The Peasants, [Vol. 3]: Spring

''The peasants, [vol. 3] : Spring'' by Władysław Stanisław Reymont is a novel written in the early 20th century. Set in a Polish village, it follows the spring season’s surge of work, faith, and desire around the Boryna household—old farmer Maciej, his son Antek, Antek’s wife Hanka, and young wife Yagna—along with their neighbors. It centers on land, community, and the tensions of love and survival that bind and divide the villagers. The opening of this novel unfolds with a lyrical dawn of spring and the return of Agata, an aged beggar, to the village of Lipka, where she learns that most men have been jailed after a violent clash in the forest, leaving Maciej Boryna near death and Antek imprisoned. The focus then shifts to Palm Sunday as Hanka, pregnant and resolute, quietly takes command of the farm, while Yagna neglects her stricken husband and flirts with the Voyt, and the blacksmith prowls for hidden money. Roch brings word from the jail—Antek is alive, in fair condition, and urges the household to slaughter the pig for Easter—while the women’s grief and anger simmer through the village. In a brief lucid moment, Boryna entrusts Hanka with secret cash and charges her to defend Antek; by a rainy morning the household readies the pig-killing, everyday work pushing on under strain.