A summary of Ivan Turgenev’s "Mumu"

In a Moscow estate, the tragedy unfolds of a mute janitor, forcibly separated from everything he holds dear. This story is a harsh, realistic portrait of serfdom, written in 1852. The protagonist is deprived of the opportunity to verbally protest against the lord’s arbitrary rule; his rebellion is expressed solely through actions.

The work has been adapted for the screen several times. The most famous are the 1959 films of the same name directed by Anatoly Bobrovsky and Yevgeny Teterin, as well as the 1998 film by Yuri Grymov. The latter adaptation received a number of awards, including the Nika Award for Best Cinematography and prizes at the Literature and Cinema Film Festival.

Life in a Moscow estate

An elderly widow lives in a gray Moscow house with white columns. Her life is empty; her children have moved away. The lady keeps numerous servants. The protagonist of the story is the janitor Gerasim. He has been deaf and dumb since birth. The lady brought him from the village, where he lived in a separate hut and was known as an excellent worker.

A man about 195 centimeters tall, he possessed the strength of a Herculean beast. In the village, he easily ploughed alone, without a horse, and effortlessly worked with a scythe. The move to Moscow proved a difficult ordeal for Gerasim. Torn away from his familiar village life, he pined like a trapped animal.

His city duties seemed trivial to him. In half an hour, he’d finish cleaning the yard, fetch water in a barrel, and chop wood. The rest of the time, he’d lie on the ground, bewildered. Soon, he got used to the new conditions. Gerasim strictly maintained order and didn’t allow strangers into the yard. One night, he caught two thieves and smashed their heads together. After that, the entire neighborhood became afraid of him.

The servants communicated with the mute man using signs. The janitor considered the servants his own, and they respected him. He was assigned a tiny closet above the kitchen. Gerasim furnished it himself, constructing a massive oak bed capable of supporting over 1,600 kilograms. A heavy chest stood beneath the bed, and a sturdy table and three-legged chair stood nearby. The door was locked, and the janitor always carried the key with him.

The intrigues of the servants and the fate of Tatyana

A year later, the old lady decided to marry off the hard-drinking shoemaker Kapiton Klimov. This man considered himself an educated citizen of the capital. The butler, Gavrila, supported the idea. The lady proposed the laundress, Tatyana. Gavrila didn’t dare argue with his mistress, although the order greatly perplexed him.

Tatyana was twenty-eight years old, thin, and frightened. She endured constant humiliation, working the equivalent of two people and receiving a meager salary. She had almost no relatives left. Ever since they moved, the mute giant had taken a liking to the laundress. Gerasim constantly sought out Tatyana. He gave her gingerbread roosters and ribbons, and swept dust for her with a broom. The laundress was intimidated by his gigantic frame, but the janitor took her under his wing. He never allowed anyone to harm her.

One day, the housekeeper began to mock Tatyana. Gerasim simply placed his heavy hand on the offender’s head, and she fell silent. Another time, he threatened Kapiton with a pole for attempting to speak to the girl. The mistress knew of these actions and favored the strong guard. Gerasim himself was waiting for a new caftan so that he could go to the mistress in presentable attire to ask permission to marry Tatyana.

Meanwhile, the butler Gavrila summoned the drunkard Kapiton. The shoemaker agreed to the marriage, but feared the revenge of his deaf-mute rival. Gavrila summoned Tatyana. The downtrodden woman meekly agreed to marry the drunkard, resigning herself to the hero’s possible wrath.

The servants held a meeting in Gavrila’s room. They decided to trick the mute. Everyone knew of the hero’s strong dislike of drunken people. The servants tricked Tatyana into feigning intoxication and staggering past Gerasim. The ruse worked perfectly. The mute saw the drunk girl, grabbed her by the hand, and pushed her into the room right next to Kapiton. After that, he locked himself in the closet for a whole day. A week later, Kapiton and Tatyana were married, and the janitor became even more sullen.

The Appearance of Mumu

A year later, Kapiton, who had completely fallen into alcoholism, was sent to a distant village with his wife. On the day of their departure, Gerasim went out to see Tatyana off. He gave her a red paper handkerchief. The woman was moved and exchanged three Christian kisses with her former suitor. Returning home along the river, the hero noticed a puppy struggling in the water. He pulled out the white and black-spotted dog, tucked it into his shirt, and brought it into the closet.

The puppy turned out to be a three-week-old female. Gerasim fed her milk, laid her down on the straw, and tenderly cared for her. About eight months later, the little dog had blossomed into a beautiful Spanish breed with a bushy tail. The mute named her Mumu. The dog followed her owner everywhere. The yard fell in love with the intelligent animal, but Mumu recognized only her savior. Unlike the old guard dog, Volchok, she roamed freely around the grounds.

She guarded the yard well, waking her master in the morning and never barking in vain. The dog never entered the manor house, waiting for her master at the porch. Their happy life lasted about a year. One summer day, the old lady was strolling through the living room in a good mood. She saw a dog gnawing a bone under a rose bush in the front garden. The old woman was touched and ordered her servants to bring the animal immediately. Footman Stepan, with difficulty, caught the nimble Muma and brought her into the room.

The dog was frightened by the unfamiliar surroundings. The lady tried to call her over and pet her. Mumu bared her teeth. The old woman jerked her hand away, her mood suddenly soured. She called the animal vile and evil and ordered him to take the dog away. Stepan threw the dog out into the street at his master’s feet. The lady remained furious until evening, complaining about the smell of soap on her pillow and the wrong cologne.

The next morning, the old woman told Gavrila, the butler, that the dog had been barking all night and keeping them awake. She demanded that the animal be removed from the yard immediately. The butler relayed the order to Stepan, the footman. After waiting for Gerasim to go get firewood, Stepan seized the dog, took it to Okhotny Ryad, and sold it to a buyer for fifty rubles. Upon returning, the mute man searched the entire yard. None of the servants revealed the truth, and Gavrila only shouted at the coachmen.

The Return of the Dog and the Siege of the Closet

Having lost his pet, the hero ran across half of Moscow. The whole next day, his face was frozen. That night, he was lying in the hayloft and suddenly felt someone tugging at his clothes. Mumu stood before him with a piece of rope around her neck. Her joyful owner carried her off to the closet.

He realized the true reason for her disappearance and decided to hide the dog. During the day, he kept her locked up, stuffing the crack in the door with an old coat, and took her for walks late at night. The household knew of Mumu’s return, but kept silent. That night, during a secret walk, a drunken passerby rustled behind the fence.

The dog barked loudly. The sound awakened the lady, who had been sleeping after a hearty dinner. The old woman became hysterical. She demanded a doctor, complained of heart problems, and accused the servants of trying to kill her. The physician, Khariton, treated the lady with cherry laurel drops. A commotion ensued, and Gavrila woke the people. Gerasim grabbed the dog and locked himself in the closet. Five men battered at the sturdy door, to no avail.

The butler left a guard at the stairs until morning. The lady, sated with the drops, fell asleep, and the hero lay on the bed all night, clutching his pet’s jaws. In the morning, the old woman complained weakly to the senior servant about the dog disturbing her peace. Gavrila gathered a crowd of servants and moved toward the mute’s dwelling. The servants occupied the entire staircase.

Gavrila pounded on the door with his fist and shouted, "Open up!" There was no answer. Stepan poked at the plugged hole with a stick. Suddenly, the door swung open. The crowd tumbled down. A giant in a red peasant shirt stood on the threshold. Gavrila gestured to explain his mistress’s orders.

Gerasim looked at the dog, made a choke sign near the neck, and struck himself in the chest. With this, he promised to take Mumu’s life himself. The crowd parted. The servants believed his promise. Gavrila left the gardener, Yeroshka, to watch the door. An hour later, the mighty warrior emerged in a festive caftan, leading the dog on a leash.

He entered the tavern. He ordered some cabbage soup with meat, crumbled some bread into it, and gave it to the dog. The animal ate carefully, and tears streamed down the owner’s face. After paying for the food, he left the tavern. Eroshka crept behind him.

Tragedy on the river and departure to the village

The man headed straight for the Crimean Ford. Along the way, he stopped at a construction yard and picked up two heavy bricks. At the river, he untied one of his two boats, put the dog in, and began rowing swiftly against the current. The old man from the hut tried to curse, but the boat quickly drifted 213 meters from the shore.

Leaving Moscow behind, the boat emerged into the open expanses of fields and meadows. The owner dropped the oars. He leaned his head against the dog, crossing his arms on its back. The current slowly carried the boat back toward the city. Straightening up, he tied the bricks with a rope, his anger tingling. He made a noose and placed it around Mumu’s neck.

Lifting the animal 35 centimeters above the water, he looked into its trusting eyes for the last time. Squeezing his eyes shut, the mighty warrior released his grip. The deaf-mute heard neither the squeal nor the heavy splash of water. Only wide ripples spread across the river. Spy Eroshka returned home and reported what he had seen.

The giant didn’t appear until evening. At dinner, Stepan told them he’d seen the mute at the gate. The giant was leaving the courtyard and painfully pushed aside a footman who tried to speak. That same warm summer night, a man strode confidently along the highway with a sack over his shoulder and a long stick. After drowning his dog, he took his belongings and left the Moscow house forever.

He made the journey to his home village, located 26 kilometers from the highway, without looking back. By morning, the distance between him and Moscow was 37 kilometers. He walked straight ahead, smelling the rye and the warm breeze. Two days later, he arrived at his hut, to the amazement of the soldier’s wife who lived there.

The village elder immediately gave him a scythe, and the worker returned to his usual duties. In Moscow, the servants discovered the janitor was missing. Gavrila assumed he had drowned along with his dog. The lady, learning of the escape, burst into tears and demanded the fugitive’s return.

She claimed she hadn’t ordered the animal’s death. Upon learning that the worker had safely reached the village, the old woman called him ungrateful and refused to return him. She died soon after. The deceased woman’s heirs dismissed the servants. Gerasim remained living in the village as a bachelor. Neighbors noticed that after returning from the city, the powerful worker avoided women and didn’t keep dogs.