Vanka Tragedy Analysis

Vanka’s Tragedy The nine year old Vanka is kneeling in the front of the bench; he writes a letter in the dark room where candles are the only source of light. He constantly looks around: at the door and windows, he wants to make sure that no one sees what he is doing. The boy is orphan and the only family member he has is his grandfather Konstantin Macaritch. Vanka writes a letter, begging his grandfather to come to Moscow, a capital of Russia. The boy wants his grandfather take him back to the village because new master and mistress offend, beat and let him to starve. While Vanka is writing, he recalls memories about how good his life in the village was. He imagines how his grandpa reads the letter to the cooks in the kitchen and how he comes

Masters don’t want to care of him, and they use Vanka as free workforce, as slave. This story is actual for the Russian reality of last decades of nineteen century. Peasants as a social class did not have many rights; for many there was no choice but work for rich people. Food and shelter were the payment for the hard physical job. As there were no rights for peasants, their families could be split easily (history.org). This is what happened with Vanka; after his mother died, he was sent to Moscow to work in the shoemaker’s house. The author describes his grandfather as not a serious man, and he shows Konstantin Makarovitch’s inability to care of the boy. The grandpa likes to sniff the tobacco and make jokes with cooks in the kitchen. He seems to be reckless, and the fact that he let his Vanka go to Moscow without any concerns, just proves it. There is some sort of unpleasant irony in it because for the boy his grandpa looks like the only way out from the wicked reality he has to be placed in. Vanka is lonely, he struggles, and he knows better life. He wishes to back in the village. Interesting that the aristocratic family, which Vanka’s mother was working for, treated little peasant’s boy really well. The young lady, Olga Ignatievna, even taught him grammar, writing, reading and counting. For the nine-year-old peasant’s child, it is very rare to have any education at that

The setting of the story makes reader imagine the dark room, the bench, and the boy sitting there all alone. The window is playing important role in the story, Vanka constantly looks at it. He sees candle light reflecting in the glass, and it brings him a lot of memories. His life in the village was much more happy and pleasant, and boy’s biggest wish is to go back. Reflecting candle light also symbolize hope. This small sparkle in the dark window is like a last chance for better life. It is so small and fragile but it is still there; Vanka believes that his savior will come to help him. The story is happening around Christmas night, and this fact brings both tragedy and hope in the mood of the story. At first, it symbolizes loneliness of the little boy: he is not going to get any gift this year. There is no Christmas tree which grandfather usually brings from the woods every year. Vanka remembers how fun it was because he helped his grandpa to pick a tree and bring it in the house. The second thing about Christmas night is hope. The celebration itself is known as an event of miracle: Christ was born and he came to save people, he came to brings new beginning and help those who struggles. In Vanka’s head, Konstantin Makarovich appears like an only person who could help him. His grandpa is like Christ on the Christmas night; he would come and save the poor