The Carriage

Chertokutsky, the protagonist of “The Carriage,” is the only resident of B— whom the narrator introduces in any depth. He is a minor aristocrat, prosperous landowner, and former cavalry officer. Prior to the beginning of the narrative, he had to resign his commission because of “a certain incident of the kind that’s usually called ‘an unpleasant story’” (184). However, he has not lost any of his former prestige, continuing to attend regimental balls across the country and aggressively mingling with other high-ranking military men at social events. Although he no longer wears his uniform, his clothes mimic that uniform: For example, he wears spurs on his boots and a tailcoat with a high waist in the military style. He also maintains his mustache so that other noblemen will not mistake him for a member of the infantry, which is often derisively referred to as “the infantile-ry” or “the infanitarium” (184).

As his manner of dress indicates, Chertokutsky is the primary figure through which the story critiques The Performance of Class. Chertokutsky is obsessed with maintaining his social status, and he does this by both cultivating valuable interpersonal relationships and accumulating the most lavish and expensive material objects he can find.