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

Chekhovs Vanka - The Pathos of Vanka Immediately following Chekhovs death, the Russian philosopher Shestov (1866-1938) wrote an essay entitled grounding from the Void, in which he stated, Chekhov was a singer of hopelessness . . . Chekhov did only one thing In one way or another he nonsensical human hopes. Anton Chekhovs Vanka accomplishes that quite thoroughly. Vanka, the only active character, believes himself beset on all sides by his bleak world and relies on his own innocence and naivet to shield him. The prefatory premise of the story centers around the boy, including his futile epistolary plea for release to his questionable grandfather, while the author stresses the dangers of the boys reliance on his innocence. The authors exploitation of Vankas innocence and naivet challenges the muddiness of Chekhovs Vanka. Vanka assumes his grandfather, the lively Konstantin Makaritch, will lovingly bear him from his bleak existence upon receiving the letter, but upon closer inspect ion his grandfather is an unfit and unlikely savior. There are deuce 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 contain evidence of his grandfathers disturbing character traits. In one instance, Vanka recalls his laughing face 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 first the housemaid, then the cook (47). Thus, the author establishes the grandfather as unfit to care for Vanka. To discredit the grandfather further, the author uses rel... ...easing the pathos of the story, this final frolic 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 the 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. 3rd ed. Eds. Cleanth permit 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