At first glance, Anton Chekhov's two short stories—The Student and The Lady with the Dog—do not seem to share some significant similarity. One is about a young student who talks with two widows and realizes hope; the other is about an affair between a married man and a separately married woman. While there are easily spotted differences between these two stories, there also exists a prominent similarity in the way they are illustrated: a notable shift of attitude in the main characters.
In The Student, Ivan Velikopolsky does not tell the anecdote of Peter to the widows by mere chance. Although his act of spontaneously bringing up the biblical matter just after exchanging greetings could seem only like another element of realism, it plays a critical role in the plot that later sparks an epiphany. After watching the widows' emotional reaction to the story of Peter, Ivan's attitude towards the world changes from gloom and misery to fervent hope. The sharply contrasting descriptions of winter at the beginning and the end show this well, as "needles of ice stretched across the pools...cheerless, remote, and lonely" turn into the "cold crimson sunset [lying] a narrow streak of light." Ivan had felt tired of the stagnation in his life and community, but in the end, he finds a gleam of hope that things could change by encountering people who are affected by a story from the far past.
The Lady with the Dog depicts two individuals that go through an internal change as they fall in love. Before meeting Anna, Gurov was rather ignorant of others and even condescending towards women. However, as he notices that he had truly fallen in love with Anna, he starts to turn into a more compassionate person who no longer tries to argue his way out of tough situations. In the beginning, he did not take Anna's depressed feelings as seriously (and carelessly ate watermelons), but he later learns to open his heart and calmly tries to listen to his loved one. Anna and Gurov's relationship also contributes greatly to Anna's transformation. At first, she despises herself for trying to escape from her world limited by marriage. But noticing Gurov's passion for her and her strong feelings for him as well, Anna gains more self-respect and ultimately tries to think of a plan with Gurov to overcome the limits of reality.
The Student and The Lady with the Dog are much alike in the way that the characters go through some significant change through a rather unspectacular experience (an affair might not be normal, but it is not a rarely mentioned topic either). While the events that happen could seem mundane and only describing reality as it is, there reside elements of transformation within each occurrence that might not be visible at first sight. And as the characters show signs of positivity and openness at the end of each story, Chekhov might have also wanted to suggest some hope to human nature.
In The Student, Ivan Velikopolsky does not tell the anecdote of Peter to the widows by mere chance. Although his act of spontaneously bringing up the biblical matter just after exchanging greetings could seem only like another element of realism, it plays a critical role in the plot that later sparks an epiphany. After watching the widows' emotional reaction to the story of Peter, Ivan's attitude towards the world changes from gloom and misery to fervent hope. The sharply contrasting descriptions of winter at the beginning and the end show this well, as "needles of ice stretched across the pools...cheerless, remote, and lonely" turn into the "cold crimson sunset [lying] a narrow streak of light." Ivan had felt tired of the stagnation in his life and community, but in the end, he finds a gleam of hope that things could change by encountering people who are affected by a story from the far past.
The Lady with the Dog depicts two individuals that go through an internal change as they fall in love. Before meeting Anna, Gurov was rather ignorant of others and even condescending towards women. However, as he notices that he had truly fallen in love with Anna, he starts to turn into a more compassionate person who no longer tries to argue his way out of tough situations. In the beginning, he did not take Anna's depressed feelings as seriously (and carelessly ate watermelons), but he later learns to open his heart and calmly tries to listen to his loved one. Anna and Gurov's relationship also contributes greatly to Anna's transformation. At first, she despises herself for trying to escape from her world limited by marriage. But noticing Gurov's passion for her and her strong feelings for him as well, Anna gains more self-respect and ultimately tries to think of a plan with Gurov to overcome the limits of reality.
The Student and The Lady with the Dog are much alike in the way that the characters go through some significant change through a rather unspectacular experience (an affair might not be normal, but it is not a rarely mentioned topic either). While the events that happen could seem mundane and only describing reality as it is, there reside elements of transformation within each occurrence that might not be visible at first sight. And as the characters show signs of positivity and openness at the end of each story, Chekhov might have also wanted to suggest some hope to human nature.
Very well written and thorough analysis (with an excellent structure - where did you get the "first glance" approach?). I don't think epiphany is an essential ingredient with Chekhov as it often seems to be with Joyce, but it is very strong in The Student. Can we call Gurov's realization an epiphany? How reliable and strong is his transformation? Will it hold? More of an open ending in Lady that we might be more curious about. Curious what you might have had to say about transformation in The Trick (perhaps you didn't like it?). Well done.
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