What Is To Be Done? Creative Writing Approach
Oh! Perspicacious reader! How I've fooled you!"
"How?" asks the reader.
"Well, you see, I've fooled you into believing that this is where the novel ends."
"That is not true. We knew you would not leave us unsatisfied."
"But of course! You are the perspicacious reader. I could not fool you. You say you are unsatisfied. Well then of course, I must add to the novel. My perspicacious readers are unsatisfied. They want a little more substance, a little more depth to the end of this novel? Why I think they are right."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vera Pavlovna has a dream.
Vera is in her room. In the distance she hears church bells. She recognizes that sound. Someone has died. She wonders what the cause of death is. Curiously, she leaves her room and walks down the stairs to leave her apartment but one foot out of her apartment and amazingly, she is at the church. Hundreds of people are standing by, crying, and mourning the loss of a loved one. "How sad." Verochka thinks. The sight almost makes her want to cry but she remembers there is no reason for her to be there. After some thought, she doesn't even remember how she got to the church. She tries to turn around to leave the sight but some forces do not allow her to do so. These forces push her into the church and make her walk towards the casket. She looks in. Vera Pavlovna is shocked. Inside the casket is one of her most promising young girls from the sewing workshop. She touches the young girls face. It is cold and stiff. Verochka starts to shake.
"What is going on here?" She yells.
No one replies.
She tries one more time. "What has happened here? Why has this young girl died? She was perfectly healthy and so promising! Who has killed her?" She yells even louder this time.
Still, no one replies. It's as though they don't even realize she's there.
Tears start to roll down her face and she runs out of the church. Outside of the church she hears more bells. They are different bells but still marking the death of someone. "My goodness." thinks Verochka. "There are so many deaths today in our town." She turns to walk back to her apartment but forces out of her control push her to the church where the other funeral is taking place. "What is the meaning of this?" She asks agitated with what is going on. Verochka walks into the church. The sight of everyone crying is not something she can handle. She turns around to walk out but she cannot. She seems to be blocked. She walks over to the casket and looks in. Inside is another girl from her sewing workshop; another girl who was full of promise and hope.
"Why is this happening?" She screams but no one hears her. "Pay attention to me, what is happening?"
No one listens. Everyone is watching the services take place.
Verochka walks to the back of the church and overhears a conversation.
"These poor young things! So many of them are dying." Says a woman trying to hold back her tears.
"It's that wicked Katerina Vasilievna. She is working those poor girls to death! She is taking away their income. Something needs to be done. What happened to Vera Pavlovna?" says the other woman.
"I don't know. It seems that she's been usurped. She wouldn't have stood for the changes that are going on in that workshop."
Vera Pavlovna stands there in horror. "Something is going on at my shop. I must get there at once." She runs out of the church and starts running to the workshop in which Katerina Vasilievna heads. Normally it is a five minute walk from where this particular church is to the shop but for some reason Vera feels as if she were running for hours. She stops to catch some rest. Suddenly, the ground under her is spinning and she becomes dizzy. She falls to the ground.
Verochka seems to wake up from a deep slumber and is enclosed in a box surrounded by silk.
"Where am I?" she asks aloud. She tries to get up but she cannot. She can only move her upper body. She leans forward and looks around. She is in a casket carried by four men. She is surrounded by countless similar caskets carried by men. She cannot believe her eyes. In each one is a girl that worked at her workshop. Verochka attempts to get out of the casket but it is difficult. One of the men fall from exhaustion and the casket is thrown to the ground. Verochka manages to quickly get herself out of there and runs to the shop. When she arrives, she sees casket upon casket with young girls in them leaving the shop.
Angry and agitated she storms in.
"Katerina Vasilievna!" She yells. There is no reply. She tries one more time. "Katerina Vasilievna!"
She hears a shrill laugh in the distance somewhere. She recognizes that laugh as Katya's. She hears it one more time and recognizes that it comes from the shops main office. She runs to the office, slams open the door and sees Katerina Vasilievna wearing the most beautiful silk she had ever seen. Katerina is laughing and drinking wine while all these girls are dying.
"Katya, what is going on here? What's happening to all these girls?"
"You see, Vera Pavlovna, I have made an executive decision to change the way in which this workshop is run. Some of the girls were getting lazy so we needed to get rid of them. Others began saying blasphemous things about me so they too had to be fired. Also, some girls worked harder than the others so they needed to have higher incomes."
Appalled, Verochka began to lecture. "Katya that is not how this cooperative is run. I have made specific instructions that every girl is to get the same income and that everyone is to work together. There must be some reason for all of this."
"No. There is no reason. I have decided this is how it will be. All money will go through me now and I will decide the wages and who can get what. It's better this way Verochka. The two of us are making more money this. It is suiting our needs very nicely."
"These are not my needs. It has taken so long to perfect this system and now you have ruined it."
"Is that how you really feel? That I've ruined everything you've worked for?" Asked Katya.
"Yes, it is. I would ask that you kindly leave this establishment in order for me to correct things."
"Verochka, I'm afraid that cannot be done. I am owner of this workshop, as well as all the others, so you see you have no power in this matter. I have called a guard. In a few minutes you will be disposed of. Please do not make your way back here or to any of the shops. If you try to open up your own shop, you will fail; do not attempt. I am in control now and you; you were just a mere pawn in my game."
Verochka did not know what to do. She merely stood there shocked and mortified. Katerina Vasilievna had a deathly stare painted on her face. "Please, get out." She asked sternly but Verochka could not move.
Finally, a few minutes later two very large men came in and took Vera Pavlovna by the arms forcing her to leave the workshop. At first, she ran back into the shop but it was as if an imaginary wall was preventing her from entering. Then she tried to go home and seek the help of her beloved but she could not run in that direction either. It was blocked. She was trapped and did not know what to do. She had always been so decisive and now, she was just at a loss. She stood on the street surrounded by caskets being carried by men. Finally, after some time, she collapsed and could no longer get up.
"Verochka, my dear, wake up." Vera Pavlovna awoke from her terrible nightmare. She was shaking, sweating and crying. Her husband held her tightly. "What's happened?"
"Oh, it was terrible! It was absolutely terrible. My nightmare was just awful" She cried out.
"Please tell me about it." He asked.
Verochka could not bring herself to discuss it. This dream had completely shocked her and she did not know what to make of it. Previously, her dreams had symbolized some sort of real-life event occurring: her escape from the cellar door, her ability to free other young girls like herself and others. But this dream was much more direct. Was she going to believe that her good friend Katya would turn her back on their ideas? She did not know what to make of this.
Kirsanov saw that his wife was too shaken to talk. He did not ask any more questions for fear of prying. That was their agreement. He brought the samovar into Verochka's room and made some tea. Verochka sat up and started drinking her tea. After a little while, she was calm enough to talk.
"Sashenka, I have just had the most terrible dream."
"What did you dream, my dear?"
"I dreamt that our good friend Katya became corrupt and began abusing our workshop. It was no longer a cooperative but Katya's little toy in which she could abuse all the workers. And the workers were dying, I assume because they had no income and were malnourished. And then, I couldn't go anywhere. I was stuck and I collapsed and then…Oh Sasha, it was terrible!" With just a fews words Verochka became hysterical once again and was shaking. Her husband grabbed her in his arms.
"Verochka, please calm yourself. You know that Katya would never do such a thing. From the beginning she wanted to create a cooperative exactly like the one you created. I suggest you go to the shop in the morning, free your mind of these thoughts and talk to Katya. She is our good friend."
And Verochka did just this. The next morning she awoke extremely tired because she did not have a relaxing or peaceful sleep. But nevertheless, she dressed and made her way over to the sewing workshop.
When she walked in, Verochka could not believe her eyes. She had not been there in quite some time. She felt she didn't need to because she trusted Katya so much. But what she saw was not something she enjoyed. Instead of the pleasant, happy conversation going on amongst the girls, they all sat in silence busily doing their work. The atmosphere seemed thick and tense as if the girls were afraid to make a move. When Verochka walked into the kitchen, instead of the delightful delicacies that used to be there, she saw something that looked like it had been left for weeks. The girls were obviously unhappy and being treated improperly. The worse part of all of this was that there were no readings in session. And after asking one of this girls where the lessons were being held, she found out that lessons were no longer occurring.
She had seen enough. She walked into the main offices.
"Verochka, what are you doing here?" said Katya, surprised.
"I wanted to check up on the sewing shop and you must be made aware, that I am not happy with what I see. What is going on here Katya? This is not what I had in mind. This is not what you had in mind. Why have lessons stopped? Why is the atmosphere so tense?" Verochka questioned.
"Verochka, please do not worry. I have just decided to change things a little bit. I no longer feel that a cooperative such as this one is useful to our society. There needs to be a leader; someone strict who will enforce rules. Otherwise the girls will lose themselves. They will not work-"
Verochka interrupted her. "On what basis is this? Have you seen this happen?"
"No, but nonetheless it will happen. I can sense it. Workers will become lazy, they will stop doing work and yet they will receive the same income as those working hard. They will receive the same income as me. That is not how it should be! Since I foresee all operations I should be getting the most income. To think that someone who merely sews gets the same amount of money as me? It's absurd! And, you ask why it is tense? Well, if you must know the girls have been disobeying me and so occasionally I see the need to make an example of one or two by either firing them or having them beaten. Yes, it is harsh, but I, as overseer of operations, feel this is fit. Do not argue with me, Vera Pavlovna, over any of this. We are friends and I am grateful for what you and your husband have given me but I am firm in my decision. I am prepared to end our friendship if you do not support me. You cannot stop me from doing this because although you established and made the model for this workshop it is my father who has bought it out. Since this is so, I have the power to take control and make things the way they should be."
"I cannot support you in any of this. It is an abomination and will get you nowhere."
"Well if that is the way you feel then our friendship has thus ended. Since this is my property, I kindly ask you to leave."
"Katya, you will not get away with this. You are taking credit for my ideas and you are abusing these poor young girls."
"Verochka, just stop and leave. I no longer care for you and I do not have the time for this." With that, Katya left.
Verochka sat on Katya's chair and was at a loss. "How did Katya manage to become so corrupt?" She asked herself.
After a few minutes a guard came in. "Katerina Vasilievna has asked us to remove you."
"Do not touch me. I am gone."
After some time, Katerina Vasilievna had managed to take over all three shops and completely usurp Vera Pavlovna from her position of manager of the shops. She managed to do this through manipulation and corruption.
"Oh, my Sasha. What is to be done?"
"You are a doctor, my dear, you can teach, you can open a practice. You can still do anything."
"You are right. I will still be able to help girls. It is just…disappointing. But nonetheless, I can still educate young girls. Help them from being trapped in their cellars like I was. I will do it. I can prevent corruption from happening to young girls, like the corruption that happened to our young Katya. But without the sewing cooperative, it will be difficult. How will I do it?" She asked her husband.
"There will be other ways, Verochka, there will." With this said, he embraced his wife.
"And what are we to do done now?" asked the lady in mourning. Mosolov and Nikitin sat riding in the front seat of the carriage while the lady in mourning sat alone in the back. There was a brief and hopeful time in which the lady was no longer mourning but that time has come and gone. Three years time has past since that hopeful day when she rode with the certainty of the future. But now, she was still in mourning: she wore a black hat with a black flower on it and a black dress made of fine silk. She looked at her surroundings in dismay. Was there still any hope for the future? She doubted it.
"But this is not a happy ending!" cries the perspicacious reader.
"Is it not? Are you accusing me of lying? I have done no such thing. Yes, I have said that there will be a happy ending but how do you not see one, my readers? Vera Pavlovna is with her beloved, Kirsanov. They have children and a loving marriage. They are happy both being doctors. Katya Vasilievna, though a tyrant, has gotten what she has wanted. Would you not say that everyone in my novel has gotten their own way? Yes, they have. And this, by definition is a happy ending."
"But the lady in mourning is still mourning!"
"Yes, she is. And she will be for some time."
"For some time? How do you know? Please tell us more."
"I'm afraid I cannot. It is not to my advantage. And I would rather not disappoint you."