CHILDREN

Children

Obviously this can't just be a story about children playing games.

It has to be about something deeper.

Class struggle -- yeah --  that must be it!

You have Andrey the cook's son competing with the rich children and running out of money-- he then borrows a kopeck but will soon be in debt and become a serf. Bingo.

Chekhov is merely fooling us with a simple tale of childhood -- his stories have angst and uncontrolled desires and digs deep into the human psyche -- he wouldn't dare waste our time following the antics of children. Who has time for that when the world has so many problems?

I got it! The lotto game symbolizes man's plight in the universe -- how the forces out of our control are busy shaping our destiny and we are all like children fooling ourselves that we have some say in how we shape our lives -- or possibly the children represent our animal cravings which are constantly battling with our reason and we think we can overcome them with maturity but we are all lost . . . okay I give up.

Could it be he just got tired of the hypocrisies of adults and wanted to go back to a time when we could entertain ourselves (whatever the motive) for a night -- bicker and do whatever else children do but in the end wind up all together sleeping in a nice warm bed?

Hey, it's nice to dream.