"The Lady with the Dog" "Love" is defined by the Webster's dictionary as "a passionate affection of one person for another." The short story "The Lady with the Dog" written by Anton Chekhov, is a love story. The story introduces us to the character Dmitri Gurov. He is a married man who is unfaithful to his wife and who leaves his family for long time periods in order to vacation. In the midst of one of his vacations in Yalta, his path was crossed with a young married lady named Anna Sergeyuna who similarly, was vacationing alone. A week after becoming acquaintances they had an affair, that continued on after they returned to their respective homes and spouses. None of the various relationships of the characters with their spouses portrays true love. The story has come to show us that one ought not peruse nor remain in a relationship were there us a lack of true love; for if one does, there are dire consequences.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. Oil on canvas. From the c...
Bar Rouge - Dmitri and I
DmitriThe marriage between Dmitri Gurov and his wife was not based on of true love, which resulted in his personal disregard for his wife and children. Dmitri did not love his spouse and therefore did not appreciate nor respect her. This was demonstrated through his unfaithfulness. His wife both carried and raised their children and therefore did not deserve the treatment she received. The narrator records Dmitri's feelings for her, "He secretly considered her unintelligent, narrow, inelegant, was afraid of her, and did not like to be at home" (175). This same disregard for a spouse with whom you are lacking truly love is also present in the marriage of Anna. She does not love her husband and subsequently criticizes him as well, "â¦but he is a flunkey" (178).These two situation best illustrate to the reader a typical case of people who remain in non loving relationships, where one spouse ends up disrespecting the other, thus demonstrating the importance of terminating such relationships.
In a relationship or marriage, which is deficient of true love, the unhappy spouse is constantly seeking a means to escape and adventure. This phenomenon is present in the case of Anna, where she does not love her husband so she feels the need to leave her husband for a period of time and lie to him in order to do so. In a conversation with Dmitri, she tells him about her desperation to leave her husband and how it lead her into deceiving him, "I could not be restrained. I told my husband I was ill, and came hereâ¦"(178). When love is true, one wants to be with their spouse and not feel the need to leave their side, which is the way Anna feels. Similarly Dmitri, due to his lack of love for his wife felt compelled to desert his wife and consequently seek adventure. His adventures and happiness were rooted in his affairs, which he perpetually had with new women. From these two examples we see the ramifications of remaining in a relationship lacking true love.
In contrast when one is involved in a relationship with true love, the partners will long for each other. The love of Dmitri and Anna demonstrates the feeling of true love which they feel for each other, which is demonstrated by their longing for each other when apart. After leaving each other's side in Yalta and returning to their spouses they each individually dream about the other and the happy time they spent together. Dmitri thought about Anna as we are told, "Then a month passedâ¦everything was still clear in his memoryâ¦his memories glowed more and more vividly" (181).
When the couple reunites after Yalta every time they are content to see each other. This relationship represents two people who are in love and it's positive results.
Love is a beautiful thing which will "make or break" a relationship. Chekhov, the author of "The Lady with the Dog" illustrates two different types of relationships; one containing love and the other lacking love. The negative ramifications of a relationship with out love are the loss of respect and appreciation for one's spouse. As well, when someone is in a loveless relationship they tend to feel the need to escape and create new adventure. However, the opposite is true to relationships containing love, such as the one between Dmitri and Anna, where they longed to be together. We must conclude, one ought not pursue nor continue a relationship, which is deficient in love.
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