Chekhov Short Story Thread

[Quark]

This is funny, DM, I copied some photos awhile back, of some of those objects you posted, mostly samovars. The photos look great in your post - very interesting.

I thought I remembered you posting some pictures of samovars. I couldn't find them when I looked back, though. It must have been a while ago.

I really liked this part, I think it is where the blurry between the lines of reality and dream really begin to take hold.

Yeah, she's starting to incorporate more and more of the room around her in her dreams.

I wondered if there is intended to be some meaning behind the father arriving to the hospital too late. For some reason that fact just stuck out within my mind.

I'm not sure. I had assumed that he arrived too late because he had already resigned himself to dying. I don't know whether that has any greater importance in the story or not.

I like the way it was more personalized here with the using the "We" instead of just stating it as a plain fact. It feels more emtional here I think.

The "we" makes it sound like she considers herself culpable for his death in some way. She's implicating herself now, instead of just stating the general fact that it was too late.

Also, I found interesting the way in which it says that he was better right before he died. Is that becasue of the peace he felt knowing the end had come at last? That he finnaly did just resgin himself to his fate in the end.

Yes, he improves slightly at the end because he's accepted that he's going to die. This is somewhat similar to the release that Varka feels when she turns on the baby. She's briefly better and then worse.

I found it intersting that in my version they took out the word slut.

Maybe the translator didn't think we hated the mistress enough. This version really tries to make it clear how abusive Varka's masters are.

I love the way in which the green light and the other items return again here.

I think the green light and the shadows represent the wish-fulfillment part of Varka's dream. They create the vision of the people falling asleep, and this is fulfillment of Varka's repressed wish. By bringing them back at the end of the dream, Chekhov is reminding us that the dream is primarily about wish-fulfillment--despite the fact that he used it to lay out Varka's past.

As she begins to drift off again. I wonder, is there any signifigance to why the men have wallets?

Wallet is meant in a different sense here. They mean wallet as in something like a knapsack. In the dream the heavy wallets are used to represent Varka's burdensome work.

In my version it says that they "wink" at her. I think the imagery of winking is much more powerful, I loved the idea of the objects and the lights winking at her. To me that just added more to the mocking factor and trying to tempt her with what she could not have.

The way they are described winking makes it seem like they have some agency. That's exactly how it must appear to Varka who's sees in them the fulfillment of her repressed desire. They tempt her with something she can't have.

As in my book, her mother repeats the same words as the mistress by saying:

I had wondered whether the mother and mistress were supposed to be compared here. It makes sense to do so since they are both pushing jobs on Varka. The mom pushes Varka to get a job, and the mistress gives her the chores that make up her job.

[Dark Muse]

I'm not sure. I had assumed that he arrived too late because he had already resigned himself to dying. I don't know whether that has any greater importance in the story or not.

Yes that would make sense. But for some reason I wondered if the father arriving too late, somehow related to what happens to Varka at the end, with the baby. Perhaps I am just reading too much into it. But it seems in a way it is "too" late for Varka as well, by the time she finally gets to sleep she has already done something unthinkable. If she was able to sleep before then, she probably would not have killed the baby.

Yes, he improves slightly at the end because he's accepted that he's going to die. This is somewhat similar to the release that Varka feels when she turns on the baby. She's briefly better and then worse.

I do not get the feeling that within the story itself she acutally does "get worse" As it ends with her fianlly able to sleep, though true there will be consequences when it is revealed what she has done, but in the story itself that is now shown.

Maybe the translator didn't think we hated the mistress enough. This version really tries to make it clear how abusive Varka's masters are.

I thought perhaps it had to do with an age thing. My version is rather old so I thought maybe it just would have been too obcsence for them to publish that word.

Wallet is meant in a different sense here. They mean wallet as in something like a knapsack. In the dream the heavy wallets are used to represent Varka's burdensome work.

Ahh yeah, that makes sense, acutally now that I think about it, I think they are called sachels in my text

The way they are described winking makes it seem like they have some agency. That's exactly how it must appear to Varka who's sees in them the fulfillment of her repressed desire. They tempt her with something she can't have.

I felt that sense of conspirace as well with the winking, particuarly at the end, when it seems everything around her, as "known" all along that the baby was the problem (thought of course that is a misconception it is really not the baby) but it is like she has been led up to that moment to finally focus on the baby, as if the other objects have been waiting for that conclusion.



I had wondered whether the mother and mistress were supposed to be compared here. It makes sense to do so since they are both pushing jobs on Varka. The mom pushes Varka to get a job, and the mistress gives her the chores that make up her job.[/QUOTE]

[Quark]

Yes that would make sense. But for some reason I wondered if the father arriving too late, somehow related to what happens to Varka at the end

That's possible, but the connection is pretty weak. One can think of both characters' relief coming too late, yet there isn't anything that makes the reader connect the father's treatment with the daughter's sleep. In fact, they're described differently in the story. It would be difficult to make the leap from one to the other. I do think, though, that you're right that both characters didn't get help or relief until it was too late. And, Chekhov may have been trying to get the reader to connect the two, but I don't think he did a very good job at that.

I do not get the feeling that within the story itself she acutally does "get worse" As it ends with her fianlly able to sleep, though true there will be consequences when it is revealed what she has done, but in the story itself that is now shown.

Yeah, her mood improves at the end of the story, but isn't there bound to be trouble when she awakes. There's an implied problem there which she will eventually discover. I'm not sure whether that justifies a connection between the father and the daughter, though. I may be reaching with this.

I thought perhaps it had to do with an age thing. My version is rather old so I thought maybe it just would have been too obcsence for them to publish that word.

It probably has more to do with the translator's temperament. Russian readers of the day probably wouldn't have been shocked by seeing "slut" in print. Many stories had that kind of name calling, and some even included actual prostitutes. I tend to think Chekhov probably did use the word "slut" here, because in several of his stories he has characters abusively castigate others with words like that.

Ahh yeah, that makes sense, acutally now that I think about it, I think they are called sachels in my text

It's a strange use of the word wallet. I'm not sure why they don't just say knapsack or satchel or bag. Any of those would work.

I felt that sense of conspirace as well with the winking, particuarly at the end, when it seems everything around her, as "known" all along that the baby was the problem (thought of course that is a misconception it is really not the baby) but it is like she has been led up to that moment to finally focus on the baby, as if the other objects have been waiting for that conclusion.

Conspiracy is a good way to put it. They represent to Varka knowledge of the hidden force that's stopping her from living. In the end, though, she can't find that force. Chekhov puts it like this:

through her half sleep she cannot understand the force which binds her, hand and foot, weighs upon her, and prevents her from living. She looks round, searches for that force that she may escape from it, but she cannot find it.

Instead of finding the actual binding force, though, she picks on the baby.

[Dark Muse]

It probably has more to do with the translator's temperament. Russian readers of the day probably wouldn't have been shocked by seeing "slut" in print. Many stories had that kind of name calling, and some even included actual prostitutes. I tend to think Chekhov probably did use the word "slut" here, because in several of his stories he has characters abusively castigate others with words like that.

I mean that in the American/Translated version, I thought they left out the word slut so not to shock American readers of the day.

I think there is meant to be some connection between Varka and her farther beyond just the vauge and genreal idea of suffering. Though perhaps he did not do a very good job of establishing that connection and made it weak. I still think some connection is intended between the two.

[Quark]

I mean that in the American/Translated version, I thought they left out the word slut so not to shock American readers of the day.

Oh, that could be. I don't know anything about when these translations were done. Usually they are British translations, though. Few ever get made by Americans for some reason.

I think there is meant to be some connection between Varka and her farther beyond just the vauge and genreal idea of suffering. Though perhaps he did not do a very good job of establishing that connection and made it weak. I still think some connection is intended between the two.

That's definitely true. Chekhov is clearly drawing comparisons between the father and daughter. I just think sometimes it could have been made a little more explicit. Some of the parallel requires a lot from the reader, and it isn't very apparent on a first reading.

We have three sections of the story left. One is the recovery from her dream, another is the string of chores she performs, and the last is the murder. Here's the brief segment showing her coming out of her dream:

"Give the baby here!" a familiar voice answers. "Give the baby here!" the same voice repeats, this time harshly and angrily. "Are you asleep, you wretched girl?"

Varka jumps up, and looking round grasps what is the matter: there is no high road, no Pelageya, no people meeting them, there is only her mistress, who has come to feed the baby, and is standing in the middle of the room. While the stout, broad-shouldered woman nurses the child and soothes it, Varka stands looking at her and waiting till she has done. And outside the windows the air is already turning blue, the shadows and the green patch on the ceiling are visibly growing pale, it will soon be morning.

"Take him," says her mistress, buttoning up her chemise over her bosom; "he is crying. He must be bewitched."

Varka takes the baby, puts him in the cradle and begins rocking it again. The green patch and the shadows gradually disappear, and now there is nothing to force itself on her eyes and cloud her brain. But she is as sleepy as before, fearfully sleepy! Varka lays her head on the edge of the cradle, and rocks her whole body to overcome her sleepiness, but yet her eyes are glued together, and her head is heavy.

[Dark Muse]

"Take him," says her mistress, buttoning up her chemise over her bosom; "he is crying. He must be bewitched."

In my book this line is a bit different in a way that struck me when I was first reading. In my book it says:

"Take it," says her mistress, buttoning her nightdress. "It is crying. The evil eye is upon it!"

I found this interesting because previously just above it it says:

While the stout, borad-shouldered woman feeds and soothes the baby

Here it makes her seem almost motherly, but than suddenly, she is thrusting the child back into Varka's arms and refering to the baby as an "it" The change in which her relationship with the baby suddenly becomes so inpersonal struck me.

Also I always got the impression that the Shoemakers family were not "that well off" higer than Varka of course, but I still felt they were still perhaps more middle class or lower middle class. And this scene sort of stuck out to me as a statement of thier class. As was it not common for higher classess to have wet nurses? Or was that not a practice in Russia?

[Quark]

Also I always got the impression that the Shoemakers family were not "that well off" higer than Varka of course, but I still felt they were still perhaps more middle class or lower middle class.

I also get the impression that this family was not particularly affluent--they shoemakers, after all. There was, however, a large lower class in Russia, so it was pretty usual for middle class families to have multiple servants. I don't know about child care, though.

Here it makes her seem almost motherly, but than suddenly, she is thrusting the child back into Varka's arms and refering to the baby as an "it" The change in which her relationship with the baby suddenly becomes so inpersonal struck me.

That is a noticeable difference between the two versions. Your book makes the mistress even easier to hate. She doesn't even care about her own child, let alone Varka. The baby is just a troublesome thing to her, and yet she expects Varka to stay up all night watching after it.

I think your version is probably the better of the two. It fits much more with the purpose of this section. This part concludes the story that starts in Varka's dream with her father dying. In her dream we see her losing her family and being forced to find work. The mistress comes into the story as the conclusion of this episode. She represents the job Varka got and the end result of the process that started in the dream. Particularly, she represents the unhappy, tragic end of that story. The fact that Varka ends up with snarling, abusive masters is the tragedy of the story. Therefore, Chekhov needs to paint the mistress in the most unflattering way he can. That's why we get the picture of her as this stumpy, coarse, snarling woman. Your version adds to this picture by showing that isn't even capable of affection toward her own child.

Looking toward the bottom of the section I quoted:

The green patch and the shadows gradually disappear, and now there is nothing to force itself on her eyes and cloud her brain. But she is as sleepy as before, fearfully sleepy! Varka lays her head on the edge of the cradle, and rocks her whole body to overcome her sleepiness, but yet her eyes are glued together, and her head is heavy.

What do you make of this part? Why does the day dispel her delirium? She seems just as sleepy, but she isn't imagining things any more.

[Dark Muse]

I found the imagery of her rocking the craddle to try and fight off her wish to sleep to be intersting, as usually one rocks a child to put them too sleep. It goes hand in hand with the lullaby before it and how everything but her was lulled to sleep.

I agree that here it seems she is starting to return back to reality once more, as she begins to see things for what they really are again. Her dreams began to vannish, and her illusions, but yet her problem is still not solved. Even with the day, she is not refreshed and still desperately needs and wants to sleep, but a whole knew set of chores will await her.

[Quark]

I found the imagery of her rocking the craddle to try and fight off her wish to sleep to be intersting, as usually one rocks a child to put them too sleep. It goes hand in hand with the lullaby before it and how everything but her was lulled to sleep.

Yeah, it helps create the somnolent mood of the story, and it reminds us of the cruelty involved in making Varka lull someone to sleep while she herself must stay awake.

I agree that here it seems she is starting to return back to reality once more, as she begins to see things for what they really are again. Her dreams began to vannish, and her illusions, but yet her problem is still not solved.

It seems like she returns to reality not because she wants to, though. Varka begins to come back because she's forced to by her work and she doesn't have time for reflection. Only when she's left to herself can she contemplate her problems and wish for better circumstances. The day represses all that. I think there's a strong psychological undercurrent in the story. It seems like a like the struggle between desire and repression is being played out in Varka's mind. She wants to sleep, but her social duties don't let her fall asleep. She then has a typical wish-fulfillment dream which tempts her to sleep. After that, though, she's confronted with her social duty and has to repress the desire. Eventually, the desire overcomes the repression and tries to find an outlet in killing the baby. It's the usual pattern of a desire being forced to use other means in order to find expression.

[Quark]

The next part of "Sleepy."

"Varka, heat the stove!" she hears the master's voice through the door.

So it is time to get up and set to work. Varka leaves the cradle, and runs to the shed for firewood. She is glad. When one moves and runs about, one is not so sleepy as when one is sitting down. She brings the wood, heats the stove, and feels that her wooden face is getting supple again, and that her thoughts are growing clearer.

"Varka, set the samovar!" shouts her mistress.

Varka splits a piece of wood, but has scarcely time to light the splinters and put them in the samovar, when she hears a fresh order:

"Varka, clean the master's goloshes!"

She sits down on the floor, cleans the goloshes, and thinks how nice it would be to put her head into a big deep golosh, and have a little nap in it. . . . And all at once the golosh grows, swells, fills up the whole room. Varka drops the brush, but at once shakes her head, opens her eyes wide, and tries to look at things so that they may not grow big and move before her eyes.

"Varka, wash the steps outside; I am ashamed for the customers to see them!"

Varka washes the steps, sweeps and dusts the rooms, then heats another stove and runs to the shop. There is a great deal of work: she hasn't one minute free.

But nothing is so hard as standing in the same place at the kitchen table peeling potatoes. Her head droops over the table, the potatoes dance before her eyes, the knife tumbles out of her hand while her fat, angry mistress is moving about near her with her sleeves tucked up, talking so loud that it makes a ringing in Varka's ears. It is agonising, too, to wait at dinner, to wash, to sew, there are minutes when she longs to flop on to the floor regardless of everything, and to sleep.

The day passes. Seeing the windows getting dark, Varka presses her temples that feel as though they were made of wood, and smiles, though she does not know why. The dusk of evening caresses her eyes that will hardly keep open, and promises her sound sleep soon. In the evening visitors come.

"Varka, set the samovar!" shouts her mistress. The samovar is a little one, and before the visitors have drunk all the tea they want, she has to heat it five times. After tea Varka stands for a whole hour on the same spot, looking at the visitors, and waiting for orders.

"Varka, run and buy three bottles of beer!"

She starts off, and tries to run as quickly as she can, to drive away sleep.

"Varka, fetch some vodka! Varka, where's the corkscrew? Varka, clean a herring!"

We've talked about her demanding job a lot so far, but here it is actually shown to us. I'll comment on it some when I post tonight.

[Dark Muse]

I think this section is great for showing just how oeverworked Varka really is, as well I think it helps to build up more sypathy for her and her cicumstance, as we can see, she is not given a single moments rest, the orders just pile on top of each other one after the other without stop.

She sits down on the floor, cleans the goloshes, and thinks how nice it would be to put her head into a big deep golosh, and have a little nap in it. . . . And all at once the golosh grows, swells, fills up the whole room. Varka drops the brush, but at once shakes her head, opens her eyes wide, and tries to look at things so that they may not grow big and move before her eyes.

I loved this image of her wanting to just slide into the golosh and go to sleep. And here we can see how reality and her illusions are starting to merge together, the way in which, she begins to see the golosh growing before her and she tries to fight the image off.

then heats another stove and runs to the shop.

I found this a bit odd when I first read the story, that they had more than one stove.

The day passes. Seeing the windows getting dark, Varka presses her temples that feel as though they were made of wood, and smiles, though she does not know why. The dusk of evening caresses her eyes that will hardly keep open, and promises her sound sleep soon.

Here seems to be a start of a turning point for Varka and the events that are soon to come. As I think at the very end when she kills the baby, it mentions her smiling than as well, and this moment and at the end are the only instances in which she is seen to smile.

As well the fact that it states she does not know why she is smiling, and she clearly has been given no reason to seems to suggest that there is something off here.

Also I found it interesting, her seeming exepectation that she will finally be able to sleep, as though we do not know how long she has been working for the shoemaker, we have the feeling she has been through this routine before so she has no reason to suspect tonight will be any different.

[Quark]

I think this section is great for showing just how oeverworked Varka really is, as well I think it helps to build up more sypathy for her and her cicumstance, as we can see, she is not given a single moments rest, the orders just pile on top of each other one after the other without stop.

I particularly like how the orders pile up and overwhelm her. In a line like

Varka splits a piece of wood, but has scarcely time to light the splinters and put them in the samovar, when she hears a fresh order

we can tell that Varka is being pushed to the limit. It's easy to see why she goes over the edge later on. This tiresome, demanding work would drive anyone crazy.

Also, I thought the stream of orders added to the perspective by making the reader as drowsy as Varka. Repetition often does this, and many writers have used it to lull a reader to sleep. One of the best examples is from Tennyson's "The Lotus Eaters" in which the poet repeats certain words, sentences, and sounds to lull the reader into the sleepy, lazy mood that the Lotus eaters are in. Chekhov uses the same device here.

I loved this image of her wanting to just slide into the golosh and go to sleep. And here we can see how reality and her illusions are starting to merge together, the way in which, she begins to see the golosh growing before her and she tries to fight the image off.

I thought the shoe part was a nice touch, too. Chekhov shows how she is completely losing perspective here. She can't tell what size, shape, or positions objects really are in any more. This is part of her problem later when she attacks the baby. In that case, the baby takes up too large of a place in her mind, instead of the shoes taking up too large of a place in the room.

I found this a bit odd when I first read the story, that they had more than one stove.

She's in the store, so the building probably has more than one room. It wouldn't be surprising if they had three of four wood stoves. Wood stoves put out a lot of heat, but that heat doesn't travel very far. My parents have two in their house, and they manage to only heat two rooms. Those rooms are ninety degrees of course, but the rest of the house gets freezing cold. When you think about it, central air was a wonderful invention.

Here seems to be a start of a turning point for Varka and the events that are soon to come. As I think at the very end when she kills the baby, it mentions her smiling than as well, and this moment and at the end are the only instances in which she is seen to smile.

That's a good point. The totally unprompted and somewhat deranged smile makes its first appearance here. It seems to come from the fact that she's finally starting to contemplate sleep. Before, she was resisting the thought, but now it's a real possibility to her. That thought must make her smile.

Also I found it interesting, her seeming exepectation that she will finally be able to sleep, as though we do not know how long she has been working for the shoemaker, we have the feeling she has been through this routine before so she has no reason to suspect tonight will be any different.

No, I don't think she's expecting a break in her work, but just the idea of sleep is what's making her smile.

The dusk of evening caresses her eyes that will hardly keep open, and promises her sound sleep soon.

The "dusk of evening" is what brings up the idea of sleep, not any hope that her chores will end. Varka is consciously aware that her job won't let her fall asleep, but the dim light makes her think of sleep. That's enough to elicit a smile. It's a bit like the way the green light impresses her mind and brings up uncontrollable thoughts.

[Dark Muse]

I particularly like how the orders pile up and overwhelm her.

I also like the way in which it starts out by saying the Master master ordered her to do this and the Mistress ordered her to do that, but than it no longer matters who is giving the orders, they all just blend together in a constant Varka do this and Varka do that.

we can tell that Varka is being pushed to the limit. It's easy to see why she goes over the edge later on. This tiresome, demanding work would drive anyone crazy.

Yes that is true, not to mention in addition the delirum that would be caused by a lack of sleep

I thought the shoe part was a nice touch, too. Chekhov shows how she is completely losing perspective here. She can't tell what size, shape, or positions objects really are in any more. This is part of her problem later when she attacks the baby. In that case, the baby takes up too large of a place in her mind, instead of the shoes taking up too large of a place in the room.

That is a good point, about how the way in which she views the shoes here relates than how she later sees the baby and blows the baby out of perportion, as the baby only plays a small role in her problems. It is true in the moment the baby is the one immideately responsebile for her not being able to sleep, but of course the baby is not the true source of the problem it is the master and mistress, but she can lash out at the baby in a way she cannot do so to them.

I also like the part about the potatos

But nothing is so hard as standing in the same place at the kitchen table peeling potatoes. Her head droops over the table, the potatoes dance before her eyes, the knife tumbles out of her hand while her fat, angry mistress is moving about near her with her sleeves tucked up, talking so loud that it makes a ringing in Varka's ears. It is agonising, too, to wait at dinner, to wash, to sew, there are minutes when she longs to flop on to the floor regardless of everything, and to sleep.

I find it interesting how she is often given repeitive tasks to do it seems, that would make a person feel drowsy and to me the peeling of a potatos could almost refelct back to the motion of rocking the cradle and the voice of her mistress rigning in her ear is like the baby constnatly crying and keeping her from sleep.

She's in the store, so the building probably has more than one room. It wouldn't be surprising if they had three of four wood stoves. Wood stoves put out a lot of heat, but that heat doesn't travel very far. My parents have two in their house, and they manage to only heat two rooms. Those rooms are ninety degrees of course, but the rest of the house gets freezing cold. When you think about it, central air was a wonderful invention.

That makes sense I did not think of that

No, I don't think she's expecting a break in her work, but just the idea of sleep is what's making her smile.


The "dusk of evening" is what brings up the idea of sleep, not any hope that her chores will end. Varka is consciously aware that her job won't let her fall asleep, but the dim light makes her think of sleep. That's enough to elicit a smile. It's a bit like the way the green light impresses her mind and brings up uncontrollable thoughts.

Yes I can see how the coming of the night could put her in the mind of sleep.

[Quark]

I also like the way in which it starts out by saying the Master master ordered her to do this and the Mistress ordered her to do that, but than it no longer matters who is giving the orders, they all just blend together in a constant Varka do this and Varka do that.

I hadn't noticed that actually. You're right that the first two orders come from different people and then Chekhov stops telling us who is talking altogether. The fact that she gets separate sets of orders adds to the hectic, overwhelmed feeling Varka must be experiencing. When Chekhov stops naming the source of orders it also shows how desensitizes Varka is becoming. She doesn't even realize who's talking anymore. It's just a stream of words, nothing more. This is another clever device Chekhov uses to draw us into Varka's mind, and I wouldn't have caught it unless you pointed it out, DM. Little things like this are what makes me like this story so much. They create an effect without drawing attention to themselves. They allow the story to reach such a high dramatic pitch while still being subtle and not over-the-top.

I find it interesting how she is often given repeitive tasks to do it seems, that would make a person feel drowsy and to me the peeling of a potatos could almost refelct back to the motion of rocking the cradle and the voice of her mistress rigning in her ear is like the baby constnatly crying and keeping her from sleep.

Since the story ends with infanticide, Chekhov has a lot of work if he's not going villainize Varka. Specifically, he has to make her job absolutely horrible. That way Varka can be somewhat justified in resorting to desperate measures to escape from it. These repetitive tasks and loud sounds are part of that.

Oh, and how much time do we have left? I know you were planning on taking off to Tahoe sometime. Should we start wrapping this up? If you have time we can probably keep going for another five or six days, but if you have to leave that's okay.

[Dark Muse]

I am leaving this Saturday