The Lament By Anton Chekov is a sad storybook that involves the sad life of an old man. He worked as a horse carriage driver. He wanted to narrate his painful story to people but none of them turned an empathic ear. This literary masterpiece is worth reading because of its attractive themes.
In this article, I am sharing the following information related to this short story:
- Author
- Characters
- Summary
- Analysis
- Themes
- Life Lessons
- Relevance
- Conclusion
Author
Anton Chekov wrote The Lament. He was born in Russia in the 19th century. His works are mostly based on horror and unprecedented endings. Some famous Anton Chekov books are:
Characters
- The short story focuses solely on a man who has lost his son.
Iona
He is the protagonist of this storybook. He worked as a horse carriage driver.
Kuzma
He was Iona’s son. He died in the story because of a sort of disease.
The Lament By Anton Chekov Summary
When I was reading this story, it saddened me. The story had relevance to the present world. The plot starts with a man returning to his horse carriage after a week. He had recently lost his son because of a fever. This thing had shattered the heart of Iona. He was completely broken from the inside.
Setting
The scene takes place as Iona waits for passengers with his horse ready to begin work. The temperature was cold. Soon, an army officer came close to Iona and asked him will he go to the mentioned place. He agreed and Iona started the journey.
The man noticed Iona was not in his senses. He was driving carelessly. It seems something was hurting him emotionally. Iona informed him that he had lost his son the previous week, and began to share his pain with the man who, in turn, ignored it.. The man showed displeasure in listening to sorrow. Finally, the man reached his destination.
Iona And Heartache
Iona picked a band of three boys for the next destination. The boys were abusive. They made fun of him and his son’s death. They didn’t listen to Iona’s painful story in the way and left him. Iona attempted to approach the delivery man and the other taxi driver to share his story but was unsuccessful.
The Horse
When no one heard Iona’s story, he came back to the house. He offered hay to his horse. In this way, he narrated his whole story to the horse. This relieved Iona’s pain which had been hurting him for days. This story shares a lesson that sharing the pain reduces it.
Literary Analysis
This short literary work portrayed the cruel and tyrant nature of society. Iona just wanted to decrease his stress by narrating his story. No one showed interest in hearing his painful story. Further, they made fun of him.
- The only companion who assisted Iona was his innocent hose. This creature listened to the whole story silently revealing Iona’s pain.
Themes
The major themes are;
Hypocrisy
Society is portrayed as a hypocrite in the story. They made fun of Iona’s emotions.
Sadness
You gonna get sad vibes from this book. It will break you hurt.
Animal Loving
Iona and his horse remained loyal till the end. He shared his sadness with the horse which made him happy.
Family
Iona was hurt badly after his son died. This shows the worth of family in life.
Life Lessons
The life lessons include:
- Make sure to hear others’ narratives.
- We should never make fun of anyone.
- Sometimes it’s good to share pain.
- Animals are a part of life’s happiness.
- We can save someone from problems by giving them attention.
Relevance
- If you look around, you will see that this story is quite reliable. Many people in the world are suffering from depression that is caused by pain and inner sadness.
- Many people wanted to share their sadness but found no one. We can save someone’s life by just giving them a needy hand. Our little gestures can prevent someone from destruction.
Conclusion: Synopsis Of The Lament By Anton Chekov
The Lament By Anton Chekov offers insights into the life of an old man who tried to share his pain with people but everyone ignored him. The man finally finds peace after explaining his sadness to the horse. This short story surely breaks your heart upon reading it.
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