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Life Passed Them By (1863) is a short story that follows the fate of a peasant girl, Nastasya, whose life symbolizes the suffering and misfortune of ordinary people in Tsarist Russia. Written in a realistic spirit with elements of folk language, the work
Nastasya, a young and beautiful girl, marries the peasant Fyodor, but the marriage is unhappy due to his indifference and rudeness. Living in poverty, Nastasya suffers from difficult conditions and a lack of love. Her longing for a better life leads her into a forbidden love affair with the young peasant Alyosha. Their relationship, although passionate, only brings her further unhappiness. When the relationship is exposed, the community condemns her, and Fyodor abuses her even more. Alyosha, unable to cope with the pressures, abandons her, leaving Nastasya heartbroken.
Nastasya's condition worsens; she loses her will to live, and social stigma and family pressure break her. In despair, she sinks into madness, and her life ends tragically. Through her story, Leskov depicts the cruelty of patriarchal society, injustice towards women, and the powerlessness of the individual in the face of fate. The tale, told through vernacular language and anecdotal style, highlights Leskov's ability to bring Russian village life to life while simultaneously criticizing social norms.
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