Stories 11 through 13 Summary

Story 11: Gusev

Gusev is a soldier returning by boat to his native Russia from the Far East. The trip will take months, and conditions on the boat are not comfortable. He is in third class with the peasants, where it is very rough and at times as hot as a steam bath. Gusev drifts off quite a bit, dreaming of his family and farm back in Russia. He can envision his younger brother and son on sleighs in the snow. He dreams of himself riding horseback down the meadow. Another returning soldier named Pavel Ivanych is very talkative and arrogant. He claims that he could have traveled in the first class quarters but he dressed like a peasant so he could be in third class since he did not have enough rubles. However, he claims to be a first-class gentlemen. He...