Question 2.
I appreciate the fact that Chekhov left judgment and
opinions out of the short story and simply told the plot as it would be seen
though any observer. It gives the reader more to think about and question the
story as it relates to the reader. The short story can be seen as being general
because Chechov left out consequences of the characters sins or a resolution to
the affair, therefor we are left to draw our own conclusions and are able to
relate it to our own lives. These lovers’ story can be seen as didactic, giving
warning to other curious people out there that cheating may not end in total
loss of contact or emotion.
Question 3.
Chekhov might have wanted us to see how complex and tight of
a situation Gurov is in. Marriages seem to lose their touch after a while,
husbands and wives become bored of each other and seek out the excitement of
finding another mate while still carrying out their marriage. Most affairs may
be to ‘blow off steam’ or take a break from normal everyday life. The cheaters don’t
wish to find anything serious, however, Gurov is taken hold by love and cannot
seem to eradicate the new girlfriend from his mind. His emotions constantly
call for her but Gurov has a stable family and home that could quickly be torn away
from him if he continues this love. Gurov’s mind is in a tug-of-war between his
family and, supposedly, the love of his life, we are simply to understand this
and heed Chekhov’s warning that we could be in a similar situation of we choose
to. In the end Gurov asks himself the unanswerable question of how to balance his
life to have both the woman and his wife and family. The point of view in this story allows us to hear Gurov's thoughts and emotions which doesn't make
you hate or love Gurov, but it does create a sort of pity feeling for him. He is
struck by love but cannot abandon his home.
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