8th grade Honest Thief questions:
Answer the following questions in your notebook. One sentence answer is fine. Reference the story if you need to.

Comprehension Questions

1. Who is Astafy Ivanovich?
   o What kind of person is he, and what role does he play in the story?
2. How does Emelyan Ilyitch first come to live with Astafy?
   o Describe their initial relationship.
3. What does Astafy do when he discovers Emelyan has stolen from him?
   o How does his reaction reflect his personality?
4. Why does Emelyan confess his theft?
   o What motivates him to tell the truth?
5. What ultimately happens to Emelyan?
   o How does his story end, and what is Astafy’s reaction?

Analysis Questions

1. What is the significance of the title “The Honest Thief”?
   o How can someone who steals be considered honest?
2. How does Dostoevsky portray the theme of forgiveness in this story?
   o Use specific examples from the text to explain how Astafy demonstrates forgiveness.
3. How do Emelyan’s actions and confession contribute to the moral lesson of the story?
   o What message do you think Dostoevsky is trying to convey about guilt and redemption?
4. Why do you think Dostoevsky chose to write about a petty thief rather than a more significant
   crime?
   o How does this choice affect the story’s impact on the reader?
5. How does the relationship between Astafy and Emelyan change over the course of the story?
   o What does their relationship reveal about human nature?
6. What role does poverty play in the lives of the characters?
   o How does it influence their decisions and actions?
7. Compare Astafy and Emelyan.
   o In what ways are they similar or different, and how do their personalities shape the events of the
   story?