How does one reconcile Gurov’s apparent misogyny with his newfound of love of Anna Sergeyevna?

In the short story “The Lady with the Dog” by Anton Chekhov, Dmitri Gurov sexualizes Anna Sergeyevna’s youthfulness. The sexualization is especially prevalent towards the beginning of the story which was considered normal during that time period. Dmitri describes women as “the lower race” because he believes that they’re inferior to men, but he would still rather be in the company of a woman. Throughout the story, readers can tell that Dmitri is attracted to Anna’s small body frame, purity, and obedient nature. Anna’s purity and innocence are symbolized by her white dog that she is always seen with. Later on in the story, her dog is seen less and she’s not as innocent due to her affair with Dmitri. Meanwhile, the repetition of grey in the story shows Dmitri’s uncertainty about his affair because he used to never believe in enduring relationships. The use of the color grey represents Dmitri’s realization that he’s actually in love with Anna, making his world of black and white disappear and his appreciation of Anna more profound.