Summary
Short-Questions
1. What kind of love experiences are suggested by Alyohin in 'About
Love'?
2. How did Alyohin define love?
Or, what is love according to Alyohin?
3. When does love become hindrance and source of dissatisfaction?
4. After finishing university, why does Alyohin work in the fields?
5. Sketch the character of Luganovich briefly.
Long-Question
1. Sketch the character of Alyohin.
1. About Love
Anton Chekhov
Characters
Alyohin : speaker, main character
College girl : Alyohin’s lover
Anna : Alyohin's lover
Luganovich : Anna's husband
Nicanor : male servant
Pelageya : female servant
Place
Sofyino : Alyohin's village
Crimea : where Anna goes for treatment
Theme : Love can't be limited to marriage; it can be made in any period of life.
Summary
The text is about love, the author tries to show that love is different in every situation. Three stories are told in order to prove that love is always different. Alyohin tells a story about Nikanor. Pelageya, who is a beautiful girl, loves Nikanor. But Nikanor drinks and beats her. So, Pelageya does not want to marry with Nikanor. She only wants to live with him. But it is wrong for Nikanor to live together before married.
Alyohin tells a story about himself, when he was studying at University. He loved a girl. But she loved his money not him. Alyohin went to the University to study but he spends a lot of money to her than study. His father has handsome loan so he had to work hard in the farm to return it, because he wasn't found any job. Alyohin was elected to be a judge. He had to go to town for court case. While he was in town he met Luganovich (40). Luganovich invited Alyohin to his house for dinner. There he met Anna (22) a young and beautiful woman. She had two children. Alyohin and Anna fell in love with each other. Every time that Alyohin went to town he visited Anna. Sometimes they talked long time, went theater together. He felt sorry for her because she didn't seem to be satisfied with her married life. They never confessed their love to each other. Alyohin was afraid that his love to Anna might ruin her family. She also couldn't dare to start a new life. It creates dissatisfaction and she suffered from mental tension.
At last, Luganovich posted another place. Anna had to go to Crimea for treatment. Alyohin went her to the station. He got on the train with a forgotten bag. Both of them were overcome (defeat) by the strong emotion of love. They confessed their love, kissed, embraced, wept and they separated for forever.
Short-Questions
1. What kind of love experiences are suggested by Alyohin in 'About
Love'?
In 'About Love' three kinds of love experiences are suggested by Alyohin. The first is the violent love affair between two servants Nikanor and Pelageya. The Second is the love between Alyohin and a girl when he was studying at university. At that time the girl wanted much money from him. The third love is the quite unexpressed love between Alyohin and Anna. They belong to socially civilized class. They hide their desires and feelings. Their love is spiritual but not sensual.
2. How did Alyohin define love?
Or, what is love according to Alyohin?
Alyohin defines that love is mysterious. It is a kind of feeling, nobody can define love exactly because one case of love doesn't match with the other case. Alyohin presented three stories to define the meaning of love. Love between Nikanor and Pelageya justified that love is possible between too much unmatchable persons. Love story between Alyohin and a college girl justified that love is a trick to gain something. Another love story between Alyohin and Anna is mysterious and flexible thing, which is not limited within social, age, caste, religion and class factors.
3. When does love become hindrance and source of dissatisfaction?
As love is mysterious, it is not limited only in marital relations. We do not find its clear definition. We can’t understand love. There is no single statement to explain love. The explanation of love that would fit one case does not apply to a dozen others. Each love story should be explained separately. If we apply reason and think of right and wrong, advantages and disadvantages in the matter of love, it becomes a hindrance or obstacle and a source of dissatisfaction and irritation.
4. After finishing university, why does Alyohin work in the fields?
He has been living at Sofyino as a farmer for a long time ever since he graduated from the University. He was a bookish man. His education did not give him to do the rough work. But when he came there the land and the buildings on it were borrowed lots of money. His father had spent a lot of money on his education by mortgaging the estate. Now his father had gone into debt. Then he decided not to leave the place but to work till he had paid off the debt. He felt himself he was responsible to pay off the debt. He involved in plowing, sowing and harvesting.
5. Sketch the character of Luganovich briefly.
Luganovich is 40 years old man. He is married as well. His wife’s name is Anna. They have two children. He is very friendly, so he calls Alyohin in dinner. In his behaviour we knew that he is very sociable man. He is very credulous because he believes his wife blindly. He loves to give parties. He loves his children very much. So the children love him more than their mother Anna. He never makes boundaries for his wife. He is honest man for his duty, too.
6. Why is Alyohin compare with “Squeirrel in cage” in the story ‘About
love’? Elaborate.
Long-Question
1. Sketch the character of Alyohin.
Alyohin is the narrator of the story "About Love" written by Anton Chekhov. He is a bachelor. He lives in a village in Russia. He has got friends named Burkin and Ivan. He is very frank and practical man. Love to Alyohin is strange and interesting. He is a son of a farmer in Sofyino. He has passed bachelor degree and is elected as "an Honorary Justice of Peace". Time and again (frequently) he visits the town to take part in court. He tells about Nikanor and Pelageya's love affair, a college girl and him. And last he fell in love with Anna, who has two children and wife of Luganovich. And he is colleague of Alyohin. But they couldn't confess their love.
Alyohin is a middle class man. He is moral. He knows the middle class morality. He sacrifices everything for his morality. So he decides not to destroy Anna's life and her family. He is not cunning (sneakiness) and wicked (evil) man. He is frank, free, sincere and emotional man guided by his own reason. He even goes to the rail station to say good bye to Anna. He is a kind and helpful man. He is also a man of foresight.
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