The Lady With The Pet Dog Analysis

“The Lady with the Pet Dog” “The Lady with the Pet Dog” is a classic story originally written by the one and only Anton Chekhov in 1899, five years before his death. Years later in 1972, an author by the name of Joyce Carol Oates wrote her own adaptation to this story. While both of these stories differ, the “love” story and adultery still takes place in each. Both of these stories are about a spouse having a taboo affair with a secret lover. While both of these stories are exceptionally satisfying to read, Chekhov’s version is more effective because of his perspective, motifs, and structure of the story. When reading Chekhov’s version of this iconic story one will notice the tale is told through the male point of view, Gurov’s. Oates's perspective …show more content…
While reading Oates’s version, the story jumps around quite a bit making it more of a circular plot and difficult to follow. Part I of the story,the beginning, starts with the climax of the entire story in the theater where her lover comes to meet her. Anna faints when seeing Gurov and she then goes home with her husband. Part II opens up with Anna having a flashback of her and Gurov departing, then the climax in the theater repeats again, and lastly the falling action of them continuing their affair. Part III of the story then jumps around even more. This part opens up with how the protagonists first meet on the beach, to them departing from each other, to them seeing each other again in secrecy, and lastly to the conclusion at the hotel. Chekhov's original version is the opposite of Oates’s in terms of structure, making his much nicer to read. The structure and layout of his version is more of a linear approach, rather than circular. Due to this linear approach, his story begins with the exposition in Part I where the two lovers meet. Part II is where Gurov and Anna become lovers and then they separate from each other back to their original lives. This separation is the rising action. Part III is then a continuation of the rising action in which Gurov goes to Anna’s home town S-- to meet her again. Part IV finally has the falling action and resolution in which Gurov realises he is …show more content…
In Chekhov’s version of events the theater acts like a motif of passion and love. The theater scene is also in Oates’s rendition, however with much less meaning and strength. The theater scene in Chekhov’s story is a very important motif, because it is when Gurov realises he really cares for Anna. In the theater scene Gurov says “All this time I have been thinking of nothing but you; I live only by the thought of you.” (Chekhov 222). In Oates’s theater scene rather than love seeping through the pages, confusion does. When Anna sees Gurov in this version Anna is described as “going to faint…” and saying “no--no-- keep away” (Oates 227). Anna’s reaction makes the reader question who she really loves. The mirror scene in each of the stories are also motifs. This mirror in Chekhov’s version is when Gurov learns and realizes he is in love. In this scene it says Gurov “felt compassion for this life, still so warm and lovely, but probably already about to begin to fade and wither like his own” (Chekhov 223). In Oates’s story rather than Anna looking at herself in the mirror, like Gurov did, she looks at him through the mirror. She then realises “the image of her lover fell free of her, breaking from her…” (Oates’s 239). Similar to Chekhov’s she realises how in love she is with Gurov. The the theater and mirror motif in Oates’s story ,still good, is not as effective at showing meaning like in