. ONE AUTUMN NIGHT(SHORT STORIE) -Summary- Maxim Gorky

Aleksei Peshkov known to us as Maxim Gorky (1868 – 1936), was a great writer of his 
time. He wrote his stories drawing experiences out of his own life. His sympathy always resided 
with the poor and miserable. He wrote an autobiography, plays and longer fiction during his 
mature days. Mother and The Lower Depths are important works of Gorky

This story ‘One Autumn Night’ is about two young and miserable people who spent a night 
together one autumn season. The young man, the narrator is eighteen years of age. He had sold his 
clothes for small sums of money in order to drive away hunger. But that money was also spent 
and the autumn night was miserable and cold. While he was walking along meditating about great 
things in the world, he saw a creature in woman’s dress digging behind a crate. He asked her what 
she was doing. She replied that she was trying to get some food out of the crate. The narrator then 
helped her. The crate was closed on the underside. So they broke the lock open, took some 
bread, hastily pushed it into their mouth and ran away together. They took shelter under an 
upturned canoe. The night was cold and soon the young man could not bear it. He was chattering 
and muttering, when the girl went to his help. She stretched herself over the narrator giving him 
the warmth of her body. The selfless act on the part of the poor miserable girl soothed and 
perplexed him at the same time. 

In between, the girl unravels her story to the narrator. Her name is Natasha. She is in love 
with Pashka, a baker. At first he was very good to her. But later he began torturing her. To add to 
her misery Pashka started moving around with another girl named Dimka. This was too much for 
poor Natasha. She was ready to bear torture but not this. So she protested and Pashka punished 
her so much that she was forced to run away with all the bruises on her face and heart. 

Here the narrator reflects on how a girl who is not learned, who does not know about the big 
world, selflessly helps him by keeping him warm. The narrator who knows the world is vain, selfcentered and had a very low opinion about women. But all his vain ideas seemed to vanish in the 
presence of Natasha. The experience of that autumn night was an eye opener for the young man. It 
changed his view of the world. He realized that life is an invaluable book that teaches worthy 
lessons.