Secrecy In Anton Chekhov's The Lady With The Dog

Secrecy is a central theme in Chekhov’s The Lady with the Dog whereby he highlights the existence of both private and public truths. The author begins with a simple quote saying, “All life is rested on secrecy” (Chekhov). The manuscript itself is set in Yalata, an area that is synonymous with the cliché that “what happens in Yalta stays in Yalta” (Chekhov). Behind closed doors, individuals lead a concealed life, and it is within the confines of this private space that the truth regarding an individual can be exposed. Public exhibition according to Chekhov is a temporary person that is informed by everyday necessities to hide intimate facts about an individual. Human beings have emerged with arbitrary moral ideals or codes of conduct that should be …show more content…
It takes some change in values for Dmitri to realize that he is not the cynical lover that he thought himself to be. Although the character appears disinterested in the emotional pain that defines his relationship with Anna, he understands deep inside and regrets the fact that he has placed the lady in a miserable situation. After a period of involvement with Anna, Gurov discovers that he had a deep interest in the lady initially, but all this was happening in secrecy, totally hidden as a private truth. “Everything that was of interest and importance to him, everything that was essential to him, everything about which he felt sincerely, and did not deceive himself...was going on concealed from others; while all that was false, went on in the open.” (Chekhov).In conclusion, secrecy in Chekhov’s book surrounds an adulterous affair and the manner in which the author has always perceived women. Gurov has a private and public life, but it is the lie in his life that appears in the public at the expense of the private truth for which he has been passionate all along. It also emerges that society writes a moral code that is rather difficult to follow and this forces people to live in