The Student

The Student

Chekhov is essentially a humorist. His is not the quiet, genial humor of an Addison or a Washington Irving nor the more subtle, often boisterous humor of a Mark Twain. His is rather the cynical chuckle of a grown-up watching a child assume grimaces of deep earnestness and self-importance. In his earlier stories the laughable, and it is a more or less cheerful laugh, with little of the serious behind it, often predominates. But as the stories grow more in volume, the undercurrent of gloom and a stifled groan of pain become more and more audible, until, in the later volumes, his laugh quite eloquently suggest the ominous combination of submission to Fate and Mephistophelian despair. — N Bryllion Fagin, "Anton Chekhov: The Master of the Gray Short-Story," Poet Lore, XXXII, Autumn 1921

         I quite enjoyed reading this short story by Chekhov. Mainly describing the conversation between three characters in a third person narrative, the Student has some unanswered questions and an open ending that encourage the readers to read the story multiple times. Furthermore, the most interesting factor was that the story has a “theme within a theme” where Chekhov seems to portray a theme in a straightforward way while actually he uses that theme to refer to another theme in a humorous way.

         At first reading the story, the story seemed somewhat awkward. The overall atmosphere of the writing -diction, depiction of scenery, character’s attitude- started out pessimistic; for example, Chekhov describes winter as “cheerless, remote, and lonely.” However, as the narrator says “life seemed to him enchanting, marvelous, and full of lofty meaning,” the atmosphere suddenly shifts to be optimistic towards the end. Also, the change in the story’s structure, from the metaphorical lecture about Peter to the straightforward statement about the student’s realization of “the chain”, was confusing. Then, as I read the story several times again, I realized that the awkwardness that bothered me was, really, a smart intention of the author who tried to show his cynicism on the student’s immaturity in an indirect, witty way.      

When interpreting the story in a simple manner, “The story tells of betrayal and remorse--a very human sequence but also offers the hope of forgiveness. Peter, after all, becomes one of the greatest of all saints. Human weakness and the need for redemption link us all, past, present, and future” (Coulehan,Jack.1999.NYU). The story seems to have a happy ending where Ivan, a student of the clerical academy, “experiences the power of the word to heal” while giving a biblical lecture to the two widows he encounters on his way home. However, although the last two paragraphs, beginning with the sentence “And joy suddenly stirred in his soul,” finishes the story in an optimistic atmosphere, the optimism soon reveals itself to have been a mere mask for the true pessimism hidden under it.

         In fact, even in the last paragraph the author hints at his doubts on the student: “He was only twenty-two”, “unknown mysterious happiness”, and “life seemed to him enchanting.” In addition, the uneasy attitude of the younger widow Lukerya, “staring immovably at the student, flushed crimson, and her expression became strained and heavy like that of someone enduring intense pain,” supports the author’s sarcasm, mocking the light hearted realization of the student who had not yet have lived long enough to judge and give lectures on the true meaning of life. In my opinion, by showing the student and the older widow’s belief in god and the distrust of the younger widow, the author tried to say that people, like the student, have faith in god until they encounter difficulties, like the young widow’s hardship of getting beaten by her husband; yet, as they experience even more obstacles in life, like the young widow’s mother, people ultimately return to having faith in god.