The Kiss

[mohammadali]

recently I have read the kiss by Chekhov. it was both interesting and boring in my opinion. it was nice because there was a big suspense in the story. from the begging to the end you wanted to know who kissed him, in the other hand he explained a lot and make the story so long that i got tired and a little angry. actually most of Chekhov works are like that for example the diary of a teacher is the same.
the story somehow had some unnecessary events that really made me to leave the story. it could be shorter than that. i can say that he talked until he was blue in the face. but generally the story was nice, but i prefer the bet i think the bet was more interesting than the kiss.
what is your understanding of the kiss? and what is your opinion?
what do you think is the theme of the story?
why at the end he rejected the invitation?

[cacian]

Hi mohammadali
Why did you think it was boring?
Well I tried myself and the conclusion I came up with is this

It is either a woman or a man dressed up a woman. One or the other.
It seemed at times the narrator was almost implying he thought it was a man.
That was the impression I got.
The other thing is that the writer/narrator does not say anything about lips just arms around neck and warm cheek.
There is no description of lips touching.
And so was there ever a kiss or was it just an imagination?
It is not clear in the passage

And two soft, fragrant, unmistakably feminine arms were clasped about his neck; a warm cheek was pressed to his cheek, and simultaneously there was the sound of a kiss. But at once the bestower of the kiss uttered a faint shriek and skipped back from him, as it seemed to Ryabovitch, with aversion. He, too, almost shrieked and rushed towards the gleam of light at the door.

He talks about a sound of a kiss. No lips touching or kissing just sound.