About Love, Anton Chekhov
About Love
Characters
1. Alyohin:- a university graduate, narrator and main character of the story.
2. Nikanor:- a cook, an ugly looking person with violent temper.
3. Pelageya:- a beautiful woman, servant, beloved of Nikanor
4. Ivan Luganovich:- an uninteresting and simple minded person of middle age.
5. Anna Alexeyvena:- beautiful wife of Luganovich
6. Burkin and Ivanych:- guests of Alyohin
7. A university girl:- a beloved of Alyohin
SUMMARY
Written by a Russian dramatist and short story writer, Anton Chekhov. The story 'About Lovw' defines ove as a great mystery. The writer has included three different love experiences in order to justify love as a great mystery. The stories are narrated by Alyohin to his guests, Burkin and Ivanych.
The story begins with the narration of a violent and sensual love affair between a cook Nikanor and a beautiful woman servant Pelageya. Both a stupid and drumkard, Nikanor swears and even beats his belovste. Therefore, Pelageya wants to live with him just so without getting married. Nikanor on other hand does not want to live with her without getting married.
Reflecting on the love affair between Nikanor and Pelageya, Alyohin defines love as a great mystery beond any complete and final definition. Then he narrates his own brief episode of love affair with a university girl. While at Moscow University he used to be in love with a girl and held her in his arms all the times, but the girl thought only about the money he would give her to meet her everyday expenses.
After a brief description of the bachelors both in the town and the country side and the atmosphere, Alyohin begims to tell his guests another love experience of his own with a married woman.
After having graduation from university, Alyohin returned to the farm of his father located in Spfyino. Though the works in the farm did not suit an educated person like him, he was compelled to work there in order to pay off the debt his father had taken for his education. While in Sofyini, he was elected as a majistrate and needed to go to town to deal with court cases. During his visit, he met another judge Ivan Luganovich who invited him for aa dinner. At dinner, he met the kind, beautiful fascinating and young wife of Luganovich, Anna Alexeyvena and fell in love with her at the first sight.
During Summer, Alyohin busied himself in his farm making hay. However, he was haunted by the memory of Anna all the times. Alyohin went to participate in a charity show in the town in autumn . At the show, he met Anna once again. Since, then he visited Anna whenever he went to the town. He was welcomed into the Luganovich family as a noble fellow. Both Luganovich and Anna used to be worried about Alyohi regarding his profession and even offered financial help. Alyohin andLuganovich family used to exchange gifts. Alyohin used to think that Luganovich was not a perfect match for Anna. He used to go to theatre with Anna. Sometimes they would also go for long walk. In spite their gentle platonic and sincere love, they could not confess their love to each other. Anna reasoned that she was not young and energetic enough to start a new life with Alyohin. Alyohin thought that he would not be able to make Anna any happier. He did not want to shift Anna from one monotonous life to another. So, they kept their feeling to themselves.
At the later stage of Anna life, she started staying with her mother, when she realized that her life had been spoiled, she suffered from mental prostration and was recommended to go to Crimea for treatment. On the day she was moving to Crimea m a large crowd of people including Alyohin arrived to see her off. Alyohin went to see her off in the compartment of the train carrying a basket, she had almost forgotten. When their eyes met, they could not control their emotions and confessed their love to each other. As the train was moving from Crimea. Alyohin went to another compartment and getting down the train at the next station and he returned home. After Alyohin finished telling his guest his own love experience with Anna. It stopped raining outside, the Sun came out and they could see a beautiful scene of Garden and river.
QUESTIONS
1. The second paragraph of "About Love "is brief account of a violent love affair between two servants. Is it significant that Alyohin is the source of his anecdote? How does the anecdote contrast with Alyohins own story?
The second paragraph of "About Love" is a brief account of a violent love affair between two servants. Yes, it is significant that Alyohin is the source of this anecdote. The violent love between two servants of Alyohin, Nikanor and Pelageya is told to by Alyohin to his guest for several reasons. He is not only a character but also a narrator. It means that he is authentic person to tell the love affair between Nikanor and Pelageya. He is the right person to narrate their violent love. Nikanor and Pelageya are living in house of Alyohin and serving him,. So, Alyohin know about the relation more than anybody else whatever Alyohin says to guest is more authentic.
Alyohin contrast love of Nikanor and Pelageya with his own love experience with Anna, in order to justify love is a mystery. So he is the right person to narrate love story of Nikanor and Pelageya.
The love of Nikanor and Pelageya is violent and sensual for Pelageya. In contrast love between Alyohin and Anna is gentle, platonic and unexpressed.
2. How does an account of the occasion and of the setting in which the narrative occurs affect our understanding of Alyohin?
When Alyohin started to tell his own love experiences to his guest the sky turned grey, heavy rain started, leaves became wet due to rain. In such atmosphere Alyohin guest could not go outside and listen to Alyohin experiences. It was an occasion of imprisonment in the room of Alyohin. This occasion of imprisonment also signifies the physical and menta imprisonment in life of Alyohin. He was imprisoned in the farm of his father. He could not leave the farm as he has to clear the debt. This imprisonment also reflects mental confinement as he was suffering due to memory of Anna. His mind was totally full of memory of Anna. After Alyohin finished telling about his love experiences then raining stopped outside, sun came out and weather became pleasant. This occasion signifies freedom in the life of Alyohin basically mental freedom. After sharing all his love experiences to his guest he gets mentally relieved.
3. Sketch the character of Anna Alexyvena
Anna Alexyvena is the main female character inn the story "About Love". She is a beautiful and charming young lady aged twenty two. She is married to Luganovich, assistant president of the circuit court and aged over forty. Her marriage to an old man can be seen as the cause of her suffering. Her sexual urge cannot be fulfilled by the man double her age. So, she tries to get emotional fulfillment from Alyohin which later turns into love. She is also trapped in reason. She does not confess her love to Alyohin though she deeply loves him because she fears society moral standards. She also thought that she was not young and energetic enough for him to begin a new married life. Later she becomes the victim of nervous prostration because of psychological depression and nervousness.
4. Sketch the character of Alyohin
Alyohin a bachelor and a university graduate, lived in Sofinyo working laboriously in his farm. HE had to work in his farm to pay the debt that his father had spent on his education. He desired a civilized living of the upper class but could not afford it. In the past while he was a university student, he fell in love with a girl who only loved his money. Since he was elected honorary justice of the peace, he often visited town to take part in assizes and sessions. Once he was invited to the home of Luganovich to dine. There he met Anna Alexyvena aged 22 and married to Luganovich. They fell in love. They chatted for hours, went to the theatre together but they parted coldly the next time. Later Anna suffered from nervous prostration and was sent to Cremia for treatment. During her departure, Alyohin had courage to confess his love and kissed her, but had to part with her forever.
Alyohin vision of love is shaped by his own love affair. He thinks that when people are in love, hey ask whether it is honorable or dishonorable, sensible or stupid and what their love will lead to. For him, this reasoning is the source of dissatisfaction and irritation. He thinks that love is a great mystery. When one is in love, one should start love from higher without reasoning whether their love is sin or virtue or whether it brings happiness or unhappiness. According to himto what extent personal happiness counts in love is uncertain, it differs from person to person.
Style and Rhetorics
Qno. 1 Ans
The wirter begins the story presenting love affair between two servants. Nikanor wants to marry Pelageya but she doesn’t want to marry but live in the relation. So it is the atmosphere of inertia as there is no chance of future development in their love. In then middle of the story there is also a state of inertia. He was involved in a kind circular movement. There is no possibility of upward movement in is life. There iis no progress in his economic life so it is also the state of inertia. He is moving around the farm as a squirrel in the cage.
The state of inertia in the life of Alyohin and Alyohin's behavior with Anna are both the result of Alyohin's indecisive nature. Alyohin can't make bold and rapid decisions about his farm and can become decisive enough to love Anna or to express his love to Anna. This love with Anna is also the state of inertia because of his indecisive nature. As Alyohin cant get only economic development in his life likewise the outcome of the relationship with Anna will be zero as he couldn’t express his love to Anna. So, he is victimized by his rational love middle class morality, indecisive nature.
Qno 2 Ans) Alyohin is said to rush around like a squirrel in a cage and this judgement is repeated in the final paragraph. The significance of the repetition is to show the plight of Alyohin. To show the imprisonment in the life of Alyohin. He is blinded with the works of farm as like the squirrel in the cage. As he was educated enough to get a nice job. In this way working in the limit of the cage of farm though being more versatile shows the significance of Alyohins statement.
3. Why do you think Chekov chose to write about an ordinary man instead of a hero a scholar or actor? Does Chekov imply anything about Alyohins assumption that "celebrated" people lead more fulfilled lives than rest of us? Do you agree with Alyohins assumption?
Ans:- The middle class people like Alyohins has wider kind of experience in their life. They are rational as well as sensitive in their life. So Chekov selected an ordinary man than any hero or an actor for this story.
Yes, the celebrated people are not sensitive enough. They don’t have any kind of concern with the poor, helpless people. They always do the thing that pleased them. But the ordinary people like Alyohin are more sensitive toward the problem of other people as like Alyohin was worried about Annas children and also her husband. So, middle class people suffered more in their life as compared to the celebrated people. Celebrated people are very careless, insensitive and not kind enough to others. The celebrated people are bounded by their own needs and assumptions.
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