Student Question
How does Anna differ in Oates' versus Chekov's "The Lady with the Dog"?
Quick answer:
In Joyce Carol Oates' version of "The Lady with the Dog," Anna differs from Anton Chekhov's Anna in her psychological makeup and setting. Oates' Anna seeks a private retreat due to personal inadequacies and marital unhappiness, becoming suicidal during her affair. In contrast, Chekhov's Anna is more public, dealing with moral failure and despair after her affair. These differences highlight cultural and psychological distinctions between the characters across time and place.
Joyce Carol Oates' Anna in "The Lady with the Pet Dog" corresponds in many
ways to Anton Chekhov's Anna in "The Lady with the Dog," but just like Oates
added a word to the title, she added a thing or two to Anna's character traits.
First both Anna's are away from their husbands for awhile because both are
disappointed with their marriages. Chekhov's Anna (C-Anna) goes to a public
recreation place for a vacation whereas Oates' Anna (O-Anna) goes to a secluded
family beach house.
This not only reflects cultural differences between countries and time periods,
it also lends a different psychology to the Annas. C-Anna is still a public
wife and searching for a public way to incorporate her role of wife with her
private inner self; it is inevitable that any introductions or
acquaintanceships will begin with her identity as a wife. Whereas, O-Anna seeks
a private retreat that shows her concern is adjusting to her private agony
stemming from an unhappy marriage and founded on private inner self-doubt and
insecurity. On the other hand, C-Anna only feels self-doubt and insecurity
after she has succumbed to the affair and has disappointed herself
morally.
O-Anna becomes suicidal during the loss of and even the resumption of the
affair because of her private inner feelings underpinning her marital
unhappiness. C-Anna gives into despair because she has failed morally as well
as having sorrow at her separation from Gurov on top of her public sorrow at a
badly chosen marriage. In other words, the psychological make up of the two
women is different: O-Anna's psychological reality has roots in personal
inadequacy, whereas C-Anna's has roots in failing herself morally.
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