The Christmas Tree and the Wedding

by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Short story written by Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky published in 1848. The piece is narrated by a guest at a New Year's Eve ball. He observes the party's guest of honour who takes special interest in one of the children.

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, Russia, Russian Literature, Christmas, Literature

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1848

About the author

Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский (Russian)

Works, such as the novels Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880), of Russian writer Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky or Dostoevski combine religious mysticism with profound psychological insight.

Very influential writings of Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin included Problems of Dostoyevsky's Works (1929),

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky composed short stories, essays, and journals. His literature explores humans in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century and engages with a variety of philosophies and themes. People most acclaimed his Demons(1872) .

Many literary critics rate him among the greatest authors of world literature and consider multiple books written by him to be highly influential masterpieces. They consider his Notes from Underground of the first existentialist literature. He is also well regarded as a philosopher and theologian.

(Russian: Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский) (see also Fiodor Dostoïevski)

Reviews

[Ilse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like to observe children. It is fascinating to watch the individuality in them struggling for self-assertion.



Need I say that parties or kindred social gatherings aren’t invariably fun, nor for the attendants, nor for the host? Neither are weddings. As bringing a book seems quite improper, what else could one do when not feeling like socializing or feeling out of place ? To keep our hands busy now we aren’t supposed to smoke anymore, we thankfully no longer need to stroke our whiskers like in the 19th century, we can somewhat save ourselves by slyly ogling at our phone and check out what our friends on GR have been posting. Or we can take delight in the role of a voyeur, observing the feast from a sociological or psychological perspective as an arena for display of hierarchy, status and power, like Dostoevsky’s nameless narrator in A Christmas Tree and a Wedding, a short story published in 1848, before his exile.

And what a keen and witty observer of human nature he is! The narrator is the archetypical outsider, out of civility invited to attend a children’s party near the Christmas tree, a gathering basically organized by the hosts as an opportunity for the parents and other respected members of the community to sniff each other out, bent on exchanging mutual perks and welcome fringe benefits. The children are depicted as creatures less infected by the social views, premeditation and shameless utilitarian scheming of the reckoning grown-ups, a contrast the narrator strikes as charming, noting approvingly ‘the children absolutely refused to resemble their elders, notwithstanding the efforts of mothers and governesses.’



Scratching each other’s back the adults will however affect the children - objects rather than subjects at their own Christmas party. The venomous acrimony of the adult view on the stratification of society seeps into the judicious distribution of the presents under the Christmas tree, diminishing in value in accordance with the rank of the parents:

Finally, the child of lowest degree, a thin, freckled, red-haired little boy of ten, got nothing but a book of stories about the marvels of nature and tears of devotion, etc., without pictures or even woodcuts. He was the governess's child. She was a poor widow, and her little boy, clad in a sorry-looking little nankeen jacket, looked thoroughly crushed and intimidated. He took the book of nature stories and circled slowly about the children's toys. He longed to play with the other children, but did not dare; you could tell he already knew his place.

A picture-less book! Wouldn’t you just jump to give that poor lad a hug?



Poverty is a curse, but wealth and beauty aren’t always a blessing either. Despite the narrator’s ironic commentary at the start, what follows will outrage him, the denouement rendering this into a powerful and intensely sad tale, beautifully crafted but deeply disturbing in the full knowledge a similar reduction of human beings to mere commodities is still happening all over the world in this 21th century.

(Paintings by Valentin Serov and Alexei Harlamoff)

[BookHunter M ُH َM َD · Rating 3 out of 5]

قصة قصيرة حزينة من مشهدين.
كانت العادة في روسيا كما في أوروبا القديمة أن يخصص الأب لبناته مبلغ من المال يعطيه لها عند زواجها ليرغب الشبان المتميزين في الزواج منها و هذا هو لب القصة هنا.
يصف الراوي طفلة عمرها إحدى عشر ربيعا خصص لها أبيها الثري ثلاثمئة ألف روبل و في المشهد الأول يلاطفها أحد الوجهاء بعد ما راح يحسب ثروتها بعد خمسة سنوات أي في اللحظة المناسبة للزواج ممنيا نفسه بنصف مليون روبل على الأقل بعد حساب الفوائد على المبلغ و المشهد الثاني بعد خمسة سنوات عندما يمر الراوي بالصدفة أمام الكنيسة.
قصة عادية جدا ليس بها شيئا مميزا إلا أسلوب دوستويفسكي الجميل الذي صور المشهدين في خمس عشرة صفحة فقط لا غير.

[Luís · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Christmas Tree and Marriage is a 60-page short story published in 1848. It is not a Christmas tale but a cruel short story. The novel is very successful: well-built, alive, and ringing true. The tone is acidic with a hint of self-mockery: the narrator hides behind a cluster of flowers for most of the story before finally appearing.
The narrator is invited to a Christmas tree by a wealthy businessman. He notices two guests - an anonymous provincial carrying a letter of recommendation that one keeps aside and forces himself to smile. Julian Mastakovitch was an imposing dignitary who was treated as a distinguished guest. The narrator "is afraid" and takes refuge behind a flower bed, where he observes the children's behavior.

[Piyangie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is pretty disturbing from a modern point of view. But arranged marriages based on affluence and connections was a lot common in the 19th century, where young girls were made victims of parental wishes. Though wealth is a blessing on young girls in modern times, it seems to have been curse on young women in that time period. However, to heighten the sad position of wealthy young girls and to show how men of position cunningly took advantage of their positions to secure a wealthy match for themselves, Dostoevsky has brought a creepy old man who would fall low to the level of advancing inappropriately on a young girl with a view of manipulating her parents and securing a match between him and the girl.

Even with its disturbing contents, the story is very well written; not surprising for a Dostoevsky work. An unknown narrator narrates the story of an unfortunate girl, which to the reader is almost creepy. The work, though short, arouses varied emotions on the reader ranging from pity to anger to despair. Every time I read Dostoevsky, I'm amazed at his ability to rouse reader's emotions so strongly. This is undoubtedly the foremost reason of my loving his work.

[فايز غازي Fayez Ghazi · Rating 3 out of 5]

- القصة بمغزاها عن الزواج التقليدي المدبّر، والذي لم يعد شائعاً في المجتمعات المتحضرة لكنه لا زال سائداً في مجتمعات كثيرة كمجتمعاتنا! حيث يتم تحوير فكرة الزواج الى صفقة تجارية او مالية او اجتماعية...

- اجاد دوستوفسكي الربط بين حفل عيد الميلاد وحفل الزواج لإيصال الفكرة دون حشو وتكرار...

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[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first story is called The Christmas Tree and The Wedding. I want to start this review with a simple observation: I can so relate to the fact of being an outsider at a party. That awkward moment when you only know one person and the whole time you're holding a cup just to have something to do with your hands. I promised myself long time ago, that I would never go to a party or social gathering of any sort, out of obligation. It's a painful situation that no one should ever experience. There's nothing left to do but to observe people and most of the times, it's not that rewarding; you don't have a partner to share jokes with. As Seinfeld would say: "What, am I gonna make sarcastic remarks to strangers?" Everything ends up being forced and grotesque. Ugh.

Anyway, that (amazing discovery) being said, this is a sad, disturbing and merciless portrayal of a superficial society that treats people according to what they own. Not an unusual situation, at all.

“Afterwards I could not help admiring the discrimination of the host and hostess in the distribution of the children's presents. (…) He longed to play with the other children, but did not dare; it was evident that he already felt and understood his position.”

Just devastating.
Beautiful writing as always, and it has a twist at the end that leaves you feeling weird, uncomfortable.
The other story is called Bobok which I already reviewed here.

* Also on my blog.

[Duane Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

One might think from the title this would be one of those uplifting stories about children during the holidays. Well, one would be wrong, at least about the uplifting part. What the story focuses on compels me to say I'm glad arranged marriages, marriages based on wealth and position are a thing of the past. And the women, the brides, the young ladies, they were the ones that were always disadvantaged. Good short story, well written of course, as one would expect from Dostoyevsky.

[Stefania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cuando vi el librito ilustrado y un titulo así me imaginé otra cosa cualquier otra cosa pero Dostoievsky siempre sorprende, siempre nos hace enfrentarnos con la cruda realidad. Es una historia impactante y para reflexionar.

[Carmo · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Aquele que acreditar que o dinheiro fará tudo, pode bem ser suspeito de fazer tudo por dinheiro"

Benjamin Franklin

[Medisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

نفرت‌انگیزه! همه‌ جور القاب زشتی رو میشه به این مرد نسبت داد.
ناخودآگاه نقاشی ازدواج نابرابر از واسیلی پوکیرف در ذهنم نقش بسته بود.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Love the clarity of his writing but despite the title this is not a feel good Christmas story, though there is a Christmas tree. Need to consider the politic of the times when this was written. The narrator does not feel comfortable in the company he finds himself so finds a quiet room in order to escape the party. He sees and experiences something that will come to play later when he attends a wedding. Found this quite creepy actually.

[Sidharth Vardhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dostoevsky is not the one to take half measures, he will take his time, get hold of your neck, steady your head, look into your eyes, smile encouragingly and then punch your nose with dark truths.

[Oziel Bispo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mais uma vez a temática da ganância e da desigualdade social na Rússia são explorados por Dostoiévski que sentiu isso na própria pele em sua infância. Nesse
Conto Julian Mastakovich é um homem ganancioso que está de olho em uma pequena de apenas 11 anos tudo isso para um dia casar se com ela e se apoderar do seu dote milionário.
A temática da desigualdade social aparece na distribuição dos presentes de Natal , quando o filho da empregada recebe um presente bem simples enquanto os outros recebem vários presentes , e dos bons.
Um belo conto para se refletir e mudar conceitos.

[سارة سمير · Rating 4 out of 5]

قصة وجع قلب والمعتاد بتاع دوستو ونهاية حقيقي وجعت قلبي
رائعة

[hosein · Rating 3 out of 5]

وقتی کوچکی کتاب و عنوان آن را دیدم، چیز دیگری تصور کردم، هر چیز دیگری، اما داستایوفسکی همیشه انسان را شگفت‌زده می‌کند، همیشه ما را با واقعیت تلخ روبرو می‌کند. داستان تکان دهنده و قابل تامل است.
داستایوفسکی در این رمان از رنج کودکان در زندگی برایمان می‌گوید و وقتی تصمیمات سرنوشت‌ساز زندگی‌شان، در دست کسانی است که بالاتر از آن‌ها هستند و در مواقع تصمیم‌ها اشتباه، نتایج بدی حاصل می‌شود.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wealth can be as hopeless as poverty in times when it involves owning and needing.
A sad little story but its true meaning rings loudly

[Shauny Free Palestine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some children get some Christmas presents and depending on their wealth get great or discardable toys. There’s also some sociological insights into the way the children treat each other.

Dostoyevsky in Dickens mode. It’s fine but it never really grabbed me. It has a strange tone, and I was curious throughout.

[ضحىٰ العربي · Rating 1 out of 5]

النجمة دي جدعنة مني مش أكتر

[Ahmed Ibrahim · Rating 3 out of 5]

الطفلة ذات الأحد عشر عامًا تُباع لأحد الأغنياء لتكون زوجته بعد خمس سنين.
باختصار هي قصة تحكي عن مأساة مجتمعنا في الوقت الحالي والتجارة التي تحدث تحت مسمى الزواج.

[Myricae ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un racconto anche a Natale; per ricordare sempre ciò che conta davvero: l’amore incondizionaro di cuori che battono attorno a un tavolo, la bellezza della luce che illumina i volti, la malinconia di sentirsi fragili... come la neve che non scende mai, ma rimane lí, ad adornare i pensieri.
Quest’anno è stato strano per tutti, e forse non me lo aspettavo; eppure, io la sento quella gioia che arde, come un fuoco che inghiotte il buio, che regala attimi, dispone stelle ...
Lo sapevi ?
Gli abbracci li puoi sentire anche a chilometri di distanza, sulla pelle e sugli occhi, sui battiti che si rincorrono, fra le parole di una lettera, un libro, un messaggio....

Chi ami lo porti dovunque, abita dentro il tuo sangue che scorre, dentro le emozioni impresse in ogni sguardo ✨

[گیتی · Rating 2 out of 5]

این یادداشت تقدیم به منِ آش‌و‌لاش شده‌ی ماه گذشته؛ تقدیم با حسرت، سردی لمس انگشت‌های یخ‌زده، اشک‌های خشک‌شده و زخم چهارده‌سانتیِ باز شده.

بازگشت به اتاق سفید:
گیتی، این‌ دفعه به مغزمون هم زنجیر زدن. زنجیر دو لایه. یادته‌؟ سردی‌اش تهوع‌آور بود. لباس سفید پوشیدیم. یکم روال کار فرق می‌کرد. به جای دوتا شَبَه سفید، چهارتا بودن. یکیشون سیاه بود. حس مرگ می‌داد. دست راستمو گرفت. اون یکی، به رنگ مِه بود. پای چپ رو گرفت. دو تای دیگه رو یادم نیست. هوا سنگین و خفقان‌آور بود. منگی دست انداخته بود پسِ گلومون. نفهمیدیم چی‌ شد. سنگینیِ دست چپ و پای راست توانایی حرکت رو ازمون گرفت. میخ شدیم به دیوار. دیوارِ پر از خرده‌گچ و ناهمواری‌.

یادته؟ می‌گفتیم تموم می‌شه. ولی نشد. یکم دست و پا زدیم. داد زدیم. گفتیم آقای زندانبان، تاریخ انقضای این زندون گذشته.
مار طلایی با رگه‌های مشکی انداخت تو قفس. یادته؟

یکم چنگ زدیم به اینور اونور. توی اتاق سفید به داستایوفسکی فکر کردیم. ولی فکرمون کُند شده بود. واژه‌ها بیگانه بودن. نمی‌فهمیدیم. کتابو پرت کردیم کنار. یادته؟

گذشت و گذشت. گذر زمان از دستمون در رفت. برخلاف ماستاکوویچ حساب کتاب بلد نبودیم که ببینیم چند روز به پایان این زهر‌ خوردن‌های متمادی مونده‌.

مارِ توی قفس زنجیر‌های دست و پاهامون رو شکست.
گیتی، سردی زنجیر مغز رو چیکار کنیم؟

[philosophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose to read this short story thinking that it would be a nice "Christmassy" type of story. I should have known better.

The other day I saw a wedding... But no! I would rather tell you about a Christmas tree.
The plot was simple and quite predictable, whilst the writing style, the narrator being the outsider, only observing and not actively participating, was to my liking, however the story itself was extremely creepy and made me feel uneasy and discomforted.

[Amani · Rating 3 out of 5]

nothing special about the story but Dostoyevsky’s brilliant writing and storytelling is a top tier.

[Steven R. Kraaijeveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

"'No,' replied my acquaintance, shocked by my breach of good manners, a breach which, I must say I had committed deliberately."

The narrator in The Christmas Tree and a Wedding recalls how, five years ago, he found himself, somewhat out of place, at a children’s party. It was awkward for him because he did not fit in with the crowd; those present had gathered more for the purpose of social networking and climbing than anything else. He recounts how he observed one of the most important personages there in a private moment, in a side room, pathetically (and unsuccessfully) trying to get into the good graces of a girl who was rumored to have a hefty dowry – a girl, however, who is only 11 years old at the time. The personage calculates that in five years she’ll be 16 and ready to marry – the interest on her dowry having built up nicely in the meantime. The whole thing is despicable, of course, and the narrator, who alone witnesses the personage's explicit behavior towards the girl, later laughs in the man’s face. The personage, however, manages to come off without a scratch, and furthermore, enchants the parents of the girl with his ‘magnanimity’ – to the point where he is invited to visit them. The story ends with the narrator, five years later, coming across a wedding, which turns out to be that of the girl and the personage – the girl, of course, appearing quite miserable.

Dostoevsky places his finger on and poignantly portrays some of the injustices resulting from class differences at the time, blending this serious criticism however with moments of humor, to create a very complete and tight-knit story.

"His whisker were indeed extremely handsome. But he stroked them with such enthusiasm that one could not help feeling that his whiskers were brought into the world first, and the gentleman himself was only afterwards attached to them in order to stroke them."

That, for instance, had me laughing out loud.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

My heart aches to learn Russian so I could read Dostoevsky in his own language.

@Ilse has put across beautifully what the book and the narrator has tried to convey. Look out for the sharp contrast between the way children and adults treat one another based on the social stature. Despite growing up, the girl is teared up to marry Mastakovitch because the child in her has not understood why she has to marry a man who is vile and manipulative. Disheartening.

Any recommendations for books on understanding the social structure of Russia in the 19th century would be highly appreciated.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short story, that made for very uncomfortable reading.
It was also a good illustration of the division of social classes at the time it was written.
I found it interesting how the narrator of the story literally just presented the occurrences/facts (presumably) for us to form the same opinion as him - yet it appears that at that time, he was in the minority.

[Sergio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Come sappiamo Fedor Dostoevskij sviluppa fin da giovane, influenzato dalle giovanili letture di Puskin, Balzac, Hugo, Hoffmann, Hugo, Scott, un talento narrativo e già a 24 anni aveva scritto "Povera Gente" il suo primo romanzo. Contemporaneamente inizia anche, forse al fine di realizzare guadagni che gli permettano di rispettare i suoi ingenti debiti di gioco, a scrivere racconti.

I primi racconti giovanili ironizzano e catechizzano certe cattive abitudini della società russa del tempo e in questo contesto troviamo prose come " L'Albero di Natale e il Matrimonio " scritto nel 1848, ove l'osservatore (lo scrittore) pone la sua attenzione su Julian Mastakovic uno scapolo arrivista che, invitato da un uomo d'affari a una festa di Natale nella propria casa, si fa i suoi conti dopo aver adocchiato una tredicenne figlia di una personalità illustre. Tre anni dopo lo scrittore illustra la scena della ragazzina, ormai sedicenne, che trattenendo a stento il pianto, vestita da sposa si avvia, lungo la navata di una chiesa, a sposare Mastakovic la cui unica brama è entrare in possesso della cospicua dote della giovanissima sposa a cui i genitori hanno imposto il matrimonio.

il 23 aprile 1849 Fedor Dostoevskij a 28 anni viene arrestato per attività sovversiva e condannato a 4 anni di lavori forzati nel carcere di Omsk e altrettanti successivamente come soldato semplice in un battaglione di linea. L'uomo che dieci anni dopo va a vivere a Pietroburgo ha le idee chiare e lo dimostra scrivendo i suoi capolavori.

Il secondo racconto di questa antologia, scritto nel 1876, tra la pubblicazione di "L'Adolescente" e quella di "I Fratelli Karamazov" si intitola "Il Bambino con la manina. Il Bambino sull'Albero di Natale da Gesù".
E' lo stesso Dostoevskij che scrive: " Io sono un romanziere e mi pare di avere inventato una "storia". Scrivo "mi pare" perché sono certo di averla inventata, e mi immagino sempre che tutto sia avvenuto in un certo luogo e in un certo momento e che sia avvenuto proprio alla vigilia di Natale, in qualche enorme città, con un gelo terribile."

E affronta il problema sociale dei tantissimi bambini che chiedono l'elemosina per le strade delle grandi città, nel gelo più terribile dell'inverno russo, costretti da un padre ubriacone o da una mamma minata dalla tisi. E' il caso del piccolo protagonista che, a sera, torna dalla sua mamma con qualche spicciolo elemosinato per le strade nel gelo del Natale, la trova morta e vagando senza meta si rifugia in una gelida legnaia con le estremità ormai assiderate e mentre scosso dai brividi pensa che si sta addormentando sente una voce vicina sommessa che lo chiama e lo invita:
"Vieni da me a vedere l'Albero di Natale piccino" dice la voce che si china su di lui e lo abbraccia nel buio della legnaia...e d'improvviso il bimbo si trova circondato da luci meravigliose e tanti bimbi e bimbe che lo abbracciano e lo trascinano con loro; e il bimbo chiede meravigliato ma ridendo e pieno d'amore per loro "Ma chi siete voi?" e la risposta é "E' l'albero di Natale di Gesù". Il mattino dopo...

E' il Dostoevskij che conosciamo noi, quello dei romanzi della maturità che lo eressero a grande scrittore e profondo conoscitore dell'animo umano.

[Tobi ﾄﾋﾞ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I accidentally deleted my review for this so the read date is a total guess and could be wrong by either months or years. Sigh

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Christmas season. I like to read a Christmas story or two for the occasion. At the library I saw a book of Dostoevsky's short stories with this one in it. The title indicated Christmas, and it was only 10 pages or so, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Spoiler alert: It's not a Christmas story!

Dostoevsky is a great writer and story teller. This story is as well-told as one would expect from such a master. But it is very disturbing – it deals with extreme greed, arranged marriages, and victimization of children, all sanctioned by society and the state of that time and place.

[Anna Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un relat intens i que he llegit en un obrir i tancar d'ulls. Em deixa moltes preguntes i potser hagués preferit que me les respongués l'autor.

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Un relato intenso que he leído en un suspiro. Me deja muchas preguntas y a lo mejor me hubiera gustado que me las respondiese el autor.