"Don’t Get into Someone Else’s Sleigh" by Alexander Ostrovsky, summary Automatic translate

The comedy "Don’t Get into Someone Else’s Sleigh" was written in 1852 and became the author’s first work to be staged. This book is a classic comedy of manners, where the conflict builds on the clash between merchant life and noble calculation.

Events at the Malomalsky Hotel

The action unfolds in the provincial town of Cheremukhin. In the common room of the inn owned by Seliverst Potapych Malomalsky, the servant Stepan complains to the waiter about his hard life. Stepan’s master, retired cavalryman Viktor Arkadyevich Vikhorev, has gone broke. Stepan eats cheap herring wrapped in sugar paper and talks about his master’s empty wallet. Vikhorev hopes to improve his financial situation by marrying a wealthy provincial woman. To realize this plan, he rents a room at the local inn and makes useful connections.

Vikhorev’s friend, the civil servant Andrei Andreich Baranchevsky, comes to see him. They discuss the meager provincial life. The retired cavalryman borrows money from Baranchevsky for his current expenses. Vikhorev has his eye on Avdotya Maksimovna, the daughter of the wealthy merchant Maksim Fedotych Rusakov. The cavalryman uses Malomalsky’s wife, Anna Antonovna, to gain access to the girl. Anna Antonovna flirts with the nobleman, listens to his compliments, and promises to help him with his love affairs.

A young merchant, Ivan Petrovich Borodkin, arrives at the inn. He owns a small convenience store and a Rhenish cellar. Borodkin has long been in love with Avdotya Maximovna. The young man plays the guitar, sings romances, and shares his feelings with Malomalsky. Borodkin doubts his chances. The merchant considers himself uneducated and simple for the daughter of a famous wealthy man. Ivan Petrovich sincerely suffers from unrequited love.

Soon, Avdotya Maximovna and her aunt, Arina Fedotovna, an elderly woman, appear. Vikhorev begins courting the merchant’s daughter at the inn. He makes speeches, kisses her hands, and swears his love. Avdotya, raised in a strict patriarchal environment, has never witnessed such social interaction. The girl succumbs to the charm of the capital’s dandy. She listens to his words with bated breath.

Borodkin also tries to talk to Avdotya. He offers her his feelings directly and honestly. But the girl, blinded by the aristocratic glamour, refuses. She considers Ivan Petrovich boring. Vikhorev celebrates his victory and makes plans for the dowry. All that remains is to obtain his father’s consent to the marriage. The retired cavalryman is confident of his success.

House of merchant Rusakov

The action shifts to a spacious room in the house of Maxim Fedotovich Rusakov. Avdotya Maximovna sits by the window with a guitar, singing a Russian folk song about Vanyusha. After singing, she confesses her feelings for Viktor Arkadyevich to Arina Fedotovna. Her aunt supports her niece. Arina Fedotovna, having read a lot of novels, believes in the cavalryman’s nobility, and considers him an ideal match.

Borodkin comes to the Rusakovs. The young merchant, dressed in formal attire, asks Maxim Fedotych for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Ivan Petrovich mentions his elderly mother’s desire for her son to marry. Rusakov warms to Borodkin. The old merchant values his honesty, integrity, and hard work. The father calls Avdotya and proposes marriage to Ivan Petrovich. The girl refuses. Rusakov, unwilling to force his daughter into an unwanted marriage, peacefully releases the groom.

Vikhorev appears next. The retired cavalryman comports himself with confidence, speaking loudly and arrogantly. He asks Avdotya Maximovna’s father for her hand in marriage. Rusakov suspects deception. The experienced merchant doesn’t believe the sincerity of the ruined nobleman’s feelings for a common girl. Rusakov decides to test the groom’s true intentions. The old man devises a cunning plan to test his future son-in-law.

Maxim Fedotych delivers a long speech about merchant customs and agrees to the marriage. But the father sets a strict condition. He declares that he will not provide a dowry for his daughter during his lifetime. All the money the couple has earned will go to the newlyweds only after his death. Vikhorev is distraught by this news. He tries to save face and pretends he’s not interested in the money.

Left alone with his thoughts, Vikhorev grows angry. He doesn’t want to marry a poor woman. He devises a new, cunning plan. The cavalryman decides to spirit Avdotya away secretly, at night, without her parents’ blessing. He hopes that after a public scandal, Rusakov will be forced to forgive his daughter and hand over the money, quickly wiping away the shame. Vikhorev begins preparing for his escape.

Escape to Yamskaya Sloboda

The action shifts to a dark room in an inn in Yamskaya Sloboda. This remote place is located seven versts (about 7.5 kilometers) from the city. Vikhorev, Avdotya Maksimovna, and the servant Stepan enter with a candle. The girl is frightened by the night journey. She doesn’t understand why Vikhorev took her away from her home. Stepan complains about the slow coachmen and leaves to hurry them.

The cavalryman explains his plan. He wants to marry her immediately in a neighboring village, where his acquaintance, the official Baranchevsky, lives. Avdotya weeps and recalls her aged father’s grief. She tells Vikhorev about her conversation with Rusakov. It turns out that her angry father will disinherit her for her elopement. This news comes as an unpleasant surprise to the groom.

Vikhorev realizes he won’t get the money. His attitude toward the crying Avdotya reverses. He becomes cold, cynical, and rude. The retired cavalryman bluntly tells the girl that he doesn’t need her without a dowry. Vikhorev abandons Avdotya alone in a filthy inn and rides away. The girl is left in the dark, crushed by her beloved’s betrayal.

Returning to the home

The action returns to the Rusakov house. Despair reigns. Maxim Fedotych is grief-stricken over the loss of his only daughter. Arina Fedotych weeps and curses the deceiver Vikhorev. Suddenly, the front doors open. Borodkin quietly enters, carefully leading Avdotya Maximovna behind him. Ivan Petrovich found the abandoned girl at the inn and brought her home.

Borodkin displays nobility. He assures old Rusakov that none of the townspeople have seen Avdotya and the maiden’s honor is saved. Avdotya falls at her father’s feet, bitterly repenting her mistake. The girl apologizes for trading her loving family for a handsome deceiver. The family is reunited after a difficult ordeal.

Rusakov, seeing his daughter’s suffering, softens. The old merchant, with tears in his eyes, forgives Avdotya and embraces her tightly. Avdotya Maximovna turns to Ivan Petrovich. Only after being deceived does she understand the value of loyalty. The girl herself offers Borodkin her hand and heart.

Ivan Petrovich happily agrees to become her husband. Rusakov blesses the young couple. Maxim Fedotych offers edifying words to everyone in the room. Then Rusakov pronounces, "Don’t get into someone else’s sleigh." This phrase concludes all the events in the old merchant’s house.

The story of the treacherous Vikhorev ends with the complete collapse of his ambitious plans. The retired cavalryman is left without his rich bride and without anyone else’s money. His hungry servant Stepan continues to suffer from poverty. Arina Fedotovna is cured of her romantic illusions. The elderly woman realizes that real life is different from French romance novels.