After reading a short story “The Lady with the pet Dog” by Anton Chekhov it may seem to a reader, from the first sight, that Chekhov wrote a story about simple holiday affair. However, if to analyze the story more deeply, the reader will discover author’s intention in the story. Chekhov wanted to show the apparent hopelessness of the situation; the situation when it is better for lovers to give up their love because of their fear to overcome the power of public views, the fear to make steps towards their happiness.
Anton Chekhov in his works paid great attention to the state and motion of human soul, which are very complex and often unpredictable. Without a doubt, love is the greatest and the brightest feeling that a person can experience in life. However, there are many hidden rocks which lie on the way of love.
Often society can put a “veto” upon someone’s feeling and turn them to family course, where passion is legalized and becomes one of the elements of everyday life. Society of the times of Chekhov was full of very strict and strong patriarchal notions of love and marriage in Russia.
It was normally accepted by society to marry not for love, but for interest. This interest, in most cases, was financial and was made up by agreement between the parents. However, to spend life without feeling of love to a partner or, what is even worse, to live with hiding your feelings and emotions is very difficult. If a person in marriage is not captivated by the interests of the practical or spiritual nature, he or she soon realizes the foolishness and absurdity of life.
Dmitri Gurov, a Moskow banker, and Anna Sergeyevna, a lady who came for holiday to the Yalta seaside, fall in love. Both of them are married and for them this affair seems as random and transient enjoyment. This is the first time Anna plays her husband false and she goes through it with sincere feelings. Anna and Dmitri are like children, attracted by the fact that their relationships are a matter of prohibition, and they do not think about the consequences.
But this “game”, which seemed to be naïve and without any obligations, gradually develops into serious feelings and the summer holidays, are coming to the end. Even though they do not want to part with each other, they are sure that they will cope with these feelings and soon forget a nice holiday affair; but love, which roused in their hearts, is stronger than they – the weak and the spineless people.
Gurov cannot cope with his feelings; he feels that he falls in love with Anna and misses her every day, every minute, every second. Love itself has changed Gurov. Chekhov wanted to say that love can do everything. Now Dmitri is not a bon vivánt, but a man who knows how to sympathize, to be sincere and to be gentle.
Chekhov concentrates reader’s attention only on two main heroes – Anna Sergeyevna and Dmitri Gurov, as if other characters do not exist. If to be sincere, Chekhov accentuates only two heroes – those who are able to develop; he emphasizes the disunity of people as if they speak different languages.
Other characters are depersonalized, nevertheless there are a lot of them you will not see their presence. We have only two portraits of minor characters: Gurov’s wife and Anna’s husband. Their appearance is not appealing and attractive, not even to mention their character features. What is more, the role that these characters play is negative; they are reason to lovers’ separation.
Chekhov shows us a love story of “small” and ordinary people. They are unable to cope with either love or with life and their relationships still remain regular relationships, as they are not able to either break their relationships, or to show their feelings to public and marry. Chekhov leaves the end of the story opened; he does not show how the love of heroes immerses them into boring routine.
For reader it is not difficult to guess this fact as there cannot be another end of the story. This is a kind of “bad infinity”. Both of them aspire anything in live; their life could have reason and meaning, which love gave them, only if they were not so weak….