In his works, Chekhov paid great attention to the world of complicated, and often unpredictable actions of the human soul, especially to the feeling of love. Indeed, love is the greatest, lightest, and most beautiful feeling, but the 19th century imposed restrictions on it, thus making this form of passion legislated by only one marriage that took place in people's lives once and for all. As a result, love appeared to be just of the elements of a daily life. In Chekhov's times, it would be considered normal to have a marriage of convenience, however, a person that lives without love gradually weakens and becomes secluded, while a loving person blooms and enjoys every moment of live, and if it is even a mutual love, this persons is sure to go crazy, which is clearly depicted in Chekhov's novel.
The characters of the book live a live deprived of any passions. The lady with the dog goes to sea to have some relax, but every single day of her recreation seems to be the dull repetition of the other one (Chekhov, The Lady 7-34). However, when Dmitri and Anna meet each other, their ordinary life becomes filled with burning passion. They did not even think that their relationships would lead to something good, especially Dmitry who distrusted the sincerity of Anna's romances (Chekhov, The Lady 7-34). They met away from others, since it was impossible to divorce in that time, and if they met openly, their love would be acutely criticized. Chekhov does not provide a ready answer to what the characters should do to become happy, but at the same time he lefts hope. The author does not show the reader how the love of his characters will gradually sink into the mud of vulgar daily occurrence, but it is easy to predict that, since the described story cannot have an end. This is somewhat a malign eternity, a vile circle, because neither Dmitri nor Anna do not aspire to anything, and their life is not filled with a sense that could be provided through love, if only the characters were not so weak personally.
Works Cited
Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich. The Lady with the Dog and Other Stories. New York: Ecco, 1984. 7-34. Print.
