 1885

Chekhov's story “Over-Salted” is a very small work by a classic of Russian literature. Nevertheless, it is quite well known and is even included in the school curriculum. It is largely thanks to such iconic works that Anton Chekhov still occupies a high place among.

The plot of the story “Over-Salted” briefly

Summary“Over-salting” Chekhov should begin with the arrival of land surveyor Gleb Gavrilovich Semenov at the Gnilushki station. He was invited to work at the estate of General Khokhotov - Devkino. From the station to the estate with good horses and a non-drunk driver it was thirty versts, but with tired horses and a driver under the spell, all fifty would be lost. Therefore, the first thing the surveyor did was to approach the gendarme and ask where he could find post horses. The gendarme was surprised, because you can’t find post horses for 100 miles around. He advised us to look behind the station, men often drive there. There he found a hefty man in a torn sheepskin coat and bast shoes, who agreed to take him.

The young but skinny horse moved only after the third blow of the whip. Main character Chekhov's work "Over-Salted" I asked if they would trudge along like this all the way? But the driver assured that now the filly would accelerate and then there would be no stopping her. We left the station at dusk. There was a frozen plain all around and Gleb Gavrilovich had a thought: “Won’t he be robbed here?” The driver is a healthy guy, he only touches a finger and his soul is gone. Therefore, he asked what the cab driver’s name was, it turned out to be Klim, and whether robbers were playing pranks here, as in ,? Klim replied that God had mercy, but for greater confidence Semyonov lied that he had three revolvers.

By this time it was completely dark. Suddenly the cart turned left. This frightened the surveyor even more. He began to tell a fictitious story about how he once met three robbers. He immediately knocked the wind out of one, and the other two went to Siberia. In general, he is a necessary person and knows all the judges and police officers. Therefore, on his way, the sots and police officers were bumped into, so that no harm would come to the main character of the story “Over-Salting” Chekhov. Klim increasingly turned to look at his passenger, which caused him even greater anxiety. Therefore, when they turned into the forest, the surveyor even shouted: “Wait!” But then he pulled himself together and ordered to hold the already runaway horse. Klim, perplexed, asked why. To which the land surveyor replied that in this forest four comrades with revolvers should catch up with him. And then he offered to show Klim his revolvers. And to make things even more important, he even started fiddling with his pockets.

Further in Chekhov’s story “Over-Salted” you can read about how Klim fell out of the cart and began to run away on all fours. Along the way, he shouted that the land surveyor could take both the cart and the horse, just not ruin him. Semenov himself could not continue the journey, because he did not know the road, and he did not want to be accused of robbery. Therefore, he long and tediously called Klim and persuaded him to return. Only two hours later he responded. The land surveyor said with joy that all he was carrying was out of fear. The driver returned from the fourth blow and the horse slowly moved forward. And now the road no longer seemed so dangerous to the surveyor.

The story “Over-Salted” on the Top Books website

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov's story "Over-Salted" is so popular to read that it took a high place among. This popularity is largely ensured by schoolchildren. Therefore, the work more than once during its passage in school curriculum will be included in our ratings.

You can read Anton Chekhov’s story “Over-Salted” online on the Top Books website.

Title of the work: Oversalted

Year of writing: 1885

Genre of the work: story

Main characters: Smirnov- land surveyor, Klim- peasant.

You can enjoy the famous Chekhov's humor by reading the summary of the story “Over-Salted” for reader's diary. After reading the retelling, you will certainly want to read the original!

Plot

Smirnov arrived at the provincial station. He needs to get to the estate. Klim, a strong, healthy peasant, offers to take him to his destination.

The path turns out to be long. Dusk is coming. Smirnov is worried about the identity of his cab driver. He is overcome by anxiety - is Klim a robber? At this time, the man turns his horse into the dark forest. Smirnov is scared. He tells the driver about his adventures - about how he dealt with the robbers, what strength he has, what kind of revolvers he has. He invites Klim to slow down, because friends will soon join them. Smirnov in the dark pretends to take revolvers out of his pockets to show the peasant. Klim gets scared, abandons the cart and runs into the forest. Smirnov realized that he had over-salted. For 2 long hours the surveyor calls the man, freezing and afraid of the dark forest. Finally, Klim returns and takes Smirnov to the estate.

Conclusion

Boastfulness and lies are sooner or later revealed and lead to shame and repentance. Smirnov not only lied, but also went too far with boastful speeches so much that he scared Klim half to death, for which he paid with cold and loneliness. To inspire self-respect and make an impression, you need not to boast with empty words, but to fight your fears, develop courage and confidence.

Anton Chekhov wrote many humorous stories, where touched upon current issues modernity. For example, in his creative work“Over-salted” the author made an interesting observation. People in his circle often despised those who came from the people and openly pushed them around. They were also afraid to entrust them with even a little power, since they were guided by their prejudices, and not by fair reasoning. Because of this attitude, many workers and peasants wanted a revolution to even the scores and get even for their humiliation. The writer wanted to break this vicious circle of hatred and malice, so he wrote a work about how funny and ridiculous such proud people look.

“Oversalted” is a humorous story. It is laconic and strict in form, each sentence is extremely specific. There is a clear plot, there are quite understandable characters, the description of which, however, is limited by the framework of the format. Their characters are revealed only from one side, so Chekhov’s work does not pretend to be a story or short story.

The theme in this story is inherently funny, if you think about it: the hero is so afraid of another person, who dressed and spoke differently from him, that he himself scared him to death. When the reader realizes how big fear's eyes are, he will be amused by the hapless deceiver and the timid driver. Both of them did not bother to think about whether their fears were justified, and therefore they experienced excitement. The funny thing is that it’s easier for a person to almost die from vain fear than to pull himself together and think about it. This is the comedy of the situation recreated by Chekhov in the story “Over-Salted.”

What is this book about?

Land surveyor Gleb Gavrilovich Smirnov hires “the heftiest man, gloomy, pockmarked, dressed in a torn sheepskin coat and bast shoes” Klim with a horse to get to the desired estate. The land surveyor felt scared by the deserted and dark plain, and he decided to intimidate the driver a little: he supposedly had three revolvers with him, “there were police officers behind the bushes and the sotskas,” about four comrades who were riding behind them. As a result, the driver got scared and ran away, leaving both the cart and the horse. The land surveyor, “from the thought that he would have to sit all night in the dark forest in the cold and hear only wolves,” began to call “Klimushka,” who nevertheless came out of the forest. The heroes continue their journey now: “The road and Klim no longer seemed dangerous to him.”

Main characters

  1. Land surveyor Smirnov is a pitiful, selfish and suspicious person. Most of all he feared for the fate of his material goods, therefore, for the sake of their safety, he was even ready to lose his dignity and play a comedy in front of the peasant. He considers himself a cunning and evasive type, does not disdain deception and vile tricks, so there is no doubt about how he acquired his wealth. He has a good tongue, and boasting comes easily to him, but the hero does not shine with intelligence and does not understand people.
  2. The driver Klim is a club-headed peasant guy who comes from the common people. He decided to earn extra money as a cab driver, which shows that he is a lover of comfort: hard work in the village is not to his liking. Cowardly and impulsive, he is not even like a villager in terms of prudence, because he abandons his cart and horse (all his property) on the main road, saving his life from a bandit who was half his size. He is naive and sincere, he did not answer cunning with cunning.

The characterization of the heroes of the story “Over-Salted” is the same opposition between thick and thin: one is richer, the other is poorer, so they cannot be in harmony with each other. They are separated by an abyss dug by serfdom and social inequality. The division between dangerous slaves and cunning masters is still rooted in the minds and interferes with a measured life, where people are seen off based on their minds, and not just greeted based on their clothes. According to each of them, there cannot be normal people in another class; everyone is either thieves or raiders. This attitude harms both sides, but they will never repent of their wrongness, since both of them, in essence, are herd, driven people who are indoctrinated today with what they will think tomorrow.

The language of Chekhov's stories is replete with colloquial expressions of the period that were in use in the social groups that he describes. The characters speak differently, each of them has their own linguistic character. From a couple of replicas we can already understand what level of education, what class affiliation is, and what the character of the character is.

the main idea

It lies on the surface: this is a witty, humorous sketch about how people think and judge in a stereotypical way. To emphasize the comical nature of the situation, the author calls Smirnov’s biased behavior with the verb “too salty.” The characters initially do not trust each other. The land surveyor thinks in cliches, he is afraid of the healthy village man, but Klim sees in front of him a city man, a stranger, and even armed, that is, dangerous. The main idea in the story “Over-Salted” is the essence of life, that appearances are often deceptive, and the reason for this is people’s inattentive attitude towards each other.

There is no need to judge a person by what class and origin he is. There are good and bad everywhere, you shouldn’t look for them in just one social group. Such false beliefs only fuel hostility and prevent the establishment of normal relationships. So, in humorous story“Over-salted” hides a very serious meaning: the age-old prejudices that control our actions and thoughts destroy independent individuals in us. We do not think, but trust the existing superstition or prejudice. It is generally accepted, for example, that village bumpkins only sleep and see how to rob a city dweller. Smirnov did not think about it, but simply followed the opinion of the crowd and was mistaken. Klim, although there was nothing to arrest him for, was frightened by the tales of his fellow traveler, out of a habit established by generations: stay away from the gentlemen, for goodness sake, they will spend you on the chaff. So strangers From the very beginning they can’t stand each other.

Conclusion

The author ridicules human cowardice, which originates from stupidity. Smirnov first does it, and then, remembering bad stories and popular speculations, he thinks, and, moreover, he accuses the person in vain, accusing him of all sins in advance. Chekhov laughs at those who always judge by their clothes, superficially, without delving into the essence. Such people always strive to label and pass judgment without seeing or understanding what is happening.

Instead of talking and getting to know the person better, the hero takes the word of his prejudices, and this is a trait not only of Smirnov, but of the whole class. Wealthy people, as a rule, still treat the less well-off with disgust and fear, just as a city dweller treats a villager or a native resident treats a newcomer. Although everyone knows that it is not the place or the money that makes a person, but on the contrary, the prejudices of many people do not dissipate. The writer talks about this ridiculous circumstance seriously, making the reader understand how funny it really looks. Humor aims to ridicule vice and eliminate it. The moral in Chekhov's story “Over-Salted” teaches that one must treat people objectively, without prejudices and preconceptions.

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The cowardly land surveyor suspects that the driver he hired is a robber, begins to lie to protect himself from an attack, greatly frightens the man, he runs away into the forest and does not return soon.

Land surveyor Gleb Gavrilovich Smirnov arrives at the station. He has 30-40 miles left to the estate where he is heading. After a lengthy search, the surveyor finds Klim, “a very hefty man, gloomy, pockmarked, dressed in a torn homespun and bast shoes.” He agrees to deliver the surveyor wherever he needs it.

The companions shake for a long time on a dilapidated cart, pulled by a pitiful horse. It's getting dark. The cowardly land surveyor begins to be overcome by doubts: is his driver really a robber? The cart turns into the forest. The land surveyor becomes even more frightened and begins to boast of his incredible strength, revolvers, and tell stories about his battles with bandits.

Having driven into the forest, Gleb Gavrilovich asks not to drive the horses like that - his comrades with revolvers are catching up with him, and riding together is more fun. He pretends that he wants to show the driver the non-existent revolvers, and begins to rummage through his pockets. Klim gets scared and rushes into the forest. About two o'clock Smirnov calls the frightened man, gets very cold and realizes that out of fear he has gone too far with his boasting.

Finally, the frightened peasant returns. Smirnov confesses his cowardice to him, reveals his deception, after which they continue on their way. The land surveyor no longer thinks Klim is dangerous.

Year: 1885 Genre: story

Main characters: land surveyor Smirnov and peasant Klim.

This story tells how two adult, fairly strong and healthy men fantasized horrors about each other during a trip through the forest. One of the heroes is a peasant who agreed to give a ride to a land surveyor. Having assessed the peasant’s physique, the land surveyor decided that he could well threaten his safety and even his life. To protect himself from danger, he began to tell the man tales about his own power and strength. Frightened, the man hid in the forest, and the surveyor had to call him for a long time to move on.

This work is a mockery of cowardly people who, unable to appreciate true position things, are afraid of their own fantasies.

Read the summary of the story Oversalted Chekhov

This story belongs to the cycle of the writer’s early works. They are simple, optimistic and full of good humor. Stories by A.P. Chekhov early period They describe seemingly simple events described by Chekhov, express very deep thoughts and lead the reader to far-reaching conclusions. The story “Over-Salted” reflects a significant number of problems, both social and human.

The main character of the story is a land surveyor whose name is Gleb Smirnov. He arrived at Gnilushki station. The station, as its name reflects, is dilapidated and unkempt. Gleb Smirnov came here at the request of General Khokhotov in order to do the work of surveying the land. Of course, there are no post horses at this station, and the land surveyor has to travel another forty miles to the desired location.

Gleb Smirnov has no choice but to approach local residents and ask them for help. For a small reward, he persuades one of their men to take him to the estate of General Khokhotov.

The man is very silent, poorly dressed, but at the same time very healthy and strong. The man had a very thin horse, which did not move right away, and it took a long time to drive it. Apparently, the man was from the poor, downtrodden, undeveloped and not very smart.

The action of the work takes place in evening time. Gleb Smirnov watched how it was gradually getting dark, looked at the dull dirt road, listened to the creaking of the cart, and he began to feel more and more anxious. Unfamiliar places did not please him, and gradually he became very scared.

The driver, named Klim, silently urged the horse. The land surveyor became even more scared, because he did not know this man, and he had to drive in the dark. Fearing robbers who might be encountered on the road, the surveyor began asking Klim if they could be in these places.

The man remained sullenly silent, and Gleb Smirnov began to suspect that he was the robber. He looked at Klim’s powerful back and thought that, having such a physique, it was quite possible to hunt for robbery and murder in the forest, where, in fact, the cart was heading. The surveyor became more and more worried. In his thoughts he pictured to himself terrible crimes, injuries and even death.

And when the cart drove into the forest, the cowardly land surveyor began to lie to Klim that he had a weapon in his pocket, that he even dreamed of meeting robbers, because he was very strong in a fight. Talking about your physical strength, he was trembling with fear and did not even notice that Klim himself was no less afraid of him.

Gleb Smirnov continued to threaten for a long time, and when he reached into his pocket to allegedly show Klim his revolver, he could not stand it, jumped off the cart and hid in the forest.

Gleb Smirnov only heard the crunch of branches and the sound of retreating steps. From the thickets of the forest, Klim began shouting to the land surveyor to take both the horse and the cart for himself, leaving him to live.

Then Gleb realized how much he had scared the man. He was sitting alone in a cart, in the middle of the forest, and his driver was hiding from him in the bushes. The surveyor realized that they were now in real danger, since both would have to spend the night in the forest instead of getting to the place.

The land surveyor began to call Klim, assuring him that he did not have any revolver, and that he himself was just joking. Gleb Smirnov had to scream and call for a man for a long time until he became hoarse.

Finally, Klim realized that he was in vain to be afraid of the land surveyor and that Gleb Smirnov did not pose a danger to him, and approached the cart. He grumbled that the master had frightened him very much, that, knowing about such a turn of fate, he would never have agreed to take him, and the unlucky travelers continued on their way.

Picture or drawing Over-salted

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