I think the reason the story is only limited to their meetings is because a major theme in the story is this idea of freedom, acting freely on emotions, wills and ideas. Dmitri seeks other women to feel free as he is shackled by his wife and children. He states that he is unfaithful often because he likes the company of women and that “when he was in the company of women he felt free”. And Anna too escapes to Yalta for the very same feeling of freedom. She states that, “I wanted to live! To live, to live! . . . I was fired by curiosity . . . you don’t understand it, but, I swear to God, I could not control myself; something happened to me: I could not be restrained.” She is shackled by the husband who she considers “flunkey” and the life she is expected to live when all she wants is to have a sort of adventure. The two characters connect in this aspect in their search for tasting freedom and the story revolves around them indulging in the freedom of escaping their spouses and going on adventures. In fact, “every evening they drove somewhere out of town, to Oreanda or to the waterfall; and the expedition was always a success, the scenery invariably impressed them as grand and beautiful”. When they were together they were unconfined, free to travel and move, always walking somewhere doing something, escaping the everyday. It was almost as if they’re world was separated from everyone else’s and he states, “every man had his real, most interesting life under the cover of secrecy.” It seems according to Chekhov the real freedom is the kind you experience when nobody else is looking, when you are in your own world, far from the charades of everyday life.
Infidelity and Betrayal
Betrayal and infidelity play a significant role in the shift of behavior within the characters. Betrayal is presented so strongly in the Golden Six Bits, that at times it even seemed to be a character itself. Missie May had seemingly been itching to get a taste of what it would be like to have gold money and be in the company of someone who is rich. Although it is clear that Missy May is apologetic about her actions, her infidelity it puts a massive strain on their relationship. What’s ironic is how Missie May gave off the impression of being put off by Slemmons and his reputation, saying, “Ah don’t see whut de womens see on [Slemmons]. Ah wouldn’t give ‘im a wink if de sheriff wuz after ‘im”(49). Yet, she proceeds to sleep with him. Although it is not clear as to why she decides to sleep with him, Joe’s constant mentioning of Slemmons, of his promiscuity, and his money could have triggered piqued her interest. There is a visible shift in her behavior and perception of Slemmons when she sees him at the ice cream parlor. Missie May becomes star-struck, more so by his gold money and tells her husband, “But he sho is got uh heap uh gold on ‘im. Dat’s de first time Ah ever seed gold money”(57). The change in dialogue reflects how she realized she’d underestimated Slemmons the first time around. It is clear that she is becoming curious about him and his wealth.
One can take Missie May’s actions and label her as a “golddigger” quite literally. However, May and her husband Joe are poor. They try to live their small, impoverished life with splendor and joy but it is clear that May has an inner desire to experience being rich. Her inner desire does not justify her actions in the least, but I believe it has a key role in her infidelity. With Joe, the betrayal from his wife was like a stab to the heart. It caused him to distance himself from her and doubt her words. He would not return home many times, investing in more time to work. When she got pregnant, he questioned whether or not he was the father. However, Missie May did not receive any harsh repercussions besides getting the cold shoulder from her husband at times. Missie May’s betrayal seemed to push Joe to prove his worth to her. In the end, he did come around to forgive her.
The Lady with the Dog Chekhov 10/8
How does one reconcile Gurov’s apparent misogyny with his newfound of love of Anna Sergeyevna?
Gurov calls women the “lower race” and makes his misogynic views present from the start. Despite this, he prefers the presence of women. He is a philanderer. Gurov puts on a façade around women claiming to act the way women prefer. On vacation, Gurov meets Anna, “the lady with the dog”. He is intrigued by her and starts an affair with Anna. After spending time with her, Gurov changes; He falls in love for the time. Even knowing that Anna is also married, Gurov travels to her home and confesses his love. He goes from being a womanizer to being serious about pursuing a relationship.
Roman Fever
What does Wharton want us to consider about the ways in which we do or do not know certain people in our lives? E.g. friends, lovers, family.
Edith Wharton was an American novelist and short story writer of 18-19 Century, who had quiet emphasized on short stories related to the society and especially upper class society. In her short story Roman Fever she Demonstrates enough of significant points about friendship, social level difference, sacrifice, betrayal and of course love. There are many factors that could be considered throughout the story, from the beginning to the end of story. For example in the beginning when Mrs Slade wants to confess about the letter she had written 25 years ago, or at the end when she says”At the end of all these years. After all, I had everything; I had him for twenty-five years. And you had nothing but that one letter that he didn’t write”(Wharton 16 ). Roman Fever is a short story about it tells a lot about friendship, judgement and secret.. In this story both characters have done something wrong in their youth age, one for love and one for popularity and both get shocked 25 years later about some truth that has and had changed their lives. Mrs Ansley had betrayed her friend and became pregnant from Mrs. Slade’s fiance at that time however she sacrificed her love and kept her daughter from Mr. slade as a secret for many years and Mrs. Slade is the reason for all that to happen however her intention was something else. I have learned a lot from it for instance, it is not easy to trust people around you, or at least the truth is not always what you think.The very important point that I have learned from this story is that truth will come out either it is sweet or bitter, if you sin you will be punished either today or some days later and also you cannot be rich or poor all the time.
Chekhov- “The Lady with the Dog”
What does the story tell us about Chekhov’s beliefs about people’s capacity for self-knowledge?
From “The Lady with the Dog”, the story tells us that Chekhov believes people’s capacity for self-knowledge is not what it seems. Dmitri Dmitritch Gurov was “attractive and elusive which allured women and disposed them in his favor” and he knew that. To him, relationships were simple and it can come as easy as it goes. His interest in one woman was never long or at least that’s what he thought until he met Anna Sergeyevna. “He was impatiently passionate, he would not move a step away from her” and even when they have parted ways Gurov couldn’t resist his longing for her. Although Gurov was so positive that he can easily forget this woman and move on he couldn’t deny his own feelings. And towards the end of the story, “In moments of depression in the past he had comforted himself with any arguments that came to his mind, but now he no longer cared for arguments; he felt profound compassion, he wanted to be sincere and tender”. One can say Gurov has changed and he also acknowledges this change for he doesn’t go against what his heart wants, to comfort the person he loves. If one were to ask Gurov if he would comfort a woman tenderly with love before he met Anna Sergeyevna I’m pretty sure he would’ve said no. Most of us would be confident in saying we know ourselves, but we wouldn’t be so confident when new people enter our social circles or when new circumstances come up in our lives. A person’s self-knowledge capacity really depends on whether the individual is able to realize and accept the changes happening around him/her.
Hurston The Gilded Six-Bits 10/8
How and why does Hurston incorporate the process of giving great value to seemingly small things (e.g. gifts, personal foibles or tendencies, inside jokes, games) into the story?
The setting opens up to Missie May and Joe, being happy, newly wedded couples in their pretty home. However, later on, Missie May commits infidelity for Slemmons’ gold. To Missie May, money is of great value and gold was what that caused her to give up her marriage. However, Hurston incorporates small things such as Joe and Missie May’s inside jokes, their chasing around in the house, tickling each other, Saturday ritual of silver dollars, and small gifts in Joe’s pocket. These small things hold great value to Joe and Missie May, but May does not realize this until she encounters a marital conflict with Joe after her infidelity. These little things are what brings joy and happiness to both of them. Although they weren’t rich, they were still satisfied with sufficient food and living. They even had enough saved up for a child. Even the candy kisses that Joe buys for Missie May symbolizes his thoughtfulness and love for Missie May. Hurston’s message in incorporating these small gestures is that money is important and it’s easy to get distracted by it, but some things are of greater value and some people don’t learn to cherish it until it’s gone. Happiness does not stem from having lots of gold, but from enjoying the things that you do have, which is what Missie May failed to realize at first. And only through the lack of the small things, was she able to repent her mistake and see what’s truly important in life.
Gabriel and His Differences
How does Joyce depict the differences between Gabriel and the other characters in the story? How are they similar and different?
Joyce portrays Gabriel as a protagonist that is ostracized from the rest of the characters. Although Gabriel is somewhat accepted in the crowd and does his “male” duties, it is obvious that he doesn’t belong. Joyce tries to portray him as extremely educated so that the rest of the characters seem to not understand him. His character throughout the texts portrayed him as somewhat anti-social. He fails to talk to women and relate to them in some way. The author added this to highlight this side of Gabriel. He does not want to be at this party, and walking alone in the midst of nature is what he finds most enthralling. He finds it more pleasant. This puts into perspective how he feels about the situation and may affect how we understand his decisions.
Joyce
How is the story a commentary on the relationship and/or struggle between regionalism/localism (as represented by, for example, Miss Ivors, who is very pro-Irish) and cosmopolitanism (as represented by Gabriel, who tries to be more European and at one point says he is sick of Ireland)?
The story is a commentary on the relationship between regionalism and cosmopolitanism because the protagonist, Gabriel and Miss Ivors who is pro-Irish have extremely different perspectives on their country. “And haven’t you your own land to visit,” continued Miss Ivors, “that you know nothing of, your own people, and your own country?” Miss Ivors believes that Gabriel should stay and learn more about Ireland rather than planning vacations elsewhere. However, Gabriel replies that he is sick of his own country and even claims that Irish is not his language. As Miss Ivors criticizes Gabriel for his lack of interest in Irish culture and politics, their conversation becomes tense. She even calls him a “West Briton” who is a supporter of English rule. Due to the dispute between these two characters and the ways they perceive their own country, customs, and language, Gabriel is unable to get along well with Miss Ivors.
Consider Mary’s choices toward the end of the story. Why does she choose this life rather than another?
Wharton’s story “A Muse’s Tragedy” ends with a melancholy letter where Mary Anerton chooses to confess her feelings to Danyer after he proposes to her. Mary was always whispered about and somewhat looked down upon because she was Rendle’s muse. She spends endless time with him and through that, she thought that Rendle would begin to grow some feelings for her. It was at the moment when Rendle died that Mary wished she could have said something sooner to him. Along with that, she has always observed his actions enough to know that he would never truly be with her although she did not want to admit it. Mary decides to reject Danyer’s proposal in the letterform that consisted of how she got to where she was to reject him. She could not go back to Venice and “spoil that month– my one month.” (Wharton, 40). She chooses her life because she believes it is what she deserves and because she does not want to part away from her dreams. She does not separate her dreams from reality where Rendle is gone and that he will never reciprocate the feelings she had to her, especially because he is gone. Mary has somewhat of dedicated and strong action, however, Mary does not take into account how Danyer will feel. He took her in regardless of what others said about her, got to know her, and accepted her as herself. Denyer, in the end, is not able to show the love that Rendle can never offer her.
“Roman Fever” by Edith Wharton
What does Wharton wants us to consider about the way in which we do or do not know certain people in our lives? E.g. friends, lover, family.
I believe Wharton wants to know that not all friends can be truthful to us or not all friends can break others heart. In the story of “Roman Fever” has both situations because Ansley know that Alida was engaged to Delphin so she does not want to break Alida’s heart (all three of them were stranger meet in Rome and became friends). On the other hand Ansley like Delphin and she hide that from Alida Slade. In the story situation Alida knows all the surrounding thing about Ansley and Delphin’s relationship but she still marry to Delphin Slade because she thought the things will be better after they both get married and move to America. Sometimes the situation can be like the way that you do not know what to do with surrounding people even though they are your friends and family. These kind of confusing situation can lead you to the worst.