Short stories are a valuable form of literature, as they reveal their authors’ ability to transmit powerful messages and topical themes through a concise medium. This paper addresses the works by Anton Chekhov and Joyce Carol Oates. These authors are divided by a half-century of artistic evolution with a profound shift of trends and tools used in literature. Chekhov is a known master of the short story who lived and worked in the late 19th-century Russia. He is equally famous for his attention to detail and profound thematic elements, as implied by the existence of a trope that is titled Chekhov’s Gun.
In turn, Oates represents the American literature of the 20th and 21st centuries. Her works reflect the evolution of the social landscape and humanitarian studies development. Both authors lived and worked in different countries with nearly a century between them, but there is one common point. Oates’ The Lady with the Pet Dog is a more recent rendition of Chekhov’s famous short story that depicts a casual affair between two married lovers that gradually develops into a more profound feeling. While the two stories are united by the theme and plot details, there are several aspects of it that differ, especially in terms of setting and point of view.
Overview of the Plots
Anton Chekhov’s version of The Lady with the Pet Dog is considered the original once, since it was published 73 years before Oates reinterpreted the theme. The plot of the story revolves around two lovers who meet at a famous resort in the Russian Empire called Yalta. While vacationing there, a middle-aged gentleman named Dmitri learns of the arrival of a mysterious lady with a pet dog. The main character exhibits strong misogynist views and is generally unfaithful to his wife who stays in Moscow. Thus, he decides to meet the titular Lady and attempt to seduce her. The latter is called Anna, and she is also married, although she rarely sees her usually absent husband. The two quickly befriend each other and develop romantic feelings. Their affair comes to an abrupt end when Anna is summoned home by her husband, leaving Dmitri surprised by his own frustration caused by the separation.
As the main character returns home, he struggles to accept his normal life. Instead, he continues to think about Anna and admits that he misses her. The man never pursued anything serious throughout his multiple affairs, but now he is consumed by his feelings. Completely overwhelmed, Dmitri travels to Moscow and trace Anna’s whereabouts one night at an opera. As former lovers interact, it becomes clear that they both have retained their feelings. Anna is afraid of her husband knowing about the affair, which is why she begins to frequent Moscow in secret. Their affair continues in the city’s hotels until Dmitri finally realizes that what he has been experiencing is, indeed, love. Anna feels the same, but they are both married to other people, making their future complicated. Nevertheless, following a heartfelt discussion the characters decide to work on their relationship, hoping that the beginning is its most difficult part.
The short story of love, separation, and struggle for happiness became famous. In the 1970s, it inspired Joyce Carol Oates to write her own rendition of it. Her version of The Lady with the Pet Dog uses the contemporary setting of the United States. Oats preserves the details of the plot and even the names of the main characters. In a way, she tells the same story, but it does not feel secondary at any point. In addition to changing the location and timeframe, Oates switches from Dmitri’s point of view to Anna’s perspective on the affair. For her, Dmitry is merely a “stranger” for most of the story, but she still falls in love with him. In this rendition, the reader has a unique opportunity to explore the plot through Anna’s eyes and see a woman’s view of the central themes that deserve to be discussed.
Characters and Themes
The characters and themes represent the similarities between the two version of The Lady with the Pet Dog. In terms of the first category, the scope of the narration is intentionally limited to the two main characters. Dmitri is clearly developed as a serial womanizer and a person who never seeks emotional connection, being satisfied with physical pleasure. Anna is not his first casual affair, but it is her personality that makes a difference. She is surrounded by a light touch of mystery, and even her name was not common knowledge in the original story. It is known that she is married to another man, but there is no love left in this relationship in both versions.
Accordingly, both characters feel trapped in their marriages without feelings and drawn to each other at the same time. As for the other characters, the authors provide only a glimpse of them, keeping the focus on the two dedicated lovers. However, it does not feel as if the narration lacks the depth of secondary characters. Instead, it shows to illustrate that neither Dmitri nor Anna care about anyone but their dear lover.
This approach to character-building by Chekhov and Oates serves to reflect the main themes hidden behind the plot. The core of the story itself is as old as human civilization, as love has been the driving force of many legends, myths, novels, and other form of arts since the dawn of literary tradition. Greek and Nordic tales, medieval poetry, and modern cinematography depict love in its various forms, mostly tragical, in the majority of cases. In the Chekhov and Oates’ cases, there is a clash of two lives for each of the main characters. In one, they are trapped in a loveless marriage, forced to be with the people with whom they have little or no connection.
In the other one, the characters find each other and form a strong emotional bond. Thus, in addition to the eternal concept of love, both Ladies represent the struggle for freedom as opposed to captivity. The tone and architecture of Oates’ rendition adds another layer to this idea, as she shifts the focus toward Anna. She deliberately explores the woman’s perspective on the matter, which is an important element to discuss.
Setting and Perspective
There unquestionable parallels between the two stories, which is not surprising since they are based on the same plot. However, the presentation of the stories introduces major differences that should be emphasized. More specifically, the divergence begins with the settings, which are contemporary for each author. Chekhov’s The Lady with the Pet Dog is set in the late 19th-century Russia and depicts the spirit of the time. Dmitri vacations in Yalta, a popular resort of that time, and lives in Moscow. In turn, Oates describes the contemporary Massachusetts as a writer based in the United States. While the focus of narration on the main characters inevitably makes the background blurry, the entourage remains convincing because both authors are familiar with the corresponding setting. This point of difference is of paramount importance, as the change of setting from the 19th-century Russia to the 1970s Massachusetts comes with a major thematic component.
The novelty of Oates’ rendition consists of exploring the events from Anna’s perspective. Spoken differently, she takes a moderately feminist approach to the narration. Chekhov lived in the 19th century, and the tone of the story reflects the views of the time. Among the two main characters, Dmitri is obviously the central one, and these are his thoughts that are broadcast in the text. Oates lays an emphasis on Anna’s point of view, showing how the woman felt in this conundrum between freedom and captivity. Both are not happy in their marriages, but the reasons may different. Dmitri clearly lacks respect for most women, losing interest to his wife and only using his casual affairs for pleasure, Anna being an exception. The familial life of the latter is barely explored by Chekhov, but, judging by the traditions of the time, it is possible that Anna did not consent to her marriage, which is why she is not happy in it. The first rendition clearly ignores the personality of Anna’s husband, serving to prevent a critical reaction to Dmitri’s attempts at destroying a family.
Conclusion
Overall, both Anton Chekhov and Joyce Carol Oates presented two exceptional pieces of literature with their versions of The Lady with the Pet Dog. While there are evident commonalities, the differences reveal themselves upon further examination. Oates added a feminist dimension to the already profound discussion of love, happiness, and freedom. In a way, she filled the blanks left in the original story by Chekhov. The latter cannot be blamed for such points, as his plot-building accurately depicts the reality of his time. As the paradigm of social philosophy shifted, Oates responded to it by developing the original idea into a modern rendition of the classic story.