“At the Barber’s” and “Polinka” by Anton Chekhov are two stories that explore the pains of a love that is unattainable. Both stories feature a young man in love with a woman he cannot have. “At the Barber’s” features a barber named Makar Kuzmitch, whose beloved, Anna Erastovna, is promised to another. Her father betroths her to a man he deems more financially suitable. In “Polinka” the theme more closely resembles a love triangle. Polinka is leading-on Nikolay’s affections, while clearly stating her love for another. While both stories examine similar themes, “At the Barber’s” focuses more closely on the emotions involved in such a scenario. It also has a greater focus on imagery. This, in turn, makes it more visually appealing to readers.
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Though both of the men in these stories are portrayed as “the underdog”, as they are both losing the women they love to men of more prominent means, a greater sympathy is felt for Makar. His emotional turmoil is more apparent than Nikolay’s simply because Chekov showed more emotion from Makar. He describes the character’s body language as well as his feelings. The hurt felt by Makar Kuzmitch is more apparent, making his love seem deeper and leading the audience to feel greater sympathy towards, him. The audience is also assured that Anna Erastovna returns his adore. Even though Anna does not physically appear in the story, it is inferred that she too is unhappy about the arrangement. Chekov does not use the same descriptiveness in his story “Polinka”. While, Nikolay’s love for Polinka is apparent, his way of talking to her, and lack of remorse make it difficult to tell if he is the right choice for her. “He 'll furnish himself a nice home with your dowry, and then be ashamed of you. He 'll keep you out of sight of his friends and visitors, because you 're uneducated. He 'll call you 'my dummy of a wife. ' You wouldn 't know how to behave in a doctor 's or lawyer 's circle. To them you 're a dressmaker, an ignorant creature" (Eldritchpress.org, par. 45). It is also difficult to tell if Polinka returns his affection, or if she is simply toying with his emotions. This makes it harder for the audience to …show more content…
Chekhov describes Makar’s age and appearance. Additionally, he describes the dress and features of his godfather, the father of Anna. The descriptions of these characters give them life and enhance their realism. His description of Makar allows the audience to see him as kindhearted and hardworking. Which, in turn, evokes sympathy for him from the readers. While Chekhov does briefly describe the characters in “Polinka”, he does not mention their ages, or describe their appearances in as great of detail. Merely a vague description of them overall. Only Polinka’s general size and skin tone are mentioned. A better description is given of Nikolay, although, still very basic. Nikolay is not described in such a manner that the audience is compelled to feel sympathy for
Though both of the men in these stories are portrayed as “the underdog”, as they are both losing the women they love to men of more prominent means, a greater sympathy is felt for Makar. His emotional turmoil is more apparent than Nikolay’s simply because Chekov showed more emotion from Makar. He describes the character’s body language as well as his feelings. The hurt felt by Makar Kuzmitch is more apparent, making his love seem deeper and leading the audience to feel greater sympathy towards, him. The audience is also assured that Anna Erastovna returns his adore. Even though Anna does not physically appear in the story, it is inferred that she too is unhappy about the arrangement. Chekov does not use the same descriptiveness in his story “Polinka”. While, Nikolay’s love for Polinka is apparent, his way of talking to her, and lack of remorse make it difficult to tell if he is the right choice for her. “He 'll furnish himself a nice home with your dowry, and then be ashamed of you. He 'll keep you out of sight of his friends and visitors, because you 're uneducated. He 'll call you 'my dummy of a wife. ' You wouldn 't know how to behave in a doctor 's or lawyer 's circle. To them you 're a dressmaker, an ignorant creature" (Eldritchpress.org, par. 45). It is also difficult to tell if Polinka returns his affection, or if she is simply toying with his emotions. This makes it harder for the audience to …show more content…
Chekhov describes Makar’s age and appearance. Additionally, he describes the dress and features of his godfather, the father of Anna. The descriptions of these characters give them life and enhance their realism. His description of Makar allows the audience to see him as kindhearted and hardworking. Which, in turn, evokes sympathy for him from the readers. While Chekhov does briefly describe the characters in “Polinka”, he does not mention their ages, or describe their appearances in as great of detail. Merely a vague description of them overall. Only Polinka’s general size and skin tone are mentioned. A better description is given of Nikolay, although, still very basic. Nikolay is not described in such a manner that the audience is compelled to feel sympathy for