Anyuta
Anyuta lives in a furnished room with Klotchkov, a medical student. For the last six or seven years, she has lived with five other students. She is busy working embroidering a shirt for which she will be paid half a rouble. She will use the money to buy tea and tobacco.
Klotchkov treats Anyuta like an object. He asks her to undress so he can examine her ribs and draws on her body with crayons. Anyuta shivers with cold and her nose and lips turn blue.
Klotchkov is totally oblivious to her suffering. You wonder what kind of doctor he will make. He is self-absorbed and only concerned with passing his exams.
When his artist friend, Fetisov, needs a model, he gladly dispatches Anyuta to him. To make matters even worse, as he recalls Fetisov's criticism of his filthy surroundings -- he decides to end his relationship with Anyuta. After she returns from a grueling modeling session with Fetisov, he tells her that she should pack her things and move out.
Finally, showing some pity towards her, or perhaps realizing that in fact he may still need her services for a while longer, he allows her to stay.
In this story, we can clearly see the cruelty of the class system that existed in Russia at the time.
The Goal: Read. Reflect. Respond. Over two hundred Chekhov stories. Constance Garnett translations.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
POLINKA
Polinka
A sketch of two characters.
It takes place in a store that sells drapery.
Polinka is a dressmaker who is in love with a student. We never meet the student. Instead, we are introduced to Nikolay Timofeitch, a salesman who attends to Polinka. Nikolay Timofeitch is in love with Polinka. He wants to protect her from being hurt. He tells her that the student will always look down on her because she is uneducated.
Chekhov gets a lot accomplished in a few pages. He skillfully recreates the ambience of the store while he invites us inside a classic story.
Polinka is seduced by the world of the student.
She wants to be a part of that world. She wants to be married to a future doctor or lawyer. She wants to move up the social ladder. But Nikolay Tomofeitch knows the pitfalls of her dreams. He knows that in the end she will be an outcast in that loftier world. According to Nikolay Timofietch, Polinka should just accept her fate -- she is an uneducated dressmaker and she should marry within her own class.
This is a story which continues to this day.
We know that Polinka is yearning for something more than her immediate surroundings -- logic and reason won't stop her from trying to taste a different world -- a different life.
Maybe she would be happier with Nikolay Timofeitch -- we don't know -- what we do know is her heart longs for a better life. A more exciting life.
She can't help herself.
Love and dreams can't be contained by merely the prudent.
A sketch of two characters.
It takes place in a store that sells drapery.
Polinka is a dressmaker who is in love with a student. We never meet the student. Instead, we are introduced to Nikolay Timofeitch, a salesman who attends to Polinka. Nikolay Timofeitch is in love with Polinka. He wants to protect her from being hurt. He tells her that the student will always look down on her because she is uneducated.
Chekhov gets a lot accomplished in a few pages. He skillfully recreates the ambience of the store while he invites us inside a classic story.
Polinka is seduced by the world of the student.
She wants to be a part of that world. She wants to be married to a future doctor or lawyer. She wants to move up the social ladder. But Nikolay Tomofeitch knows the pitfalls of her dreams. He knows that in the end she will be an outcast in that loftier world. According to Nikolay Timofietch, Polinka should just accept her fate -- she is an uneducated dressmaker and she should marry within her own class.
This is a story which continues to this day.
We know that Polinka is yearning for something more than her immediate surroundings -- logic and reason won't stop her from trying to taste a different world -- a different life.
Maybe she would be happier with Nikolay Timofeitch -- we don't know -- what we do know is her heart longs for a better life. A more exciting life.
She can't help herself.
Love and dreams can't be contained by merely the prudent.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
ARIADNE
Ariadne
The story begins on a ship where Shamohin, a Moscow landowner shares his musings on love and women.
It seems this Shamohin has become a hostage to love. He is madly in love with Ariadne -- who is a charming young woman who lives nearby -- she is of noble stock but is rather broke. By all accounts he should marry Ariadne and live happily ever after.
But this Shamohin can't get himself to propose to Ariadne. He feels totally smitten with her, however, he also realizes she doesn't love him. He acknowledges how beautiful and vivacious Ariadne is -- yet he also sees she is selfish, hedonistic, a social climber, a pleaser -- in fact when he breaks down her character he doesn't think very highly of her at all.
If only he wasn't so in love with her -- if only he could break away from her.
Ariadne finally takes off with an older married man to Italy -- Shamohin tries to shrug it off but he is racked by jealousy and when she contacts him he runs off to her only to escape in disgust -- and when she writes to him again some time later -- he can't resist again and off he goes to Rome to see her.
Finally, he becomes her lover and for a month or so he lives in total rapture -- although little by little this physical attraction to her begins to wear off and the more he sees her at close range the more she begins to repel him.
We hear everything from Shamohin's perspective until the end when the narrator actually describes Ariadne as quite a beguiling creature.
Is this just a story of a simple man who couldn't appreciate the talent and beauty of Ariadne -- who because he felt so insecure about his own worth thought that Ariadne couldn't possibly love him?
Is this a story of a man who could have been extremely happy with an exciting woman but who uses his brain so much to analyze the situation and instead of living and enjoying himself -- has made his life a hellish one?
Shamohin might've been too afraid to confront head on a great character like Ariadne -- so instead he makes up excuses for why she's not worth his time. Granted, taking care of a woman like Ariadne is a lot of work -- and seems like it would cost a lot of money -- but as that MasterCard commercial would put it: True Love -- Priceless.
In the end Shamohin will go back to the country and live most likely alone and unhappy. And he will feel free.
Poor man!
The story begins on a ship where Shamohin, a Moscow landowner shares his musings on love and women.
It seems this Shamohin has become a hostage to love. He is madly in love with Ariadne -- who is a charming young woman who lives nearby -- she is of noble stock but is rather broke. By all accounts he should marry Ariadne and live happily ever after.
But this Shamohin can't get himself to propose to Ariadne. He feels totally smitten with her, however, he also realizes she doesn't love him. He acknowledges how beautiful and vivacious Ariadne is -- yet he also sees she is selfish, hedonistic, a social climber, a pleaser -- in fact when he breaks down her character he doesn't think very highly of her at all.
If only he wasn't so in love with her -- if only he could break away from her.
Ariadne finally takes off with an older married man to Italy -- Shamohin tries to shrug it off but he is racked by jealousy and when she contacts him he runs off to her only to escape in disgust -- and when she writes to him again some time later -- he can't resist again and off he goes to Rome to see her.
Finally, he becomes her lover and for a month or so he lives in total rapture -- although little by little this physical attraction to her begins to wear off and the more he sees her at close range the more she begins to repel him.
We hear everything from Shamohin's perspective until the end when the narrator actually describes Ariadne as quite a beguiling creature.
Is this just a story of a simple man who couldn't appreciate the talent and beauty of Ariadne -- who because he felt so insecure about his own worth thought that Ariadne couldn't possibly love him?
Is this a story of a man who could have been extremely happy with an exciting woman but who uses his brain so much to analyze the situation and instead of living and enjoying himself -- has made his life a hellish one?
Shamohin might've been too afraid to confront head on a great character like Ariadne -- so instead he makes up excuses for why she's not worth his time. Granted, taking care of a woman like Ariadne is a lot of work -- and seems like it would cost a lot of money -- but as that MasterCard commercial would put it: True Love -- Priceless.
In the end Shamohin will go back to the country and live most likely alone and unhappy. And he will feel free.
Poor man!
Monday, October 12, 2009
THE DARLING
The Darling
Love consumes Olenka.
She gives all of herself in her relationships -- in her first marriage to a manager of a theater -- she bends her will completely to her husband --- she thinks about the same things as her husband and does everything to please him -- when he dies -- she marries again -- this time her new husband is in the timber business and timber becomes her life.
Here is a woman who is completely selfless or completely afraid -- she either gives all of herself because of her nature or she can't bear to be alone. We admire her devotion and yet we also know we should be pitying her.
Tolstoy in his criticism of The Darling states that Chekhov was trying to use Olenka to make a point about how women need to empower themselves yet Chekhov was such a great artist that instead of creating a character we should be looking down on -- he created a character who is inspiring because of her ability to love so completely.
As a modern reader you are left with the feeling that Olenka has got to get a life -- that she is way too submissive and that she needs to do some yoga -- read some self-help books -- go on an Oprah show binge to enhance her self-image -- yet despite all that -- Tolstoy is right -- you can't help but feel for Olenka. For her loneliness -- for her great beautiful all-powerful woman heart.
Love consumes Olenka.
She gives all of herself in her relationships -- in her first marriage to a manager of a theater -- she bends her will completely to her husband --- she thinks about the same things as her husband and does everything to please him -- when he dies -- she marries again -- this time her new husband is in the timber business and timber becomes her life.
Here is a woman who is completely selfless or completely afraid -- she either gives all of herself because of her nature or she can't bear to be alone. We admire her devotion and yet we also know we should be pitying her.
Tolstoy in his criticism of The Darling states that Chekhov was trying to use Olenka to make a point about how women need to empower themselves yet Chekhov was such a great artist that instead of creating a character we should be looking down on -- he created a character who is inspiring because of her ability to love so completely.
As a modern reader you are left with the feeling that Olenka has got to get a life -- that she is way too submissive and that she needs to do some yoga -- read some self-help books -- go on an Oprah show binge to enhance her self-image -- yet despite all that -- Tolstoy is right -- you can't help but feel for Olenka. For her loneliness -- for her great beautiful all-powerful woman heart.
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