The Goal: Read. Reflect. Respond. Over two hundred Chekhov stories. Constance Garnett translations.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
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.
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Just read this story today after a long hard working day and Anton Chekhov's story always makes smile. Happy to discover this blog site. I don't have too much time to write such detailed and insightful notes as I read his short stories, but I do love reading about people's comments of these stories.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. Nothing like Chekhov to unwind to after a long day's work. Check out this story describing the advantages of reading Chekhov.
Deletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/opinion/sunday/how-writing-transforms-us.html?action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&module=MostEmailed&version=Full®ion=Marginalia&src=me&pgtype=article
Substitute the cockroach with immigrants and you can see how anti-immigrant sentiment arises. The clerk isn't a bad person. He's deeply unhappy in a low-paying job with no future prospects. Venting his frustration on one who is weaker makes him feel better.
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