Mr. Prokharchin
Encyclopedia
Mr. Prokharchin is a short story written in 1846 by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It appeared among others in the volume "Poor folk and other stories". It is inspired by a true story.
The story depicts the life of a miser
, Mr Prokharchin. He lives an extremely poor life, eating frugal meals and sleeping on a matress directly on the floor. His landlady and the other tenants feel sorry for him. However, on his death, they eventually discover that the man was in fact wealthy and was living in that way voluntarily. He was hiding his fortune inside his mattress.
In his review of the short story, Lantz comments that '"Mr. Prokharchin," dreams dreams, in which the accumulation of money figures prominently, express his anxiety about his sense of self and his guilt over the selfishness that has isolated him from other human beings.'
The story depicts the life of a miser
Miser
A miser, cheapskate, snipe-snout, penny pincher, piker, scrooge, skinflint or tightwad is a person who is reluctant to spend money, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts and some necessities...
, Mr Prokharchin. He lives an extremely poor life, eating frugal meals and sleeping on a matress directly on the floor. His landlady and the other tenants feel sorry for him. However, on his death, they eventually discover that the man was in fact wealthy and was living in that way voluntarily. He was hiding his fortune inside his mattress.
In his review of the short story, Lantz comments that '"Mr. Prokharchin," dreams dreams, in which the accumulation of money figures prominently, express his anxiety about his sense of self and his guilt over the selfishness that has isolated him from other human beings.'
External links
- Mr. Prokharchin short story on Google Books