The Lady with the Dog by Anton Chekhov and Marriages and Infidelities by Joyce Carol Oates

Anton Chekhov in “the Lady with the Dog,” brilliantly displays the quest of one man to find happiness. Anton Chekhov’s short story, The Lady with the Little Dog, is the simple story of a philandering married man who finally falls in love with an unhappily married woman with whom he has an affair.  Though it is a remarkably simple plot, the story is compelling to read because Chekhov’s use of two effective plot devices with diction and symbolism.

Although Chekhov emphasized in the beginning of the text that money holds power as shown by Anna and Modest Alexeich’s relationship, Chekhov shifts the power dynamic by introducing Anna’s beauty and sense of empowerment and now Anna has a new sense of awareness and power. Following the ball, His Excellency “[thanks Anna] for her part in the bazaar” and asked her permission to come again (283). After establishing herself and her influence at the ball, His Excellency’s visit to Anna truly places emphasis on her role at the ball. Having one of the highest member of society personally visit and thank Anna gave her the highest sense of empowerment as this moment proves to be significant. Most notably when her husband looks at her with the “cringingly respectful expression that she was accustomed to see on his face in the presence of the illustrious and the powerful,” and she confidently and clearly articulated the following statement, “Get out, you blockhead!” (283). Compared to the confined and powerless young lady Chekhov presented in the beginning of the plot,

On the topic of setting, both articles agree that the setting of the Russian countryside and Alekhin’s estate gives the feeling of comfort, especially in contrast to Ivan’s moralistic story. The eNotes article describes the location as “sensuous” and states that Ivan’s story is intended to distract you from this setting. Power describes the setting with a more personal attachment in the Guardian article, as he immerses himself in the story and talks about wanting to “be given tea by the beautiful Pelageya” and “throw [himself] into the pond and swim in the rain, as Ivan does”. Power also uses a quote from Janet Malcolm to describe the feeling of the setting, stating that Chekhov "liked to contrast the harsh weather of God 's world with the kindlier climate of man 's shelters from

As Haddaway once said, “what is love? Baby, don 't hurt me, don 't hurt me - no more.” Everyone has a different perspective of what love really is. People can fall in love or believe they are in love because of physical attraction. Some may believe that lust can become into something more. In the short story, “Lady with Lapdog” by Anton Chekhov translated by David Magarshack, the main protagonist Gurov is married with a twelve-year-old daughter and two sons. He is not extremely happy with his family life so he likes to have small affairs to get away from it. As the plot develops he meets a girl named Anna, who he falls head over heels for, making the womanizer, fall in “love.” Even though what the did is immoral, it can be a good thing for the pair. They may have gotten out a situation that was not making them happy. Love can control the way people dictate their lives. Is it for the good of the people? Is it just some emotion that causes mischief? As seen in “Lady with Lapdog,” love is a powerful emotion that can alter people 's motives as well as can change other’s lives in an instant.

The stories of Anton Chekhov mark a focal moment in European fiction. This is the point where 19th realist caucus of the short stories started their transformation into modern form. As such, his work straddles two traditions. The first is that of the anti-romantic realism which has a sharp observation of external social detail. It has human behavior conveyed within tight plot. The second is the modern psychological realism in which the action in typically internal and expressed in associative narrative that is built on epiphanic moments. In consideration of the two sides, Chekhov developed powerful personal styles that presage modernism without losing traditional frills of the form. This essay will discuss the Chekhov's portrayal of women.

Dmitri Dmitritch Gurov is a middle-aged banker living in Moscow with his wife and three children. He is “…unfaithful [to his wife] often..”, a serial adulterer who speaks ill of women and refers to them as the “lower race”, yet cannot “…get on for two days without [them].” Gurov believes he can keep on with his affairs with no ramifications because after meeting he has, it simply “…slip[s] out of his memory…” and he goes back to his family, until he feels the urge to cheat again. Since his philosophy has always proven to be true, he thought his time in Yalta would be like his other “experiences”. This is when he meets Anna Sergeyevna.

consequences, like a wound, are usually self-inflicted. In the short stories “The Bet” by Anton Chekov and “Hey Come on Out” by Shinichi Hoshi, both authors authenticate the theme of consequences. Clear as day the theme appears to be consequences.

In Joyce Carol Oates’ short story “The Lady with the Pet Dog,” Oates takes Anton Chekhov's characters and transports them to the 1970s, deciding to retell their story through the lens of the modernized female protagonist, Anna. While this story is obviously different from its original source of inspiration, in this paper I’ve chosen to focus on the similarities that have slight twists in Oates’ retelling. I will firstly look at the structure of the two tales.

       As the tale begins we immediately can sympathize with the repressive plight of the protagonist.  Her romantic imagination is obvious as she describes the "hereditary estate" (Gilman, Wallpaper 170) or the "haunted house" (170) as she would like it to be.  She tells us of her husband, John, who "scoffs" (170) at her romantic sentiments and is "practical to the extreme" (170).  However, in a time

Gurov’s wife is described as the type of woman who “Loved without any genuine feeling” further implying his hatred for his wife, but also suggesting genuine feeling on the part of Anna Sergeyevna. He describes another sort of woman as “very beautiful” which works to show that Anna Sergeyevna is relatively plain, something that is touched on later in the story. These descriptions of course come from Gurov, who when describing the “lower race” is an unreliable narrator. Throughout the short story Gurov thinks of Anna Sergeyevna as less than him, a provincial type, but this lack of complexity is what makes him further attracted to her. With this in mind, the “very beautiful, cold women…” that Gurov has loved before, could also be viewed as more complex and sophisticated individuals, however Gurov desires simplicity, and in turn is willing to give everything up for Anna

It is here that Chekhov first has Dmitri note that, “a new person had appeared on the sea-front”; Anna Sergeyevna. By beginning the story with this observation, Chekhov is already suggesting to the reader, through his uses of setting, that this pair will be involved in an affair. This is also deceptive though, as the reader is induced into the line of thought that their relationship will be casual when, in reality, it becomes apparent that it is the opposite which is the case.

First off, the story takes place in Yalta, a Russian resort renowned for its lust and sinful pleasures. “The stories of the immorality in such places as Yalta are to a great extent untrue”, “...the tempting thought of a swift, fleeting love affair, a romance, with an unknown woman, whose name he did not know, suddenly took possession of him.” (Chekhov 166). This evidence shows that Yalta proves to be a place of lust, changing the way Dimitri thinks. The Character Anna is married to an important person many people would not imagine cheating on. A place that can convince a woman to cheat on her husband is a very influential place. Given the time period the story is published, December 1899, the reader can assume that this type of behavior was not acceptable.

In Anton Chekhov’s short fiction story “The Lady with the Dog,” the main characters Dmitry Gurov and Anna Sergeyevna have an affair while vacationing without their spouses in Yalta. The purpose of this essay is to help the reader understand how authors use setting to shape the plot and central conflict of a story.

Characters are ultimately defined as the driving forces throughout various stories; therefore, characters possess diverse traits and emotions that motivate them to further a plot through their dialogue and action. Furthermore, Anton Chekhov centers his short story, “A Problem”, around a delinquent youth named Sasha Uskov. Chekhov emphasizes these elements of characterization with a certain depth that encourages readers to distinguish Sasha and Ivan, his uncle, as static and dynamic characters respectively. Although it can be argued that Sasha is dynamic, he possesses many traits. Sasha is undeniably avaricious, whether it be due to the societal influence in Russia during the late 1800s or a personal, intense yearning for material wealth. His actions elaborate upon this materialistic nature by his actions throughout the story. For example, the situation Sasha has imposed on the family by forging a promissory note is the entire basis for the short story, “A Problem”. Additionally, his actions are rationalized by his apathetic and close-minded personality. Sasha’s obstinance appears throughout his dialogue, which denies any relation to criminality as a whole, belaying that he is quite a complex character. However, his intricacy entirely manifests itself toward the conclusion. Despite Sasha remaining as a miscreant throughout the entire story, he does acknowledge his long needed self-revelation that he is indeed a criminal. Therefore, it can be deduced that Sasha is not entirely as static as Chekhov may initially want his readers to believe. Chekhov’s clever characterization portrays Sasha as a stubborn criminal, rightfully so, but additionally implies his complex nature as a confused youth who firmly believed he was not a criminal and has been influenced by his peers who are clearly committing the very same crimes.

Each of the story’s main settings, Yalta, Oreanda, Moscow, and S---, reveal something about the central characters and their relationship: Chekhov introduces The Lady With The Dog with the setting of Yalta, so the reader immediately associates the central characters Anna and Dmitri, who initially appear straightforward and almost stereotypical, with casual affairs and infidelity. Chekhov increases complexity to the characters through backstory, and uses the isolated setting of Oreanda to reflect the development of the relationship between the characters. When Anna and Dmitri go back to their homes, Chekhov suggests that they are unhappy. Again, the setting compliments the atmosphere of the narrative as Moscow and S--- are given hostile description.