Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, a famous Russian writer, was a short story master who dreamed that people should be free and happy. Unfortunately, in real life, Chekhov had to deal with rudeness and callousness, which he called vulgarity. Chekhov made fun of philistines, stupidity, and the writer especially did not like the humiliation and slavish psychology of the people. Gooseberries by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, whose protagonists demonstrate simple philosophical truths, belongs to the genre of a great and short story. The work constitutes the Little Trilogy along with other texts of the writer (The Man in the Case and About Love).
Anton Chekhov wrote this work, inspired by the story that Anatoly Koni (Russian lawyer) told another eminent writer, Leo Tolstoy. The lawyer spoke of an official whose only dream was to acquire a uniform. The employee spent all the deferred funds on tailoring the suit, but he never put it on; he received a costume, but no balls or evenings were planned for the near future. The lawsuit hung in a closet, but naphthalene ruined the golden embroidery. Six months later, the official died, and for the first time, tried on the coveted uniform as the corpse. Anton Chekhov rewrote the story that was told by Anatoly Koni. In the new short story, the official dreams of having a house decorated with gooseberry bushes. The author conveys significant thoughts through the narrator, Ivan Ivanovich, to the reader. The main belief of the character is that after acquiring what people want, they feel happy and turn away from others, but eventually, life will show its dark side.
The readers see the village of Mironositskoye; two friends are walking here, and they express a desire to visit someone they know. The fellow is a landowner, and he lives in the estate, not far from the village. Over a cup of tea, one of the visitors tells his friends about his brother. As children, two brothers lived in their father’s house, he had the rank of an officer and managed to earn the right to hereditary nobility for children. The father went into debt during his life, so the mansion was confiscated after his death. Since then, the soul of the storyteller’s brother has settled on a dream: he wants to buy a small house, decorate the estate with gooseberry bushes, and live there in peace. The narrator’s brother marries a wealthy widow and indulging in dreams, Nikolai (that was the name of the narrator’s brother) puts aside almost all his savings in the bank and begins to starve with his wife (Chekhov 9). The unfortunate woman cannot stand the torment and dies soon. Nikolai is left alone after the death of his unloved wife. Then the visitor’s brother realizes his old dream: he acquires a manor, plants gooseberries, and begins to live a real noble life.
In the center of the narration is the story of two brothers, Ivan and Nikolai Chimsha-Himalayan. Contrary to the kinship that connects the critical characters of Chekhov’s Gooseberries, the brothers are completely different people. The only aspect that connects the characters is a middle name and a surname. The main difference in the figures is rooted in the divergence of views on the meaning of life. The theme that connects the Little Trilogy and the stories included in the cycle is revealing of the painful truth: so many people live in petty goals, base interests. It should be noted that such a life is more like a dream (Finke 185). Therefore, the writer wants the readers to open their eyes and realize what is essential in life and what is secondary.
Ivan is a nobleman by birth; however, the character’s father was impoverished, and the descendants lose the estate that their father, just like the noble status, received in the officers’ service, therefore now Ivan Ivanovich works as a veterinarian. The role of Ivan Ivanovich Chimsha-Himalayan in the story is essential. On his behalf, there is a story about the fate of the protagonist, who dreams of acquiring a manor with gooseberries. The author does not say much about the life of this character. Ivan Ivanovich is a resonator because his thoughts are very similar to the ideas of the author. This character sees misery in the dream of his brother Nicholai. He considers his desire to acquire a manor in the village as a way to hide, to escape from the struggle, as “monasticism without feat” (Chekhov 10). Ivan Ivanovich reflects on the fact that a person should not limit themselves to a few meters of the earth, but to explore, learn the whole world (Worthman 47). The character develops the idea that satiety and idleness are dangerous for a person.
The character sees this in his brother, who, having achieved what he wanted, begins to be proud of it and even demands high nobility from others. Nikolai Ivanovich is no longer the former poor official and turns into a real landowner. Through the words of his character, the author conveys morality to the reader, which has become an aphorism: “It is necessary that behind the door of every happy, happy person there should be someone with a hammer and constantly remind with a knock that there are unhappy” (Chekhov 15). Ivan Ivanovich talks about how people are often indifferent to others, blinded by their well-being, and do not notice other people’s troubles.
He realizes this truth, in part, thanks to his brother, Nikolai, who lives in need, but when he achieves his goal, he seems to forget about everything. He begins to have enough, to eat much, and due to this starts to get fat, and gooseberries bring him the greatest joy. The character is happy with the gooseberries, even though they are sour. Nikolai does not admit to himself that the reality is not so sweet. Ivan Ivanovich tells his comrades that he is no longer young, and therefore not suitable for the struggle. He is left to worry and disappointment, and because of these ideas, Ivan Ivanovich does not sleep well at night, and his head burns. The character tells the landowner Alekhine, his youngest friend, not to give up, but to do good to people.
The main idea of Chekhov is expressed in the phrase of Ivan Ivanovich that one cannot rejoice when others feel bad. One cannot turn a blind eye to other people’s problems, and it is essential to remember that trouble can knock on any door. It is crucial to be able to respond in time to requests for help so that people will assist you in difficult times. Thus, the author expresses his contempt for constant peace and stagnation in human life. Happiness, according to Chekhov, is a movement, an action, while at the same time aimed at committing good and fair deeds.
Works Cited
Chekhov, Anton. Gooseberries. Penguin UK, 2016.
Finke, Michael C., & Holquist, Michael. Approaches to Teaching the Works of Anton Chekhov. Modern Language Association, 2016.
Worthman, Christopher. “Fostering Empathetic Listening: Integrative Storytelling in the Writing Classroom.” The Journal of Literature, Literacy, and the Arts, Praxis Strand, vol. 5, no. 1, 2018, pp. 42-63.