«The Crocodile» (Russian: Крокодил, Krokodil) is a short story by Fyodor Dostoyevsky that was first published in 1865 in his magazine Epoch. It is a work of satire, parodying political, social and economic themes prevailing in Russia at the time.

Characters

Ivan Matveich — an official who was swallowed by a crocodile
Elena Ivanovna — Ivan Matveich’s wife
German — the owner of the crocodile
Timofey Semenych — an acquaintance of Ivan Matveich, an old-fashioned and narrow-minded, but respectable man
Semen Semenovich Strizhov — the narrator; a colleague, distant relative and «friend of the house» of Ivan Matveevich
Karlchen (crocodile) — the main attraction in the small zoo of a visiting «German»

Synopsis

The story relates the events that befall one Ivan Matveyevich when he, his wife Yelena Ivanovna, and the narrator visit the Passage on Nevsky Avenue to see a crocodile that has been put on display by a German entrepreneur. After teasing the crocodile, Ivan Matveyevich is swallowed alive. He finds the inside of the crocodile to be quite comfortable, and the animal’s owner refuses to allow it to be cut open, in spite of the pleas from Yelena Ivanovna. Ivan Matveyevich urges the narrator to arrange for the crocodile to be purchased and cut open, but the owner asks so much for it that nothing is done. As the story ends Yelena Ivanovna is contemplating divorce and Ivan Matveyevich resolves to carry on his work as a civil servant as best he can from inside the crocodile.