The Dream
by Alexander Afanasyev
The Dream One day an old, old man was wandering about the earth, and he asked for a night’s shelter from the peasant. “Certainly,” said the peasant—“I shall be only too glad; only, will you go on telling me stories all night long?” “Yes, all right! I will tell you stories; only, let me rest here.” “Then, pray, come in!” So the old man entered the hut and lay down on the sleeping bench on the top of the stove. And the master said: “Make yourself ready, honoured guest. We shall have supper. Now, old man, tell me a story.” “Wait a bit; I had better tell you one in the morning.” “As it please you!” And they lay down to sleep. Then the old man went to sleep, and dreamed that there were two candles blazing in front of the images and two birds fluttering in the _izbá_.[23] He felt thirsty, and wanted to drink, got off the sleeping bench, and there were newts running about on the floor. And he went up to the table, and saw frogs jumping and croaking on it. Then he looked up at the master’s eldest son, and there was a snake lying in between him and his wife. And he looked at the second son, and on the second son’s wife there was a cat which was yawning at the man. Then he looked at the third son, and between him and his wife there was a young man lying. This all seemed rather queer to the old man, and rather strange. So he went and lay on the corn-kiln, and there he heard shrieks: “Sister! Sister! come and fetch me!” Then he went and lay under the fence, and there he heard a cry: “Pull me out and stick me in again!” Then he went and lay on the cauldron, and he heard a cry: “I am hanging on the cross-beam! I am falling on the cross-beam!” Then he went back into the hut. The master woke up and said: “Now tell me a story.” But the old man replied: “I shall not tell you a story, only the truth. Do you know what I have just dreamed? I went to sleep and thought I saw two candles blazing in front of the images and two birds fluttering inside the hut.” “Those are my two angels fluttering about.” “And I also saw a snake lying between your son and his wife.” “That is because they quarrel.” “And I looked also at your second son, and there was a cat sitting on his wife, and yawning at the man.” “That means that they are bad friends, and the wife wants to get rid of the husband.” “Then, when I looked at your next son, I saw a youth lying in between them.” “That is not a youth, but an angel who was lying there; and that is why they are on such good and loving terms.” “Why is it, then, master of the house, when I slipped off the sleeping shelf that there were newts running on the floor; and, when I wanted to drink at the table, I saw frogs leaping about and croaking?” “Because,” the peasant answered, “my daughters-in-law do not sweep up the lathes; but put the _kvas_ on the table when they are sitting round together without saying grace.” “Then I went to sleep on the corn-kiln, and I heard a cry: ‘Sister! Sister! come and fetch me!’” “That means that my sons never put the brush back into its place and say the proper blessing.” “Then I went to lie under the fence, and I heard a cry: ‘Pull me out and stick me in again!’” “That means that the stick’s upside-down.” “Then I went and lay under the cauldron. And I heard a cry of ‘I am hanging on the cross-beam! I am falling on the cross-beam!’” “That means,” said the master, “that, when I die, my entire house will fall.”
Moral of the Story
Outward appearances and dreams can reveal deeper truths about a household's hidden dynamics and future, often through symbolic interpretation.
Characters
The Old Man ★ protagonist
Old, suggesting frailty or wisdom from age.
Attire: Simple, worn clothing suitable for a wanderer in a rural setting (e.g., a peasant's tunic and trousers).
Observant, curious, direct (when revealing his dream), a storyteller.
The Peasant ◆ supporting
Robust, as implied by his role as a house master and farmer.
Attire: Practical, sturdy clothing of a peasant farmer (e.g., a simple linen shirt, trousers, and possibly a vest).
Hospitable (with a condition), pragmatic, knowledgeable about his household's affairs, somewhat superstitious.
The Master's Eldest Son ○ minor
Undescribed, but implied to be an adult capable of marriage.
Attire: Simple peasant attire.
Quarrelsome (implied by the snake in the dream).
The Master's Second Son ○ minor
Undescribed, but implied to be an adult capable of marriage.
Attire: Simple peasant attire.
Implied to be in a troubled marriage.
The Master's Third Son ○ minor
Undescribed, but implied to be an adult capable of marriage.
Attire: Simple peasant attire.
Loving, harmonious (implied by the angel in the dream).
Locations
Peasant's Hut Interior
A humble hut with a sleeping bench on top of a stove, images (icons) on the wall, and a table. During the dream, it appears to have newts on the floor and frogs on the table. The atmosphere is initially welcoming, then becomes eerie and unsettling during the dream, before returning to a matter-of-fact tone.
Mood: Initially welcoming, then eerie and unsettling during the dream, later revealing and explanatory.
The old man is offered shelter and sleeps here. He experiences his vivid, symbolic dream within this space, and later recounts it to the peasant, who interprets its meanings.
Corn-kiln
An outdoor structure used for drying corn, where the old man attempts to sleep after being disturbed by his dream. A disembodied shriek is heard from here.
Mood: Mysterious, unsettling, with a sense of unseen presence.
The old man seeks refuge here during his dream, hearing a cry that is later interpreted as a symbol of neglected household duties.
Under the Fence
The ground beneath a fence, where the old man tries to sleep. A disembodied cry is heard from this location.
Mood: Mysterious, unsettling, with a sense of unseen presence.
The old man attempts to sleep here during his dream, hearing a cry that is later interpreted as a symbol of disorder (an upside-down stick).
Under the Cauldron
The space beneath a cauldron, where the old man tries to sleep. A disembodied cry is heard from this location.
Mood: Mysterious, unsettling, with a sense of impending doom.
The old man seeks refuge here during his dream, hearing a cry that is later interpreted as a premonition of the household's collapse upon the master's death.
Story DNA
Moral
Outward appearances and dreams can reveal deeper truths about a household's hidden dynamics and future, often through symbolic interpretation.
Plot Summary
An old man, seeking shelter, promises stories to a peasant. Instead, he experiences a vivid dream and hears strange cries from objects around the hut. The next morning, he recounts these observations to the peasant, who interprets each symbolic detail as revealing the hidden truths of his household: his sons' marital issues, his daughters-in-law's neglect, and ultimately, the impending downfall of his entire house upon his death.
Themes
Emotional Arc
curiosity to understanding
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This story reflects a pre-industrial, rural Russian setting where hospitality was paramount, and belief in omens and symbolic meanings was strong. The structure of the household (sons and their wives living together) is also characteristic.
Plot Beats (16)
- An old man, wandering the earth, asks a peasant for shelter in exchange for stories.
- The peasant agrees, and the old man settles on the sleeping bench on the stove.
- The old man falls asleep and dreams of two candles and two birds in the hut.
- He feels thirsty, gets up, and sees newts on the floor and frogs on the table.
- He observes a snake between the eldest son and his wife, a cat on the second son's wife, and a young man between the third son and his wife.
- Finding this strange, he moves to the corn-kiln and hears a cry about a sister.
- He then moves under the fence and hears a cry about being pulled out and stuck in again.
- Finally, he lies under the cauldron and hears a cry about hanging and falling from a cross-beam.
- The peasant wakes up and asks for the story.
- The old man states he will tell the truth (his dream) instead of a story.
- He recounts the candles and birds, which the peasant interprets as angels.
- He recounts the snake, which the peasant interprets as marital quarrels.
- He recounts the cat, which the peasant interprets as the wife wanting to get rid of the husband.
- He recounts the young man, which the peasant interprets as an angel signifying love.
- He recounts the newts and frogs, which the peasant attributes to his daughters-in-law's untidiness and lack of grace.
- He recounts the cries from the corn-kiln, fence, and cauldron, which the peasant interprets as his sons' neglect of duties, a misplaced stick, and the impending downfall of his house upon his death.
