This is a frightful tale of suffering. Vanka, a child of nine, has been left alone on Christmas Eve by the shoemaker to whom he is apprenticed. For once left alone, Vanka gets some paper and ink and composes a letter to his only living relative, his grandfather, begging him to rescue him.
Vanka describes the various cruelties imposed on him by the shoemaker and his wife, and the meanness of the workmen who laugh at his suffering.
Even more pathetic is Vanka’s happy memories of his grandfather, who, seen through the eyes of a child, is a jolly old soul, but who in fact is a drunk and lech with a mangy cur of a dog.
The letter composed, little Vanka addresses his envelope as best he can, pathetically, “To grandfather in the village,” and drops the letter in a mailbox. He returns home, falls asleep, and dreams a happy dream of his grandfather and his dog, and they are all together sitting by the hearth.
Oof. An obvious predecessor to “Vanka” is the Hans Cristian Anderson tale, “The Little Match Girl.” I suppose it might be seen as a slightly less horrifying story, for Vanka at least doesn’t die in the end – but neither is there any hope for him.
The terrible suffering of young servants in 19th Russia makes it easy to understand why communism would seem an attractive option. Poor workers suffered from hunger, exhaustion, and constant fear of beatings and humiliation. Chekhov pulls no punches in these sketches, and it’s useful to understand the awful conditions even if it’s dreadful to read about.
READ THIS? READ THAT!
If you have tears to spare after reading this tremendously sad story, dig into the even worse tale, “Sleepy.”
A Chekhov Circus 