Student Question
How does Chekhov use foreshadowing in "The Lady With the Dog?"
Quick answer:
Chekhov uses foreshadowing in "The Lady With the Dog" by establishing Dmitri's poor relationship with his wife and his womanizing nature. This setup suggests Dmitri will pursue an affair during his vacation in Yalta, particularly when he notices a new arrival, a lady with a dog. However, the unforeseen depth of his attachment to Anna Sergeyevna surprises both Dmitri and the reader, complicating their lives with unresolved emotional turmoil.
In the opening couple of pages of the story two things are made clear. One is that Dmitri has a very poor relationship with his wife. "...he secretly considered her unintelligent, narrow, inelegant, was afraid of her, and did not like to be at home. He had been unfaithful to her long ago--had been unfaithful to her often . . . " His wife likewise has a low opinion of him, and treats him with veiled contempt.
The other thing that is made clear is that Dmitri is a womanizer. Although he refers to women as "the lower race," ". . . he could not get on for two days together without 'the lower race' . . . . In his appearance, in his character, in his whole nature, there was something attractive and elusive which allured women and disposed them in his favour; he knew that, and some force...
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seemed to draw him, too, to them." He is attracted to women, and women are attracted to him.
All of this exposition is obviously preparing the reader for a story in which Dmitri will get involved in yet another affair with a woman. Chekhov opens his story with Dmitri on vacation at Yalta, away from his wife, and with his acquaintances talking about a new arrival who has appeared on the sea-front promenade, a lady with a little dog. The reader will naturally expect the bored, sophisticated, womanizing Dmitri to strike up an acquaintance with this unaccompanied woman. The little dog provides him with a convenient excuse.
What Dmitri and the reader are not prepared for is that the relationship will develop into such a powerful attachment that it becomes the biggest problem either Dmitri or Anna Sergeyevna--both married with children--has ever experienced. And Chekhov, characteristically, leaves the problem unsolved.
What techniques like flashback and foreshadowing are used in Chekhov's "The Lady with the Pet Dog"?
Chekhov is reserved in his use of imagery in settings. For the most part, he is spare in his descriptions, but on specific scenes, he uses detailed imagery to express the importance of the scene.
Symbolism can be found in his depiction of nature versus civilization. Scenes featuring a natural landscape setting symbolize purity of truth and emotions, whereas, civilization symbolizes the corrupt, superficial aspects of human nature.
Morality is a theme in the novel, and is explored by detailing the morals and values depicted in a person's actions, and the questioning of moral consequences because of those actions.