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Analysis Of Anton Chekhov 's ' Misery

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“If Iona’s heart were to burst and his misery to flow out, it would flood the whole world” (Chekhov). Misery isn’t something that a person is born with, neither is it something that develops out of the ordinary. Instead, misery is established through past life experiences. It is the product of grief, suffering, loneliness, frustration, or even hopelessness. These causes are fundamental elements in Anton Chekhov’s short story, “Misery.” In “Misery,” Chekhov illustrates grief, man’s inhumanity to man, and the importance of compassion through the characters Iona Potapov, and his mare. He does this through the use of imagery, diction, and personification. Losing someone you care about is very painful. As a result, there is always a grieving process. Grief is the emotional anguish that takes place when something or someone you love has been taken away from you. In the story, Iona is experiencing grief due to his son’s death. Anton Chekhov uses imagery to demonstrate the excruciating pain Iona is going through. Although he is talking about the mare when he says, “anyone who has been torn away from the plough, from the familiar gray landscapes, and cast into this slough, full of monstrous lights, of unceasing uproar and hurrying people, is bound to think,” this vivid description defines Iona as well. Chekhov paints the picture in the reader’s mind to visualize how Iona cannot bear to be at work while embarking on such a horrific tragedy. Iona doesn’t care enough to even brush off

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