figure
The Willow
the willow
also: the old woman-willow
The ancient tree beside the Andreyevsky mill, personified throughout the story as an old woman who weeps at night and whispers with Arkhip over the decades-old crime she witnessed.
Reading notes
- The Willow §2 the willow
The ancient tree the story is named for, personified throughout as an old woman leaning on the mill; Chekhov pairs it with Arkhip as a second silent witness to the crime.