THE GRASSHOPPER

The Grasshopper

If someone were to ask me: Who is Chekhov? And why should I bother to read him? I would answer: Read The Grasshopper and you will understand Chekhov.

Such a relevant tale for our own celebrity obsessed culture. Okay, so we are not the only celebrity obsessed culture that has ever existed. Seems like the same follies that prevail today have been around for a very long time.  Hail Caesar!

Celebrities get so much of our attention while so many hard working decent people who every day toil for the betterment of humanity go unrecognized.

Yes, this is a moral tale. And Chekhov makes us feel the injustice done to Dymov -- by society and his wife.

His wife Olga Ivanovna. What can you say about her? Let's be nice.

She wants to be an artist. She wants to be a genius. She wants to escape from the ordinary -- from the crude existence that is every day life and she wants to create a splendid world -- an exciting world -- of music -- drama -- art. She is young and beautiful and passionate and she wants to experience everything. Can you really blame her for not appreciating her husband until it's too late? Can you?

One has to make a moral choice. The story makes us hate Olga Ivanovna -- makes us feel she is incredibly selfish ( Go back home and get my pink dress, darling-- leave the caviar behind ) -- vain -- and naive. So hating her is easy.

But it seems to me that Olga Ivanovna rules the day. One only has to see televison -- read magazines -- newspapers -- Youtube -- Twitter -- Facebook -- you name it and what dominates all these mediums are celebrities. Why? Mostly I would guess is that people want to escape the harsh realities of every day life -- they want to be entertained -- they want to fantasize about what it would be like to be young -- talented -- rich -- beautiful -- gifted -- famous -- and people in one way or another are searching for those qualities in themselves and it's easy to be seduced by celebrities -- they are put out there as beacons -- as idols for us to adore.

They are our modern Gods -- we make our sacrifices to them -- worship at their altar and somehow hope something magical of them comes into us. So, why take it out on Olga Ivanovna -- when we all in one way or another stand with her.

And sure we all feel for Dymova. But no reality show will be made about him and if they do -- will it get the ratings that the Kardashians get? Will he fill up stadiums  to hear him speak like Charlie Sheen does?

So what is this story trying to tell us? Appreciate the school teachers, the firefighters -- the police officers -- the doctors and nurses -- or any of the countless others out there fighting the good fight without the glare of fame -- fine let's do that without question. But will we? I wonder what Chekhov would answer.

On second thought -- he already has.

And yes it gets tiring to moralize. And only a great artist like Chekhov can get away with it. So I will stop.

Just want to note a sentence from the story that is an absolute gem.

"And the more incomprehensible he talked, the more readily Olga Ivanovna understood him."

Just says it all, doesn't it?

One pure sentence like that and my literary career would be complete.

You see, I'm just like Olga Ivanovna.

This blog is like Olga Ivanovna.

Now, where is my pink dress . . .