This portrait of the mother is a familiar and usual in the settlement. It is said in the novel when she was proposed by Mikhail Vlassov, her parents urged Pelagea to
accept it. Their stance is that it is lucky for Pelagea that there was a man who liked her and wanted her to be his wife. For her parents, at least one mouth is no longer fed
by them so that they found a little release of their hardship. The marriage cripples her and hurts her heart.
4.1.1. Religious
The first obvious kind of personality that Pelagea has is her being religious. She is undoubtedly a devout Christian. As s simple mother, she finds relief of her
hardship of life by sinking in her knees before the holy image of Christ. She would serve her life for her boorish husband, although she frequently receives beatings from
him. Tears regularly flow down her cheeks while she is doing her prayers, lamenting her miserable yet hopeless condition—a condition that she accepts as a fate.
Gorky extensively pictures her being attached to religion primarily starting from the first part of the novel up to the beginning of the second part. During her
efforts to grasp the ideas that Pavel brings, Pelagea often consults God through prayers. Meanwhile, she is disappointed to learn Pavel’s arguing about God. Pavel
and all of his comrades in the movement are nonbelievers. Speeches or dialogs with other characters, as put forward by Murphy 161-
173, give signals about the personality. It is shown when she constantly defends her stance about God while arguing with Pavel and friends:
“When it comes to the Lord, you better mind what you say” She took a deep breath and went on with added fervour. “You can think what
you like, but for me, an old woman, there’ll be nothing to turn to for support in my grief if you take the Lord God away” Her eyes filled
with tears and her fingers trembled as she washes the dishes. 63 She is impaired when her divine God is contended against Pavel and his friends’
arguments. She says “It’s beyond my strength to listen to such talk,” 63 while walking away from them and hurt. Although in the end of the story she progresses to
be indifferent about religion, her religious personality plays a significant part of making up her intricate personality. In summary, her being religious resembles
typical traditional and simple mother who seeks comfort, strength and guidance in dealing with her suffering.
4.1.2. Wise
