Anton Chekhov Lady With The Dog

Critique of an Author: Anton Chekhov
As a man who had the capability to juggle two careers, medicine and writing, there is little doubt that Anton Chekov is anything less than an intelligent man. Although the author is known to sketch his characters with morality and mindfulness behind them, he often chooses to portray human weakness, faults, and ignorance in them as well. Within the short story, The Lady with the Dog, Chekov uses adultery to show temptation of mankind as well as two people who are able to find what they are looking for within each other as a result of the affair. It is through literary elements such as setting, tone, and imagery that Chekov’s strengths as a writer are portrayed allowing readers to recognize the strengths within
his writing style and what makes him such an effective writer. To begin, the narrative voice of The Lady with the Dog comes from a total omniscient perspective.
While things are often seen from Gustov’s point of view, neither moral judgment nor impressionism is passed onto the reader from this perspective. Simply, Chekov likely does this to make his stories more relatable. While divorce and cheating was not condemned at the time this story was written, Chekov was likely well aware of what went on behind closed doors whether one is willing to admit it or not. Could this be what made Chekov so well liked by readers? Likely, yes. By having an author who refused to pass judgment within his work he is writing a piece that will not make readers feel guilty if they are in a similar situation. If anything, his work would be relatable for others so therefore more people would be inclined to read his work knowing they would not be shamed by doing
so. Next, the reader will have noticed the complex, yet understated use of imagery within The Lady with the Dog. There is much detail provided, however the detail is so realistic that it allows the reader to just fall into the story themselves providing for a pleasing reading experience for all. Chekov does not use unrealistic advances to his approach either. Everywhere are the colors, scents, and sounds of love. “…The smell of the scent she had brought at the Japanese shop, ”The leaves did not stir on the trees, grasshoppers chirruped, and the monotonous hollow sound of the sea rising up from below, spoke of the peace, of the eternal sleep awaiting us.” With such a utopian image brought about, what is there not to love about the town of Yalta? Such serenity brings about a sense of peace within the readers and urges them to continue on despite the story being about adulterous love.
Finally, the dual setting of The Lady with the Dog serves as a crucially important element as it symbolizes a shift in atmosphere and mood in addition to the two lives that each character must lead in order to continue the affair.
To begin, think in regards to Yalta and the mood that follows this location throughout the story. Yalta is a quixotic vacationing spot. “The water of a soft warm lilac hue, and there was a golden streak from the moon upon it. They talked of how sultry it was after a hot day.” The setting easily contributed to the plot of the story as where else would be the place to fall in love anywhere other than the beautiful Yalta, dazzling under the moonlight. It is without doubt that no other setting would have been as suiting for the two lovers. Then there was
Moscow:
“At home in Moscow everything was in its winter routine; the stoves were heated, and in the morning it was still dark when the children were having breakfast and getting ready for school, and the nurse would light the lamp for a short time. The frosts had begun already.”
While in Moscow Gustov longed for his Anna. Chekov knew that the two places could provide contrast to one another to show the difference in the lives that each character would live when they were together versus when they were apart. Like the dreary winter days, Moscow was a representation of the sadness felt by each character when they could not be together. Chekov proved that overstatement was not necessary in order to connect such important elements together in the story and how they relate to the characters’ situation. In conclusion, The Lady with the Dog continues to follow Chekov’s to the point, beautiful, and alluring writing style. His short and sweet composition impresses readers and proves that over exaggeration of detail is not always the case when it comes to what is important in a short story. Through literary elements such as setting, tone, and imagery Chekov continues to share his strengths as a writer leaving little to the imagination of readers entranced by his work. Overall, there is little to hesitate when saying that Anton Chekov clearly knows how to master the art of writing a story that readers will love.