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Matryona
The gentleman is a customer who comes to commission boots from Semyon after Mikhail’s workmanship has given the business a good reputation. The gentleman is extremely well-fed and large—so large, in fact, that Semyon’s measuring tape does not fit around his leg. The gentleman’s size astounds Semyon and Matryona, who are very thin from never having quite enough to eat. And, beyond his powerful build, the rich gentleman’s personality frightens Semyon and Matryona. He is rude and domineering, clearly used to having his way in all situations, and repeatedly threatens Semyon with severe repercussions if the boots do not meet his (impossibly high) standards. It also confuses and infuriates the gentleman that Mikhail is inexplicably smiling. And, although the gentleman clearly has more than enough money, he is remarkably ungenerous, offering to pay Semyon only half the value of the leather itself—and only if the boots last a whole year without losing their shape.
The Gentleman Quotes in What Men Live By
The What Men Live By quotes below are all either spoken by The Gentleman or refer to The Gentleman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6 Quotes
Mikhail kept staring until suddenly he smiled and his whole face lit up.
‘What are you grinning at, idiot?’ the gentleman asked. ‘You’d better see to it that the boots are ready on time!’
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This passage occurs during the wealthy gentleman’s visit to the Semyon’s shoe shop. Mikhail’s general aura of mystery—and his refusal to bow and scrape—is very upsetting to the gentleman, whose irritation reaches a peak when Mikhail smiles seemingly without reason. The gentleman’s angry and flustered reaction to this moment suggests that the gentleman feels threatened by Mikhail’s smile. Although the gentleman exudes physical and financial power, in this moment, he seems to feel that Mikhail is in some way more powerful than he is. Indeed, at the end of the story, it’s revealed that this is exactly the case. Mikhail Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus haru
Chapter 7 Quotes
Matryona went over to watch Mikhail working and was amazed to see what he was doing.
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This scene immediately follows the rude gentleman’s visit to Semyon’s shop. In spite of the gentleman’s many warnings about what will happen if the shoes are not made to his liking, Matryona realizes that Mikhail seems to be making them entirely wrong—and ruining the gentleman’s expensive leather. Matryona’s amazement in this moment connects to many other passages in the story. Semyon and Matryona often feel “amazed” by Mikhail—whether it is by his refusal to divulge information about himself, his total lack of work experience, or his strange behavior toward Marya’s daughters. That they feel so awed and baffled by him Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia
Chapter 10 Quotes
“‘Children cannot live without a father or mother,’ she pleaded. So I did not take that woman’s soul.”
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Here, Mikhail is telling the story of how he disobeyed God. When he was instructed to kill the birth mother of Marya’s adopted twin daughters, the woman begged him not to take her soul, reasoning that her baby daughters would die without parents to care for them. Mikhail erred in trusting her reasoning: actually, as he learns once he lives on earth, parental love is not “what men live by.” Indeed, in several places throughout the story, there’s a similar ambivalence toward parental love. While providing for one’s children is perhaps not quite as selfish as providing for oneself alone Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atqu
Chapter 11 Quotes
“And I could hear this man wondering how to protect his body from the winter cold and feed his wife and children. And I thought, ‘I am perishing with cold and hunger, but here is someone whose only thought is how to find a warm coat for himself and his wife, and food for his family.’”
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In this passage, Mikhail retells the story of his initial meeting with Semyon (which took place in Chapter 2) from his own perspective. Semyon was walking along the road ranting angrily about his greedy neighbors and his own hardships. Although in Semyon’s mind, fear for his impoverished family and selfishness were not explicitly connected, Mikhail’s memory of the moment draws a clear link between the two feelings. Worrying about one’s own well-being, he shows, is one step away from refusing help to a neighbor in need (even if that worry also extends to one’s family). In fact, Mikhail remembers despairing, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis.
Chapter 12 Quotes
‘I came to understand that God does not wish men to live apart and that is why He does not reveal to each man what he needs for himself alone.’
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This quote occurs at the very end of the story, as Mikhail is expounding on the three lessons he learned on Earth. Two of the three lessons—“what dwells in man” and the titular “what men live by”—are essentially lessons about love. Love is “what dwells in man,” meaning that people are fundamentally loving because they were created in God’s image, and God is fundamentally loving. Love is also “what men live by,” meaning that it is the guiding principle of human life and is what brings people happiness and purpose. The remaining lesson (the second chronologically) is about the uncertainty Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inve
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The Gentleman Character Timeline in What Men Live By
The timeline below shows where the character The Gentleman appears in What Men Live By. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6
...One day, an expensive-looking carriage appears unexpectedly in front of their house, and a wealthy gentleman in a fur coat gets out of the carriage and enters their home. Semyon and...
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The gentleman asks if the master shoemaker is in. When Semyon introduces himself, the gentleman orders his...
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Semyon is afraid of the gentleman and his high-stakes proposal. He looks to Mikhail to ask whether they should accept the...
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...staring blankly into a corner. Suddenly and seemingly without cause, Mikhail begins to smile. The gentleman furiously berates Mikhail, asking what he is smiling about and repeating his ominous warning about...
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Chapter 7
Semyon and Mikhail begin to make the gentleman’s boots. They have decided that Mikhail will do the bulk of the work, since his...
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...door, and they open it to find the boy servant who had been with the gentleman the day before. When asked why he has come, the boy explains that the gentleman...
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Chapter 8
...seen him smile twice—once on the night they first met him, and once when the gentleman came to commission the boots. One day, Mikhail and Semyon are working when one of...
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Chapter 10
...Mikhail smiled those three times: first when Matryona gave him dinner, next when the wealthy gentleman ordered the leather boots, and finally when Marya and the twins came. Finally, he asks...
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