Summary “Without language” Korolenko


In the Volyn province, not far from the town of Hlebno, above the winding river is the village of Lozishchi. All its inhabitants bear the surname Lozinsky with the addition of different nicknames. There are legends that once Lozinsky were Cossacks, they had some privileges, but now all this has been forgotten.

Osip Lozinsky Oglobla, like the rest, lived in Lozishchy does not matter. He was married, but he did not have any children yet, and he decided to look for his share in white to the light. A year or two later, his wife Katerina received a letter from America. Osip wrote that he works on a farm, he lives well, called his wife to him and sent her a ticket for the steamer and the train.

Two Lozishan decide to go with Katerina. This is her brother Matvei Dyshlo and his friend Ivan Dimma. Matvey – the guy is very strong, rustic and pensive. Ivan is not so strong, but agile and sharp on his tongue. To be enough for the road, they sell their homes and land.

Having

reached Hamburg, the Lozishcheans want to all sit on the steamer, but Matthew and Smoke have no tickets. Katerina leaves without them. Friends buy tickets for the next flight. On the way, they unsuccessfully try to find out what “American freedom” is, rumors about which have reached them at home. An elderly man dies on the steamer, also a native of Ukraine. His daughter Anna remains an orphan. Matvei considers it his duty to help the unhappy girl.

On the wharf the Lozishans notice a compatriot – Mr. Bork, a Jew from the city of Dubno. Mr. Bork is pleased to meet with fellow countrymen. He takes them to New York, where he has something like an inn. Anna Bork arranges in the same room with her daughter Rosa. Anna learns that she and Rosa used to live in the same city, but Rosa’s family suffered from pogroms, and Anna’s brother – from the fact that he participated in the pogrom.

The Lozishans find out that they have lost the address of Osip Oglobli. They send letters at random. America disappoints friends, especially Matvey. All of its orders, he calls the product of the

devil. Matvey sees that even Jews in America do not adhere to their customs so strictly. Mr. Bork explains that America grinds every person, and his faith is changing. This terrifies Matvey. And Dyma quickly assimilates in a new situation and begins to seem to a friend quite a stranger. Ivan changes the Little Russian costume to the American, cuts his Cossack mustaches, finds out that one can earn money selling his voice in the mayoral election. He persuades Matvey to enter into single combat with the Irish boxer Paddy. With the help of a cunning technique, the Irishman wins the strong man. Matvei is deeply offended both by his friend and by America.

Once an elderly Russian lady comes to Bork. She needs a maid. She wants to hire a girl from Russia, because she thinks that the Americans are too spoiled. Bork and his family do not advise Anna to hire a job: the lady pays little and makes a lot of work. But she does not follow American, but Russian orders, and therefore, according to Matvey, the service of this lady is the only salvation for Anna.

Anna yields to Matvey’s insistence. Mr. Bork’s son, John leads them to the lady. Her unceremonious words hurt John, and he leaves without waiting for Matvey. He rushes after him, loses John out of sight, does not remember the way back and wanders around the city until he loses all hope of finding a familiar place or face. He can not ask the way: he does not speak a word of English. Exotic clothes Matvey attracts the attention of the newspaper reporter, which sketches the “savage.”

In the park, where Matvei settles down for the night, a stranger approaches him. But, since Matvei is a man “without a language,” there is no conversation. Morning finds Matthew asleep on a bench, and his recent interlocutor hangs himself on one of the neighboring trees.

In the park, a rally of unemployed people begins. The crowd notices the hung up poor, she is excited by this event. Speaker Charlie Gompers, the famous speaker of the labor union. Passion is heating up. Matvey, not understanding a word, feels a joyous union with the crowd. Pushing to the podium, he meets the policeman Hopkins, whom he already saw the day before. Matvey wants to pay his respects to Hopkins, kissing his hand. The policeman thinks that the savage intends to bite him, and launches a truncheon. Matthew, who is raucous, throws him away, pushes the policemen, and after him other protesters rush. They break through to the square, and at some point the situation becomes unmanageable. Soon the order is restored.

The next day all the newspapers are full of reports of “the savage who killed the policeman Hopkins.” Later, however, it turns out that Hopkins is alive.

Smoke after the disappearance of Matvei falls into despondency, but it finds Osip Ogloblya, to which still reached the letter. Osip takes Smoke to himself.

And the comrades of Matvey at the rally immediately after the incident decide that he needs to hide. He is dressed in an American dress and, since Matvei repeats the word “Minnesota” (Osip Ogloblya lives there), he is put on a train going to Minnesota. In the same train goes Judge Dublton Dickinson and the Russian emigrant Yevgeny Nilov working at the sawmill. Silent Matvey causes suspicion in Dickinson.

Matvey leaves the train in Debton. Soon, once again discovering Matvei’s criminal intention to “bite” the policeman by the hand, the offender is taken to the court chamber. Of course, from him can not achieve a word, until Nilov comes. With his appearance everything is explained: both the nationality, and the name of the stranger, and the fact that he does not bite. Residents of Dublton are happy that the mystery of the famous savage is safely resolved in their city. Nilov leads his countryman to himself. Enthusiastic debltuntsy escort them to the very doors of the house.

Matvei finds out in Nilovo a young gentleman who lived not far from Lozischey, who ceded disputed lands to the Lozishtans and disappeared somewhere. Matvey begins to work with him. Nilov is going to leave: here he yearns for his homeland, and at home – for freedom. Matvey also dreams of leaving. Nilov asks what Matvai wanted to find in America. Gets the answer: prosperity, family. Nilov advises Matvey not to rush to leave: all this can be acquired here. Eugene introduces Matthew to the cars, arranges him to work as an instructor in a Jewish colony, and he leaves.

Anna still works for the old lady in New York. Two years have passed since her arrival. Suddenly, Matvey comes. He wants to take Anna away to her and marry her. The girl agrees. She refuses to serve, and the mistress again remains without a servant.

Before leaving New York, Matvei and Anna go to the pier. Now Matvei has everything that he dreamed of. Return already seems to him impossible, and yet his soul is yearning for something.


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Summary “Without language” Korolenko