Comparing The Lady With The Pet Dog
“Same Story, Two Perspectives”
The two stories of "The Lady with the Pet Dog," by Anton Chekhov and Joyce Carol Oates are extremely similar in plot. They are both about a love affair between two married people and each couple discovering true love. However, these stories are completely different for one reason, their perspective. Chekhov's and Oates's versions of the story are told from the opposite point of view of each couple. Each situation, because told for a different point of view, allows for an alternative interpretation in the story.
Chekhov's protagonist, Gurov, at the beginning of the story is a rough, arrogant, and immature person, a fact he is well aware of. His attitude toward women in general is indifferent. He refers to women …show more content…
This is an interesting aspect of the Oates’s story because considering that a woman during the 1970s might have a different attitude toward adultery than a woman in the 1800s.
Another way that Oates's version of the story differs for Chekhov's version is the subtext from “Anna’s” perspective is completely different. While Chekhov's character discovers real love for another human being for the first time in his life, and experiences the ultimate sacrifice that involves it, Oates's protagonist begins to love herself for the first time. Gurov's love is about his partner, but Oates's "Anna" takes her back to self.
These two stories offer a very interesting look into two people’s perspective of the same situation. Chekhov gives you the chance to see a man who was generally ambiguous when it came to love, but grew to understand it. He also learned how to love and how to look outside his own selfishness. Oates’s story takes a modern twist on Chekhov’s story. She gives you the opportunity to see how the story looks from the woman’s perspective. Oates’s story was more about self-discovery and learning how to love one’s self. The woman at the beginning of the story hated herself and through the affair learned how to change that, while Gurov was in love with himself, and learned how to truly love someone
The two stories of "The Lady with the Pet Dog," by Anton Chekhov and Joyce Carol Oates are extremely similar in plot. They are both about a love affair between two married people and each couple discovering true love. However, these stories are completely different for one reason, their perspective. Chekhov's and Oates's versions of the story are told from the opposite point of view of each couple. Each situation, because told for a different point of view, allows for an alternative interpretation in the story.
Chekhov's protagonist, Gurov, at the beginning of the story is a rough, arrogant, and immature person, a fact he is well aware of. His attitude toward women in general is indifferent. He refers to women …show more content…
This is an interesting aspect of the Oates’s story because considering that a woman during the 1970s might have a different attitude toward adultery than a woman in the 1800s.
Another way that Oates's version of the story differs for Chekhov's version is the subtext from “Anna’s” perspective is completely different. While Chekhov's character discovers real love for another human being for the first time in his life, and experiences the ultimate sacrifice that involves it, Oates's protagonist begins to love herself for the first time. Gurov's love is about his partner, but Oates's "Anna" takes her back to self.
These two stories offer a very interesting look into two people’s perspective of the same situation. Chekhov gives you the chance to see a man who was generally ambiguous when it came to love, but grew to understand it. He also learned how to love and how to look outside his own selfishness. Oates’s story takes a modern twist on Chekhov’s story. She gives you the opportunity to see how the story looks from the woman’s perspective. Oates’s story was more about self-discovery and learning how to love one’s self. The woman at the beginning of the story hated herself and through the affair learned how to change that, while Gurov was in love with himself, and learned how to truly love someone