Andrey

Andrey is the driver who carries Dmitri toward Mokroe at a critical moment in his flight from the turmoil at home. Though the evidence gives him only a brief appearance, his steady service and forgiving response turn the journey into a small but telling encounter with Dmitri’s need for pardon.

Identity and Introduction

Andrey is introduced as the driver waiting at the shop entrance with a cart harnessed to three horses abreast, their bells ready for the journey. He is there specifically for Dmitri, whose urgent departure gives the scene its pace and purpose.

The Road to Mokroe

The distance to Mokroe is a little more than twenty versts. Andrey’s horses gallop so swiftly that the trip might take an hour and a quarter, and their speed revives Dmitri. The journey is not merely transportation: as the cart races along, Dmitri and Andrey speak, and the driver’s presence gives Dmitri a listener outside the conflicts that have consumed him.

Concern and Forgiveness

After a pause, Andrey asks whether he may put a question, admitting that he fears angering Dmitri. His deference reflects the difference in their positions, but Dmitri answers by asking whether Andrey forgives him. Andrey says that Dmitri has never harmed him and asks what there is to forgive. Dmitri broadens the appeal beyond any personal offense, asking forgiveness on behalf of everyone. In the swift passage toward Mokroe, the exchange briefly shifts attention from speed and escape to responsibility and the possibility of forgiveness.