What is the conflict of the story "The Lady with a Dog" by Anton Chekhov?
What is the conflict of the story "The Lady with a Dog" by Anton Chekhov?
- print Print
- list Cite
Expert Answers

calendarEducator since 2018
write42 answers
starTop subject is Literature
The story “The Lady with a Dog” by Anton Chekhov opens in the summer resort at Yalta where the main character, Dmitri Gurov, starts an affair with “the lady with a dog,” Anna Sergeyevna, even though he is married with two children. She too is married but her husband is not with her; young and inexperienced, she is easy to seduce. The romance starts off as all his other flings have. The woman acts in predictable ways, which bores Dmitri a little, but still he pursues the affair as he has all the others. When Anna must return to home to her husband, he says goodbye and never expects to see her again.
When Gurov gets back to Moscow, he is relieved to be in a place that has so much meaning for him. Gurov returns to the rhythms of his daily life, fully expecting to forget about Yalta and Anna. But life in Moscow does not satisfy as it once did. Slowly Moscow begins to be drained of meaning. This is the conflict that grips Gurov: how to find meaning in his life when everything starts to...
(The entire section contains 4 answers and 995 words.)
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this answer and thousands more. Enjoy eNotes ad-free and cancel anytime.
Related Questions
- Compare and contrast “The Lady with the Dog” by Anton Chekhov and “The Lady with the Pet...
- 1 Educator Answer
- What is the conflict and plot of the story "The Lady with the Pet Dog" by Chekhov?
- 1 Educator Answer
- What is the theme of the story "The Lady with the Pet Dog" by Chekhov?
- 1 Educator Answer
- What is a character analysis of Dmitri Gurov in Chekhov's "The Lady with the Pet Dog"?Also called...
- 1 Educator Answer
- Explain the settings in Chekhov's "The Lady with the Pet Dog”?
- 2 Educator Answers

calendarEducator since 2016
write1,470 answers
starTop subjects are Literature, History, and Arts

calendarEducator since 2006
write2,050 answers
starTop subjects are Literature, Social Sciences, and History