The Peasant Marey

What it is

Written in 1876, this short story appeared in Dostoyevsky's A Writer's Diary. It is framed as the memory of the fictional prisoner Goryanchikov from The House of the Dead, but is also understood as Dostoyevsky's own reminiscence, disguised to avoid censorship.

Why it matters

The story recalls a childhood memory from when the narrator was nine, of being comforted by a serf named Marey after being frightened by rumors of a wolf. Recalled from inside a prison camp, the memory becomes a symbol of the peasantry's hidden decency, contrasting with the narrator's bitter surroundings. It reveals how Dostoyevsky's prison experience shaped his later faith in the Russian common people.

Look closer

• Why might Dostoyevsky have disguised this as fiction rather than openly writing about himself?
• What does the contrast between the prison setting and the childhood memory add to the story's meaning?
• Look at the illustration on the first page — how does it set a mood before the text even begins?