Marya Vassilyevna

Marya Vassilyevna is the story’s protagonist. Her age is not stated, but she is likely in her twenties or thirties. She grew up in Moscow and was born to relatively wealthy parents. However, both of her parents died when she was a child. She has a brother who is an officer in the Russian army, but he has fallen out of the habit of responding to her letters. Out of necessity, Marya found a job as a teacher in the Russian countryside.

Marya finds the work unfulfilling, and she dislikes the countryside. She also feels underpaid and neglected by her employers. Moreover, some of the locals appear to incorrectly believe that she embezzles money from the school. At regular intervals, she must travel to a nearby town to collect her pay. The central storyline follows Marya as she rides as a passenger in a horse cart...