"Our People - Let’s Settle Accounts" by Alexander Ostrovsky, summary Automatic translate

The comedy was created in 1849. This book is a daring expose of the mores of the merchant class, the realism of which led to censorship banning the play for many years. The plot revolves around a merchant’s attempt to defraud his creditors, which ends in disaster for him.

Disagreements in a merchant family

The day begins in the spacious living room of the wealthy home of merchant Samson Silych Bolshov. His adult daughter, Olimpiada Samsonovna, known to the family as Lipochka, sits with a book and dreams of social entertainment. The girl passionately desires to dance with the military and harbors a profound aversion to members of her own class. She clashes with her mother, Agrafena Kondratyevna, over her whims and unwillingness to submit to her parents’ will. Lipochka demands that a noble groom be found for her immediately, threatening to elope secretly with a hussar if not.

Soon, matchmaker Ustinya Naumovna arrives at the house. The women eagerly discuss potential candidates. The matchmaker assures her that she has found the ideal nobleman who agrees to attend the viewing. Agrafena Kondratyevna worries that she won’t be able to maintain conversation with her noble son-in-law. Lipochka, however, is completely delighted and demands the matchmaker guarantee a speedy wedding.

Meanwhile, Samson Silych Bolshov returns from the city in a foul mood. Trade is poor, and many merchants are suffering losses. The owner of the house discusses his affairs with the solicitor Sysoy Psoich Rispolozhensky. This minor lawyer, dismissed from service for drunkenness and the loss of a court case, often carries out dubious assignments for Bolshov. The merchant complains of hard times and announces his intention to file for bankruptcy. This is a popular scam: a businessman transfers his property to a trusted person, declares bankruptcy, and forces creditors to agree to paltry payments. Rispolozhensky recommends using the chief clerk, Lazar Elizarych Podkhalyuzin, for this purpose.

Formation of a secret conspiracy

Samson Silych openly discusses the details of the planned deal with Podkhalyuzin. The clerk agrees with his master in everything, demonstrating absolute obedience. Bolshov instructs him to conceal the goods and re-register the promissory notes. The merchant plans to offer creditors only twenty-five kopecks for each ruble owed. Podkhalyuzin advises paying nothing at all, promising to handle all the formalities.

Left alone, Lazar Elizarych ponders the situation. He quickly realizes that a fictitious bankruptcy opens the door to a huge fortune. The clerk decides to seize the initiative. Soon, Rispolozhensky appears, asking Podkhalyuzin for a loan. Lazar Elizarych proposes an illegal deal to the solicitor. He promises to pay two thousand rubles if Rispolozhensky transfers the ownership of Bolshov’s house and shops directly to him, Podkhalyuzin. The solicitor, to whom the merchant promised only a thousand rubles and an old fur coat, immediately agrees.

Podkhalyuzin’s next move concerns personal gain. He intercepts matchmaker Ustinya Naumovna and persuades her to break up Lipochka’s marriage to a noble suitor. Lazar Yelizarych promises the woman two thousand rubles and an expensive sable fur coat. The matchmaker hesitates, but greed prevails. Podkhalyuzin explains his plan: tell the suitor that Bolshov is completely broke, and then the suitor will voluntarily call off the wedding. Ustinya Naumovna takes the deposit.

A little later, Podkhalyuzin puts on a real show for Samson Silych. He frightens the merchant with the possible consequences of bankruptcy, predicting disgrace and poverty for the entire family. The clerk begs him to marry Lipochka, promising to be a reliable support for the elderly. Bolshov sincerely believes in Lazar’s honesty. The merchant decides that his daughter’s marriage to a loyal worker will reliably protect his hidden assets.

Conflict of interest

On the appointed day, Lipochka and Agrafena Kondratyevna await the nobleman’s visit. The girl dons a luxurious dress and anticipates a pleasant conversation. However, Samson Silych brings Podkhalyuzin to her. Her father announces that the clerk will be her lawful husband. Lipochka throws a loud tantrum. She refuses to sit next to the uncouth worker and accuses her parents of bullying her. Bolshov takes extreme stern action: he orders his daughter to obey and leaves the young people alone.

Podkhalyuzin instantly changes his tone. He abandons flattery and gets down to the bare facts. Lazar Yelizarych informs Lipochka that her father is an insolvent debtor. All the property, the house, and the shops, according to documents, already belong to him, Podkhalyuzin. A noble suitor would never marry a dowryless woman from a ruined family.

Lipochka is shocked by the sudden turn of events. Podkhalyuzin skillfully manipulates the upset girl, promising her complete freedom from parental control. The clerk vows to buy his wife the most expensive silk dresses, hire Orlov trotters, and regularly attend the theater. He’s even willing to shave his beard and don a fashionable tailcoat. Lipochka sees this proposal as salvation from her boring home life and agrees to the marriage.

When the parents return, Podkhalyuzin joyfully reports the successful deal. Samson Silych blesses the newlyweds, publicly handing over his entire fortune to his son-in-law as a dowry. Bolshov asks only one thing: to pay off his creditors’ debts at ten kopecks per ruble. Podkhalyuzin eagerly promises to fulfill his benefactor’s wishes, uttering the words, "We’re our own people — we’ll settle accounts!"

Betrayal and the Finale

Time passes. In the lavishly furnished living room of their new home, Podkhalyuzin and Lipochka revel in their wealth. The young woman flaunts expensive clothes and attempts to speak French. Lazar Yelizarych twirls in front of the mirror in a fashionable frock coat. The couple discusses plans for a new stroller and a social trip to prestigious parks.

Ustinya Naumovna visits them. The matchmaker demands her two thousand rubles and a sable coat. Podkhalyuzin calmly counts out only one hundred rubles. The matchmaker begins shouting and demanding justice. Lazar Yelizarych rudely mocks her ambitions and threatens to throw her out with the police. Ustinya Naumovna leaves, showering her former accomplices with curses.

Samson Silych and Agrafena Kondratyevna follow them into the living room. Bolshov has been temporarily released from the prison pit where he was imprisoned for debt. The old man looks ill and broken. He explains that the creditors have refused their meager payments. They are harshly demanding twenty-five kopecks per ruble. If the debt is not repaid, Bolshov will be sent to Siberia for deliberate bankruptcy. Samson Silych begs the children to give him the required amount.

Podkhalyuzin and Lipochka remain absolutely adamant. They coldly refuse their father’s request for money. The clerk, with obvious reluctance, agrees to give only fifteen kopecks per ruble, but this is not enough to save them. Lipochka cynically remarks that she, too, wants to live comfortably and has no intention of returning to her old cotton dresses. Podkhalyuzin hypocritically justifies this by citing the need to develop his own business.

Bolshov realizes the bitter truth: his own son-in-law and daughter are condemning him to exile. The old man weeps bitterly, calling his children snakes in the grass. Agrafena Kondratyevna hurls curses, but Lipochka responds with sharp reproaches. Devastated, Bolshov bids his daughter farewell and returns to debtors’ prison.

Immediately after they leave, Rispolozhensky appears. The drunken lawyer demands his fifteen hundred rubles. Podkhalyuzin tosses him five rubles. Rispolozhensky shouts that he will immediately tell the entire audience the truth about his father-in-law’s robbery. Podkhalyuzin remains completely calm. He addresses the audience, declaring that the lawyer is lying. Lazar Yelizarych politely invites customers into his new store, promising honest service to everyone.