Analysis of The Darling, by Anton Chekhov

The story “The Darling” by Anton Chekhov, illustrates a woman that is lonely, insecure, and lacking wholeness of oneself without a man in her life. This woman, Olenka, nicknamed “Darling” is compassionate, gentle and sentimental. Olenka is portrayed for being conventional, a woman who is reliant, diligent, and idea less. Although, this story portrays that this woman, known as the Darling needs some sort of male to be emotionally dependant upon, it is as if she is a black widow, she is able to win affection, but without respect. Only able to find happiness through the refection of the beliefs of her lovers, she never evolves within the story.

This story, “The Darling” presents how a woman, named Olenka, the main character, who is also, in this story, known as the darling, has a reliance on others, and for the most lives an empty life. Olenka does not posses any personality of her own; therefore, she only finds happiness in reflecting the belief of her husbands/lovers. Olenka has the need to be fond of someone, and she frequently, fills her empty life through others, but only after having time of lacking wholeness in her self.

In the beginning it appears that Olenka is waiting for Mr. Right, but it is really so, that Olenka, is dependant and needs to love and have the love of others. She finds this love, this unconditional love that most look for, in people such as her aunt, the school’s French master, and even her father.

Later, Olenka finds herself married to a man, by the name of, Kukin, and Kukin being her first husband. Kukin is someone whom Olenka feels she cannot be without.

Olenka sitting lonely on her back porch, night after night, and lost in thought, listened, one evening, to Kukin, the manager of an open-air theater, called the Tivoli, says, “Again!”. “It’s going to rain again!” meaning there will be no work. She again on the following evening, listens to him, as he, with a laugh of hysteria, says, “Well, rain away, then! Flood the garden, drown me!.....”

Olenka trying to become part of something and feel as if she has a purpose, would listen to Kukin with silent gravity, and sometimes there would be tears that would fill her eyes.

Kukin proposed to Olenka. Afterward marring and getting a closer view of Olenka, he throws his hands up and says, “You darling!” After seeing her neck and her plump, fine s...

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...end proves to this reader that Olenka has never been able to fulfill this need she is looking for, this need to love and to be loved. Voloditchka and Sasha do come back to this place where Olenka is, but with his wife and the mother of his son, to reconcile.

In Conclusion, this story portrays a woman who is insecure, lonely, and looking to love and to be loved. This love is something which Olenka searches for in males, both adults, and boys, she thinks she finds this love, in her husbands and, lover. She what she thinks to be love, in her first husband, and then her second, but the third male in her life, her lover, known as Voldichka is there only for his satisfaction. Olenka does get the fulfillment of love needed y Voldichka. Olenka than tries through a boy named Sasha, Voldichka’s son. It is true to this reader that even though Olenka experienced these relationships with these men and the boy, Sasha, she still never found a complete fulfillment in life. Olenka did not experience respect as a woman, but someone who would be there as needed. Olenka never earned respect as most women do, she to this reader only was a filler for others, others of the gender known as male.