"An Old Friend is Better Than Two New Ones" by Alexander Ostrovsky, summary

This book is a comedy play by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. It was written in 1860. The text vividly depicts the everyday life of the bourgeoisie and petty officials of Moscow in the mid-nineteenth century. The author brilliantly conveys the lively, colloquial speech of his characters. The comedy first saw print.

Act One

Conversations in a bourgeois house

The events begin in a small room in a wooden house. The owner of the house is a townswoman named Tatyana Nikonovna. Her twenty-year-old daughter, Olenka, lives with her. Olenka works as a seamstress. Olenka sits by the window, sewing and quietly singing a song. She reflects on her fate and dreams of marriage. Olenka is awaiting a proposal from the titular councilor, Prokhor Gavrilych Vasyutin. He earns a good income and is a frequent visitor to their home. Olenka considers court officials lazy. They find it difficult to navigate noble society, but feel at ease in common company. Olenka plans to cunningly force Vasyutin to keep his promise of marriage.

Tatyana Nikonovna enters the room. Mother and daughter are arguing over the window curtain. The mother wants to hang it up to protect it from the prying eyes of passersby. Olenka resists. Tatyana Nikonovna directly accuses her daughter of flighty behavior. She suspects the girl of having affairs with passing officials. The mother threatens to severely punish Olenka for any disgrace. She says, "It would be better for you not to live than to shame me in your old age."

A Visit from a Chatty Neighbor

A government official’s wife, Pulcheria Andreevna Gushchina, comes to visit. She works as a local newsboy. Pulcheria Andreevna complains about her boring life and her emotionless husband, Ilya Ilyich. Then she gossips about the neighbors. In one family, fights break out every other day; in another, the wife smeared her husband’s face with jam. Soon, Gushchina gets to the main news. The Vasyutin family has found a bride for their son, Prokhor. She is an educated woman with a dowry and thirteen serfs. Hearing this, Olenka quickly puts on her hat and runs out into the street in tears.

Tatyana Nikonovna is shocked by her daughter’s behavior. Pulcheria Andreevna reveals a secret. It turns out that Vasyutin has long seduced Olenka with vows of marriage. The mother despairs. She promises to keep an eye on her daughter. Pulcheria Andreevna tells the story of her purchase of a new burnoose. Her husband publicly humiliated her in front of a strange woman, ridiculing her spending. The conversation quickly escalates into a conflict between the two. Gushchina boasts of her noble birth. Tatyana Nikonovna responds insolently and asks her guest not to come again. Pulcheria Andreevna leaves in a rage.

The quarrel and Vasyutin’s return

Olenka returns home. She cries, covering her face with her hands. Her mother initially scolds her daughter, but then begins to pity her. The girl confesses that Prokhor Gavrilych is indeed marrying another woman. Vasyutin himself appears outside the window. He asks permission to enter. Olenka begs her mother to go behind the partition. The girl doesn’t want to cry in front of her.

Prokhor Gavrilych enters the room. He tries to justify his actions by citing family pressure. His mother demands that her son marry an educated young lady who speaks French. Olenka sarcastically congratulates him. Vasyutin offers the girl money and requests secret meetings. Olenka proudly refuses and sends him away. Prokhor leaves feeling guilty. Olenka cries and asks her mother to call Pulcheria Andreevna back. The neighbor returns. Olenka begs her to find out all the details about Prokhor’s new bride.

Act II

Order in the Vasyutins’ house

The events shift to the Vasyutins’ living room. Footman Orest is escorting another petitioner. Orest discusses the benefits of his service. His master, Prokhor Gavrilych, lacks the intelligence for intelligent conversation, but is adept at feigning sternness in front of visitors. The petitioners sweat with fear and eagerly hand over their money. Orest himself also accepts bribes for admittance to his master. The footman is content with living with minor officials, where he can drink alcohol for days at a time.

Prokhor’s mother, Anfisa Karpovna, appears. She scolds the footman for extorting money from merchants right in the hallway. Orestes brazenly argues with the lady, arguing that the income from customers is due to his status. Retired official Gavrila Prokhorych enters the room. The father of the family is drunk and grimacing. Anfisa Karpovna shames her husband for his outrageous behavior. The old man weeps with emotion over his son’s upcoming marriage. His wife orders him to change for his visit to the bride.

Merchant treats

The merchant Vavila Osipovich Gustomesov arrives at the house. He brings a bag of wine. Anfisa Karpovna complains about her son’s frequent drunkenness. The merchant vigorously defends his friend. He claims they drink in moderation, and Prokhor is respected by all the merchants for his assistance in legal matters. Prokhor Gavrilych emerges from his study. He orders Orest to open the wine he brought. The mother begs her son to go to his fiancée. Prokhor refuses to go sober. He declares, "That’s how you should go to your fiancée — not drunk, that’s bad, but with a clear head."

The men down shot after shot. Gustomesov proposes a toast to the first Friday of the week. Prokhor promises his mother he’ll quit drinking immediately after the wedding. The friends plan to go for an evening stroll in Maryina Roshcha. Prokhor Gavrilych assures Anfisa Karpovna that he’s finally severed all ties with Olenka. The merchant and the official leave. Pulcheria Andreevna Gushchina arrives in the Vasyutins’ drawing room. She wants revenge on those who offended her. The gossip warns Anfisa Karpovna of the treacherous plans of the townswoman Tatyana Nikonovna. According to her, Olenka and her mother could ruin the upcoming wedding.

Anfisa Karpovna categorically refuses to believe the uninvited guest. She firmly believes her son is a worthy man, not subject to human vices. The mistress of the house defends the family’s honor and harshly sends Pulcheria Andreevna away. The indignant gossip is deeply offended by this reception and leaves the drawing room cursing loudly.

Act Three

The Groom’s Revelation

Events return the viewer to Tatyana Nikonovna’s house. Mother and daughter are sewing again. Olenka is confident and promises to find herself a new, noble groom. Pulcheria Andreevna comes running, proudly sharing the latest news. A gossip has infiltrated the home of the bride, the Shishanchikov family, disguised as a shawl saleswoman. There, she learned scandalous details. The previous evening, Prokhor Gavrilych had arrived at the bride’s house late in the evening, heavily intoxicated. He was accompanied by the tipsy merchant Gustomesov. The couple were horrified by such a visit. That morning, they sent the groom a note with a final refusal. Pulcheria Andreevna gleefully adds that she herself had further denigrated Vasyutin.

The women notice Prokhor approaching through the window. The gossiping woman quickly hides behind the partition. Olenka asks her mother to play along with her cunning plan. Prokhor Gavrilych enters the room. He tries to maintain his pride and brazenly lies. Vasyutin declares that he himself rejected the rich bride because of his great love for Olenka. The girl and her mother roar with laughter at his words. Tatyana Nikonovna announces that Olenka is marrying someone else today. Vasyutin panics. He begs Olenka to call off the wedding. The official is ready to marry her in a month. The women don’t believe him. Prokhor promises to get his mother’s blessing in half an hour and quickly runs off.

Deception and engagement

Pulcheria Andreevna emerges from hiding. She is shocked that the townswomen have agreed to listen to their offender. The guest reproaches them for their lowly origins and calls Vasyutin mad. Tatyana Nikonovna sternly puts the gossip in her place. She boasts of her future wealth and promises to ride in her own carriage. Insulted, Pulcheria Andreevna leaves their home forever. Some time later, Prokhor Gavrilych returns. He shares the good news: he managed to extract his mother’s consent to the marriage by threatening to die of mortal anguish. Anfisa Karpovna gave her son her blessing on the condition that they live separately. Olenka throws herself into her groom’s arms.

She playfully scolds Prokhor for his desire to marry an educated young lady. Olenka declares, "If she had a free spirit, she would have laughed at you and taken a lover." The girl promises to teach him to dress tastefully and to receive guests with dignity. The merchant Gustomesov enters the room. He brings another bag of bottles of wine. The merchant deftly takes out a corkscrew and opens the wine. Vavila Osipovich forces everyone present to drink, even the teetotal Olenka. The man proposes a toast to the health of the hosts. He promises to come to their house every evening with fresh supplies of alcohol. The townswomen cordially agree. The comedy concludes with a merry feast.