The Lady with the Dog By Anton Chekhov

Introduction

Dmitri Dmitritch Gurov’s roving eye finds himself another conquest in the person of Anna Sergeyevna. He is married but often unfaithful to his wife. Anna, on the other hand, is married to a good and honest man but a ‘flunkey’. She owns a Pomeranian dog which earns her the moniker ‘lady with the dog’.

At the start of the story we could find Gurov relentlessly pursuing Anna. Since both are lonely and alone in Yalta, temptation seems to be a natural consequence. They become lovers. Their tryst is cut short when Anna needs to go home. They bid each other farewell. And Gurov goes home to Moscow.

Unfortunately, though Gurov and Anna parted, the memories linger on. Unable to curtail his feelings, Gurov searches for Anna in Petersburg. They meet again. They agreed that Anna should visit Moscow so they can continue their clandestine affair. In the end, they decide to formulate a plan so they can be together for always. They are aware though that "the most complicated and difficult" part in their plan is just beginning.

“Lady with the Dog” is a haunting tale of star-crossed lovers whose love is doomed from the very start. Gurov and Anna become enmesh with the dilemma because their marriages make them unhappy. They found solace and true love in each other’s arms. Consequently, they indulge in adultery to vent their feelings.

Commentary

While Gurov and Anna do indeed suffer from hellish marriages, their decision to commit adultery must be condemned because society’s acceptance of adultery will take us down a perilous path of deceit, moral degradation and decadence.

Every society adheres to the long-held view that marriage is and always will be a sacred institution. To go against this view - to commit adultery - is to suffer condemnation even to the point of alienation. Gurov and Anna know this. That is why at the end of the story they brace themselves for any eventuality.

The story ‘Lady with the Dog’ offers a glimpse of what adulterous couples go through. On the other side of the coin, the bigger question is what do the greater majority (the families) go through? Granted that what the couple feel for each other is true love, still that doesn’t give them the license to betray other people’s trust or deceive people.

Adultery is not a private sin that is confined within the walls of the home. It affects the emotions of people and the way they relate to society. Often, affected family members react in a negative way. Moral degradation becomes apparent in their conduct. As a consequence they become problems of the society. Illicit affairs often lead to disastrous end too. Because of the adulterous couple’s decadent ways, it is not surprising to read reports about crimes of passion in the papers. Adultery definitely affects society unfavorably.

If society tolerates adultery then it gives out a strong signal that it is okay to commit it. This, of course, will lead to further moral degradation. Children of those adulterous couples will possibly have no qualms following the example set by their parents. Deceit is a foregone conclusion since the illicit affair needs to be kept a secret at all cost.

Adultery also leads to decadence since it becomes a paramount concern that drowns all others. Eventually it destroys relationships and lives. Adultery is akin to taking poison in small doses – it sips out the life out of the person little by little. It doesn’t kill instantly but it kills eventually. It may not be death in physical sense. But it could possibly be far worse - moral, mental and emotional deterioration of a person.

Marriage is a mutual decision of two persons to commit themselves to each other for life. Love is the very foundation of marriage. But as time passes, love sometimes goes stale. Some couples want to recapture the magic of first love. If they cannot, they turn to other people to find what they need. But marriage is not based on feelings. Feelings come. Feelings go. Emotions can sometimes be misleading. It is the decision to stay together that remains, just as it is the decision to commit adultery that makes it easy. Everything starts and ends with the decision. Will over emotions. Mind over matter.

Conclusion

It is important for society to make a strong stand against adultery before it destroys the very moral fiber which holds the community together. Upholding what is right and virtuous often leads to peace and harmony. Adultery, even if it’s true love, is simply unacceptable. A problem cannot be solved by creating another problem. If all else fails, there is always a legal recourse open to the parties involve. All they need is to come up with a decision and be ready for the consequences.