In the story, the main character, Fyodor Nilov, was working on a pair of shoes for a client, when he felt like he was inferior to the people around him, and wanted to be accepted. Therefore, he went to the devil to help him become rich, so with the promise of his soul, Fyodor became rich. However, once he became rich he failed to realize that rich and poor are buried in the same soil, so the rich have responsibilities that he wasn't ready for. After he came to the realization, the devil made him hold up his end of the deal that they had made. The devil then took him straight to hell. So be careful what you wish for.
Archetypes :)
Devil- Represents evil and impurity
Shoemaker- Represents what people commonly refer to as poor
Mortar- The things being beaten in the mortar represent life. If you are greedy, the Devil sticks your life in a mortar, beats it down, then sets it a fire.
Moral of the Story
Character Analysis
Fyodor Nilov
: He is a poor shoemaker who, when he made a deal with the devil, became rich. Many would call him a drunkard or beggar.
Kuzma Lebyodkin
: He was from Warsaw, a master-bootmaker that married a rich woman.
The Devil
: He was highly educated with a German name, had hooves like horse's for feet, and had supernatural powers.
By: Kaelyn Clarkson
Be careful what you wish for, because things are not ever how they seem. For example, Fyodor wanted to be rich; however, when he became rich, he wasn't ready for all the responsibilities and obligations of a rich man.
Irony
The form of Irony shown in this story is Dramatic Irony, because Fyodor makes a deal with devil that if the devil made him rich, then he would give him his soul. The reader knows, or can infer, that this is a bad idea; however, Fyodor doesnt know it is just yet. Due to his bad choice, the devil drags Fyodor straight to hell when he realizes that his greed caused him to make a bad deal.
Point of View
This story is told in 3rd person limited, because you only know the thoughts and feelings of Fyodor.
"'It's a convicts life!' Fyodor grumbled as he worked. 'Some people have been asleep long ago, others are enjoying themselves, while you sit here like some Cain and sew for the devil knows whom....'"
Anton Chekhov Background
Anton Chekhov was born January 29, 1860 in Tanganrog, Russia. He was a Russian physician, playwright, and author. He described Russian life back in the 19th-century up until his death on ?July 15, 1904 in Badenweiler, Germany.
Anton Chekhov
1860- 1904