Summary of “Gerasim and Mumu” by Turgenev
In one of the Moscow houses, surrounded by many servants, lived an old lady. Among all her servants, the janitor Gerasim was particularly distinguished. He was a tall, handsome man – a real hero. Only now he could not speak – he was so ugly.
The lady was very strict and considered that only she knew how her servants should live. Once she planned to marry her shoemaker Capito. Kapiton drank a lot, and the lady decided that marrying, or rather, a wife, would divert him from this predilection. And as a wife for Capito she chose a laundress Tatiana. Tatyana was a quiet, very obedient and timid young woman. She was beautiful, only her beauty was somehow invisible due to the fact that Tatiana herself tried to be as unobtrusive as possible.
Tatyana really liked Gerasim. He constantly gave her signs of attention – he gave gifts, swept the broom before her. And when he saw that Kapiton had been talking kindly to her for some time and kindly, then without words
Walking along the river bank, Gerasim saw a small puppy in the water. He pulled the puppy out of the water and brought it to his janitor’s. Washed, wiped, fed and laid to sleep next to him. Gerasim very well looked after the puppy, which soon became a very beautiful little dog. He called her Mumu and became attached to her as he never became attached to anyone. And the dog did not leave Gerasim for a single step. One day the lady saw Mumu and wanted to look at her closely.
Gerasim searched Mumu for a long time, and when he was shown signs that Mumu was barking at the lady, he decided that he would not see her any more. But at night Mumu returned with a scrap of rope around her neck. Then Gerasim began to hide the dog. All day he kept her locked up, and at night he took me out for a walk. But one night, seeing a stranger near the fence, Mumu barked loudly. The lady woke up and ordered immediately to get rid of the dog. When they came to Gerasim, he showed signs that he would do everything himself. He took Mumu and left the yard. He brought the dog to a tavern, fed her with meat soup, then went to the river, sat down with her in a boat and began raking in the middle of the river. Tied Gerasim to the rope bricks, which he took with him, lifted Mumu over the water, looked at her for the last time and unclasped his hands. Returning to his cubicle, Gerasim collected his things and left Moscow for his village. The lady first became angry, and then calmed down. And Gerasim never in his life showed interest in either women or dogs.
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