Saturday, November 14, 2009

THE TROUSSEAU

The Trousseau

You may read this story and put it down as just a simple little story. But that's what makes Chekhov Chekhov. 

In this simple story he captures the human condition. 

A man visits a country home and finds a mother and her daughter keeping themselves busy sewing for the eventual marriage of the daughter. Chekhov's description of the daughter already confirms in our mind that the daughter will never actually marry -- yet, the hope is all that matters to this family. 

Here we see the seeds of the great Chekhov plays; creating a life exclusively based on hope is a rope that lifts you up as it gradually strangles you.

2 comments:

  1. I totally agree with you, i was really touched with how he ended it, how the narrator felt. how Gregory's actions affected not just Manechka’s life but even her mothers and the narrators

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yo, you added a comment pretty recently. Do you have an exam on this short story next week? :/

      Delete