Mumu
1 hr. 14 min.
Description
Turgenev’s touching yet very sad story about Gerasim, a deaf-mute serf, slavishly obedient to his cruel and heartless mistress.
The tragedy of the little man, piercing and unresolved. An eternal theme—the struggle between feeling and duty. Through this story, the author shows the dark side of serfdom in Russia, which destroyed many bright souls.
Gerasim serves his mistress faithfully for many years; he is ready to do everything he is told and ask for nothing in return. Moreover, it is as if he is constantly trying to atone before his lady. But she is not prepared to show him any leniency, for Gerasim is a slave, a nobody. She marries off the girl he loves to a drunkard, and the only creature to which Gerasim is truly deeply attached—his little dog Mumu—she orders to be drowned.
The dilemma faced by the serf is beyond his understanding—no one dares disobey the mistress…
A deaf-mute serf peasant who has lived in the village since birth, Gerasim, by order of his old mistress, finds himself in her town house to serve as a дворник. Gradually he becomes accustomed to city life and to his duties. All the household servants come to respect Gerasim because of his solidity and extraordinary physical strength. Some are even afraid of the deaf-mute, including the laundress Tatyana, whose heart nearly stops whenever she has to pass by him. Gentle and modest Tatyana attracts the attention of the caretaker and becomes the object of his unobtrusive courtship.
The old mistress, unaware of the budding feeling, suddenly takes it into her head to marry off Kapiton, a drunkard from among the servants, to Tatyana in order to settle him down. She gives the order to her steward, and he arranges the matter: to drive Gerasim away from Tatyana, he persuades her to pretend to be drunk. Seeing Tatyana staggering around the yard, the deaf-mute loses all interest in her.
Some time later, Gerasim rescues a puppy drowning in the river and nurses it back to health. The little dog grows up clever and obedient, helping its master guard the house at night. Gerasim calls her by the mooing sound characteristic of deaf-mutes. The rest of the household also becomes attached to the dog and calls her Mumu. However, Mumu displeases the mistress, and she orders the dog to be gotten rid of. After an unsuccessful attempt to do so, the steward obtains a promise from Gerasim himself to kill the dog. Gerasim drowns Mumu with his own hands in the river, and immediately after that leaves his place of service and returns to his native village.
The tragedy of the little man, piercing and unresolved. An eternal theme—the struggle between feeling and duty. Through this story, the author shows the dark side of serfdom in Russia, which destroyed many bright souls.
Gerasim serves his mistress faithfully for many years; he is ready to do everything he is told and ask for nothing in return. Moreover, it is as if he is constantly trying to atone before his lady. But she is not prepared to show him any leniency, for Gerasim is a slave, a nobody. She marries off the girl he loves to a drunkard, and the only creature to which Gerasim is truly deeply attached—his little dog Mumu—she orders to be drowned.
The dilemma faced by the serf is beyond his understanding—no one dares disobey the mistress…
A deaf-mute serf peasant who has lived in the village since birth, Gerasim, by order of his old mistress, finds himself in her town house to serve as a дворник. Gradually he becomes accustomed to city life and to his duties. All the household servants come to respect Gerasim because of his solidity and extraordinary physical strength. Some are even afraid of the deaf-mute, including the laundress Tatyana, whose heart nearly stops whenever she has to pass by him. Gentle and modest Tatyana attracts the attention of the caretaker and becomes the object of his unobtrusive courtship.
The old mistress, unaware of the budding feeling, suddenly takes it into her head to marry off Kapiton, a drunkard from among the servants, to Tatyana in order to settle him down. She gives the order to her steward, and he arranges the matter: to drive Gerasim away from Tatyana, he persuades her to pretend to be drunk. Seeing Tatyana staggering around the yard, the deaf-mute loses all interest in her.
Some time later, Gerasim rescues a puppy drowning in the river and nurses it back to health. The little dog grows up clever and obedient, helping its master guard the house at night. Gerasim calls her by the mooing sound characteristic of deaf-mutes. The rest of the household also becomes attached to the dog and calls her Mumu. However, Mumu displeases the mistress, and she orders the dog to be gotten rid of. After an unsuccessful attempt to do so, the steward obtains a promise from Gerasim himself to kill the dog. Gerasim drowns Mumu with his own hands in the river, and immediately after that leaves his place of service and returns to his native village.
1:14:29
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