The Lady With the Dog - Essay Example

Section/# Setting as a Function of Character Development In Anton Chekov’s short story, “The Lady with the Dog”, both characters find themselves attempting to escape the boredom and unhappiness of their otherwise dreary and uneventful lives. As such, the characters meet in Crimean vacation destination of Yalta; as they are both trying to inject some much needed change into their own lives. The action of the story comes as both of them become physically involved despite the fact that they are both married and have spouses waiting for them at their respective homes. What is of particular interest is that as the setting changes in Part II of the story, so does Gurov’s view on life. In this way, Chekov is able to enhance the power of the story with the juxtaposition of a powerful scenic dichotomy that he explores to its fullest extent in explaining hitherto unseen realities of life that seem to great the Gurov afresh upon his return home. Although he had hitherto seen his life as incomplete and this was by far not the first time he had cheated on his spouse, this was the first time that such an action has had such a profound and continuous effect on Gurov. Likely it is due to the fact, among others, that has led many who have interpreted this story to understand that this was perhaps the first time Gurov had ever experienced true love in his life. The first example of boredom with life is demonstrated by Anna Sergeyevna who notes to Gurov, “The days pass quickly, and yet one is so bored here” (Chekov 2). Gurov quickly retorts to Anna Sergeyevna, “Its the thing to say its boring here. People never complain of boredom in godforsaken holes like Belyev or Zhizdra, but when they get here its: Oh, the dullness! Oh, the dust! Youd think theyd come from Granada to say the least” (Chekov 2). In this way, one comes to quickly understand that the man and woman have opposing views with regards to the backdrop of the vacation spot; and most likely different world views as the man has had multiple adulterous encounters whereas the young bride gives no indication that she has ever been anything but faithful to her husband. Furthermore, the backdrop of boredom helps to set the scene for what will transpire between the two unfulfilled individuals. The juxtaposition of the dreamlike world of Yalta as experienced with the company of a charming young woman clashes starkly with the cold expressionless descriptions of city life in Moscow. The warmth, imagery, and depth of expression used to denote every mood and feeling is done with such painstaking care as to resemble a type of dream like trance. Says Chekov of the couple’s view upon exiting the carriage upon their first ride, "When they got out of the carriage at Oreanda they sat down on a bench not far from the church, and looked down at the sea, without talking. Yalta could be dimly discerned through the morning mist, and white clouds rested motionless on the summits of the mountains. Not a leaf stirred, the grasshoppers chirruped, and the monotonous hollow roar of the sea came up to them, speaking of peace, of the eternal sleep lying in wait for us all” (Chekov 4). Beyond simple eloquence of prose, the quote adequately portrays the unreal situation and environment that the two find themselves. Furthermore, these lush descriptions themselves add depth to the story as they do not exist once Anna Sergeyevna is no longer part of the story as it relates to Gurov. Their absence is a peculiar issue that the reader is acutely aware of as it relates to the overall mood of the piece and the character development of Gurov. The true break in the story/paradigm shift comes after Anna Sergeyevna and the Gurov are parted at the train station in Yalta. It is at this point that the true heartfelt feelings of emptiness are juxtaposed with the scenes that great the reader in rapid succession. Firstly, Gurov is described as watching as the train fades into the horizon – to the point that the lights of the last car can no longer be made out any longer. Finally, the noise that the train makes as it shuffles down the tracks is described as no longer being audible. These are not simple literary descriptions of sights and sounds; theses are careful fabrications to make the reader acutely aware that things have unalterably changed and Gurov now views himself as completely and entirely alone in the world. The scenery is equally dismal as Gurov returns to his native Moscow. Chekov describes the dull wintery void that greats Gurov as he arrives, “(H)e returned to Moscow on a fine frosty day, and when he put on his fur-lined overcoat and thick gloves, and sauntered down Petrovka Street, and when, on Saturday evening, he heard the church bells ringing, his recent journey and the places he had visited lost their charm for him” (Chekov 7). The scenery is as neutral and grey as Chekov could express. Even the eerie still of the streets as the church bells echoed across them evokes the feelings of solitary life and an incomparable still that resembles the emptiness in Gurov’s own heart as he thinks only and perennially of Anna Sergeyevna. Gurov attempts to return to some type of semblance of a normal life; at least something similar to what he had prior to his vacation in Yalta where he met Anna Sergeyevna. However, such normality eludes him at each and every juncture he seeks it. As he attempts to engage friends in conversations concerning love and the feelings he is experiencing, they callously disregard his thoughts and notions; choosing instead to pay them no heed whatsoever. For instance, Gurov says to a friend while playing cards, “’If you only knew what a charming woman I met in Yalta!’ The official got into his sleigh, and just before driving off, turned and called out: ‘Dmitry Dmitrich!’ ‘Yes?’ ‘You were quite right, you know--the sturgeon was just a leetle off.’ These words, in themselves so commonplace, for some reason infuriated Gurov, seemed to him humiliating, gross. What savage manners, what people! What wasted evenings, what tedious, empty days! Frantic card-playing, gluttony, drunkenness, perpetual talk always about the same thing. The greater part of ones time and energy went on business that was no use to anyone, and on discussing the same thing over and over again, and there was nothing to show for it all but a stunted wingless existence and a round of trivialities, and there was nowhere to escape to, you might as well be in a madhouse or a convict settlement” (Chekov 9). In this way, Chekov clearly notes the way in which Gurov is slowly but surely changing into a different person entirely from the man who left Moscow to travel to the sea only a few brief months earlier. The things in life that used to give him a sesnse of normality, his former friends, his work, the sites, the parties, the places, all of them have lost their luster in his eyes as he is drawn into a greater and deeper despondence with regards to what he has lost in the companionship and love of Anna Sergeyevna. Finally, once Gurov’s inner self wins the battle over his own sensibilities, he makes up a vague and unbelievably weak excuse about needing to go to Saint Petersburg on some form of business. Once there he focuses single-mindedly on some way that he can find and re-acquaint himself with Anna Sergeyevna. Interestingly, when Gurov finally finds the house in which Anna Sergeyevna lives, he anthropomorphizes his own feelings of confinement and solitude with the feelings that Anna Sergeyevna must necessarily be feeling herself inside her cage-like life. Says Chekov, “Gurov strolled over to Staro-Goncharnaya Street and discovered the house. In front of it was a long gray fence with inverted nails hammered into the tops of the palings. ‘A fence like that is enough to make anyone want to run away, thought Gurov, looking at the windows of the house and the fence’” (Chekov 11). In this way, the reader understands that Gurov has pressed his own feelings of love and desperation onto the character of Anna Sergeyevna. Although the reader has no way of knowing for certain if these feelings are requited, the initial reaction is that they are not and this is just another form of Gurov’s fascination exhibited by how he views with world with relation to his infatuation with Anna Sergeyevna. The symbolism of the caged life that Anna Sergeyevna supposedly leads serves to only strengthen Gurov’s resolve in meeting her and attempting to win some sort of concession on her part with regards to their relationship; however, through the inference of the text, it is clear that even Gurov himself little knows what he wants to become of the couple as the trip to Saint Petersburg to meet her was rushed and ill thought out. Furthermore, the symbolism through the eyes of Gurov helps to direct and focus his thoughts, beliefs, and actions throughout the course of the story. From the warm sunsets and methodical/rhythmic lashes that the waves make on the semi-tropical coastline of Yalta (imitating the dreamlike state he finds himself with Anna Sergeyevna), to the cold and distant realities of home life in Moscow, to the allegorical cage he sees Anna Sergeyevna living in Saint Petersburg, all of these symbols and settings work to reaffirm Gurov’s particular mood and actions with relation to what path he chooses to pursue. In a way, Gurov is living in a perpetual self-fulfilling prophecy as each and everything he sees and things coincides to lead him to further an understanding that was likely pre-supposed from the beginning deep within his own subconscious. In this way, it becomes plainly obvious that rather than merely a character living through the various climates, moods, and styles of different cities, Gurov is a character whose imagination and subconscious paints the respective moods, climates, and styles of locations in an effort to mirror the thoughts, longings, and hopes he holds within his own mind for the future with regards to Anna Sergeyevna. Work Cited Chekhov, Anton. The Lady with the Little Dog and Other Stories. London, England: Penguin Books, 2002. Read More