Classic Literary Analysis: Short Stories and Poetic Themes
Vanka’s Plight: A Christmas Eve Letter
Vanka, a nine-year-old orphan, was apprenticed to Alyakhin, a shoemaker. He had barely been in Moscow for three months when he arrived at the shoemaker’s house. The mistress, master Alyakhin, and other senior apprentices were cruel to him. Vanka longed for his grandfather, Konstantin Makarich, to come to his aid and save him from the master’s cruelty.
A Desperate Plea to Grandfather
He decided to write a secret letter to his grandfather, explaining his plight and pleading for help. Vanka waited until the master and others had gone to church on Christmas Eve before going to bed. Terrified, he then pulled a bottle of ink, a rusty pen, and a crumpled sheet of paper from the closet to compose a letter, checking the door and window several times to ensure no one was observing him.
An Orphan’s Harsh Apprenticeship
Vanka’s grandfather, Konstantin Makarich, worked as a night watchman at Zhivarev’s estate. He was a short, skinny, sixty-five-year-old man who spent time with the cooks and kitchen maids. Kashtanka and Eel were two of his dogs. After Vanka’s mother, Pelageya, died, his grandfather sent him to Moscow to learn shoemaking. Vanka’s existence at the shoemaker’s house in Moscow, however, was worse than a dog’s. He wasn’t getting enough food or sleep.
- Alyakhin once beat Vanka with a stirrup-strap because he fell asleep while rocking their child.
- On another occasion, the mistress wiped the head of a herring on his face.
- The other apprentices teased him, forced him to steal the master’s cucumber, and sent him to a tavern to buy vodka.
In Moscow, a major city, Vanka witnessed children selling fishing hooks, shops selling all kinds of weaponry, and butcheries selling meat from hunted birds and animals.
Memories of a Kinder Past
As he wrote the letter, Vanka thought about cutting and decorating the Christmas tree and other activities in his village. He recalled joyful times with his mother and his favorite, Olga Ignatyevna, who taught him to read, write, count to a hundred, and dance the quadrille. Vanka pleaded with his grandfather to come and rescue him from his tribulations.
Langston Hughes’s “Mother to Son” Analysis
Langston Hughes’s poem “Mother to Son” was first published in 1922. The poem begins with a woman telling her child about her life, which, she says, “ain’t been no crystal stair.” She tells him about her difficulties before encouraging him to keep going. Martin Luther King Jr. mentioned it multiple times in his speeches during the Civil Rights Movement, and it has been evaluated by several commentators, particularly for its style and portrayal of the mother’s suffering.
Themes of Perseverance and Racism
“Mother to Son” is a poignant monologue about enduring racism in America. Through an extended metaphor about climbing a set of stairs, the speaker gives her son advice on how to improve his lot in a racist society. While white people can use a “crystal stair”—a smooth and easy ascent—Black people must travel a perilous and dark stairway. The speaker highlights the far more difficult path Black people face to succeed in society. However, she believes that with dedication and mutual support, they can overcome many hurdles.
The Mother’s Enduring Wisdom
The mother’s words are a powerful testament to resilience:
“It hasn’t been an easy journey up a set of crystal steps throughout my life. Tacks and splinters littered the stairwell I had to ascend. The carpet had worn away from several of the steps, and there were other areas that were no longer covered. However, the entire time I’ve been ascending. I’ve made it to landings and around bends. Even when it was pitch black and there were no lights to guide me, I continued ascending. So there’s no going back, son. It’s not a good idea to sit down on the steps because they’re somewhat difficult. Please don’t fall, since I’m still on my way. My life hasn’t been an easy ascent of crystal stairwells, and I’m still rising.”
Symbolism of the Crystal Stair
The speaker in “Mother to Son” contrasts two different types of stairs and, by extension, two different types of life paths. On the one hand, there’s the treacherous and crumbling stairway she’s had to climb, complete with loose tacks and splinters. The stairwell has even been described as “black” at times. On the other hand, there is a “crystal stair.” Crystals are smooth, gleaming, and gorgeous, evoking feelings of opulence and luxury.
The Chandernagore Story: Sharat, Kiran, Nilkanta
One evening in Chandernagore village, severe rain and a storm raged amid thunderbolts and lightning. It was as if gods and devils were fighting each other. The Ganges River swelled under a torrential downpour. Sharat and Kiran, a husband and wife, were having a verbal spat in one of the village’s riverbank bungalows.
A Stormy Arrival and Unexpected Guest
Kiran had become dangerously unwell, and everyone in the village encouraged her husband Sharat and mother-in-law to send her to her native home for a change of scenery. They did, however, take her to a riverfront cottage in Chandernagore village for a change of scenery. Kiran believed she was fully recovered after spending many days in the riverside house and desired to return to their native village. For her, living in the riverfront house alone and doing nothing was a strain. Sharat and his mother, however, wanted her to stay a bit longer because she hadn’t totally recovered. This was the point of contention between them.
Then they heard a call, and Sharat hurried outdoors to find a young boy in the garden. He was a survivor of a capsized riverboat. Kiran extended her generosity by allowing the boy to change his clothes and sip milk. He was Nilkanta, a member of a theater troupe. They were on their way to a nearby village when their boat capsized in the river. Only Nilkanta escaped, and he had no idea what had happened to the others.
Nilkanta’s Troubling Influence
Sharat and his mother were overjoyed, as Kiran would be able to spend more time there with Nilkanta. However, the child quickly formed a bond with the community’s mischievous boys and adopted a village mongrel dog as a pet. He and his friends caused all kinds of havoc, and Sharat and his mother wished he would leave the house. Despite this, Nilkanta entertained Kiran with a variety of theatrical performances, and she appreciated his presence. Kiran showed Nilkanta motherly and sisterly love and care, which made him extremely happy. She encouraged all of his misbehavior, while Sharat resisted him and punished him.
Jealousy and Departure
Meanwhile, Satish, Sharat’s younger brother, had come to spend his holiday there. Kiran and Satish were about the same age, and they were always laughing and having a good time. Nilkanta was enraged and resentful because he felt Kiran had ignored him. He wanted Satish to pay him back, so he stole Satish’s favorite inkstand and threw it into the river. Satish argued with Nilkanta over his lost inkstand and referred to him as a “thief.” Both Kiran and Nilkanta were hurt by this incident.
Finally, the family decided to return to their hometown. Kiran wanted to bring Nilkanta along, but the others were against it. As they were returning to their native town without Nilkanta, Kiran wanted to surprise him with some gifts.