The story “About Love,” written by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, was first published in the magazine “Russian Thought” in 1898. Earlier in the same year and in the same magazine, two more stories were published: “The Man in the Case” and “Gooseberry.” These three stories make up a “little trilogy” in which three heroes - two hunters Pavel Konstantinovich Burkin and Ivan Ivanovich Chimsha-Himalayan and the poor landowner Alyokhin - tell each other stories from their own and other people's lives. In the story “About Love” the main character is the same poor landowner who told his two guests the story of his love.
Alekhine’s inheritance was not the best fate - his father owed him money, but since this happened partly because a lot was spent on his son’s education, Alekhine decided to pay off the debt. He had to stay to work on this huge estate and “turn around like a squirrel in a wheel, and not engage in science or anything else that would make his life more enjoyable.”
In the very first years, Alekhine was elected an honorary justice of the peace. Sometimes he had to go to the city, where he was received very cordially, and where Alekhine very willingly made acquaintances. Probably his most important and thorough acquaintance was his acquaintance with Luganovich, the chairman of the district court, and also the husband at that time of the “young, beautiful, kind, intelligent, charming” woman Anna Alekseevna. Having met her, Alekhine fell in love at first sight.
Years passed. Alyokhin had already become “one of the people” in the Luganovich family, they got used to him, and if he didn’t come for a long time, the husband and wife were very worried. But oddly enough, despite the love that arose between Alekhine and Anna at the first meeting, they were silent and timid, afraid to confess to each other; despite the fact that Alyokhin “felt that she was close to him, that she was his, that they couldn’t live without each other, leaving the theater, they said goodbye every time and parted like strangers.”
Fortunately or not, sooner or later everything comes to an end. Anna Aleseevna was leaving for Crimea, where the doctors sent her. Realizing that this might be their last meeting, and they would never see each other again, Alyohin and Anna opened up to each other, but it was already too late. Alyokhin saw her off and “then went to his place in Sofiino on foot...”
As in the two previous stories in the trilogy, the main theme of the story “About Love” is “caseness”. Alyohin and Anna, who fell in love with all their souls purely and unselfishly, instead of opening their feelings, are afraid, begin to think and invent, while throwing real feelings aside. Excluding it itself, they reduce love to the level of only material problems and values, where it ceases to exist; Naked logic and stupid, rigid rationalism appear on the “scene.”
It was no coincidence that A.P. Chekhov completed the “Little Trilogy” with this very story. In "Man in a Case" main character dies, his environment does not change in any way, and the people who directly worked with him were even glad of his death; in “Gooseberry” the main character fulfills his dream, he is sincerely happy, but does not understand, simply does not see, at what cost he got it all…. In turn, in “About Love” the main character does not die, and realizes his mistake, moreover, he is not quite old yet, and there is a so-called “ray of hope”. Alekhine's story ends with an ellipsis, and the image of a man walking on the way home, in my opinion, symbolizes a wanderer who is looking for his way. It is unknown where exactly he will come, but at least he is still going, still looking.
The story by A.P. Chekhov was written in 1898 and is an important and final part of the “Little Trilogy”. Published in the journal “Russian Thought”.
Genre the story assumes the short duration of the events depicted and a small number characters. It was not in vain that Anton Pavlovich Chekhov chose this method outlining the complex vicissitudes of the life of his heroes and describing their state of mind. After all, the features of a story are also the depth of subtext and the capacity of detail. The last nuance is very clearly visible in all the author’s short works.
The Little Trilogy, created by A.P. Chekhov, was based on three stories told by friends to each other while hunting. This is Burkin, Chimsha-Himalayan and Alyohin - a poor landowner who told his friends the unhappy story of his love.
Plot
It so happened that the hero’s father owed a lot, in particular to pay for his son’s education. Alekhine, returning to his homeland, decided to partially repay the debt. For this he had to work hard, but his efforts were not in vain. In the first year he was chosen to become an honorary justice of the peace. Alekhine had many meetings and acquaintances, among which a special place in his life was occupied by his acquaintance with the chairman of the district court named Luganovich. On the same day, Alekhine meets his wife, Anna Alekseevna, with whom he falls in love at first sight.
Alekhine became a regular guest in the Luganovich family. But, despite this, at each new meeting Anna Alekseevna and Alekhine were lost, shy in front of each other and coldly said goodbye. The hero felt an incredible closeness of feelings, but was afraid to admit.
But everything comes to an end. One day Anna Alekseevna left for treatment in Crimea, and the hero realized that perhaps this was their last meeting. He decided to confess, but it was too late. The lovers parted forever.
As in the previous stories in the trilogy, the main idea of the story " About Love" lies in the fact that the heroes of the works closed themselves off from their real feelings, instead of giving free rein to their emotions, without fear of anything. The “caseness” of each of them ruined their lives and the opportunity to love happily and selflessly. They killed love with their own hands, reduced it to base feelings and needs, forever making themselves unhappy.
The story “About Love” can be called the pinnacle of human evolution, depicted in all three works of the trilogy. This is a hero who is far from old, he has not died, he simply realized his mistake and moves on. He doesn’t give up, but walks, even if he doesn’t know where yet, but still he doesn’t stand still.
The author’s entire “Little Trilogy” is imbued with drama and hope that heroes, real or fictitious, still have a chance to save their souls. As in the two previous stories in the trilogy, The main theme of the story “About Love” is “caseness”. Alyohin and Anna, who fell in love with all their souls purely and unselfishly, instead of opening their feelings, are afraid, begin to think and invent, while throwing real feelings aside. Excluding it itself, they reduce love to the level of only material problems and values, where it ceases to exist; Naked logic and stupid, rigid rationalism appear on the “scene.”
It was no coincidence that A.P. Chekhov completed the “Little Trilogy” with this very story. In The Man in the Case the main character dies, his environment does not change in any way, and the people who directly worked with him were even glad of his death; in "Gooseberry" the main character fulfills his dream, he is sincerely happy, but he doesn’t understand, he simply doesn’t see at what cost he got it all…. In turn, in “About Love” the main character does not die, and realizes his mistake, besides, he is not quite old yet, and there is a so-called “ray of hope.” Alekhine's story ends with an ellipsis, and the image of a man walking on the way home, in my opinion, symbolizes a wanderer who is looking for his way. It is unknown where exactly he will come, but at least he is still going, still looking.
The heroes have a fear of life, a fear of changing habits, of taking a decisive step towards something new, they created their own case, and isolated themselves. All the heroes die: Alekhine and Chimsha-Himalayan morally, Belikov - physically. “You can’t live like that!”
Case of heroes
The story by A.P. Chekhov was written in 1898 and is an important and final part of the “Little Trilogy”. Published in the journal “Russian Thought”.
The genre of the story assumes the short duration of the events depicted and a small number of characters. It was not for nothing that Anton Pavlovich Chekhov chose this method of presenting the complex ups and downs of the lives of his heroes and describing their state of mind. After all, the features of a story are also the depth of subtext and the capacity of detail. The last nuance is very clearly visible in all the author’s short works.
The Little Trilogy, created by A.P. Chekhov, was based on three stories told by friends to each other while hunting. This is Burkin, Chimsha-Himalayan and Alyohin - a poor landowner who told his friends the unhappy story of his love.
It so happened that the hero’s father owed a lot, in particular to pay for his son’s education. Alekhine, returning to his homeland, decided to partially repay the debt. For this he had to work hard, but his efforts were not in vain. In the first year he was chosen to become an honorary justice of the peace. Alekhine had many meetings and acquaintances, among which a special place in his life was occupied by his acquaintance with the chairman of the district court named Luganovich. On the same day, Alekhine meets his wife, Anna Alekseevna, with whom he falls in love at first sight.
Alekhine became a regular guest in the Luganovich family. But, despite this, at each new meeting Anna Alekseevna and Alekhine were lost, shy in front of each other and coldly said goodbye. The hero felt an incredible closeness of feelings, but was afraid to admit.
But everything comes to an end. One day Anna Alekseevna left for treatment in Crimea, and the hero realized that perhaps this was their last meeting. He decided to confess, but it was too late. The lovers parted forever.
As in the previous stories in the trilogy, the main idea of the story “About Love” is that the heroes of the works have closed themselves off from their real feelings, instead of giving free rein to their emotions, fearing nothing. The “caseness” of each of them ruined their lives and the opportunity to love happily and selflessly. They killed love with their own hands, reduced it to base feelings and needs, forever making themselves unhappy.
The story “About Love” can be called the pinnacle of human evolution, depicted in all three works of the trilogy. This is a hero who is far from old, he has not died, he simply realized his mistake and moves on. He doesn’t give up, but walks, even if he doesn’t know where yet, but still he doesn’t stand still.