Anton Chekhov- Looking Glass

Blog 8/31/17  The Looking Glass

The short story “The Looking Glass” by Anton Chekhov is an elaborate metaphor that intertwines symbolism of a literal looking glass in every aspect of Ellie, the young female lead. The original Russian short story translated to English may not be a completely accurate, but it shares the message of the societal pressures placed on young women, like Ellie, of marriage being a requirement for a fulfilled life.

Considering that Chekhov wrote this short story in the late 1800’s where the societal expectation for women were to marry young, and that marriage was the greatest accomplishment, it is interesting to see how Anton Chekhov deviates from the norm. This can be related to the text as the societal expectations are an external “grey” background versus the internal true feelings held by Ellie.  

It is interesting that Ellie’s delusion, or dream, is her with her hypothetical husband, but she is still alone when battling the Typhus spread. She alone is with her fears, alone when fetching the doctor, completely pessimistic. And then is completely relieved that none of it was reality, and cannot fathom a positive scenario with her fantasy husband or fantasy children.

  
This change in ideology can be tied back to Chekhov’s usage of the looking glass, an object that’s sole purpose is to reflect and Ellie having a period of reflection. The reader can clearly take from the shift in attitude that Ellie has in the beginning of the story to the end of the story. While society sets up a fantasy of marriage being a beautiful, utopic beginning of a milestone, it gets complicated and the end of your partner is not as foreboded. Ellie’s sigh of relief at the end of the story is clear of a change in attitude about her initial fantasy.

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 1, 2017 at 8:20 AM

    Susmitha, I agree that Chekhov uses the looking glass to distinguish between appearance and reality and expectations and “real life.” The use of the looking glass indicates that the author wants the readers to reflect on their lives, specifically “dig a little deeper” into what they want rather than what society expects of them. The grey background hones in on the idea that the difference between good and bad and fantasy and reality can be hard to recognize at times. In addition to the prospect of marriage, the author brings up Nellie’s worries about her children’s well-being and finances. These concerns highlight how much more goes into a marriage than the surface level aspects like love and attraction.

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  2. Lexi SchaeferSeptember 1, 2017 at 10:42 AM

    I think your point about the story being translated from Russian is an important point to mention. Simply, because, this story has already undergone the opinions and deductions of one person. I also like that you draw attention to the fact that in her delusions she is with someone, be it the doctor or her husband, but in reality she is alone. That was one point I did not think much about. Your last two sentences are beautifully put and I feel really reflect your interpretation of the story well.

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  3. UnknownSeptember 4, 2017 at 11:01 AM

    I agree with your emphasis of Chekhov deciding to take an unconventional approach in terms of the views women are supposed to have towards marriage at that time. I think it's important that he emphasizes that women aren't designed specifically for marriage and that marriage doesn't have to be their sole sense of happiness. Some women likely didn't want their sole purpose in life to be a wife and expected to take care of the household. I think this story likely resonated with a lot of women who were afraid that not having marriage as their number one priority was wrong and something to be ashamed of. Chekhov is able to portray that not only do they feel this way but Nellie feels this way as well. It's normal to have hesitations towards marriage and to be worried about the future as well as point out that marriage also comes with many hardships.

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