WARD NO. 6

Ward No. 6

Rich. There is so much in this story I am tempted to read it again before commenting.

I will do my best with what I got from my initial reading.

Philosophy plays a big role in the story. Philosophy can give you insight and also possibly drive you crazy.

Insight -- knowing things from books is different from learning them through experience -- as the doctor sadly finds out. Just like theory is different from practice.

The good doctor was living in a prison of the mind all the time due to his lack of interesting companionship. Reaching out to a lunatic apparently was too much for the town to handle.

Just like Socrates was put to death for corrupting the youth -- the doctor is condemned for fraternizing with the enemy.

What happens if you are sane and all around you people are crazy -- think Winston Smith in Orwell's novel 1984 -- or any other totalitarian system where free speech is seen as dangerous.

But did the doctor ask for it? Were his ideas anti-life -- skewered to such an extent that the only interesting companionship lied in Ward No. 6?

The doctor had a lot of ideas -- when he was a doctor he could feel pity for Ivan Dmitritch -- from his pedestal he could give advice -- but once he went down to the same level as the patient -- then he saw the reality.   Reminds me of the reality show:  Undercover Boss -- where CEO's go undercover and realize the way their companies really operate.

The doctor's ideas -- and maybe this is the point -- that ideas when espoused as just ideas may sound noble and profound -- but when these ideas are really lived and not just thought -- then the consequences may be quite tragic (I'm thinking of the anti-science ideas many politicians espouse -- if as a society we really discount science and put into practice faith over reason -- we'll inherit the result).

Beware what you think may become how you live.

This is a complex story that also deals with mental illness. Who is really crazy and who determines what crazy is -- if you live under tyranny then talking about freedom is crazy. If you live in a society where everyone lies -- then telling the truth is treasonous. If you live in a society where racism is the norm -- then tolerance is a threat ( There are millions of examples). Society has a lot to do with how we perceive sanity and how we think about how we should live. Breaking traditions can be dangerous.

Conforming to the standards of society may make you live longer but not happier. When and how to break free from what is expected is something all of us have to decide at some point in our lives.

Do it wisely.

R.I.P. Andrey Yefimitch.

THE HORSE-STEALERS

The Horse-Stealers

To Catch a Thief.

Out there in the world we all become prisoners. We have jobs -- routines -- laws -- life becomes a rut. Boring.

The thief is free to do what he wants when he wants to.

The hospital assistant meets some thieves and he fights for his stuff -- but in the end he loses his stuff and his position.

He has an awakening. He turns his back on his old life -- the life of routines -- the bourgeois existence -- of work and a little vacation -- a wife -- two kids -- the whole lot which is sold as normality. He gives it all up for a taste of lawlessness. Otherwise, in his eyes known as freedom.

After being robbed -- instead of getting mad at the thieves -- he envies them -- he wants to get rid of all his baggage and live like nature intended -- not worrying about routines -- not getting into ruts -- being free.

He becomes a thief. An outlaw. Is he happier for it? At least he doesn't feel inferior like he did in his old lifestyle -- where as a hospital clerk he knew his lowly position and had to endure the humiliation of that position all the time.

This story is rich with characters and it keeps you on the edge as to what is going to happen. You know Yergunov is going to be robbed but when and how will he react. The twist in the story is also done very cleverly and the end of the story is chilling and shocking when we find out Yergunov's reaction.

This is anarchy. No laws. No rules. In this story Chekhov presents a world where the anarchist dream of a society with no rules is visited -- although there is no denying the freedom of that society we also realize the brutality as well.

What's most interesting is how the story makes us understand why Yergunov would be tempted to throw everything away and become a thief -- at the same time we also realize that the world of the outlaw might be romanticized -- but at the end of the day -- the thief is still a thief -- or a murderer -- or whatever else he wants to be. Just get out of the way!

This story explores what it means to be free but like the West with its outlaws like Billy the Kid -- the reality which Yergunov will sadly find out --  his new life will not be a carefree one -- more a world where he will live like a wild animal with all its grace and savagery.

THE SHOEMAKER AND THE DEVIL

The Shoemaker and the Devil

Be careful what you wish for.

The poor shoemaker makes a bargain with the devil.

He becomes rich and the devil gets his soul.

But quickly the shoemaker realizes that what he wished for might not be what he really wanted.

Being rich has responsibilities and obligations which he doesn't want to deal with.

The grass is always greener on the other side.

Being happy has nothing to do with being rich or poor but with how well you handle your inner self.

Of course, we all want to fantasize about being rich and having all the benefits we imagine comes with wealth. However, if like this story we became rich in an instant -- without truly earning it -- we'd feel just as unsatisfied as the shoemaker.

Studies repeatedly have shown lottery winners who became rich overnight -- their happiness quota doesn't in fact go up in the long run. They'll eventually be just as happy or unhappy as they were before hitting it big.

I think if you do become rich because you worked hard and truly made it with your sweat -- then you'll probably enjoy what you made -- but real happiness depends on love -- friendships -- family -- intangibles that money just can't buy.

Sounds naive and childish to think that money can't buy happiness -- we'd all love to be handed millions -- but the truth is if you want to be happy then work on being happy -- not on envying the rich or anyone else -- develop your inner being -- and then your happiness will be genuine and not measured by how many cars you own and no one will be able to take it away from you.

Still -- if you have a few million to spare -- as long as I don't have to sign anything -- no -- forget it.

That hurts.

There's a side to us that no matter how much we realize that money won't buy happiness -- won't believe it.

And that's why this story hits home.

THE BEAUTIES

The Beauties

Contemplating beauty.

How does beauty affect us? Especially if we are a man too old or too young -- too ugly or too ordinary to get noticed -- when we come face to face with beauty that is undeniable -- we are moved by it -- but we also become sad -- knowing very well we'll never be able to possess it -- beauty makes us reflect on who we are -- brings us to the realization of what life is.

After all, we see this great beauty but we also realize that it will fade like everything else -- the great sadness of time and aging -- we have to live in the moment -- yet we know the moment is forever speeding to the next --

And yes beauty does inspire. Whether it's a beautiful sunset -- a beautiful painting or a beautiful face. Especially a young beautiful girl's face. There you can drown yourself in all that life has to offer -- it is like a magnet that draws everything to it -- you try to pull yourself away but you can't -- you want to fight the pull but you are too weak -- you fall prey to it and you are utterly happy and incredibly sad.

We are as Chekhov highlights in this story prisoners to great beauty -- it makes us all feel alive -- what else is there than those moments when you come into contact with this great beauty? -- whatever you imagine it to be -- you realize that this is nature at her best -- you want to cherish it -- dwell in it -- but you also know how rare that beauty is and that no matter what -- it is a fleeting moment in a life that is mostly harsh and mostly lacking of truly inspiring beauty.

To me, this story is sort of like a journal entry. A meditation of beauty. Not a plot driven -- character driven tale -- but just a thought -- a feeling -- but a great subject -- and it does make you empathize with the idea that life is cruel because it shows you great beauty in short bursts and makes you eventually come to the realization that all you can do is watch the wonder and smile. And then cry.

Then you can take a deep breath and smile again.

THE HEAD-GARDENER'S STORY

The Head-Gardener's Story

Crime.

Faith.

Idealism.

The point of the story makes total sense. If we had total faith in the goodness of people then our world would be a better world. Most people would probably be uplifted by this spirit and would conform to doing good rather than evil.

I'm a believer than many people act out of expectation. If people are treated poorly and are expected to be criminal and violent -- they most likely won't disappoint and behave criminally and violent. The opposite is also true -- if the expectation is that they will behave properly and productively -- they probably will.

Society is actually fashioned in many ways based on these expectations. What's the last time there was a riot at an opera? But look at soccer(football) and hooliganism is a common place occurrence. It's not that the people at an opera are less violent than people at soccer matches but the expectation society has placed on these events are different. 

While I admire the sentiment in the story, I'm well aware that society can't implement a system of justice that doesn't punish anyone. One bad apple and people would want revenge or justice and all good feelings would fly out the window. But living with a benevolent attitude towards each other makes an ideal fantasy. Like Communism.

Communism is where we all live equally and share everything. There are no upper classes or lower classes. But trying to implement this ideal to practice leads to countless problems. Some don't want to be equal but superior. What happens to the lazy person -- is he entitled to the same benefits as the hard-working person?

Idealism always sounds good in theory.

Therefore, the spirit of the story -- that we should all try to love each other and respect each other and try to have faith in our goodness -- sounds in our cynical age as being naive and foolish and frankly . . . refreshing.

Peace!

THE BET

The Bet

What's this story about?

There's a bet. Several men are debating the merits of capital punishment versus life imprisonment. One young lawyer says that he is willing to live in solitary confinement for the two million the banker offers. It's unclear to me why the lawyer ups the stakes to fifteen years when he could have gotten the same money for five years.

There is an agreement and the lawyer goes to live in solitary confinement. By himself, he reads all kinds of books and in the end he becomes a cynic. He decides to leave hours ahead of the agreed time and therefore lose the bet.

Why?

I don't know. I can only guess here.

What's happened to the lawyer in those fifteen years? He's read a lot -- has acquired a lot of knowledge -- his values have changed and he no longer values money like he once did.

He's turned against humanity. Maybe that's what he had to do to survive. He had to renege all association with other people. All he had to help him evaluate existence was books.

What we see here is that all book knowledge is just book knowledge -- what keeps us going -- what keeps us healthy are not ideas or knowledge from books but our interaction with each other. Can you really learn, like the lawyer says he learned, from a book about love?

What makes this existence bearable is that we have each other. Yes, maybe Sartre is right and "Hell is other people" but people are what makes us keep living. Alone -- detached -- we lose our grip -- life ultimately becomes meaningless. So what we need to become truly happy and satisfied is to develop good relationships with other people.

It's also quite reasonable to assume that the lawyer just went insane. And he doesn't even know he's insane. How could he? It's not like he could Skype with Sigmund Freud.

There is one more explanation -- everything the lawyer concludes is true -- we do take lies for truth -- and maybe everything is meaningless -- after all no matter what we think or do the sun will eventually blow up and we will all disappear (unless of course in two billion years we find a hospitable planet in another solar system) -- but looking at life and seeing it for what it really is -- shouldn't make us give up -- or should it?

Samuel Beckett puts it best in the last lines of Waiting For Godot: 

Vladimir: Well? Shall we go?

Estragon: Yes, let's go.
[they do not move]

The other part of the story is what happens to the banker in the fifteen years. He goes on doing what he does -- but he's lost a lot of his fortune -- and finally he considers committing murder. 

So who is wiser? Who has made the most of the fifteen years -- the freed banker or the jailed lawyer?

And who was truly free? The banker who was enslaved to a hedonistic lifestyle or the lawyer who was on a personal journey of discovery?

Who really won the bet?

I just wonder where the lawyer will go.

Ashram, anyone?

PANIC FEARS

Panic Fears

"Everything we don't understand is mysterious."

That seems the point to this story. It's not, I'm afraid, much of story.

Presented are three examples of when the narrator was scared to death -- or felt ill at ease -- and the payoff is that once you understand something then it's no longer mysterious and therefore no longer frightening.

Or as FDR put it:

"Only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

The Twilight Zone seems like an outgrowth of this tale.

But that's being too generous. The Twilight Zone episodes were sometimes quite eerie and mind provoking. The same thing can't be said about this lightweight anecdote.

IN THE COACH-HOUSE

In the Coach-House

A fancy house.

A gentleman has shot himself.

The hired help play cards and talk about the suicide.

Talk about how people who kill themselves can't get proper funerals.

Discuss why the gentleman might have killed himself. Women troubles?

Recount a story of another rich man who killed himself but the mother paid off the police and he got buried inside the cemetery until the workers told the mother her dead son was howling every night.

Alyoshka, the eight year old grandson of the coachman is frightened.

He wants to go home.

The grandfather soothes him to go to sleep but he has bad dreams throughout the night.

Whenever you read a story of suicide by Chekhov -- you harken to The Seagull. How common was this act of shooting yourself with a revolver? Also, it's mentioned that too much thinking may have led to this action. Was that a commonly held idea?

What were Chekhov's personal experiences with suicide?

Since there are about one million suicides every year in the world and we still grapple as to why people kill themselves -- the topic is one which still elicits great interest.

THE REQUIEM

The Requiem

A father, Andrey Andreyitch, calls his deceased daughter a harlot.

The priest is upset.

The father, a former lackey now a merchant, doesn't understand why the priest is upset.

Why does the father think his daughter was a harlot?

Because the daughter was an actress. Gasp!

I'd like to see Andrey Andreyitch in the same room with Meryl Streep. I don't think he'd ever make it out of there.

Times certainly have changed. The president of France is married to an actress. Although, I wonder what Queen Elizabeth would say if one of her family -- maybe her new granddaughter-in-law -- decided to take up a thespian career.

And in terms of  conservative religious folks -- do they view an actress as a suitable profession? Not.

So while we do want to think that times have changed greatly since this tale was written -- it has and it hasn't.

What is curious is why the daughter died. Was it related to her lifestyle? Was she Lindsay Lohan in her behavior? Chekhov doesn't tell us -- other than the last sentence which mentions "the woes and tribulations of which that poor soul was full."

We can understand why she might be troubled  -- especially if her own father considered her a harlot.

Also, let's not forget her father neglected her when she was growing up and left her to the fortunes of the master's family.  No matter how many dance lessons she received it wouldn't  replace a father's attention.

Ironically, look at the problematic lives the children of famous actors face in our times due to neglect. The father might have an Oscar and the children a pool and maids  -- but at what price? (Check out the recent film: Somewhere.)

Many artists have unhappy childhoods and find art as a viable outlet.

Let us hope that at least while she was on the stage the daughter of the merchant Andrey Andreyitch, Mariya,  found solace and even bliss.

SMALL FRY

Small Fry

Yearning for a better life but not having any idea how to make it happen.

A petty clerk sees life passing him by.

His clothes are tattered. His environment is filthy.

His life is a waste. A mess. A nothing.

He dreams of what it would be like to get the things he wants. To escape depression and meet exhilaration.

But in the end -- he realizes he'll never get anywhere.

He doesn't have the smarts -- the will -- the energy -- the passion -- the hunger -- the drive (you get the idea)  and most importantly  the confidence to taste the fruit of happiness.

And then a poor cockroach gets in the way and he takes it out on the innocent bug.

There's always someone to take out your anger on.

Someone who is weaker and more pitiful than you.

It's when you start taking out your anger and frustrations on those higher up than you -- that you may get somewhere.

But the clerk is petty.

And  petty he will stay.

A TRANSGRESSION

A Transgression

A very clever story.

Guilty conscience does him in.

Miguev is a cheating husband.

Gets the maid pregnant and she threatens to expose him.

Trying to cover up his transgression he cooks his own goose.

Just desserts.

In this story -- Chekhov keeps you guessing. What is Miguev going to do? Is he going to give up the baby? Keep the baby? Tell his wife? And then the final twist.

Really well played.

We also find out what the consequences are for immoral behavior. Your place in society is upset. Which in Russia at the time -- your rank was very important and you wouldn't want to do anything to jeapordize it.

Doors are shut. You become an outcast. Papers would publish the story. So, in effect, playing hide and seek with the maid comes with a heavy price -- but as usual -- then and now -- some are willing to risk everything for a bit of hanky-panky.

A TRAGIC ACTOR

A Tragic Actor

A brief glimpse into the theater world.

A young woman goes to the theater for the first time and becomes mesmerized.

The father, a police captain, invites only the male actors to the house for dinner.

Bad move.

The daughter falls for the lead actor.

He only cares about getting some money to start his own theater.

The father disowns the daughter for marrying the actor who he considers a lowlife.

The lead actor beats the daughter when he learns he's not getting any dough.

But the daughter is in love with the theater and begs to stay with the troupe.

Eventually she becomes an actress.

She forgets her lines.

The lead actor beats her and she pleads to her father to send money.

Moral of the story: Beware that what you see up on the stage doesn't become what you live in real life.

Actors shine on stage because of their craft but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll shine off stage. In fact, they may be quite ordinary and dull no matter how interesting and exciting they seem on stage. (And  I would add that if an actor is a dynamo on stage he'll have a hard time living up to that when he comes off the stage where he's not given poetic words and charged emotions to work with. An actor has it tough because people want to think that in real life he's the same exciting person as he portrays on stage and sometimes it gets into the actor's head that he has to be this exciting person so he drinks and does drugs and lead a raucous life to keep up with the actor. Re: Charlie Sheen).

On the stage actors are highly admired but off the stage they are not held in high esteem. Hence, the police captain disowns the daughter. And the actresses have a bad reputation simply for being actresses. A proper lady doesn't go on stage.

Be careful what you expose your young impressionable daughter to.

I would like to read more stories of the theater world which I'm sure Chekhov knew real well. So I hope as I continue this journey there are more and longer theater stories.

Love the double entente of the title.

THE FIRST-CLASS PASSENGER

The First-Class Passenger

Celebrity scene in Russia 1886.

Celebrity scene today.

Nothing much seems to have changed.

Chekhov handles this theme much more deftly in The Grasshopper.

Here, an engineer who built many bridges laments that he is not as well known as a singer or actress.

When someone decries our celebrity obsessed age remind them that the worship of celebrities has been around for quite a long time and if they have any doubts -- just refer them to this tale or The Grasshopper.

My only question would be is how well-known was Chekhov during his lifetime?

In any case, those with small talent might garner more fame than real artists but it will be short-lived.

Genius is what stands the test of time.

LOL

ON OFFICIAL DUTY

On Official Duty

Spiritual insight lies at the heart of this complicated tale.

The suicide of a potentially rich man who accepts becoming an insurance agent after his father (who had stolen his inheritance) squanders his wealth on drink gets things rolling.  Karma is a bitch.

So this insurance agent commits suicide and because it looks suspicious a doctor and an examining magistrate are called in to investigate. But the real investigation is on what lies at the center of all human life.

The snobbish magistrate thinks that life only occurs in big cities like Moscow -- what takes place out in the provinces is just a shadow of life -- insignificant. Well, obviously this immature idea has to be further examined and it is what this story does.

What the magistrate eventually realizes is that we are all connected:

"Some tie unseen, but significant and essential, existed between them and Von Taunitz and between all men -- all men; in this life, even in the most remotest desert, nothing is accidental, everything is full of one common idea, everything has one soul . . ."  The concept of Moksha -- universal spirit or soul.

If we think we are superior to someone else -- and therefore entitled to a better life -- well, that is not in line with the way nature works. We must respect and be in harmony and in balance with life and each other to find some kind of solace in this world.

Otherwise, we risk becoming miserable -- out of ease(dis-eased) -- and in the most extreme cases resort to suicide.

I'll revist this theme in a minute. I just want to point attention to Chekhov's brilliant descriptions of the cruel Russian winters. Here is a terrific scene from the story:

"In the night, towards morning, it all subsided. When they got up and looked out of the window, the bare willows with their weakly drooping branches were standing perfectly motionless; it was dull and still, as though nature now were ashamed of its orgy, of its mad nights, and the license it had given to its passions."

Can you top that?

Put simply -- this story helps a young magistrate expand his mind from viewing life as only happening in the cultural centers of Moscow (elitism which is never healthy -- just -- or true) --- to a much broader --  mature vision and a more inclusive appreciation of life and humanity.

Meaning -- love -- suffering -- joy -- passion -- loss-- all the things that make up life are all around us wherever we are and we are part of that -- as we are part of the universe -- and we shouldn't look up or down at anyone -- no matter what their station in life is -- because they are just like us -- a small part of a greater whole.

This is deep stuff and I'm certain I didn't do it justice in this entry -- especially the way Chekhov develops this theme from the dirty and cold Zemstvo hut where death -- meaninglessness -- is residing next door -- to the Taunitz mansion where beautiful music is played and all is warm and cozy  -- that's the temptation -- to believe that somehow you will find satisfaction just in the mansion and not in the hut -- which if we buy into will only distort our soul. Of course, there's a lot more I missed or left out ( which is the case for most of Chekhov stories -- you can keep finding new things every time you reread them).

In any case,  if I were more ambitious -- I would write a book -- or maybe one has already been written -- I would title it:  Chekhov's Buddha. How the stories of Chekhov reflect the teachings of Buddhism.

SORROW

Sorrow

Man marries beautiful woman.

Spends the next forty years neglecting her.

Just when he wakes up to how badly he treated her -- she dies.

And then he dies.

Forty years wasted wandering the desert.

Life goes quickly if you don't love.

Just saw the movie The Tree of Life and it had the same message.

So start loving and start living.

Okay, if that's too much -- then eat some good chocolate.

Fine -- if that's not possible -- how about a nice hot shower?

No problem -- watching a good movie will do.

You got it -- having a meaningful conversation with your neighbor about her dog counts!

THE CATTLE-DEALERS

The Cattle-Dealers

An old man and his son riding on a train with their cattle.

To get his cattle to market the old man has to bribe numerous officials.

The old man considers himself Willy Loman in his heyday. Teaching his son how it's done.

His son seems to have been beaten down by his father -- his life -- and nothing matters.

In fact, the only ones truly suffering here are the poor cattle.

They are not fed and have no water for days and when they finally stagger to their destination -- they are marched to the slaughterhouse.

You feel for them.

What is all their suffering for? So that the old man has a few more rubles to buy presents nobody needs.

Do the cattle represent the oppressed class -- suffering so the rich can get richer?

Maybe not. But I'm certainly not eating hamburger tonight.

IN EXILE

In Exile

Down and out in Siberia.

Grim.

Better not have any illusions that life is going to get better.

No matter who you were.

Better to leave that former life behind.

Best philosophy for survival:

Old Semyon -- "I want nothing and I am afraid of nobody, and the way I look at it is that there is nobody richer and freer than I am."

Worst philosophy: Ask the Gentleman who tried to bring his pretty wife from Russia to live with him. She left him cold.

The Tatar might not agree.

He just wants to taste the good life for one day. "Better one day happiness than nothing."

And there you have it.

Do you keep dreaming of that one day of happiness when you are surrounded by gloom -- or do you just accept what you have and feel free?

And if you're in the mood for more Siberian gloom and doom -- read Dostoyevsky's terrific account of Siberian penal life,  The House of the Dead.

I would also recommend Primo Levi's Survival In Auschwitz -- Levi mentions how the ones who were best able to survive were the ones who abandoned their illusions about what they had before and saw the reality of where they were now.

A LADY'S STORY

A Lady's Story

This is the first Chekhov story that I've read which has a female narrator.

Lamenting the passing of youth -- reminds me of George Bernard Shaw's quote: Youth is wasted on the young.

Allowing rank and wealth to come between her and the man which she very well might have loved -- Natalya Vladimirovna realizes years later that she has wasted her life.

Walls that could have been broken down by her lover Pyotr Sergeyitch and herself stayed upright -- the will and force of love was contained by the prudence of rank and class.

And the result of all that meekness -- all that propriety is unhappiness. Not to go quote happy -- but John Greenleaf Whittier said it best:  "For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: 'It might have been!'"

Moral of the story: Don't let walls stand in the way of love or life.

Edith Piaf: I have no regrets.

Natalya Vladimirovna: I only have regrets.

AFTER THE THEATRE

After The Theatre

What strikes me about this story is how much culture has changed.

A sixteen year old regularly went to the theater -- and was actually inspired by what she saw there. An opera based on a novel that uses poetic verse. Okay so the opera is by Tchaikovsky and the verse is by Pushkin. Not exactly Glee.

She writes letters -- instead of chatting with so-called friends on Facebook.

She dreams of going to the country and getting high not from Crystal Meth but from simply looking at the vast night sky full of stars.

This is not one of Chekhov's masterpieces like Misery. But what is so compelling about Chekhov is he could create a story of a suffering old sledge-driver or of a wealthy capricious young lady -- and bring humanity to them both.

CHAMPAGNE

Champagne

A toast to love.

Love that blinds.

Love that enslaves.

Goodbye to freedom.

To boredom.

To apathy.

In the middle of nowhere -- when you think you've got nothing worth living for -- love can suddenly find you.

And now it will become your sole companion.

It will rule your thoughts.

Day and night it will tell you what to do.

When to do it.

How to do it.

Why to do it.

Can anyone ask for anything more?