Chekhovs Vanka - The Pathos of Vanka Essay -- Vanka Essays

Chekhovs Vanka - The shame of Vanka Immediately following Chekhovs death, the Russian philosopher Shestov (1866-1938) wrote an essay entitled Creation from the Void, in which he differentiated, Chekhov was a singer of hopelessness . . . Chekhov did only one liaison In one way or another he miffed human hopes. Anton Chekhovs Vanka accomplishes that quite thoroughly. Vanka, the only active character, believes himself beset on entirely sides by his shadowy world and relies on his own naturalness and naivet to apology him. The basic premise of the story centers around the boy, including his futile epistolary invocation for release to his questionable grandfather, while the write stresses the dangers of the boys reliance on his innocence. The authors victimisation of Vankas innocence and naivet challenges the sentimentality of Chekhovs Vanka. Vanka assumes his grandfather, the lively Konstantin Makaritch, will lovingly bear him from his bleak existence upon receiving the lett er, but upon closer inspection his grandfather is an unfit and incredible savior. There are two separate aspects to Vanka. The boy either concentrates on the drafting of his letter or loses himself in the memory of his grandfather. However, the boys fond recollections blockade evidence of his grandfathers disturbing character traits. In one instance, Vanka recalls his laughing type and drunken eyes (47). This fond remembrance alludes to a perpetual state of alcohol-induced befuddlement. His grandfather, a probable drinker, was also probably a womanizer, as Vanka imagines him pinching kickoff the housemaid, then the cook (47). Thus, the author establishes the grandfather as unfit to conduct for Vanka. To discredit the grandfather further, the author uses rel... ...easing the pathos of the story, this final joke acts as a heart-hardener, transforming dejected despondency into caustic hilarity. The degree of exploitation of Vankas innocence in Chekhovs tale alters the tone of th e story. The growing sentimentality for Vanka and his grandfather extinguishes itself, replaced by empty mirth. Though first a tale of mawkish sentimentality, the author utilizes Vankas naivet to debunk the grandfather, then ends Vanka with an ironic, twisting joke, similar to that of Maupassants The Necklace. Works Cited Chekhov, Anton. Vanka Understanding Fiction. third ed. Eds. Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren, Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall, 1979. 46-50 de Maupassant, Guy. The Necklace Understanding Fiction. 3rd ed. Eds. Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren, Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall, 1979. 66-72