FROST

Frost

What I liked best about this story is that all the talk leads somewhere. The mayor, governor, and the bishop reminisce about their past. And their memories inform them into action. By placing themselves in the past they come to appreciate the misfortune of those suffering in the cold in the present and they do something about it.

Most talk remains just talk.

The talk here is about the weather and what Russian writer would not write about the weather? The Russian winter has obviously played a big role in her history. Just ask Napoleon or Hitler.

In this story we are transported back to an ordinary town and hear how many in Russia believed enduring the harshness of the winter made the Russian a more hardy soul.

The frost has not affected the mayor's tongue in any way. Chekhov introduces this character very nimbly. From his sense of humor to his managerial skills and his incapacity to keep silent.

This town although suffering from the winter frost seems like it has a big heart. The officials seem genuinely involved in the community and its affairs.

As I write this blog, winter approaches and while not entirely welcomed, this story makes one respect those who brave the cold and make the most with what they got.