The peasants, [vol. 4]

In Short

Set in a deeply traditional Polish rural community, this concluding volume chronicles a season of profound transition, sorrow, and bitter conflict. Following the death of old Matthias Boryna, the village contends with punishing weather, bitter political disputes over land agreements with the local Squire, and the crushing burdens of taxation and poverty. Families fracture under the weight of old grievances and forbidden desires, culminating in scandal and a stunning financial ruin that threatens to engulf the entire peasantry.

The Story

The narrative opens with the stark, unceremonious death of Matthias Boryna, whose passing leaves a vast vacuum in the heart of the village. While his daughter Yuzka breaks down in profound grief, Hanka steps forward with resolute pragmatism, driving the household back to the relentless labor of tilling the soil despite torrential rains and failing crops. Following solemn funeral rites and a grand church procession beneath crimson baldachins, Antek returns home from detention. He is greeted with cautious relief by Hanka, who receives a bright woollen shawl as a token of remembrance. Yet Antek remains haunted by the shadow of his upcoming trial and the persistent, terrifying fear of penal servitude in Siberia, trying to steady himself amidst shifting domestic realities.

As the seasons shift and scorching summer heat bakes the earth, Lipka is torn apart by economic and political turmoil. The local Squire proposes a new land and school agreement, sparking fierce shouting matches in the tavern. While the opportunistic smith and pragmatic farmers like Klemba urge acceptance, old Ploshka and impoverished landless men like Kobus bitterly oppose the deal, arguing that the gentry always profit at the expense of the poor. Amid this civic friction, Simon breaks away from his harsh mother, Dominikova, to purchase a wretched, rocky scrap of wasteland known as Podlesie. Backed by his sister Nastka’s savings and an unyielding will, Simon vows to carve a living from the barren earth despite widespread warnings.

Simultaneously, personal passions tear through the community with destructive force. Yagna remains a volatile center of attraction and social resentment. Her stormy confrontation with Hanka lays bare old wounds regarding Antek's past obsessive infidelity. Later, Yagna draws the attention of Yanek, a pious young man preparing for the priesthood. Alarmed by the growing scandal, Yanek's mother ruthlessly expels Yagna from their home, sealing her social isolation. Old Roch attempts to steer Yagna toward spiritual repentance, but she remains defiant, consumed by her turbulent emotions and longing.

The fragile social fabric frays entirely when Roch departs amid sorrowful farewells from the villagers who view him as a champion of righteousness. The final blow arrives with shocking abruptness on a Sunday morning when rumors confirm that the Voyt has been arrested for a massive deficit in the municipal accounts. As the reality of stolen funds and potential collective debt sinks in, the villagers realize their very livelihoods are compromised, leaving Lipka standing on the precipice of ruin.

How It Unfolds

The silent passing The book opens with the sudden, quiet death of Matthias Boryna, whose rigid corpse is discovered by the faithful dog Lapa. Grieving family members and neighbors gather to mourn the patriarch, but they must quickly put aside their sorrow to resume the grueling work of tilling the rain-soaked fields before the crops are ruined.

The returning exile Antek comes home from detention, greeted by Hanka with a mixture of emotional relief and lingering anxiety over his impending trial. He attempts to readjust to rural life, sharing modest meals and comforting his young sister Yuzka, though the looming threat of Siberian exile weighs heavily upon his troubled mind.

The tavern disputes Village men gather at the local establishment to debate contentious proposals from the local Squire regarding land agreements and a new school. While factions led by the opportunistic smith argue for compliance, skeptical elders and landless peasants bitterly resist the measures, fearing lifelong exploitation by the gentry.

The barren purchase Defying his fiercely obstinate mother Dominikova, Simon resolves to buy a desolate, rocky patch of wasteland known as Podlesie. Backed by his sister Nastka’s modest savings and an iron determination, he embraces the backbreaking labor required to tame the wilderness, firmly believing that hard hands can make any soil productive.

The mounting scandal Yagna becomes the target of intense village hostility and family policing as her turbulent personal entanglements draw widespread notice. Despite moral warnings from old Roch and her abrupt expulsion from a neighbor's home by a watchful mother, she remains proudly defiant, consumed by her emotional turmoil.

The final reckoning The community's fragile stability shatters completely when verified rumors arrive that the Voyt has been arrested for embezzling thousands of roubles in municipal funds. With the village facing financial ruin and collective legal liability for the missing deficit, a dark, inescapable cloud settles over Lipka.

The People

Hanka carries the heaviest burdens of the household, striving to keep her family solvent and unified after the death of her father-in-law. She wants stability and her husband's safe return, but is constantly thwarted by poverty, Antek's past infidelity, and community turmoil; she ultimately emerges as a pillar of fierce, pragmatic endurance. Antek wants peace and security for his family, but his turbulent past, looming trial, and fear of Siberian exile trap him in a state of chronic anxiety and hesitation. Simon longs for independence from his tyrannical family, battling his mother Dominikova's obstinacy to buy a wretched plot of wasteland called Podlesie, ending up as a fiercely determined independent farmer willing to tame the harshest soil. Yagna desires love and freedom from social constraints, but her passionate nature and liaisons clash with rigid village morality. She faces relentless hostility, judgment, and eventual social ostracism, remaining fiercely proud yet deeply isolated. Roch acts as the moral and spiritual conscience of the community, seeking truth and righteousness for the peasants; though he is forced to move on, he leaves behind a legacy of reflective wisdom. Finally, the Voyt wants personal indulgence and power, but his actions result in catastrophic embezzlement charges that threaten both his own freedom and the financial ruin of the entire village.

In Its Own Voice

Should the greatest man in the world die, he is like a stone in the depths of the sea—never to be fished up again; and the land will not wait, and we must toil and till it.

Hanka rallies her grieving household immediately following the death of Matthias Boryna, emphasizing the unyielding demands of agricultural life.

What, shall one have a belly so great he can hardly walk, and another die of starvation?

Kobus voices the bitter class resentments of the landless peasants during a stormy tavern argument regarding proposed agreements with the local Squire.

Any soil is good, when there’s a good pair of hands to work at it!

Simon fiercely defends his defiant choice to purchase a bleak, rocky waste known as Podlesie against the warnings of his family and neighbors.

What It's Really About

This volume explores the crushing weight of systemic poverty, class exploitation, and the unyielding tyranny of the land over human existence. Reymont examines the deep economic divides within rural society, contrasting the comfortable gentry and opportunistic intermediaries against struggling landowners and destitute landless laborers like the Komorniki. Beneath the domestic squabbles and political shouting matches lies a profound meditation on human endurance, moral responsibility, and the painful cost of seeking justice and individual autonomy in a rigid social hierarchy. The land is both a brutal taskmaster and the ultimate source of identity, demanding total sacrifice from those who attempt to wrench a living from its bosom.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers will appreciate this book for its uncompromising realism and its immersive, sensory-rich portrait of an era shaped by agrarian rhythms and intense community bonds. Reading it feels like stepping directly into a muddy, rain-drenched Polish courtyard, listening to the gossip of tavern benches and the thunder of church organs. It offers a rare, unflinching look at the raw mechanics of rural survival, human stubbornness, and social pressure. However, contemporary audiences must be prepared for certain hurdles: the expansive length of the overarching saga, the dense network of period dialects and local customs embedded in the text, and the harsh, unvarnished 19th-century attitudes toward women and social outcasts displayed by the villagers. Despite these barriers, those who persevere will find a timeless, deeply human exploration of community resilience. What stays with you long after closing the book is the haunting imagery of the Polish countryside—the scorching summer heat, the endless toil of the furrows, and the stubborn resilience of souls anchored to the earth.