A Literary Reference to the Polish January Uprising: ‘On The Niemen’

rzeka_niemen_fot_andrzej_sidor_forum-0429555166-s.jpg, full-width, The Niemen River, photo: Andrzej Sidor / Forum, A Literary Reference to the Polish January Uprising: ‘On The Niemen’

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'On The Niemen' (Nad Niemnem) was published by Polish author Eliza Orzeszkowa in 1888. The novel came out 25 years after the end of the January Uprising. Orzeszkowa was a renowned feminist writer like Jane Austen. In 1905, Orzeszkowa was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature but lost to her fellow countryman Henryk Sienkiewicz.

On The Niemen takes place in modern-day Belarus and revolves around the Niemen River. Orzeszkowa’s novel focuses on the Korczyński and Bohatyrowicz families: both have family members who perished in the January Uprising, an unsuccessful uprising by Poles to restore the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from its Russian oppressors. The Korczyński and Bohatyrowicz families, which were united for the uprising, are now opposed.

Eliza Orzeszkowa, 'On the Niemen', photo: Bellona

The main conflict comes between Benedykt Korczyński and Fabian and Anzelm Bohatyrowicz. Benedykt’s brother Andrzej and Anzelm’s brother Jerzy were best friends until they both perished in the January Uprising. Benedykt refuses to return the Bohatyrowicz family’s horses after their horses caused damage to his farm, and he states that he will only return them if the Bohatyrowiczes pay for the damage. Fabian refuses to pay unless Benedykt takes them to court. Benedykt decides to take them to court, so in return Fabian takes Benedykt to court.

Illness

A central theme in On The Niemen is a real and imagined illness. Four characters in On The Niemen deal with illnesses. Benedykt Korczyński’s wife Emilia lives on a farm but is stuck in a fantasy world. She shows no interest in helping her husband with the housework, kids, or farming, and prefers having her friend Teresa read her romance novels set in foreign countries. The national aspect of her romance differentiates her from the protagonist of Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary: Emilia believes that she could only find happiness if she was born in a foreign country. Emilia also does not field criticism well, coming down with globus hystericus or a migraine whenever her worldview is questioned. When Emilia is sick, she even refuses to have the room aired out because an open window would blow away her delusion.

Teofil Różyc does not have a rosy outlook on life. His father died when he was 22 years old. His mom is also absent, as she lives in a monastery in Rome. Teofil inherited a fortune when his father passed away, but his estate, like his life, is in disrepair. Teofil doesn't plan to fix his estate, as he is indifferent to farming; he previously spent his time aimlessly overseas but did not find happiness there. Teofil’s enduring depression led to him becoming a morphine addict. To make things worse, Teofil wants to marry Justyna – he compares her to a frog, as she is both educated and uneducated and poor and not poor due to her upbringing – because he thinks her love could cure his morphine addiction. Yet he is nervous, sends his cousin Maria to propose on his behalf, and Justyna declines Teofil’s absentee proposal.

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Stanisław Witkiewicz, 'Wounded Insurgent', 1872-1873, oil on canvas, photo: National Museum in Warsaw

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Orzeszkowa includes other varieties of illnesses with the rest of her characters. Marta Korczyńska lives with Benedykt and his family: Benedykt’s parents took her in as an orphan when she was a child. Marta is Benedykt’s work spouse since Benedykt’s actual wife shows no interest in helping him. When Marta develops a chronic cough, she refuses to see a doctor, feeling that treating her illness would put Benedykt’s household in a state of disorder. Marta’s former lover Anzelm is also ill.

Anzelm and the Bohatyrowiczes are poor peasants who create everything themselves. Jerzy’s son Jan Bohatyrowicz runs Anzelm’s farm after Anzelm developed an illness that doctors called hypochondria. Anzelm believed in a real illness, so he started wearing a sheep cap to protect himself from a head cold. Anzelm’s actual illness, which comes from inside his head, is depression.

Former lovers Anzelm and Marta never married since Marta feared people’s opinions and hard work. Marta then ended up working hard to help Benedykt. In a cruel twist, both Anzelm and Marta became sick. They both would fortunately heal. Anzelm’s depression starts healing after he sees Marta and Benedykt again. Anzelm’s old friendships uncover his depression as he takes off his hat when Marta and Benedykt finally come to see him again. At the novel’s end after Jan and Justyna’s engagement, Marta decides to seek medical treatment after a talk with Benedykt.

A Generational Gap

Another theme concerns the generation gap between characters. One of these conflicts is between Zygmunt and his mother Andrzejowa Korczyńska. Andrzejowa is a depressed widow after her husband Andrzej died in the January Uprising. We learn her husband’s estate had withered as she was clueless about farming. Andrzejowa would not teach her son about farming as she was convinced that he should study art abroad. Zygmunt, despite being married and having an art degree, returned home expressionless. Zygmunt wanted to previously marry his childhood crush Justyna, but his mom disapproved since she was not upper class. Andrzejowa then convinced Zygmunt to go abroad to study art.

Zygmunt is a painter without inspiration. He was home but did not look for inspiration in places like the Niemen River. Zygmunt’s wife Klotylda wanted him to paint her a portrait, but Klotylda’s portrait, like Zygmunt’s love for her, remains incomplete. Zygmunt even fails at getting Justyna back. He lashes out at his mother, blaming her entirely for his failures in life. She tries nurturing their relationship by having him visit his father’s grave. Unfortunately, Zygmunt stays under the impression that he needs no help to fix his life.

Thumbnail — 'Over the Niemen', directed by Zbigniew Kuźmiński, 1986, photo: Stanisław Bielejec / National Film Archive - Audiovisual Institute / fototeka.fn.org.pl

Witold Korczyński and his father Benedykt also come into conflict. Benedykt studied agriculture. He and his brother Andrzej both inherited farms from their father, with Benedykt inheriting a wealthy estate. Andrzej and Benedykt’s father instructed them to pay off their other brother and pay their sister’s dowry, which became Benedykt’s sole obligation when Andrzej died in the January Uprising. He took on bank debt to pay off his other brother but did not have the money yet to pay his sister’s dowry, so he took on mortgage debt.

Witold, Benedykt’s son, is currently studying agriculture, but he can’t cultivate an understanding with his father. Witold disapproves of how Benedykt treats his peasants. Benedykt lashes out at a peasant for breaking his reaper and tells the peasant the cost of repair will be taken out of the peasant’s salary. Witold, however, returns from college, where he saw reapers being repaired on-site at home for a small fee. He tells his dad that the peasant’s salary won’t have to be deducted and that the peasant most likely accidentally broke the machine, not knowing how to operate it. Witold continues fostering a positive work environment by teaching the peasant how to properly operate the machine.

Witold further convinces his father to yield to his worldview. He speaks about his life experiences through his time studying and meeting people such as the Bohatyrowicz family. He opens his dad’s eyes: Poland no longer existed on the map, but the Polish identity could exist through the hard work of Poles. Benedykt believed in the patriotism of hard work, but he only believes in the importance of his land instead of other Poles land. Benedykt would do anything to save it, especially with his financial struggles. This conversation with his son changes his mind. A remorseful Benedykt tells his son that he will withdraw his winning lawsuit concerning the Bohatyrowicz family’s horses.

A Strong, Independent Woman

The novel’s main character is Justyna Orzelska, and Eliza Orzeszowka showcases feminism throughout Justyna’s transformation. Benedykt’s aunt’s niece Justyna moved into Benedykt’s house when she was just 14 years old. In Benedykt’s house, Justyna lives with her father Ignacy after he squandered his fortune. Ignacy spends his static life playing the violin while Justyna decides to string together her own future. She meets peasant Jan Bohatyrowicz, who is passionate about work, even singing during hard manual labor, and they become engaged because Jan’s patriotism attracts Justyna.

Justyna also never devalues herself. She does not fear hard work like Marta or Emilia. She helps with harvesting when Jan hands her a sickle. She also puts in the work to find a suitable match. She rejects Zygmunt's affair proposal when he is married to Klotylda. She also rejects Teofil’s absent-minded proposal. Justyna would become Jan’s wife as he truly appreciated her. He put in the work to develop an organic relationship with her.

Motivational Shrine

Jan takes Justyna to the forest overlooking the Niemen River to show her the novel’s landmark. Jan grew up knowing the landmark, and he shows her how, on the top of a hill, there is a gravesite honouring the 40 Polish soldiers of the area who perished in the January Uprising. The gravesite is a motivational shrine to the deceased soldiers’ hard work, inspiring Poles to continue their work through manual labor. The gravesite’s hidden nature and challenging accessibility also reflects its visitors’ motivation. It only has two entrances, which consist of either an hour-long walk through Benedykt Korczyński’s forest or a half-hour river crossing from the Bohatyrowicz’s. This is the timelessness of Orzeszkowa’s novel. Whether in times of peace or war, nations can keep their identities alive with landmarks of labor and persistence.

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