11/14/2023 0 Comments Honest thief synopsisThe characters show how good and evil exists in all humans and it is morally in the grey zone. The title itself is an oxymoron but it kind of makes sense by the end of the story. Emelyan confesses about the theft to Astafy before he dies the guilt has tormented Emelyan.Īn honest thief is a short story that focuses more on the characters I feel. When Emelyan returns, he is very cold and starved, and sick, Astafy knows his time is limited. He leaves the apartment and Astafy can’t find him. He steals the breach which leads to a fallout between him and Astafy. He is troubled and seems to use alcohol as a crutch. Emelyan is a drunk and clearly, he has given up on his life, there are hints of some tragedy but it is never made explicit. This story has more psychological depth than I expected. He depends a lot on Astafy and his friendship means a lot to him. Emelyan is a sad and troubled soul, he knows his addiction to alcohol is a problem but he doesn’t seem to want to do anything about it. Astafy genuinely wants Emelyan to make a change in his life, for him to quit drinking so much and find a job. The way it has been described and written, it works well for the story though, in the beginning, it was slightly confusing but that doesn’t last long. It starts in the present time of Astafy’s life and then he recalls his life events to the narrator. The breeches are missing and Astafy suspects Emelyan but he denies it.Īn honest thief uses the narrative technique of a story within a story. Astafy is working as a tailor and short on money so he decides to sell a pair of riding breeches made for a wealthy customer which he never collected. Emelyan has problems that are hinted at right from the introduction but then the gravity of his issues starts to set in for Astafy and the readers as the plot progresses. Since then Emelyan follows Asrafy around and even moves in with him. Astafy feels bad about Emelyan’s situation and buys him a drink. The writing is simple and apt it has depth and layers but it doesn’t become too much to go on.Īstafy and Emelyan know each other from before but one night in a pub Emelyan wants a drink but doesn’t have any money for it. It is after this incident that Astafy tells the narrator a story about a man named Emelyan Ilyitch an honest thief. One day, a thief steals the narrator’s coat and Astafy unsuccessfully tries to stop the thief from getting away. I have never read anything written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky before so I thought starting with short stories might be a good idea.Īn Honest Thief starts with the narrator taking on a lodger named Astafy Ivanovich, an old soldier. I have a book of selected short stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky which includes this story An Honest Thief.
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