Authors, just like any other artists, have different approaches through which they divulge their intended message to the target audience. The ability to capture the readers’ interest and concentration, therefore, largely depends on how creative the authors or artists use this freedom. However, for authors, the most commonly preferred approach is through manipulation of characters by assigning them roles that communicate certain messages to the audience.
In this story, for instance, the major themes of the story as well as the artistic prowess of the author have been largely brought out through Dmitri Gurov, the protagonist in the text, who happens to be the main character. The major themes of promiscuity, disillusionment and solitude are greatly advanced through this character (Chekhov, and Patrick 16). Similarly, the character development of Dmitri, from the point he sets eyes on Ann along the sea front of Yalta, through to the end of the text shows numerous developments and change in philosophy of Dmitri as a character.
A brief recapture of the character traits of Dmitri reveals certain aspects of his life. In fact, so many controversies surround him as a person as well as his interactions with other characters in the book. For instance, Dmitri is a loving character. His affection towards Anna is unquestionable; he is willing to make the most sacrifices to win Anna’s hand in love. The author further records that prior to meeting Anna, he had made numerous relationships with other women. He can also be said to be promiscuous; as he had engaged in various relationships with women, both married and unmarried when it is already known that he was married and had a wife at home. Finally, Dmitri is also decisive. He quickly made up his mind that whatever happens, he was to pursue Anna at whatever cost of relationship with her. He realizes that continued relations with Anna won’t give him his heartily desires and thus chooses to face the ugly truth to let it go (Chekhov, and Patrick 19).
Dmitri undergoes tremendous change as the narrative progresses. Initially, Dmitri downgrades women and constantly refers to them as people of the lower race. He does not attach any value to female characters he associates with. However, he ironically confesses that he prefers the company of women more than men. In the same regards, he seems to find happiness in women than any other thing in life.
Dmitri is one example of a character of who, confused, and seems not to understand what he heartily desires. At one point, he is against women. At another instance, he is presented as a womanizer who has an unending lust for women. This sets the perfect example for development of the narrative (Chekhov, and Ralph 52). For instance, his confusion over women has broadly been developed by the author to discuss marital unfaithfulness and promiscuity as a major theme in the text. Similarly, his unending lust for women too has been further developed to advance the theme of disillusionment in the novel
Another evident change that Dmitri undergoes is that he transforms from a character living in past disappointments and future hopes into a realistic individual, who is determined to face fate and be face life’s fact with courage and boldness. As the narrative progresses, Dmitri seems to get enlightened each passing day and subsequently, tends to embrace new ideas and perceptions towards love and women. After engaging in various relationships with women, Dmitri finally becomes more determined to win Anna’s hand in love. Two facts stand out in this case. First, Dmitri isn’t in love with his wife; the reason to why he keeps on engaging in promiscuous deals. One can easily conclude that he perhaps accidentally married one of his many concubines and thus his discomfort in marital life. Another viable possible explanation can easily be that Anna’s character best fits Dmitri’s description of an ideal wife and he is unwilling to let go his perfect match.
Secondly, Dmitri, an initially promiscuous character, seems so faithful to Anna to an extent that he has to travel all the way from Moscow to honor an agreed date. This is something that he never did in his earlier relationships. In fact, most of his earlier relationships never involved people outside his vicinity. He finally realizes that sustaining worthy relationships calls for personal determination and faithfulness; however, he realizes this too late and becomes faithful to a wrong person since Anna is already married to Von Diterits. This is evident in his reactions when Anna receives a letter requesting her to return to Moscow, as well as at the end of the text when the two realize that their affair cannot yield any marriage. This final change in behavior and attitude by Dmitri is an intentional attempt by the author to show that change comes from deep within an individual (Chekhov, and Ralph 63). Once a character makes decisions and is determined to change, nothing can stand on his or her way; personal devotion is the strongest propulsion for change.
Dmitri has been used by the author to advance a number of themes in the text. One such theme is self-denial. Through association with Anna, Dmitri realizes that he had misinterpreted himself to women and as a result, they do not take him for who he is but rather for who he purports to be. Self-denial breeds a number of negative effects, the initial one being a misery. Dmitri realizes very late that he isn’t actually promiscuous and fond of women as such, but rather has rejected to accept the initial choice he made for a wife (Chekhov, and Patrick 45). His continuous engagement in extra marital affairs cannot be wholly taken for lust, for women, but should also be interpreted as he attempts to make a good choice of a marital partner.
Self-denial can easily drive one to live in an imaginary world rather than the actual world. Dmitri ponders over his life as a husband of Anna. He in fact has the courage to leave his wife in behind and travel all the way to go and meet Anna. When it dawns unto him that whatever exists between him and Anna cannot be turned into a marriage, he becomes frustrated and miserable of all his actions. In fact, it is perfect to state at this point that Dmitri regrets when he had engaged in so many relationships with women, yet he gets nothing at the end.
The major thematic concerns of the book as developed by the author are still relevant in the current society we are living in. Both Dmitri and Anna are examples of common love triangles in the current society; triangles that often end in partners murdering their spouses. Promiscuity and marital infidelity are not things of the past, they do happen even in the modern society. According to the precepts of this book, therefore, self-denial is the core cause of marital infidelity (Chekhov, and Ralph 81). Both Dmitri and Anna are not satisfied with their choice of their marital partners and as a result, the two are willing to engage in marital infidelity in attempts to find their perfect matches.
Dmitri is thus a perfect lesson for all other men in the current society who might get tempted to engage in marital infidelity; once one makes a choice of a marital partner, it’s good to address the faults and mold the partner into the person one would like to be rather than engage in extra affairs as an attempt to find a better match. In fact, continued involvement in extra marital affairs does not yield a better partner, but breeds misery. The Dmitri introduced at the start of the novel isn’t the same as the one at the end. The latter is more miserable upon realization that he won’t marry Anna and has to return back to his initial wife.
Conclusively, “The lady with a pet Dog” is a good replica of life in the modern society. The author has perfectly combined romance and promiscuity, two contradicting issues in society, and managed to bring them out through a single character. As if not enough, one of the major characters, Dmitri, has been illustrated as a fully developed character who does not only exemplify success in his pursuit for love but also failure in his quest for heartily satisfaction. Rather than leaving him as an incomplete character, the author has explored both sides of the coin, not only exposing Dmitri’s misfortunes, but also his brighter side of life (Chekhov, and Ralph 87). Besides the interesting storyline, the thematic concerns of the text bear various lessons and teachings of day to day life.
Works Cited
Chekhov, Anton P, and Patrick Waddington. [dama S Sobachkoĭ. Bristol [England: Bristol Classical Press, 1991. Print.
Chekhov, Anton P, and Ralph E. Matlaw. Anton Chekhov's Short Stories: Texts of the Stories, Backgrounds, Criticism. , 1979. Print.
