3. The Lady With the Dog, By Anton Chekhov (1899)

3. The Lady With the Dog, By Anton Chekhov (1899) 

Rating: 7/10

How many people would think that cheating on their wife/husband is not immoral? Looking at stories or real-life scenes, we could see that there are not many affair couples that end in a good way. They all finally broke up or live very unfortunately. This story unfolds not focusing on the eyes of others, but by focusing on the changes in the emotions of two protagonists, Gurov and Anna. Honestly, I don’t really get the author’s intention, but I think he might want the readers to think about affairs from various angles.

At the end of the story, Gurov and Anna admit their feelings to each other and eventually step into the forbidden area. They found true love, but they will never be honorable, and they also know it too. Since it’s an open ending, we could imagine lots of versions of their future. They might rely on each other, overcome obstacles and be happy someday, but they also might doubt each other’s love and collapse.

I still think cheating on their forever-life partner is such nonsense, but this story gave me a chance to think in the view of the cheating one itself. (194)