The oral presentations are crucial to fully grasp the stories of Anton Chekhov since a reader must be familiar with the context of 19th century Russia to understand his realist depictions. Exploration towards the emancipation of serfdom, the Russian Wedding Cake, and the role of religion became insightful to understanding the livelihoods of Russians at the time. One particular fact that strikes attention is the concept of serfdom: a term describing serfs or slave, who represented 80 percent of the Russian population at the time. Their attempt of liberation through the Emancipation of Serfdom in 1861 not only marks a failure, but brought forth greater misfortunes, as serfs became more bounded to masters by a 49-year state mortgage they must