The main feature of Chekhov's nature is a keen instinct for someone else's pain, the innate wisdom of a lofty and kind soul. To understand his views, thoughts, you need to peer into the depths of the works, listen to the sounding voices of the heroes of his work. The writer is interested in ordinary people, in whom he tries to find what makes them filled with high spirituality.
In the eighties of the nineteenth century, Chekhov began to publish in the influential newspaper Novoye Vremya, owned by A.S. Suvorin. There is an opportunity to sign stories with a real surname. Since 1887, almost all of the writer's works have been published by Suvorin. From these books, Russia recognized Chekhov.
Speaking about the prototype of Darling, we can say with confidence that this is a generalized symbol, a certain general property of character - the foremother principle.
He enthusiastically accepted the story of L.N. Tolstoy.
Genre, direction
Chekhov continues the best traditions of classical realism, which is intertwined with the techniques of high naturalism.
The writer comes into contact with symbolism, looking for modern forms of depicting reality in it.
“Darling” is a short story, the musicality of which makes it possible to speak of its intimacy. The narration is accompanied by a slight irony that hides a mocking smile.
essence
The focus is on the ordinary life of Olga Semyonovna Plemyannikova. There is no plot intrigue.
Two storylines stand out in the story, both connected with the story of Olenka: on the one hand, “the chain of the heroine’s hobbies”, on the other, “the chain of losses and losses”. Darling loves all three husbands selflessly. She asks for nothing in return for her love. Without passion simply can not live. Take away this feeling from her - life will lose all meaning.
All husbands leave this earth. She sincerely mourns them.
True love comes to Darling only when the boy Sasha appears in her fate.
Main characters and their characteristics
The characters and souls of Chekhov's heroes are not immediately revealed. The author teaches not to rush to make unambiguous assessments of his characters.
- Olga Semyonovna Plemyannikova- "quiet, good-natured, compassionate young lady." Everything in her appearance was “soft”: both her eyes and her white neck. But the hallmark was a "kind, naive smile." A loving person, in whose fate three heartfelt attachments appear one after another: entrepreneur Ivan Kukin, timber warehouse manager Vasily Andreevich Pustovalov, veterinarian Vladimir Platonych Smirnin. Olenka becomes their "shadow", "echo woman". Deprived of her opinion, she always repeats what her husbands say. Loving without looking back, Darling cannot imagine her life alone. Vanechka, Vasechka, then Volodechka. She called everyone "dear". Left completely alone, she is lost, not a single thought is born in her mind. Emptiness and uncertainty of the future become constant companions of life. And only the appearance in her fate of the ten-year-old boy Sasha, the son of Smirnin, “gives” Olga Semyonovna love that captures her whole soul. The general property of character can be defined by the general word "femininity", it expresses the whole image of Darling.
- Ivan Kukin. The characterization of the hero is based on an antithesis: he contains the Tivoli Pleasure Garden, but constantly complains about life. Appearance nondescript: skinny, says, twisting his mouth. A yellow complexion is a sign of physical ill health and a grumpy character. Unhappy person. The constantly falling rain is a symbol of the hostage of the situation desperate in his fate.
- Vasily Andreevich Pustovalov- Plemyannikova's neighbor. "Powerful voice", "dark beard". A completely unremarkable personality. He doesn't like any kind of entertainment. Joint life with Olenka looks through the details: “both smelled good”, “they returned side by side”.
- Vladimir Platonych Smirnin- A young man, a veterinarian. He divorced his wife, because he hated her, but regularly sent money to support his son.
- The fate of women in society always worried Anton Pavlovich. He devoted unforgettable pages of his work to her, creating the image of a “Chekhov woman”,
- The main theme of the story is love. Love for relatives, love for a man and motherly love. The theme of love is the main one in the life of Darling. Her feelings are quiet, sad. The story is about the ability of a Russian woman to selflessness for the sake of continuing and preserving life.
- But are the characters in the story completely free in their behavior and judgments? The hardest is the question of real human freedom about overcoming dependence on loving people.
- The problem of happiness. Is it possible to call a happy person who lives only for the benefit and happiness of his relatives and friends? Is it really necessary to provide them with “happiness” according to some kind of their own norm? The author tries to answer these questions with his usual delicacy.
- The philosophical problem of the value of life. A person has obligations to it and to its preservation. You don't need to destroy it.
- The conflict of ordinary meaningless life and personality, which must "kill the slave in itself" and begin to live consciously. The heroine will have to throw off the sleepy stupor of passivity and take responsibility for someone's fate.
Topics and issues
Meaning
The writer usually does not give comforting answers. Not everything in life is clear to him. But there are such values in prose that the master is sure of. What is love? First of all, it is a feeling that allows a person to reveal the potential of his soul. To love does not mean copying your soul mate, blindly repeating her thoughts, completely depriving yourself of the freedom of choice. Love gives a person an invisible energy that allows him to share with his beloved all the hardships of life, to overcome the difficulties encountered on the way. Where there is no true love, there life is not completely real - this is the main idea of the writer.
A woman is not only a loving and caring wife. She is the mother who gives the world a child, the successor of the human race. Chekhov's love is a deeply Christian feeling, hence his idea - to give Darling feelings that elevate her, and not enslave her in a routine.
True love is possible only in the family world. Maternal love allows you to go through the path of knowing life again with the child.
What does it teach?
Chekhov puts the reader in front of the need to choose the answer to the question himself. The main idea is contained in the scene of the “geography lesson”: “A part of the land is called an island,” Olenka repeats. “Islands” are human destinies, “land” is our vast world, which is made up of family “islands”. After all, only there you can experience the highest fullness of life and find yourself.
The writer teaches that every professed truth is limited. Life in the variety of its manifestations turns out to be “wiser”. The writer wanted a person not to hide from her, but to be able to live every moment she gave.
Interesting? Save it on your wall!The story of A.P. Chekhov "Darling" was included in the 9th volume of the collected works of the writer. The main character Olga Semyonovna Plemyannikova lives in her parents' house not far from the Tivoli Garden in the Gypsy Sloboda. This sweetest, kindest girl. For her meek disposition and complaisant character, the neighbors called her "darling."
Chekhov reveals the image of a girl, talks about her fate, sometimes with irony, sometimes with tragic notes.
Olenka Plemyannikova appears before us as a person for whom the meaning of life lies in love for other people. She lives with problems, cares of relatives. Her love is sincere, without pretense. While still a young girl, she loves her papa, aunt, who lives in Bryansk, her French teacher. Then he falls in love with the theater impresario Kukin, who lives next door in an outbuilding. An unattractive person: short in stature, thin build, with combed temples and a yellowish face. This perpetually dissatisfied, grumbling man. He constantly complains about the rainy weather, about the fact that people do not go to his theater.
Without noticing herself, Olenka literally dissolves in his problems. She becomes infected with her husband's contemptuous attitude towards theater visitors, constantly repeating his words verbatim. Attends rehearsals and comments if scenes are too frivolous. Actors take advantage of her kindness, borrow money, but are in no hurry to repay. Between themselves, they call her "Vanechka and I." This phrase constantly sounds in the conversations of the girl herself. Upon learning of the death of her husband, Darling loses the meaning of life, its inner content.
The void that has formed in the soul must be filled, and Olenka finds solace in a new reckless love for the timber merchant Pustovalov. She is literally consumed by his problems. Now her worries were the sale of timber, the price of it. But life with Pustovalov does not last long, he dies. And Darling again loses the meaning of life.
This love is replaced by love for the veterinarian Smirnin, who quarreled with his wife. Now her problem is poor veterinary supervision in the city. But this relationship does not last long, the doctor is transferred to another city. Olga Semyonovna's life again loses its meaning, she withers and grows old. However, Smirnin again comes to the city with his son Sasha. They settle in the wings next to Olenka's house. The boy enters the gymnasium. Darling goes headlong into Sasha's gymnasium problems, lives in his joys and sorrows, complains to his neighbors about the difficulty of learning. In her speech, the words “Sashenka and I” sound, she constantly quotes excerpts from textbooks. Her dreams are focused on Sasha's future. Olga sees him as an engineer or a doctor, in a big house, married with children. Only one thing worries the woman, she is very afraid that the boy can be taken away by the parents.
"Darling" is a story about a man who is able to love passionately, with all his heart. Olenka is touching in the manifestation of her worries, but at the same time funny. For her, to love is not to receive, but to give herself entirely, to live by the interests and problems of others.
The story "Darling" Chekhov wrote in the 90s of the late 19th century. During this period, he had the opportunity to publish under his own name in the newspaper Novoye Vremya, which made him a well-known author.
Genre of the story- classical realism with elements of naturalism - a description of a simple everyday story. It is permeated with light irony, characteristic of many of the writer's works.
In the spotlight works - the ordinary life of Olga Plemyannikova. On the one hand, it is filled with selfless enthusiasm, and on the other hand, it is filled with the losses of these very hobbies. Olga loves all her husbands and asks for nothing in return. Moreover, she completely, as it were, merges with them, therefore she does not have personal opinions and desires. She lives only in the thoughts of her loved ones.
The main characters of the story- Darling, her husbands and the boy Sasha. The heroine herself is a quiet and good-natured, soft and loving young lady. She looks naive and innocent pure soul. Darling repeats everything word for word after her husbands, neglecting personal opinion. Due to her gentle nature, she calls them in a childish way: Vanechka, Vasechka, Volodechka. All husbands are not very memorable, boring and a little unhappy men, which does not bother the heroine. She lives their gray everyday life. They all leave her with time, which causes her pain and anguish. Because she can't live on her own. Without them, her life becomes empty and boring. Until the boy Sasha appears. She gives him love and care and, as she used to, lives in his thoughts. They, of course, are not suitable for her age, but this does not bother her.
Themes
The story brings up several themes. The first of them - the fate of women in society. In this case, a weak-willed young lady is described who is not used to living on her own, but only to please others.
Second theme - Love. The feeling of maternal love, love for family and friends. For Darling, this is the basis of life. Her love is considered self-sacrifice for the happiness of loved ones.
The third theme is theme of happiness. Darling is only happy depending on others. How correct is this? How honest is it to sacrifice your happiness for the sake of others? The author tried to answer these questions.
The fourth theme conflict between routine and personality. Darling is a "slave" of someone else's opinions and requests and sacrifices his own. She cannot be called a conscious person, she had to take responsibility for her life. But she keeps whistling at the others.
foundation meaning works is to understand what true love is, and when it is an illusion and thus limits a person. Despite the great bright feeling, Darling does not experience real love, only its likeness.
The writer puts the reader before a choice: to determine for themselves what is a full life and true love, and what is an illusion. In addition, he shows that any proper representation can be very limited. It is important to see the diversity of life and not to refuse it.
Option 2
Written in 1898, published in the magazine "Family" A.P. Chekhov's story "Darling" was included in the 9th volume of the collected works of the writer. The main character Olga Semyonovna Plemyannikova lives in her parents' house not far from the Tivoli Garden in the Gypsy Sloboda. This sweetest, kindest girl. For her meek disposition and complaisant character, the neighbors called her "darling." Chekhov reveals the image of a girl, talks about her fate, sometimes with irony, sometimes with tragic notes.
Olenka Plemyannikova appears before us as a person for whom the meaning of life lies in love for other people. She lives with problems, cares of relatives. Her love is sincere, without pretense. While still a young girl, she loves her papa, aunt, who lives in Bryansk, her French teacher. Then he falls in love with the theater impresario Kukin, who lives next door in an outbuilding. An unattractive person: short in stature, thin build, with combed temples and a yellowish face. This perpetually dissatisfied, grumbling man. He constantly complains about the rainy weather, about the fact that people do not go to his theater.
Without noticing herself, Olenka literally dissolves in his problems. She becomes infected with her husband's contemptuous attitude towards theater visitors, constantly repeating his words verbatim. Attends rehearsals and comments if scenes are too frivolous. Actors take advantage of her kindness, borrow money, but are in no hurry to repay. Between themselves, they call her "Vanechka and I." This phrase constantly sounds in the conversations of the girl herself. Upon learning of the death of her husband, Darling loses the meaning of life, its inner content.
The void that has formed in the soul must be filled, and Olenka finds solace in a new reckless love for the timber merchant Pustovalov. She is literally consumed by his problems. Now her worries were the sale of timber, the price of it. But life with Pustovalov does not last long, he dies. And Darling again loses the meaning of life.
This love is replaced by love for the veterinarian Smirnin, who quarreled with his wife. Now her problem is poor veterinary supervision in the city. But this relationship does not last long, the doctor is transferred to another city. Olga Semyonovna's life again loses its meaning, she withers and grows old. However, Smirnin again comes to the city with his son Sasha. They settle in the wings next to Olenka's house. The boy enters the gymnasium. Darling goes headlong into Sasha's gymnasium problems, lives in his joys and sorrows, complains to his neighbors about the difficulty of learning. In her speech, the words “Sashenka and I” sound, she constantly quotes excerpts from textbooks. Her dreams are focused on Sasha's future. Olga sees him as an engineer or a doctor, in a big house, married with children. Only one thing worries the woman, she is very afraid that the boy can be taken away by the parents.
"Darling" is a story about a man who is able to love passionately, with all his heart. Olenka is touching in the manifestation of her worries, but at the same time funny. For her, to love is not to receive, but to give herself entirely, to live by the interests and problems of others.
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Composition
The story "Darling" Anton Pavlovich Chekhov wrote in 1899. Anton Pavlovich Chekhov planned to write this story in order to ridicule the petty-bourgeois life, the worthless and thoughtless existence of man. The heroine of this story is endowed with a rather limited inner world, she has simple needs in life and primitive experiences. Chekhov describes her this way: "She was a quiet, good-natured, compassionate young lady with a meek soft look, very healthy." Her name was Olga Semyonovna or Olenka, but more often she was called Dushechka.
In the story, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov surprisingly subtly and organically intertwined subtle irony and humanity. Chekhov tried to open the inner world of the heroine to the reader, but at the same time the author feels regret, because he presents us with an empty person.
The main character of the story "Darling" had a rare quality: if she fell in love with someone, she always became an extension of the object of her love; she always lived by his worries, thoughts and interests. But, unfortunately, she did not have her own worries, thoughts and interests.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov openly makes fun of Darling when he describes her first husband. Why could she fall in love with Kukin? “Kukin, entrepreneur and owner of the Tivoli Pleasure Garden... He was short, thin, with a yellow face, with combed temples, he spoke in a liquid tenor, And when he spoke, he twisted his mouth; and despair was always written on his face ... ”After Olga Semyonovna became Kukin’s wife, she never spoke of herself in the singular, but only said “Vanechka and I.” They lived in harmony. She sat at the box office, attended rehearsals and, at any opportunity, told her friends, repeating the words of Vanechka: “You can only get true pleasure and become educated and humane in the theater.” This happiness, according to Chekhov, is petty-bourgeois, and it is completely cloudless. But fate was not kind to Darling: her "Vanechka" suddenly dies and leaves an inconsolable widow.
But Olga Semyonovna's (or simply Dushechka's) grief is short, it takes a little more than three months, and she falls in love with her neighbor - Pustovalov, who serves as a manager in a lumberyard. Having become the wife of Vasily Andreevich, Dushechka sat in the office from morning to evening, writing accounts and selling goods. Now Darling began to look at the world through the eyes of her new husband: “Vasichka and I have no time to go to the theater, we are working people, we are not up to trifles. What good is there in these theatres? A.P. Chekhov is simply ironic about Olga Semyonovna, because quite recently the heroine was simply in love with the theater. But fate again presents her with an unpleasant surprise: Pustovalov has died, and Olenka is again a widow.
This time Darling went into mourning for six months and fell in love again. This time, the object of her love is the veterinarian Smirnin, who was married, but because of a quarrel with his wife, he lived alone. He rented a room from Olga Semyonovna in the wing.
In the city where Dushechka lived, they found out about this after “meeting a lady she knew at the post office, she said:
“We don’t have proper veterinary supervision in the city…”
She called the veterinarian "Volodichka". However, her happiness did not last long. The regiment in which he served was transferred, and he left forever. As a result, Darling was left alone. In her soul "it is both empty and tedious, and reeks of wormwood ..." She has grown old and grown ugly.
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She gradually became a well-fed and bored bourgeois, who only lives when she has someone to take care of, someone to “give” her love to. The disadvantage of such a life is obvious. But A.P. Chekhov does not express his attitude towards the heroine, but gradually tries to lead the reader to an understanding of his author's position. He never imposes his opinion on anyone. Many generations of readers place their own accents in the character of Darling, distinguish for themselves positive and negative traits in her character.
At first glance, it seems that the theme of Darlings has been exhausted. Such petty-bourgeois happiness is debunked. Her life, which is devoid of striving for a goal, is meaningless. Anton Pavlovich Chekhov contrasts her with the heroines from The Three Sisters, The Bride, The Cherry Orchard.
But Anton Pavlovich Chekhov laid in the soul of Darling an inexhaustible potential, with her need to love and be needed by at least someone. M. Gorky, characterizing such humanism of Chekhov, said: "His grief for people humanizes both the detective and the shopkeeper - everyone whom it touches."
Olga Semyonovna's potential for love is fully realized when a retired veterinarian moves in with her son and wife. And it is the son of the veterinarian, Sasha, who becomes the object of her great and at the same time selfless love. “Olenka talked to him, gave him tea, and her heart in her chest suddenly became warm and contracted sweetly, as if this boy was her own son.” Sasha went to the gymnasium. And none of her affections from the past were so deep.
The story "Darling" reaches its climax at the end. Sasha lives with Olga Semyonovna. “For this strange boy, for his dimples on his cheeks, for a cap, she would give her whole life, she would give it with joy, with tears of tenderness.” Her life is empty if she has no one to take care of. “... Mother demands Sasha to Kharkov ... Oh my God!” She is in despair; her head, legs, hands get cold, and it seems that there is no person in the whole world more unhappy than her. But another minute passes, voices are heard; this veterinarian came home from the club. “Well, thank God,” Olenka thinks. Gradually, heaviness lags behind the heart, it becomes light again; she lies down and remembers Sasha, who "sleeps soundly ..."
Is it the same Darling, or maybe it's a completely different person?
Darling, in the image of which Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, decided to ridicule the "vulgarity of a vulgar person", grows at the end of the story into a heroine who arouses sympathy.
Chekhov very often wondered why his comedies did not cause fits of laughter, but tears.
Such a feature of the talent of A.P. Chekhov was noted by L.N. Tolstoy. He compares Chekhov with the biblical priest Valzam, who wanted to curse the people, but instead of cursing he blessed, for God touched his lips. The same thing happened with A.P. Chekhov: he wanted to ridicule a person with a poor soul, but the truth of the character created by his talent turns out to be stronger than this plan.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov wrote the story "Darling" in 1899. It refers to the late work of the writer. It is noteworthy that Chekhov's "Darling" immediately caused a mixed assessment in literary circles.
The main theme of the work is love. Only for the main character does it become not just a need, but the meaning of life. And it is much more important for her not to receive love, but to give it. The comicality of the situation is that every time the story of selfless deep feelings of the heroine is repeated. The composition of the story consists of four parts: according to the number of heart affections in Olenka's life. Below is a summary of this literary creation.
A few words about the main character
Olenka Plemyannikova, the daughter of a retired collegiate assessor, lives in her house with her father. This is a rosy-cheeked young lady with a white delicate neck, plump hands, a meek look and a touching smile.
People around love a pretty girl. Everyone likes her without exception. When talking with her, I just want to touch her hand and tell her: “Darling!” Some kind of attachment is always present in Olenka's soul: at first she was in love with a French teacher, then she began to adore her papa, and after her aunt, who visited her twice a year. The problem is that these sympathies often replace one another. But this does not bother Olenka, as well as the people around her. They are impressed by the girl's naivety, her gullibility and quiet kindness. This is how Chekhov describes his heroine in the story "Darling". A summary will help to get an idea of the personal qualities of the heroine. Her image is contradictory: on the one hand, she is endowed with the gift of selfless love. So to dissolve in your soulmate is not given to everyone. And this, of course, causes the reader to respect the heroine. However, on the other hand, she appears to us as a gullible and windy person. The complete absence of spiritual interests, the lack of one's own views and ideas about the world around - all this causes ridicule of the reader.
Kukin - Olenka's first affection
In the large house of the Plemyannikovs, a certain Ivan Petrovich Kukin, the owner and entrepreneur of the Tivoli entertainment garden, lodges. Olenka often sees him in the yard. Kukin constantly complains about life. All you hear from him is: “The public today is wild and ignorant. What is an operetta, extravaganza to her? Give her a booty! Nobody walks. Yes, and these rains every evening! And I have to pay rent, artists have to pay salaries. Solid losses. I'm broke! Olenka is very sorry for him. On the other hand, love for this person wakes up in her heart. So what, that he is thin, small in stature and speaks in a shrill voice. In her view, Kukin is a hero who daily fights with his main enemy - an ignorant public. The heroine's sympathy turns out to be mutual, and soon the young people get married. Now Olenka is working with might and main in her husband's theater. She, like him, scolds the audience, talks about the importance of art in the life of a person and lends to actors. In winter, the affairs of the spouses are better. In the evenings, Olenka gives Ivan Petrovich tea with raspberries and wraps him in warm blankets, wanting to improve her husband's failing health.
Unfortunately, the happiness of the young was short-lived: Kukin left for Moscow during Great Lent to recruit a new troupe and died there suddenly. After burying her husband, the young lady plunged into deep mourning. True, it did not last long. Chekhov's story "Darling" will tell us about what happened next. In the meantime, we see that the heroine, imbued with the thoughts of her husband, becomes his shadow and echo. It was as if her individual qualities did not exist. With the death of a spouse, a woman loses the meaning of life.
Olenka is getting married again
When Olenka, as usual, returned home from mass, Vasily Andreevich Pustovalov, the forest manager of the merchant Babakaev, turned out to be next to her. He walked the woman to the gate and left. Only since then, our heroine has not found a place for herself. Soon a matchmaker from Pustovalov appeared in her house. The young people played a wedding and began to live in peace and harmony. Now Olenka talked only about forest land, about the price of timber, about the difficulties of transporting it. It seemed to her that she had always been doing this. It was warm and cozy in the Pustovalovs' house, it smelled deliciously of homemade food. The couple did not go anywhere, spending the weekend only in each other's company.
When those around her advised the "darling" to go to the theater and unwind, she replied that this was not an empty occupation for working people. In the absence of her husband, when he left for the forest, the woman was bored. Her leisure time was sometimes brightened up by the military veterinarian Smirnin. This gentleman in another city left his wife with a child, which did not prevent him from spending time in the company of other women. Olenka shamed him and strongly advised him to change his mind and make peace with his wife. So the quiet family happiness of the “darling” would have lasted for many more years, if not for the tragic death of her husband. Vasily Andreevich once caught a cold and died suddenly. Olenka again plunged into deep mourning. What does the author want to pay attention to when describing the second attachment of the heroine, what amuses Chekhov here? Darling is a selfless woman, capable of a great and deep feeling. The comicality of the situation is that the story of great love to the grave in the life of the heroine is repeated. And here the same thing: complete dissolution in the beloved, echoing his words, quiet family happiness and a tragic ending.
New heroine sympathy
Now those around him hardly saw Olenka. Only sometimes she could be found in the church or at the vegetable market with the cook. But soon the neighbors already saw a picture in the courtyard of the house: the “darling” is sitting at a table in the garden, and Smirnin is drinking tea next to her. Everything became clear from the moment Olenka suddenly told one friend at the post office about the problem of milk contamination from sick cows and horses. Since then, the young lady only talked about rinderpest, pearl disease, and much more. Olenka and Smirnin tried to keep their relationship secret. However, it became clear to others: a new affection appeared in the heart of a woman. What else will Chekhov tell us in his story "Darling"? The summary of the work allows us to trace the chain of Olenka's sympathies. The author gives the reader the opportunity to feel the deep feelings of the heroine. And at the same time, using the example of a repetition of the situation, he shows how they are limited and relative. It becomes clear to us how a new feeling was born in the heart of the heroine. This is her third attachment. It seems comical that with her arrival, the deep mourning of a woman instantly disappears.
Olenka is left alone
But Olenka was not happy this time either. Smirnin was soon assigned to a distant regiment, and he left without calling his beloved with him. The woman was left alone. Her father died long ago. There were no relatives around. Black days began for Olenka. She lost weight, grew ugly and aged. Friends, when they saw her, tried to cross to the other end of the street so as not to meet her. On summer evenings, Olenka sat on the porch, going over all her affections in her memory. But it seemed to be empty there. It seemed to her that there was no meaning in life. Before, she could explain everything, talk about everything. Now there was such an emptiness in her heart and thoughts, it was so eerie and bitter, as if she had "overeaten wormwood." This is how he described the loneliness of the heroine in his Darling lives only when she can give love to a loved one next to her. It would seem that here you need to feel sorry for the heroine, because she suffers. But the author deliberately and now belittles Olenka's feelings, ironically over them in the words: "as if she overate wormwood ...". And this is fair. Further, we will see how quickly the pictures in a woman's life change from complete despondency and sorrow to absolute happiness.
The new meaning of the life of the heroine
Everything changed in one moment. He returned to the city of Smirnin with his wife and ten-year-old son. Olenka gladly invited him and his family to live in her house. She herself moved into the outbuilding. There was a new meaning in her life. She went about happy, taking charge of the yard. This change was not hidden from the eyes of others. Friends noticed that the woman looked younger, prettier, recovered. It became clear to everyone: the old “darling” returned. And this means that in her heart again a new attachment. Further, we will see what nevertheless captured Chekhov's darling Olenka. Her last sympathy is an example of selfless tenderness, readiness to die for her child. Probably, every woman in her life should realize this natural need - to give tenderness and warmth to children. The good news is that our heroine also took place as a woman and mother.
Maternal feelings in Olenka's soul
Olenka fell in love with Sashenka, the son of Smirnin, with all her heart. The wife of the former veterinarian went to Kharkov on business, he himself disappeared somewhere for days on end, appearing only late in the evening. The child spent the whole day in the house alone. It seemed to Olenka that he was forever hungry, abandoned by his parents. She took the boy to her wing. With what tenderness the woman looked at him, seeing him off to the gymnasium.
How she pampered the child, regaling him incessantly with sweets. With what pleasure I did homework with Sasha. Now from the "darling" one could hear only about studying at the gymnasium, textbooks, teachers and the like. Olenka blossomed, gained weight. The woman was afraid of one thing - that her beloved Sashenka would suddenly be taken away from her. With what fear she listened to the knock on the gate: what if it came from the boy's mother, who demands him to her? At this unfinished moment, Chekhov ends his work. "Darling", the analysis and summary of which is given here, is a story about selfless love, which is so rare in our lives, about its sometimes ridiculous and funny manifestations. The main thing in the heroine is an inexhaustible supply of tenderness and warmth, care and affection. Ridiculous and insignificant in comparison with her, her chosen ones. She is funny only in the part when she completely accepts their way of life and their views on reality. Only in her last maternal affection does she become truly beautiful. In this image of her, many women will surely recognize themselves.
We retold and analyzed Chekhov's story "Darling", followed how a woman from a narrow-minded bourgeois turns into a real Chekhov heroine.
