The Proposal Book Review and Description

Experiencing something new is almost always a refreshing experience. Whether it be something along the lines of learning to ride a bike, discovering a hidden talent, or in my case, reading something besides a ponderous and at times depressing work of literature. Given that we are exposed to humor almost every day, it was a pleasant experience to encounter a story that relates to this component of everyday life. Anton Chekhov’s The Proposal is a comical play that is distinctive from others, given its circumstances, in the way the author has written his play, as well as how the reader can interpret what he is trying to convey.

Chekhov’s play takes place in a room of a man’s farmhouse, and that is all the author provides for the reader to interpret the setting. This is the reason I enjoy reading plays more than I do standard fiction and poetry. Reading a poem or short story will usually paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind, and often explain exactly what one of the characters is thinking if it is written in in a first person point of view. Although these paintings and explanations are enjoyable to be informed of, they can be a hassle for slow readers. Almost like a handicap, they can suppress the progression of people’s reading. Instead, while reading or experiencing a play, one can follow along with the words as they concurrently create an image in their mind. Seeing that this play occurs on a farmland, I cannot help but picture that there are rays of sunshine beaming down into the room, and in the distance are rolling hills and grassy meadows. I imagine birds singing as they soar through a light breeze of the wind, and I can hear a steady stream of water running through a river in the background. However, the cha...

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... to balance the economic necessities of marriage with what the characters themselves actually want, and shows the Natasha’s desperation for marriage as comical. At the time this story was written, marriage was known as a symbol of economic stability for many people. Accordingly, the majority of the Russian population married in order to gain wealth, or simply fit in with the rest of society. This play is correctly depicted because it successfully points out the couple’s disputes regarding the smallest, most insensible things.

Works Cited

Bradford, Wade. "The Marriage Proposal." About.com Plays / Drama. NRelate, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. .

Madden, Frank. "The Proposal." Exploring Literature: Writing and Arguing about Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. Fifth ed. Boston: Pearson, 2012. 759-69. Print.