The Lady With The Lapdog Chekhov Analysis

Throughout the short story, “The Lady with the Lapdog”, Chekhov’s strays away from the classical love story expectations by realistically portraying Anna's and Gurov's relationship. Chekhov follows the structure for a romantic tale to a bare minimum, but, ultimately, diverts from the commonly known aspects of a love story, as described by author Leigh Michaels’ “The Essential Elements of Writing a Romance Novel”. Chekok’s alteration from a classical love story thwarts the reader’s expectations by demonstrating realism and uncertainty found in human nature. Chekhov’s technique of applying a realistic lens on this couple raises more questions than answers, leaving much ambiguity for the reader’s own interpretation. By exploring the nuances in human nature, Chekhov illustrates a forbidden love that juxtaposes the universal rubric for what a love story should contain.
Although Chekhov’s use of realism in “The Lady with the Lapdog” hinders the reader’s conception of a romance, it can be considered a love story because it follows the commonly accepted structure of what a romantic tale contains, in its

simplest form. According Michaels,
A romance novel is the story of a man and a woman who, while they’re solving a problem that threatens to keep them apart, discover that the love they feel for each other is the sort that comes along only once in a lifetime; this discovery leads to a permanent commitment and a happy ending. This definition summarizes the four crucial basics that make up a romance novel: 1. a hero and a heroine to fall in love 2. a problem that creates conflict and tension between them and threatens to keep them apart 3. a developing love that is so special it comes about only once in a lifetime 4. a resolution in which the problem is solved and the couple is united
(Michaels, Leigh. The Essential Elements of Writing a Romance Novel. N.p.: Writer's Digest Books, 16 Jan. 2007. PDF. Pg. 1).
In many ways, Chekhov succeeds at conveying these components to recognize this piece to be regarded as a love story. “The Lady with the Lapdog” curbs to this rubric’s first basic through identifying our hero Gurov, a middle-aged womanizer and husband, develops a profound love with the heroine, Anna, a young and unhappy woman who has married young. Moreover, the adultery committed by each figure in this relationship makes this a forbidden love, noted when Gurov, following their first public embrace, “…immediately…looked around fearfully, [thinking]: What if someone had seen?” (Chekov, pg. 410). To further compare Chekov’s structure to other love stories, the love that is shared between Gurov and Anna is identified to be an unyielding and affection, appealing to Leigh’s third major point. As the story closes, and the two lovers embrace,
Anna Sergeevna and he loved one another like people who are very close and intimate, as husband and wife, as dear friends; they thought fate had destined them for one another, and they could not understand how he could have a husband and she a husband (Chekhov, pg. 420).
To Gurov and Anna, their relationship is not seen as an affair, but like a bond as

close as marriage. They feel as though an unrelenting and mightier force has brought them together “…and they felt that this love of theirs had changed them both” (Chekhov, pg. 420). Appealing to Leigh’s structure, regardless of society’s approval, these two lovers hold a mutual and enduring love due to destiny.
Chekov diverges from Leigh’s foundation, when he provides the reader with and abrupt and ambiguous ending, laying the foundation for unknown and strenuous future that lies ahead of Gurov and Anna. With the united couple in an embrace, Leigh’s final notion of a happy ending remains ambiguous “…as it seemed as though a solution was just within reach… it was clear to both of them that the end was still far, far away and that the most difficult part was only just beginning” (Chekov, pg. 420). Without a definite conclusion, it is left up to the reader to interpret whether this couple ends up happy, based on only what Chekov has provided. However, because of the ambiguity in human nature, Chekov interprets that in reality, one cannot have all the answers for one’s actions, nevertheless what the consequences for future actions entail. Chekov’s lack of an ending highlights highly contrasts the expected ending for a love story by applying a realistic lens to the concept of love, and stress the inevitable ambiguity that occurs in nature.
Chekov’s story thwarts the reader’s expectations using a realistic perspective in other ways than just the plot’s structure. The use of realism and ambiguities are apparent in the character’s actual nature as well. According to Michaels, the …heroine must be someone the readers can understand, like, and respect” (Michaels, pg. 2). Again, Chekov leaves this basis under complete interpretation of the reader. Before the couple experiences their own epiphany about the love they share, their future is first severely questioned. During the scene following their first sexual encounter, each figures actions’ reflect their true character. For Anna, committing adultery leaves her disgusted with herself and evokes the deep dissatisfaction she bares towards her own life. Utterly distraught, she says: “I am a bad, low woman; I despise myself and don't attempt to justify myself… [I am a] vulgar, contemptible woman whom any one may despise” (Chekov, pg. 411). Again, Chekov leaves it to the reader, using their own morals, to interpret Anna as the heroine, given her current position. Her actions deform what one expects of a heroine in a classic love story by factoring the realism found in human nature, in these characters. Anna’s characterization of a heroine in a traditional love story is ambiguous because different readers vary in morals and interpretations. Viewing her adultery as justifiable in order to seek true happiness is neither right nor wrong, and may evoke readers to dislike her character or admire and empathize. Furthermore, her deep self-loathing may not be seen appealing to some readers, but perhaps neutral or even favorable to others. Chekov leaves characters and their actions entirely up to interpretation, because he chooses to tell their story through a humanistic lens.
Similar to Anna’s character, an analysis of Gurov can provoke several different interpretations, thwarting the expectations of the hero in a love story. According to Michaels, “The hero must be someone the readers can picture themselves falling in love with [and] stay in love with and believe that the heroine will be truly happy with him forever” (Michaels, pg. 2). Again, Chekov remains ambiguous for Gurov to fit the model as a romantic hero. “[Gurov] was not yet forty…[and] had begun cheating on [his wife] long ago; he cheated often, [and] …would refer to [women] as “the lower speicies” (Chekov, pg. 407). Similar to Anna, Gurov fitting his archetype is up to the reader’s interpretation. Placing themselves in Anna’s position, Chekov provokes his readers to question themselves falling in love with an individual who is womanizing and manipulative, like Gurov. Moreover, the scene of Anna’s emotional breakdown further questions how suitable Gurov will be in long-terms, after their first sexual occurrence. As Anna is in ruins over the act she has committed, “[he] was already growing bored of listening…[and] annoyed…” (Chekov, pg. 411). Again, the reader sees the insensitivity and carelessness shown by the supposed hero, Gurov. However, the end of the story reveals Gurov as a changed man, revealing that “he [is] truly properly in love- for the first time in his life” (Chekov, pg. 420). Chekov again wants readers to apply their individual ideals and beliefs, in order to interpret the couple’s future by applying realistic properties of mankind’s behavior.
“The Lady with the Lapdog” by Chekhov breaks the structure of the classical love story, and misleads the expectations to the reader.

When comparing Chekov’s elements that construct a love story to those in Leigh Michaels’ “The Essential Elements of Writing a Romance Novel”, readers must make their own judgments with what little Chekov provides. Chekov accomplishes this task by portraying Anna's and Gurov's relationship through using a lens of representative true human behavior. Unlike a traditional romantic story, Chekov fails to provide the reader with a concrete answer to how or if the lover’s will endeavor. Furthermore, the expectations of the romantic hero and heroine are skewed when analyzing Gurov and Anna. Readers are forced use their own judgments to fill in the blanks that Chekov provides because of the vast uncertainty due to human nature in the short

story.