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Anton Chekhov
Thick and thin
Two friends met at the station of the Nikolaev railway: one fat, the other thin. The fat man had just dined at the station, and his oiled lips were shiny like ripe cherries. He smelled of sherry and orange blossom. The thin one had just got out of the car and was loaded with suitcases, bundles and cartons. He smelled of ham and coffee grounds. From behind him peeked out a thin woman with a long chin - his wife, and a tall schoolboy with a narrowed eye - his son.
- Porfiry! exclaimed the fat one, seeing the thin one. - Is that you? My dove! How many winters, how many years!
- Fathers! – the thin one was amazed. - Misha! Childhood friend! Where did you come from?
The friends kissed each other three times and fixed their eyes full of tears on each other. Both were pleasantly surprised.
- My dear! – began thin after kissing. - I didn't expect it! Here's a surprise! Well, take a good look at me! Just as handsome as ever! The same soul and dandy! Oh you, Lord! Well, what are you? Rich? Married? I'm already married, as you can see... This is my wife, Louise, nee Wanzenbach... a Lutheran... And this is my son, Nathanael, a third grade student. This, Nafanya, is my childhood friend! We studied together in high school!
Nathanael thought for a moment and took off his hat.
We studied together in high school! – continued thin. Do you remember how you were teased? You were teased by Herostratus because you burned a government book with a cigarette, and I was Ephialtes because I liked to tell tales. Ho-ho... They were children! Don't be afraid, Nafanya! Come closer to him ... And this is my wife, nee Wanzenbach ... a Lutheran.
Nathanael thought a little and hid behind his father.
- Well, how are you, friend? the fat man asked, looking enthusiastically at his friend. - Where do you serve? Reached the ranks?
- I serve, my dear! I have been a collegiate assessor for the second year and I have Stanislav. The salary is bad ... well, God bless him! My wife gives music lessons, I privately make cigarette cases from wood. Excellent cigarette cases! I sell for a ruble. If someone takes ten pieces or more, you understand, a concession. Let's get some fun. I served, you know, in the department, and now I have been transferred here as a clerk in the same department ... I will serve here. Well, how are you? Probably already stately? A?
“No, my dear, lift it higher,” said the fat one. - I have already risen to the secret ... I have two stars.
The thin one suddenly turned pale, petrified, but soon his face twisted in all directions with the broadest smile; it seemed as if sparks were falling from his face and eyes. He himself shrank, hunched, narrowed ... His suitcases, bundles and cartons shrank, grimaced ... The long chin of his wife became even longer; Nathanael stretched out in front and buttoned all the buttons of his uniform ...
- I, Your Excellency ... Very pleased, sir! A friend, one might say, of childhood, and suddenly turned out to be such grandees, sir! Hee hee s.
- Well, it's full! the fat man grimaced. What is this tone for? You and I are childhood friends - and what is this veneration for!
“Excuse me… What are you…” the thin one giggled, cringing even more. “Your Excellency’s gracious attention… it seems to be life-giving moisture… Here, Your Excellency, my son Nathanael… wife Louise, a Lutheran, in a way…”
The fat one wanted to object something, but the thin one's face was written with such reverence, sweetness and respectful acidity that the Privy Councilor vomited. He turned away from the thin one and gave him his hand in parting.
The thin one shook three fingers, bowed with his whole body and giggled like a Chinese: "Hee-hee-hee." The wife smiled. Nathanael shuffled his foot and dropped his cap. All three were pleasantly surprised.
Two friends met at the station of the Nikolaev railway: one fat, the other thin. The fat one had just dined at the station, and his lips, covered with oil, were shiny like ripe cherries. He smelled of sherry and orange fleur. The thin one had just got out of the car and was loaded with suitcases, bundles and cartons. He smelled of ham and coffee grounds. A thin woman with a long chin peeked out from behind him - his wife, and a tall schoolboy with a narrowed eye - his son.
Porfiry! exclaimed the fat one, seeing the thin one. - Is that you? My dove! How many winters, how many years!
Fathers! - the thin one was amazed. - Misha! Childhood friend! Where did you come from?
The friends kissed each other three times and fixed their eyes full of tears on each other. Both were pleasantly surprised.
My dear! - began thin after kissing. - I didn't expect it! Here's a surprise! Well, take a good look at me! Just as handsome as ever! The same soul and dandy! Oh you, Lord! Well, what are you? Rich? Married? I'm already married, as you can see... This is my wife, Louise, nee Wanzenbach... a Lutheran... And this is my son, Nathanael, a student of the third grade. This, Nafanya, is my childhood friend! We studied together in high school!
Nathanael thought for a moment and took off his hat.
We studied together in high school! - continued thin. Do you remember how you were teased? You were teased by Herostratus because you burned a government book with a cigarette, and I was Ephialtes because I liked to tell tales. Ho-ho... They were children! Don't be afraid, Nafanya! Come closer to him... And this is my wife, nee Wanzenbach... a Lutheran.
Nathanael thought a little and hid behind his father.
Well, how are you, friend? asked the fat man, looking enthusiastically at his friend. - Where do you work? Reached the ranks?
I serve, my dear! I have been a collegiate assessor for the second year and I have Stanislav. The salary is bad ... well, God bless him! My wife gives music lessons, I privately make cigarette cases from wood. Excellent cigarette cases! I sell for a ruble. If someone takes ten pieces or more, that, you understand, is a concession. Let's get some fun. I served, you know, in the department, and now I have been transferred here as a clerk in the same department ... I will serve here. Well, how are you? Probably already civilian? A?
No, my dear, raise it higher, - said the fat one. - I have already risen to the secret ... I have two stars.
The thin one suddenly turned pale, petrified, but soon his face twisted in all directions with the broadest smile; it seemed as if sparks were falling from his face and eyes. He himself shrank, hunched, narrowed ... His suitcases, bundles and cartons shrank, grimaced ... The long chin of his wife became even longer; Nathanael stretched out in front and buttoned all the buttons of his uniform ...
I, Your Excellency ... Very pleased, sir! A friend, one might say, of childhood, and suddenly turned out to be such grandees, sir! Hee hee s.
Well, it's full! - grimaced fat. What is this tone for? You and I are childhood friends - and what is this veneration for!
Excuse me ... What are you ... - the thin one giggled, shrinking even more. - The gracious attention of Your Excellency ... it seems to be life-giving moisture ... This is, Your Excellency, my son Nathanael ... wife Louise, a Lutheran, in a way ...
The fat one wanted to object something, but the thin one's face was written with such reverence, sweetness and respectful acidity that the Privy Councilor vomited. He turned away from the thin one and gave him his hand in parting.
The thin one shook three fingers, bowed with his whole body and giggled like a Chinese: "hee-hee-hee." The wife smiled. Nathanael shuffled his foot and dropped his cap. All three were pleasantly surprised.
I recently read two short stories by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. I not only liked these works for their humorous plot, but also made me think about such a human flaw as servility or hypocrisy. This means that a person is trying to shield himself in front of a higher-ranking person.
At first glance, these stories are not at all similar, they have different characters, different plots. In the first story - "Chameleon" police officer Ochumelov decides to fine the owner of the dog that bit the goldsmith Khryukin. But having learned that the dog belongs either to the general or to his brother, he instantly changes his attitude towards both the victim and the dog. It seems that even his appearance changes beyond recognition - the formidable law enforcement officer turns into a dog lover and even begins to scold the bitten. 
In the second story, Thick and Thin, we meet two school friends who met by chance at the train station. In the beginning, both were very happy with each other. Starting to remember their school years, they move on to stories about their current achievements. At this point, it turns out that the fat one has a much higher rank than the thin one. We see how the atmosphere of their meeting suddenly changes: “Subtle suddenly turned pale, petrified, but soon his face twisted in all directions with the widest smile.”
The thin one begins to obsequiously curry favor with the fat one, so much so that he becomes embarrassed.
I believe that these two seemingly different stories are united by the description of one very unpleasant human flaw - hypocrisy. This feeling makes people put on some kind of mask to achieve their goals. People cease to be sincere, forget about friendship, honor and self-esteem.
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In 1883, in the magazine "Shards" appeared short story"Thick and thin" A. Chekhov. Short and concise in content, it is filled with deep meaning. The author addresses in it the problem of servility and servility, which has more than once become an object of criticism in Russian literature.
Composition and content (brief)
Fat and thin, former classmates at the gymnasium, met by chance at the station. The mention of Nikolaevskaya railway in the first sentence (this is a compressed exposition) suggests that the heroes of the story are officials. A. Chekhov does not give a detailed description of them, but the exact ones immediately clarify what is happening. For example, the mention that the fat one smelled of "sherry and fleur-d'orange" is a sign of wealth, and the thin one - "ham and coffee grounds" helps to determine at what step of the social ladder each of the characters was. In addition, the latter was hung with boxes and suitcases - probably did not have extra funds or spared money for a porter.
The first to notice a former friend was fat. His joyful exclamation addressed to Porfiry becomes the plot of the action. They have not seen each other since childhood, and it is quite natural that a conversation is struck up between them. Short, but sufficient for the reader to get a complete picture of the life position of each of the friends.
The climax is the moment when the thin one finds out what heights his friend has reached in life. Misha immediately turns into "Your Excellency", and Porfiry himself unnecessarily becomes an obsequious and fawning little man, which further analysis will show.
Thick and thin during dialogue
Porfiry, seeing a childhood friend, was simply stunned. Former friends hugged and “kissed” three times - the author deliberately uses lofty vocabulary here to give the whole scene a mocking character.
Thin was extremely talkative and began boastfully talking about his life. He introduced his wife and son, while Nathanael first thought and only then took off his hat. He said that over the years of service in the office he had reached the rank of collegiate assessor. And he also makes and sells cigars - an additional profit to his salary. However, his joy and delight from the meeting disappeared at the same moment when he found out that his friend was “probably already a civilian?” - rose to the rank of Privy Councillor. Thin at first turned pale and as if petrified, after which he put on the widest smile on his face, probably best suited for a conversation with an important face. He immediately seemed to shrink, trying not to attract too much attention to himself. The same thing happened to his family and numerous bundles and cartons: they all suddenly shrank and wrinkled. Reverence of rank, in any situation and in front of everyone who was even a little more significant, became the norm for a petty official - this is the conclusion of Porfiry's behavior and his analysis.
Thick and thin parted completely different from how they met. The Privy Councilor, laconic and self-confident, but showing cordiality, was about to object to something, and then simply turned away, shaking his hand in parting. He was sick of such a change in his comrade.
And the whole family froze in a “pleasant stun”.
In childhood
The characters of the heroes and the memories of Porfiry will allow us to evaluate the analysis. Fat and Thin spent several years together at the gymnasium. Even then, the superiority of the first, nicknamed Herostratus, was obvious - in ancient times, a Greek with that name destroyed one of the wonders of the world with fire. Misha, on the other hand, burned the state book with a cigarette - he obviously wanted to win authority over his classmates.
The thin one was called Ephialtes, as he often taunted. And this name - a traitor to the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae - has been preserved in history. Years passed, and one remained handsome, "little soul" and dandy, lived sedately and in abundance. Another - "thanks" to the ability to please and many years of work, managed to rise to a low rank, which nevertheless gave a noble title. And now this difference between the former friends was exposed even more, and the constant fear of the authorities made Porfiry tremble in front of the one who a few minutes ago was only a “childhood friend”.
and part role
The main technique that Chekhov uses in the story "Thick and Thin" is the antithesis. The opposition of the characters is found in everything, including the title: from the mention of what everyone ate for lunch, to the manner of behavior and speech. Thin is indicative in this regard. If at the beginning of the meeting we hear from him: “you”, “my dear”, “childhood friend”, then later his tone changes to reverent and respectful. To the meaningful "your excellency", "such nobles, sir", "have mercy, sir", "hee-hee-hee", etc. pauses are added, as if it suddenly became difficult for him to speak.
In the second part of the story, an important role for revealing the image of a collegiate assessor is played by metaphor (“petrified”), comparison (“it seemed ... sparks were falling from his face and eyes”), personification (boxes, knots “shrank, grimaced”). So in the story "Thick and Thin" Chekhov ridicules the hero's servility, cowardice, opportunism. Moreover, Thin does this unconsciously, out of habit, in response to the words of a former comrade: “Well, that’s enough ... And why this tone?”
The moral value of the work
The content of the story and its analysis cause sad thoughts in the reader. “Thick and thin” is an example of how self-deprecating a person can be in an effort to curry favor and please. A great writer and connoisseur human soul, A.P. Chekhov, for a century and a half now, he has been urging us to look at ourselves and those around us so that society can finally get rid of the vices that hinder the establishment of healthy and sincere relations between people.