"The Darling"

Paper Summary:

The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the short story "The Darling" by Anton Chekhov. Specifically, the paper discusses the characters' point of view and the theme of the work. The paper examines how the story illustrates women's roles in Victorian society, and uses characterization, theme, and point of view to illustrate the confining lives of women and their families. The paper further examines the character of Olga, a sad, even pathetic character who only lives for the men in her life. The writer concludes that Olga's wasted life is a lesson to anyone who allows another to become the center of his or her world and interests.

Outline:
1. Introduction
a. Thesis
2. Background on Chekhov
a. Writing history and life
3. Characters
a. Olga
b. Husbands
4. Themes of the story
a. Women in society
b. Loss and Death
c. A Mother's Love
5. Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Olga (also called Olenka), is the main character of this story and the "darling" referred to in the title. She is an intriguing character full of weaknesses and faults, and yet Chekhov manages to make her sympathetic to the reader somehow. One critic of the story writes, "Tolstoy [...] believed that Chekhov had meant to denigrate his Olga, the buxom, warm-hearted 'darling' who has no opinions except those which she borrows from the current man in her life and who, without some male to worship, withers and grows sluttish, but that he could not help bathing her in sympathy" (Calder 251). Olga is sympathetic for a number of reasons. First, she genuinely seems grieved when she loses her first two husbands."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Brent, Liz. "The Darling: The Men in Olga's Life." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 13. Detroit: Gale, 1998.
• Calder, Angus. Russia Discovered: Nineteenth-Century Fiction from Pushkin to Chekhov. London: Heinemann, 1976.
• Chekhov, Anton P. "The Darling." Online-Literature.com. 2006. 21 March 2006. < http://www.online-literature.com/anton_chekhov/1294/ >
• "The Darling." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 13. Detroit: Gale, 1998.
• Williames, Lee J. Anton Chekhov, the Iconoclast. Scranton, PA: University of Scranton Press, 1989.

More papers on "The Darling":

• Analytical Essay # 25802 : "Critique of "The Darling"
• Analytical Essay # 16390 : "The Inferior Women of Short Fiction"
• Analytical Essay # 130263 : "My Darling Clementine" and Style"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: