Genre
A short story
Setting and Context
The short story gives the reader information that the action takes place in the village in July.
Narrator and Point of View
The narrator of the short story is a third person.
Tone and Mood
The mood is comic, which is created by two main characters – the magistrate and Denis Grigoryev. Misunderstanding between men creates a comic moment of the short story.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The main protagonist and at the same time antagonist is Denis Grigoryev. Denis unscrews the nuts on the rails, but his stupidity and lack of education justify his actions.
Major Conflict
The major conflict happens between Denis Grigoryev and the magistrate. The magistrate accuses Grigoryev of unscrewing the nuts. During the whole story, there is a dispute between them.
Climax
The climax happens, when Denis Grigoryev is sentenced to imprisonment.
Foreshadowing
The magistrate predicts the fact that because of unscrewing of the nuts, the trains are derailed and the accidents happen.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
Article 1081 of the Penal Code alludes to the Russian Empire of the second half of the 19th century.
Imagery
See the imagery section
Paradox
The paradox can be noticed, when Denis Grigoryev speaks about God and believes in God, but he does not afraid of the lawlessness and sins.
Parallelism
There is a parallelism of justice and immorality. The magistrate tries to achieve justice. Denis Grigoryev breaks the law, unscrewing the nuts.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
There is a synecdoche in this short story. When the malefactor Denis Grigoryev says that “we make weights out of those nuts for our lines”, he means people, the Klimovo peasants.
Personification
N/A
