The Lady with the Dog

One of my favorite short stories that I read in my literature class was Anton Chekov's "The Lady with the Dog." This story is lead mainly by the important use of its seasonal setting in Russia to depict certain moods or ideas. In this short story, there is an older man and a young woman who long to be together, but it is a forbidden love because of their marriages. They meet in this warm summer-like setting during vacation and everything is flourishing; the vegetation, warm sunsets, their growing attraction and desire all are expressed through the use of this warm summer setting. Some would argue that this particular setting can also represent the youth of the couple at that moment in time.

It is only when they have to return back home from their vacations that the setting transitions from summer to winter. Both of the lovers' lives are dull and lifeless, where no colors are expressed. Greys and whites dominate this particular setting as their own lives are reflected in that manner as well. While they are apart, they cease to exist along with their lives at home.

They manage to meet again at a performance both couples went to see. The writer describes the man to be grey haired and the setting is still during winter. The story ends with them trying to figure a way to stay together, but no resolution is found.


The aspect I love most about this short story is the fact that they use seasons to depict certain themes. They use summer to represent the youth of their love with warm sunsets and vibrant colors. On the contrary, winter is depicted as boring and lifeless, along with old age reflected through the use of the mans growing grey hair. It is interesting how the English language, or any other culture, relates death to the cold or the winter season. When one thinks of death, one of the immediate responses is the cold clamminess of a corpse's hand or cheek.