THE WITCH

The Witch

So is she a witch?

Why? Because she lives in the middle of nowhere with a filthy fool.

A witch. A woman who can't be dominated -- who can tap into powers beyond the realm of ordinary men.

Many women in the middle ages were called witches and burned alive because they were perceived to have extraordinary powers. Women possess the magic to give life -- and the intuition rooted to the earth giving them insight men can only dream about. And let's not forget that women have desires and needs which might make men sweat -- especially when they can't fulfill them. Male fears of women's sexuality led to countless and perverse ways to contain it.

Women had to be kept down because the male dominated society of the time knew that if women's gifts were unleashed they would rule the world.

Nothing much has changed since the middle ages. The Witch takes place in 19th century Russia -- but it could be taking place in plenty of countries in the twenty-first century. 

This is a story of a weak and silly man who has lost his grip on his woman and will use any means necessary to keep her under his control. And if has to resort to labeling her a witch -- why not? If she can't be tied down and domesticated -- then she's wild. And this woman, Raissa Nilovna, is beyond wild -- she's in perpetual heat -- because all around her is cold and frozen.  

Raissa Nilovna needs some serious loving and her dud husband is not going to provide it. So she is hoping to find it any way she can. The more desperate she becomes for sexual and spiritual gratification -- the more scary she is to Savely Gykin, her husband, with the ironic title of sexton.

Instead of fearing his wife, Savely Gykin should look in the mirror and realize if anything is evil -- it is his own stench.

The atmosphere and tone of this story is effectively evoked by Chekhov. We really feel they are living in a remote and bizarre environment.  And we can easily believe that witches and devils reside there -- and that reality blends with the supernatural.

But when you really think about it -- loneliness is the world we are dealing with here. And anyone as lonely as Raissa Nilovna feels like they are living isolated from the warmth of companionship -- whether it's in the winter wilderness of this tale or in the center of Manhattan.