Anton Chekhov The Huntsman Symbolism

Not being open to everyone, can lead one to be alone in the world. Anton Chekhov exemplifies many nineteenth century cultural aspects through his short stories including "The Huntsman" and "The Bishop". "The Huntsman" is a story centered on a class and gender division between a man, Yegor, and his estranged wife, Pelegea. Yegor believes that he is better off alone doing what he love, hunting, than being tied down to a wife he married only when under the influence of alcohol. Pelegea expresses her love for him but he is not willing to come back to her because of her social class. "The Bishop" tells the tale of a man plagued by false relations that ultimately leave him lonesome in a time where loved ones are most needed. The Bishop is apart …show more content…
The setting around Yegor is described as "silent" and "motionless"(Chekhov) which is a direct reflection of Yegor himself. Chekhov initially presents the huntsman as alone through his use of imagery of the surrounding area. This lonely feeling soon vanishes with the introduction of Pelegea. Pelegea seeks out Yegor even though he wants nothing to do with her. Pelegea asks about Yegor 's whereabouts and he answers with "oh....."(Chekhov). His uninterested response was a way to try to distance himself from her as well as gives a glimpse into how does not respect Pelegea enough to spend much time on her. Yegor then "Slowly walked on"(Chekhov) in order to dissuade Pelegea from hanging around him which contributes to the initial lonely feeling. This standalone paragraph also mirrors the thought that Yegor is strong and dominant because of its short, concise, dismissive structure. The reader soon gets a glimpse at the reason behind Yegor 's ill treatment of Pelegea, "Of course it was a bit of luck for a herd-girl to marry a huntsman"(Chekhov). Chekhov reveals the driving force behind Yegor 's treatment of Pelegea being that she is below him socially. Much of Russia at the time was very segregated socioeconomically. Chekhov continues to write about Yegor 's superiority over Pelegea when he explains what Yegor wants in life, " I want all the …show more content…
The Bishop has a young niece named Katya. Katya is unaware of the distinction between her and her uncle because of how naive she is. Katya 's lack of awareness is exemplified when she refers to the Bishop merely as "uncle"(Chekhov 244). Everyone always referred to the Bishop as "His Reverence" because they were aware of the superiority of him. Chekhov included this less formal greeting in order to show that if people do not know of, or conform to social distinctions that they make more personal connections with others. It is those that highly regard the distinctions that do not make an authentic personal connection with the people they should be closest