The Lady With The Little Dog Chekhov

Russian society and literature of the nineteenth century promoted a romantic ideal of marriage, encouraging people of all classes to pursue it as the ultimate goal for life; unfortunately, the reality was quite different from the expectations that this society held. Anton Chekhov challenges the common belief that marriage brings happiness through his short fiction works, especially "Anna on the Neck" and "The Lady with the Little Dog." In nineteenth century Russia, marriage was presented as "the career goal of the Russian woman, though she would find it ultimately a restrictive, confining institution" ("The Woman Question"). Serfs comprised around eighty percent of Russia's population; the landowners' restrictions required the peasants to

Throughout all of his works, "close and lasting love between a husband and wife is nowhere represented in Chekhov" (McLean). This is greatly exemplified in "Anna on the Neck"; Anya marries Modest Alexeich, a rich, high-ranking official, in the hopes that he will help "to take a note from His Excellency to the principal of the school and even to the superintendent, to keep Pyotr Leontyich from being dismissed" (Chekhov 269) despite her father's drunken misbehavior. However, she feels repulsed by the thought of Modest Alexeich attempting to kiss her, as well as the fact that "she no longer had the right to deny him that" (268). Furthermore, Modest Alexeich controls all of the funds in the house and refuses to help Anya's father, declaring that Pyotr needs to discontinue his drinking habits before he would lend any more money to him. As a newlywed, Anya is miserable because in some ways, she has less than what she owned before her marriage. Even when she eventually becomes comfortable in her higher-class position, it only occurs after she takes command over Modest Alexeich, who turns out to be deferential and ingratiating; there are never any acts of love demonstrated between the two (278). In contrast to the miserable, loveless marriages depicted in his short stories, Chekhov portrays more passionate emotions and feelings within the adulterous relationships that occur. "The Lady with the Little Dog" tells the story of two people, Dmitri Dmitrich Gurov and Anna Sergeevna. Both individuals are married; however, Gurov considers his wife to be "none too bright, narrow-minded, graceless" (361), and Anna despairs that her husband "may be an honest and good man, but he's a lackey" (365). Although this affair would be considered less appropriate and binding than an actual marriage, Gurov "and Anna Sergeevna loved each other like very close, dear