Introduction
Misery is a short story that was written by Anton Chekhov. It focuses on a man called Iona Potapov. Iona is a Russian sled driver. He has recently lost his son. He is a lonely man. He feels bereaved by his son’s death and longs to express his emotions. Iona is so depressed that his skin is pale. He sits on his sled and it appears that only his mare is concerned about his troubles. The theme of sadness is prevalent throughout the story. Iona attempts to express his feelings to several people but they all refuse to listen to him. In the end, he expresses himself to his horse. He is glad that she is willing to listen to his words of sorrow. Araby was written by James Joyce.
It is a classic short story. It is set in a dull residential area. Araby is based on the life of a young boy who is on the verge of puberty. He is intrigued by the opposite sex. His infatuation is focused on the sister of his friend Mangan. His infatuation is so strong that he occasionally sheds ears. The young lad is sad because he wishes to express his feelings to Mangan’s sister but doesn’t know-how. He promises to buy the girl something from a bazaar known as Araby.
He hopes that the present will bring them closer to each other. The boy lives in a dull neighborhood. The theme of sadness is evident. The description of the surroundings portrays a somber environment. The boy thinks that Araby is a magical and wonderful place. He comes to realize that it is very materialistic and quite dull. The story is inconclusive. In the end, the boy is sad and angry at his naivety. (Joyce, 25)
Discussion
Misery is a melancholic tale. It is set in a wintry Russian town. Iona Bobatov is perturbed by his son’s death. Like most people, death has dealt him a hard blow. He is a very lonely man. He wishes to express his feelings about his son’s death. He longs for human empathy. He first tries to speak of an officer of the government who has boarded his sleigh. At first, the officer appears interested. Iona is excited and turns around to face him only to be bombarded with insults. He tries several times to catch the officer’s attention but the officer closes his eyes and shows great disinterest. The officer alights at his destination. (May, 154) Iona is confronted by a group of young men.
He offers them a cheap ride just so he can get someone to talk to but the youths do not want to listen to his tale. One rudely remarks, “We shall all die…” (Chekhov, 125) Iona is tired of thinking about his son. “He cannot think about his son when he is alone…. To talk about him with someone is possible, but to think of him and picture him is insufferable anguish….”(Chekhov, 34) The young men alight from his sled. Iona remains as miserable as before. He wishes to talk about how his son died, about his funeral, and his living daughter. “If Iona’s heart were to burst and his misery to flow out, it would flood the whole world, it seems, but yet it is not seen.”(Spack, 41)
This quote implies that Iona is sorrowful and his sorrow is greatly increased by the fact that he has no one to comfort and listen to him. He is deprived of human companionship and empathy. This is the theme of sadness. He tries to open his heart to a house-porter and finally a cabman. The house-porter chases him away while the cab-man dozes while Iona is still speaking. Iona gives up and checks on his mare. He decides to tell her his story. The animal appears to listen as she eats. In the end, he feels relieved that he had finally found someone he can talk to. (Spack, 141)
In Araby, the main character faces a similar dilemma. He harbors intense emotions for the sister of his friend. He is unable to express them and becomes frustrated. This book expresses the theme of misery and sadness. The boy is not able to reveal his feelings to anyone. He tries to buy the Mongol’s sister a gift. He is mistreated at the Araby bazaar and decides not to but her anything. The boy in Araby finds himself in anguish and shame at the end of the tale. “I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity, and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.” (Rosenberg, 137)
Unlike in Misery, the boy does not understand his feelings. The boy’s mind is preoccupied with thoughts of Mongol’s sister. “Her name sprang to my lips at moments in strange prayers and praises which I did not understand.” (Joyce, 75). The boy in Araby faces the same situation as Iona in Misery since they both encounter several people. Both are unable to express their feelings and thoughts to other people. The boy cannot talk to Mongol, Mongol’s sister, his uncle, or his aunt.
The boy in Araby is miserable because he does not know how he can express his feelings to Mongol’s sister. The boy is miserable when he arrives at Araby and is not treated as well as he expected. He becomes more miserable when he is unable to buy a gift for Mongol’s sister. He feels sad and ashamed about his childish illusions. This reveals the theme of sadness. (Rosenberg, 204) Iona encounters several people but none of them are willing to listen to him.
This makes him miserable. Another similarity between the two short stories is the fact that they are both centered in the minds of the main characters. Very little text is devoted to the plot. Most of the narration centers on the minds of people. Misery is centered in the mind of Iona Bobatov whereas Araby is focused on the thoughts of the boy. Both books are set in “somber” environments. (May, 157) There is little cause for excitement.
Conclusion
Misery and Araby are set in dull environments. The major theme in both narrations is sadness. Both focus on the mental battles of their main characters. The main characters are under mental strain and unable to express it to other people. This serves to increase their sadness. In the end, all the main characters are wiser than at the beginning of the story. The boy realizes that all that he is pursuing is vanity. Iona gives up trying to talk to humans and opens his heart to his mare. In Iona’s case, he is freed from his sadness. The boy in Misery is still sad at the end of the story. (Spack, 79)
Works Cited
Chekhov, Anton. The Schoolmistress and Other Stories, Volume 9. South Carolina: BiblioBazaar, 2008.
Joyce, James. Araby and Eveline.New York: Short Story Press, 2005.
May, Charles Edward. Masterplots II. Loo-Ope. California: Salem Press, 2004.
Rosenberg, Donna. World literature: an anthology of great short stories, drama, and poetry.New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 1992.
Spack, Ruth. Instructor’s Manual to Accompany The International Story: An Anthology with Guidelines for Reading and Writing about Fiction.Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 1998.