Chekov, much like her other stories, fills The Lady with a Dog with unhappy, lonely, desperate characters. In this particular story, Chekov is more concerned with the characters and subtle changes within the story while having a minimalist attitude toward literature. This story is not different or unconventional; just a typical story of infidelity. The primary characters, Anna and Dmitri, talk without communicating. This is also seen in Chekov’s other works. Anna and Dmitri both have spouses and are having an extramarital affair with each other. Dmitri feels dominant and oppressive towards women, and his affair with Anna is definitely not his first. Dmitri is very unfaithful and often thinks of women as a lower race. Dmitri characterizes his own wife as “very formal and intelligent.” The setting of this story can reflect Dmitri’s wife and mistress. His wife and home life resides in Moscow. Moscow is cold, mundane, boring; which can also characterize his wife. Anna and Dmitri meet in South Russia. South Russia is sunny, warm, exotic; which can also characterize Anna’s personality. Chekov cleverly juxtaposes climate and women in this story. His relationship with Anna is physically the same and one could argue, emotionally different. The last part is debatable though. It is questionable if Anna changed Dmitri throughout this story. Anna treated Dmitri as Dmitri treated other women and Dmitri can not stop thinking about Anna everyday. Whether this is because he actually loves Anna or if its merely just a distraction from his boring, Moscow life is questionable.
Category Archives: Week Four
“God sees the truth, But waits”
The story reminded me of an old children’s book with a purpose to teach a moral lesson. The introduction and beginning of the story had a storybook aspect that made me think of folk tales as well. It was an easy read compared to other works we have looked at. Aksioniv is the typical man who was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Even though his wife warned him and was worried about letting him travel he disregarded her wishes. In warning Aksioniv the story becomes predictable in that we know something terribly wrong is about to happen. This element is commonly used in stories that have a moral lesson. A religious element is very present in this story. Aksioniv uses his religion for support and comfort during his long years in suffering. He turns to God and creates a reputation in prison as a “grandfather” or “The Saint”. In doing Aksioniv creates a routine for himself and enjoys helping the others that are in prison. I think Aksioniv accepts that God created this path for him and he tries to make the best of it. When Makar comes to the prison Aksioniv becomes very suspicious of him and believes he might be the one who is at fault for his crime. Instead of Aksioniv planning his revenge, he privately deals with his anger and stays away from Makar. The reaction Aksioniv has plays into his religious beliefs because another person would have reacted very differently. In the end, I think Aksioniv completely accepts his fate when Makar begs for his forgiveness. In that moment Aksioniv feels like his destiny has been completed as planned by God and he then able to die.
God sees the Truth
God Sees the Truth, But Waits
This story is one that I had actually read before yet never really had the ability to fully appreciate. This allegory of a man who is wrongly accused of a crime goes through moments of doubt and petition then comes to grips with the situation and looks to god as his one true savior is not as I once believed a simple story of entertainment and intrigue but rather a retelling of the Christ story placed in a modern sense (modern being relative). This is a very effective way of getting a moral across that in its original form had become stale. Giving rebirth to the Christ story thru this narrative I believe is quite effective. This is a story about forgiveness and how you must be forgiving of others in order to be forgiving of yourself.
I grew up mostly going to Catholic schools and that background has been very effective in leading me astray from the formal teachings of the church. I feel that the establishment has taken a group of moral ideas and values and used them to create this false idol of sorts. Over the years I have come to the conclusion that it is not the specific names, dates, times, and stories that make religion a valid exercise but rather the morals of those stories that matter. I personally think that is the desired result that Mr. Tolstoy is going for in this story. This retelling of the Christ story takes the emphasis off the character of Christ and focuses on the moral of forgiveness.
the lady with the dog
I enjoyed reading The Lady with The Dog because I personally enjoy romantic stories. I think this particular story by Chekhov is very much like a vintage nineteenth century Nicholas Sparks novel because it includes a romantic relationship but in the end you never really quite get the ending you were hope for all along. There is always something very ambiguous and unclear about the ending and the fate of the protagonists and this certainly holds true to that. Keeping in mind that this story took place in the late 1800’s, i believe that this story is quite realistic. In present time, the actions of these protagonists may seem weird and unrealistic but if you put yourself in their place with their limited technology, their actions are the only way of expressing true love. Today, one would expect communication through a cell phone or email but back then showing up to the person’s home is basically the only way one would ever be able to get their message across. It is possible for people to fall in love with each other while in an unhappy marriage and that holds true to this day. People might rush into a situation or get comfortable with a person and marry them and then come to realize that there is someone better suited for them. I don’t think this makes Gurov or Anna a bad person like she claims she is. She deserves a life of happiness too. Also, i didn’t see much depth in this story in terms or underlying messages. It seemed to be a pretty straightforward love story.
“The Yellow Wallpaper”
Gilman “The Yellow Wallpaper” left me with such mixed feelings. While I was reading it I seemed almost creeped out by the story. Her obsession with the wallpaper and how she would touch it just rubbed me the wrong way. But at the same time the story really intrigued me. Not once did I stop or loose focus on the reading. This story was definitely a gothic short story, with the nonstop scenes of terror and suspense, and the use of claustrophobia and confining spaces.Also, it was in an old colonial house which as we talked about in class could be equivalent to a medieval castle. The wife is in a severe depression, she is constantly in anxiety and constantly paranoid. The story takes place in a first person perspective, of the women. The setting is almost always in her room. Her room had the yellow wallpaper that is torn in some places, she has a bed that is nailed to the floor, and windows with bars on it. One window overlooks the garden, which is dead and not taken care of. That resembles confinement and negativity. The other window overlooks the bay, which resembles freedom and opportunity. I became almost anxious to see how the story would end, especially when she locks herself in the room and her husband can’t get in and begins to panic.
God Sees the Truth, But Waits
Ivan Demtrievich Aksenov was a merchant living in a town in Russia, Vladimir. Although he was prone to drinking, he was not violent He was responsible and well liked by people that knew him. Even if a person is prone to something wrong, it does not mean that you will be always wrong. A merchant was just murdered. Aksenov was sentenced even if he did not really do it. There are some point in our life that we are accused of doing something and sometimes we get angry because of this. He spent many years in the prison and he was respected there. Aksenov is convinced that Makar Semonovich is the man who committed the murder for which Aksenov was blamed. Eventually Aksenov confronts Makar Semonovich, but he denies committing the murder. The guard found out something. Makar Semonovich approaches Aksenov later that day in a terrible state, and he eventually admits to Aksenov that it was he who killed the merchant. Aksenov forgives Semonovich, and he feels as if a terrible weight had been lifted. Makar Semonovich confesses to the authorities, and the process for Aksenov to be cleared is begun. Unfortunately, Aksenov dies before he can reach home, but he dies in peace. I believe that Aknesov is a great man. He shows that if someone did something wrong to you, you must forgive them. The title of the short story fits its main idea. It is when Aknesov was blamed for murdering; he spent many years in the prison. It takes a long time before the truth be heard, just wait because God sees the truth.
Morgan Strongosky
“The Yellow Wallpaper” -Ashley Heyser
In reading “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman, I felt on-edge the whole time. I absolutely loved Gilman’s use of symbolism to show how the woman was “trapped” in her room, just as the woman was “trapped” in the wallpaper. One of the symbols that stuck out to me was how the woman’s room was set up very much like a mental institution. The fact that the bed and everything was bolted to the ground and there were bars on the windows was very eerie and unsettling to me because it didn’t come off as a comfortable place to be. Another symbol that made this story even more strange was that on one side of the room there was beautiful scenery and it was pleasant but on the other was a spooky garden, which is not the way gardens are usually spoken about. Rather then the garden representing all things fresh, new, young and beautiful, the garden seemed old, twisted and dying.
I also found this story unusually haunting because it was from the first person, unlimited point of view and everything that the woman saw, I was able to picture. This point of view made the story exceptionally scary because if it were from the husbands point of view or third person limited, it wouldn’t have as much of a description because the woman is the only one seeing it, so it is like you are seeing the woman behind the yellow wallpaper through the woman’s eyes.
The Yellow Wallpaper
Reading “The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Gilman, was very much enjoyable for me yet tense and scary. I felt sorry for the woman who was suffering from her mental sickness, while at the same time getting annoyed that she could not look past the haunting yellow wallpaper. Gilman’s character directly relates to things she was struggling with at the time she was writing this short story. She obsesses over the patters, tears, and movements of the wallpaper. She analyzes it to the point where it drives her so crazy that she cannot sleep. I believe Gilman was writing about her personal life through symbolism within the wallpaper. “The woman in the wallpaper” was symbolic of herself. She was also trapped by her unhealthy relationship and felt confined by the walls of the house. She felt the urge to break free from the house and the woman in the wallpaper needed to break free from the wall. The bolts on the bed and the bars on the windows physically kept her from getting out but they represent her being bound to her husband who talks and treats her as if she is a child. The way he treats her represents how society views relationships. The man as the dominant and the woman becomes dehumanized each time he calls her “little girl.” When she is compared to a child, it is a parallel to her innocence. I find this ironic because she is far from innocent. She lies about getting better and eating her food and what all she did during the day.
Realism
To compare the realism in The Real Thing and the Maid of St. Phillipe is no easy task. The troubles begin with understanding the vagueness of what being a realist or what a realist piece of work is. If there is a straying away from emotions and spirituality then how real is The Maid of St. Phillipe, where the character Marianne is nearly transcended as a spirit as she rides away into the sun to live with the Cherokees, juxtaposed against the boring scenery and setting of the Real Thing, its hard to consider them both within the same genre. It can be argued that every genre ever is realism, just another version of real life, bastardized or mutated into something beautiful and poetic. Maybe it is in the description of things instead of feelings, that is the only similarities I found between the two. Description of whats in front of you, put the reader in the scene and let his or her emotions flourish, do not assume that your emotions are universal. This is where I see strength and individuality in realism, that way noone can ever read the same story twice because a deserted desert town can symbolize many things for many people, and there can be many different reactions to how one thrives or tries to survive in that environment.
-Damian Hunt
Maid of Saint Phillipe Additional Commentary
To expand on my previous commentary I’d like to refrain from discussin gender stereotypes as an occasion for the short story to be written. By labeling characteristic as either male or female completely contradicts the message I belive Kate Chopin was trying to portray. I think with this short story Kate Chopin was trying to focus on the free spirit, the independence that Marianne contained within her. This spirit surpasses any gender role, and is in no means reserved for one or another. It is not a story about a girl whos strong because she is like a man, It is a story about a girl who is strong because she is like no one else. She is the black sheep who runs off into the mountains when everyone she knew was herded towards St. Louis. No man and no woman held her independence or her strength and I think this is what Kate Chopin wanted to portray. A personality trait, a type of being that goes way past what it means to be man or woman, the real argument is what it means to be alive and free and what it means to be just another sheep getting herded along the road of stereotypes and prejudices. And anyone who reads this with a sexual or gender analysis is just scraping the surface of the true message behind the Maid of St. Phillipe, and that is be yourself.
-Damian Hunt
LITERATURE OF THE SPINE 