Долг
The Debt
C2 · Proficient · fiction · 18 scenes · Free to read
A mastery-level literary confession in the tradition of the great 19th-century Russian psychological novel. Arkady, a proud and destitute former student freezing in a Petersburg garret, convinces himself that 'extraordinary' men stand above ordinary morality. When a kind old man entrusts him with his last savings — meant for his dying granddaughter Vera — Arkady keeps the money and calls it the bold act of a strong man. Guilt then devours him through fever, delirium, and a mocking 'double' who is his own pride made flesh. Vera's meek forgiveness dismantles his theory, and through open confession and suffering he discovers a cleansing meaning and the resurrection of his soul. The title puns on долг — at once 'debt' and 'duty'.
Characters
- Arkady (Аркадий) — The proud pauper
- Fyodor Kuzmich (Фёдор Кузьмич) — The trusting old man
- Vera (Вера) — The suffering girl
- The Double (Двойник) — The voice of pride
Vocabulary from this story
- город — city
- каморка — garret
- туман — fog
- холод — cold
- ночь — night
- толпа — crowd
- свет — light
- нищета — destitution
- бедность — poverty
- нужда — need
- деньги — money
- долг — debt / duty