Free Essay with the Analysis of The Brute by Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov is popular as chief of human psychology, his skills, and interpretation of human psychology has enabled him to express by subtle insinuations in his play. The Brute is one of the works of Anton Chekhov though it is not one of the famous writings; however, conveys the same notion of human nature and relationship. In this short drama, Chekhov uncovers the notion that human feeling and loves tales are prone changeable. Moreover, it emphasizes the way of human reclamation and on life's domination over mortality, grief, and, culpability. The unanticipated development of romance among the two main character strengths the idea that people have limited knowledge concerning their identity and their inner world, nonetheless, when exposed to harsh or turf occurrence that it when they depict their real face beneath their own masks and stereotype.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The drama narrates of a tale of Mrs. Popov, a young widow who has been grieving on her loss of her late husband for a period of seven months and has no sign of putting into stop the habit. Mrs. Popov secludes herself in her estate and does not find pleasure in communicating with anyone. However, the only person she at least communicates too is her footman Luka, who has attempted several times to change her mourning but he has not succeeded. Perhaps the debt her late husband left is what is worsening her cries. For instances, Mr. Smirnov pays her a visit to collect his debt because he himself he also owes the creditors, but Mrs. Popov refuses to return the money, while in the course their conversation on the matter pertaining relationship and love, Smirnov propose for a duel and Mrs. Popov acknowledged it. Fascinated by her courage, Smirnov came it realization he is falling in love, and decide to confess to her and in the process of the confession, Popov discovers, she is feeling the same for him.

The entire play is a joke is one act as entitled by the author; it is centered on the changes in character experiences from who they perceive to be to who they actually are. The impact is comic because the transformation in them occurs rapidly and unexpected way. Yet the need for change is psychologically true. In addition, because they find it hard to tolerate each other at the beginning of the play, they develop to become stimulators for the transformation of each other.

Mrs. Popov is a young woman, quite affluent, who continue to remain loyal to the husband despite her death that took place seven months ago. She has the knowledge her loyalty is not worth, because will he was alive he used to mistreat her, cheat on her and call her names. This wounded her because for her she submissive and obedient wife. Before she came into actual realization, she views her stereotype was the best way to express love, but after her encounter with Mr. Smirnov, she deserves better treatment. By her grieving and separating herself, suggest she was not over the husband, even if he no longer exists. "You shall see, my Popov, how a wife can love and forgive...aren't you ashamed of yourself, Popov" (Chekhov 724). This indicates that she was hiding beneath her mask that gives her secret pleasure and romanticism in her sad moments. According to Chekhov page 723, Popov narrates of how her life is empty on his absent, how she also buried her soul, and how both of them are in the grave.

From a deeper perspective, one realizes Popov is comfortable with her sad state since the husband died. By her mourning, she obtains some benefit, she did not realize immediately. However, a character such as Smirnov who realizes her comfortable she provokes her by using words that condemn her comfort state by asking "Buried till when?" He continues to mock her by telling her she is waiting for the little poet to come along her house to ask "can that be a house of Tamara who is for the love of her husband has buries herself alive, vowing to see no man?" He comments to her that she may have buried herself along with her husband and he reminds her of how she has forgotten to powder her noise (Chekhov 730). Those words pushed Popov to her extreme and give her realization on how she had been dwelling and holding on, on someone who died a long time ago, finally she breaks to the aura of romanticism and martyrdom concerning her devotion. Consequently deep inside her, he discovers Mr. Smirnov is right concerning her comfort zone that after the death of someone her used to adore.

Nevertheless, it did not take long for her to transform her attitude. She immediately began to take initiative to challenge the struggle and it was seconded confession by her inner thought of how he like 'the brute' and she does not mind getting into a romantic relationship with Mrs. Smirnov. This behavior cannot be categorized as mystical but rather attainment of inner realization. She acts like a sleeping beauty, which has been awakened from sleep and responded by becoming alive and full of emotions that had been suppressed by the sleep. At the final scene of the play, she fully unveils herself and the struggle she underwent and she no longer refuses to give special to her husband favorite house, this is a sign of full realization. Conversely, she cannot determine which the better option between being decent or happy.

Furthermore, Smirnov found himself in a misconception of what is normal. According to him, he believes he naturally hates women because of his experience with women, she confessed to Mrs. Popov that he is scared of engaging into relationships (Chekhov, 825) and he has vowed never to fall in love once more. He has prejudices thoughts concerning women, and he views himself to have a vast knowledge concerning the ill nature of women. He considers himself to be out of mind when he discovered he is falling in love again. "Am out of my mind I don't understand myself anymore." (Chekhov, 828) He tries to fight the feeling but already his internal passion to be with Mrs. Popov overcome his hatred towards women, she is similar to her admirer who before she awakens, wanted to attest the value of his late husband. Therefore, his stereotyped nature gives him pleasure, which is portrayed by his rude and overconfident nature upon alternation of confidence and viewpoint; he realizes that his true will desire a woman. With the aid of Mrs. Popov, he manages to outdo his stereotype and immediately he confessed his love to his courageous and beautiful women: Elena. Indeed his immediate confession creates a point of humor, but at the same time is real since it led to the disclosure of her inner feeling towards his admirer. After Smirnov confession, he realizes how he has been living a lie, but he does dwell of his past her embraces his identity and he proves his embrace he said "Decide! I'm a pretty decent chap...ten thousand a year. Good stable, throw a kopeck up in the air and I'll put a bullet through it, Will you marry me?" (Chekhov, 73)

Hence, the drama the Brute is a comic play whose major theme is pertaining transformation and true realization of their own nature, Mrs. Popov and Mr. Smirnov is two characters that their past was governed by prejudice, which masked whom they really were. However, upon their interaction with each other, the mask of their fake personalities fades off as they embrace their innermost identity. They choose personally to leaves their old way to follow their realities. Thus, the progression of the story suggests a change from destructive to constructive state, to accommodate reality.

Works cited

Chekhov, Anton Pavlovich. Plays by Anton Chekhov. Vol. 1. Library of Alexandria, 1916.