Ryan Hodgett
Russian History
Wednesday October 10, 2018
How a Muzhik Kept Two Officials Well Fed
In the beginning of the story two Official find themselves on an uninhabited isle. At first they think that they are dreaming and then realize that they somehow were actually on a deserted isle. At first they are shocked and don’t know what to do but eventually the come to their senses and try to explore the place. They decide to go in opposite directions but can’t even figure out which direction is which. When they finally meet up one shares that he found an old newspaper while the other found a forrest with an abundance of food. They both decide that the food is too hard for them to acquire and just sit there and wait. The two officials sit there so long they they start to starve and eventually fight each other. After blood is drawn they stop fighting and they try to pass the time by keeping themselves entertained. They begin to have immensely stupid conversations that eventually lead back to food. They both become disgruntled with conversation and decide to read the newspaper one of them found. Once they start reading they realize the entire thing revolves around banquets and food. They were once again out of ideas to pass the time and could only think of how they could get food. Eventually one of the officials thought of the genius idea of hunting down a muzhik (a Russian serf). While these two aristocrats couldn’t bear hunting down their own food it was second nature to have a peasant do it. So the officials search for a muzhik and eventually smelt one and found him resting from work. The officials ordered him up and demanded that he serve them. The muzhik had no choice but to serve them and acquired everything the officials needed while they did nothing. Eventually the officials grew fat and homesick as they began to reminisce about home-life. So the muzhik pondered on how to could help the officials. He then constructed a boat to take them home. Once on the boat the officials became sea sick so the muzhik took care of them despite rowing them home and receiving insults simultaneously. Once home, the officials and their servants rejoiced. The officials were so grateful of the muzhik they gave him 5 whole kopeks and a an entire glass of whiskey and the Muzhik rejoiced.
The author of this short story, N. Shchedrin, wrote this story in the 1860s and was published in 1869. The author writes in a clear satirical tone that exposes the stupidity of Russian bureaucrats and the cruel relationship between Russian elites and the serfs. Shchedrin’s reasoning for writing this work can be found throughout his early life. As a child Shchedrin was often appalled by the way his mother’s cruel treatment of serfs. Then, later in life, Shchedrin worked in the Russian bureaucracy and saw the stupidity among the bureaucrats. He began writing reviews, poems, short stories, and novels that slandered Russian officials and, became a supporter of French socialists. These views led him to become one of the greatest Russian satirists. Despite being an outstanding writer, Shchedrin was heavily criticized for his work. Shchedrin was labeled as a terrorist for his views, a hypocrite for satirizing the area of society that he worked in, and was even exiled for his work.
During this time period, Russia’s economy was still based mainly off agricultural. Therefore, serfdom was very prevalent and serfs were treated very harshly. The Russian economy was also on the downturn following Czar Nicholas’s policies and ineffectiveness of the Russian Bureaucracy. Both of these are depicted vividly in the story.
“How a Muzhik Kept Two Officials Well Fed” satires all of the problems in Russia during the 1800s. The work does not foreshadow any type of revolution or political change however, it showcases all of the problems that lead to the bolshevik revolution in Russia.
First off, the faltering economy is shown in these book through the two officials. In the beginning of the story, the two officials explain how the department the had worked in for nearly all of their lives had been cut. This had left them without a job however, they still received pensions and were rich. The author was most likely showing how the costs of the crimean war and the Napoleonic invasion had effected the Russian economy. However, this wasn’t the sole reasons for harsh economic times in Russia. One of the main reasons for the economic downturn in Russia was industrial revolutions in other parts of the world. Russia was much behind other parts of the world in industry. This can be largely attributed to serfdom and bureaucratic failures, both of which the story satirizes. Serfdom contributed to economic failures because serfs were uneducated and were predominantly focused on agriculture. Therefore, despite Russia’s already immense population growing at a rate that was “the fastest of all the major powers expect for the United states,” (Russia) Russia’s economy lacked. Bureaucratic failure also had a large negative impact on the Russia economy. during the 1800s Russia was actually experiencing growth in industry as evidenced by iron and steel production doubling. However, at the same time, Russia ran up a massive debt the had quadrupled since the 1850s. This caused a trade deficit Russia could not keep up with as “Until the state introduced high industrial tariffs in the 1880s, it could not finance trade with the West because its surpluses were insufficient to cover the debts,” (Russia).
Next, this story pokes fun at the idiocy of Russian bureaucrats. The story shows that the two officials are stuck in there own world and are completely useless outside of their bubble. The two officials were shown to not even be able to pick an apple from a tree. This story shows that if it weren’t for the serfs Russia would probably collapse and that the Russian government was propped up by the serfs. In a way, this is what happened in Russia after the emancipation of the serfs. After the emancipation both serfs and wealthy land owners struggled to keep up with past production. Serfs were both crippled by poor lands and by redemption payments that they couldn’t keep up with. On top of this land owners often had to sell their lands because without serfs, they couldn’t manage or farm their own land. All of this lead to sharp declines and failures of Russian bonds given to former serf-owners.
Furthermore, the story shows despite everything the serfs do for Russia, they are treated terribly. Shchedrin shows this as the muzhik in this story is ordered to do everything for the officials and is insulted throughout this work. Despite everything the muzhik does for the officials he is never met with a compliment and is only insulted. When he is finished the official only give him a meager reward while they continue on with their lavash lives. Furthermore, the muzhik is completely content with how he is treated and is even grateful that he gets to serve the officials. This depicts how serfs at the time were looked down upon as almost sub-human beings whose purpose was solely to serve the rich. The story also shows how aristocrats thought of they were actually helping the serfs as they thought that they couldn’t take care of themselves and needed to be put to task and serve.
Lastly, the author showcases how religion worked in Russia. In the short story, the one of the officials asks the other if the tower of babel actually happened. The other responds by saying that he thinks it happened and that there was not any other explanation for why many languages exist. This represents how religion worked in Russia as serfs and most educated people took the church’s word for everything they said. Sergei Kravchinskii claims that Russian serfs view religion as “pan-human rather than really having knowledge of the inner workings of Christian theology,” (Guided). This means that serfs and, mostly likely a good chunk of the educated Russian population, just followed what was said and did not think about it. I think this had was largely because of illiteracy in Russia. First because serfs could not read the actual scripture and analyze what was said. Secondly, religious officials could take advantage of this and spread whatever kind of propaganda they would like without resistance. Lastly, the church was also used to spread censorship in Russia. After the assassination of Alexander the second, Alexander the third expanded counter-reform movements. He used the church largely in his attempt to “save Russia from modernism,” (Russia). These changes lead to persecutions of non-orthodox people, restricted universities in their curriculums, and angered Russian radicals. All of this lead to why the bolshevik revolution was so violent and had such a large effect. Serfs finally had an alternative ideology. Once this was given to them they not only believed in it, but also rejected religion. This is evidenced by how anti-religious the bolshevik revolution was. The Russian population denounced orthodoxy when they found out the church was propping up czar and made communism their new religion. This sentiment comes straight out of Lenin’s mouth as he wrote “The modern class-conscious worker, reared by large-scale factory industry and enlightened by urban life, contemptuously casts aside religious prejudices, leaves heaven to the priests and bourgeois bigots, and tries to win a better life for himself here on earth,” (Religion)
The impact of this work itself would have been minimal. This is due to the following: most serfs in Russia were illiterate and therefore could not read this work, most people who could read often scoffed at his work, Russia largely censored Shchedrin and authors like him, and His work was largely unknown to the western world. However, Shchedrin and authors like him had a large impact on the overthrow of the Russian monarchy. The reason for this is the ideas they spread. Once Alexander I loosened censorship in Russia, it allowed for writers like Shchedrin to expose problems in the Russian system. Then, radicals in Russia were inspired by authors like Shchedrin as well as western thinkers like Karl Marx. These radicals spread ideas and the problems of the Russian system to the serfs by word of mouth. Finally, when censorship was reinstated and ramped up in the late 1800s by Alexander II, radicals mobilized large groups of people on an alternative idea known as communism.
My personal reaction to this story was that it was a funny and accurate piece of satire on imperial Russia. I thought the story was funny throughout just because of the sheer ridiculousness of it. However, the story didn’t change my opinion about the era. I already knew from previous knowledge and this class on how serfs were treated and the incompetence of imperial Russia. I do believe the ideas of the author expressed in this story is important to learn in Russian history. I believe this because the period of time where censorship was loosen allowed for the Russian system to be overthrown. This is because it allowed for new ideas to spread to radicals and eventually, serfs. This particular piece of literature is important because it satirizes the multiple causes for the collapse of the Russian system. While the story itself may not have spread throughout Russia because of illiteracy, its ideas spread like wildfire once they fell into the hands of radicals and revolutionaries.
In conclusion, I think this story was well written by the author who does a great job at satirizing the relationship between bureaucrats and serfs and problems with the Russian government based on his own experiences. I think that while this piece of literature didn’t have an immediate impact on Russia, its ideas where spread. This allowed for information to eventually flow to the lower illiterate classes in Russia by word of mouth. Once spread, the ideas of this work and works like it, shaped the bolshevik revolution and the downfall of the Russian monarchy.
Citations
“Guided History.” Guided History Peasant Life and Serfdom under Tsarist Russia Comments, blogs.bu.edu/guidedhistory/historians-craft/katherine-ruiz-diaz/.
Religion and the Russian Revolution I The Hampton Institute, www.hamptoninstitution.org/religion-and-the-russian-revolution.html#.W8qWJS2ZPR0.
Russia – Transformation of Russia in the Nineteenth Century, countrystudies.us/russia/6.htm.
“Prominent Russians: Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin.” Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin – Russiapedia Literature Prominent Russians, russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/literature/mikhail-saltykov-shchedrin/.
Parfenova, Inna. “Saltykov-Shchedrin: Satirist, Wordsmith and Legal Terrorist.” Russia Beyond, 28 Jan. 2016, www.rbth.com/arts/literature/2016/01/27/saltykov-shchedrin_562887.