The Beggar Summary & Notes - CBSE Class 9 English Moments

Summary of The Beggar

The Class 9 English Supplementary Reader ‘Moments’ consists of a short story named The Beggar. This is a story of a poor drunkard beggar named Lushkoff who was provided work by Sergie, an advocate. So, does Lushkoff mend his ways when he gets employed by Sergie? Read the prose summary of CBSE Class 9 English Prose Notes – The Beggar in CBSE English Notes Class 9 format here to discover what happens next. We hope this summary will help students to explore the chapter and prepare for their English exam confidently.

Students can also learn how to write an effective essay by going through the essays to score good marks in their Class 9 English papers.

CBSE Class 9 English The Beggar Summary

The Beggar was written by Anton Chekhov and is the story of a poor alcoholic beggar named Lushkoff who used to beg on roads as he was unable to find work. He resorted to begging in order to survive. One day, he met Sergie, a wealthy advocate and asked him for some work. He was wearing a ragged, tanned and tattered overcoat and had dull drunken eyes with a red spot on either cheek. He claimed that he had been a school teacher in a village earlier and lost his job due to a conspiracy against him. So, he started begging to feed himself and survive.

Sergei immediately recalled that he had seen the beggar on another street the other day. At that time, he had said that he was a student who had been expelled. The lawyer was filled with disgust and threatened to hand over the beggar to the police for cheating people by telling lies. Hearing this, Lushkoff broke down and admitted that he was lying to people so that they would take pity on him for his condition. He confessed that he used to sing in a Russian choir and was fired for his drinking habit. Hence, he requested Sergie to give him some work so that he could make a living for himself.

Sergei asked him if he could chop wood for him at his house. Lushkoff instantly agreed, and Sergie hastened and called out his cook, Olga, to take the poor man into the woodshed and let him chop wood. Olga did so as she looked at Lushkoff with contempt. Although he had become very weak due to his drunkenness, he tried chopping wood as instructed. When Sergie looked at him, he felt sorry and ashamed of himself for making the sick man do menial labour in such cold weather. An hour later, Olga informed Sergei that the wood had all been chopped. Sergei ordered her to give Lushkoff half a rouble for his work. Eventually, he would come once a month to do the work and leave after receiving his wage.

Soon, Sergei moved to a new house and employed Lushkoff, who was now a sober and courteous fellow, to pack and haul furniture. Although he used to shiver in the cold, he did his work properly. Seeing his dedication, Sergei offered him cleaner employment and asked if he could write. Lushkoff replied in the affirmative, and Sergei gave a letter to be sent to a friend, where he would need to do some copy work. Lushkoff did so, but he never returned to Sergei’s place.

Two years passed, and one evening, Sergei saw Lushkoff at the ticket counter of a theatre paying for his seat. He was well-groomed and looked sophisticated. Sergei was astonished seeing his transformation and asked about him. Lushkoff replied that he was working as a notary and was paid thirty-five roubles every month. Sergei was happy that he could help Lushkoff become a responsible human being and felt good for showing him the right path.

Lushkoff thanked Sergei for his kindness and for helping him when he was a mere beggar. Besides, he mentioned that he was more grateful to Olga for her compassionate nature. He revealed that she was the one who used to chop the wood that was assigned to him. Being a kind-hearted lady, she would give away the money to him for the wood-chopping task done by her.

Although she would often chide him, she would also weep at his poor condition. She had advised him to give up his alcoholism and was responsible for helping him to mend his ways. Owing to her kind words and noble deeds, Lushkoff had a change of heart. He stopped drinking completely and started working hard to earn his livelihood. She set the right example before him, and he said that he would always remain indebted to her for her kindness and cooperation.

Conclusion of The Beggar

The chapter – The Beggar teaches students that if one has the will to work hard and reach a goal, with dedication and willpower, one can achieve success in life. Presenting the CBSE Class 9 English Moments Prose Summary of The Beggar will help students to obtain a detailed understanding of the chapter.

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