Check out this famous piece of criticism about Chekov's story:
The central paradox of Ivan Ivanovitch's experience at Alehin's farm is that Ivan "moves from the profundities of joy to the heights of despair."--Eudroa Welty (Recognize the critic?)
According to Thomas Arp, this paradoxical summary of "Gooseberries" is essential because it recognizes the complex self-contradictions of experience which Chekov make the focus of this piece.
At the end of his story, Ivan shares his discovery about life (his theme ;) ) with Alehin, saying: "There is no happiness and there ought not to be; but if there is a meaning and object in life, that meaning and object is not our happiness, but something greater and more rational. Do good!"
So, what do you think? Is he right? Is Welty right? Do I turn left or right in a roundabout in the state of New Jersey?
Happy Thinking,
Mr. B
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I hope Alehin is wrong!!!!!!!!!!!! I like the idea of happiness, even if it IS an illusion!!!! give me the matrix any day!!!! Rationally, it's impossible to live fully without finding happiness in life. I mean you can have the most horrible circumstances in life, but does that mean you don't know what a smile is? Does that mean you've never laughed? Well, find me someone who has never experienced joy, and I'll show you hundreds that have! Trust me, there is happiness. For some, it's scarce, but it's still present. Alehin and Ivan are just skeptical because they feel their lives haven't amounted to what they wanted. Nikolay got what he wanted, selfishly and quite strangely, but still, at least he went after his dreams. If Ivan or Alehin didn't have the same backbone, that sucks for them! But I think Chekov wanted to show how people lose their faith because they've lived without purpose, without ambitions. I don't know, but I do know there is happiness; the objective of life however I don't think anyone knows because it's different for everyone.
ReplyDeleteAlehin is partly right and partly wrong, or that's what I think at least. I can see where he's coming from when he says that maybe the meaning and life are not happiness and don't have anything to do with it. Because not everything in your life that you're supposed to do will make you happy. There are things that have to be done, and that you can't get away without doing, but those things won't make you happy.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Ashley, happiness does exist. I feel that your goals can be something that lead you to happiness and bliss, as it did for Nikolay, but I also think that you can find happiness along the way too. I've always heard that you won't find what you're looking for if you try to hard, so maybe sometimes just relaxing a bit and not being so ambitious can be a good thing too. I don't know, I think that it is important to have goals that will make you happy, but also at times, one should just sit back and maybe take a breather. And also, roundabouts are stupid.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Ivan’s discovery happiness is both irrational and insignificant, but I don’t agree with that. You can’t just dismiss happiness because without it a whole half of the equation wouldn’t exist. When you’re not happy, what are you? Sad? Content? So, a life with out happiness sounds similar to the Brave New World society, because happiness is a form of passion. And without passion there is no drive. When something makes someone happy, it gives that person a reason to perform that task again, or to try harder. Ivan isn’t even sure of what the meaning of life is, or if it exists for that matter. So what gives him the right to write off happiness as not being it?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don’t know if it’s a left or a right, but I don’t think you should be in Jersey in the first place.
of course happiness exists! i can't imagine what life would be like with out happiness. i think it is what keeps many people going, because they are look forward to things that are going to bring joy to their life. everyone knows that there is going to be sad things that happen to them. i agree with andy. it is very important to have goals and i think for some people that is all they have going for them. and i do not agree with him. yes you should do good but that is where happiness comes from.
ReplyDeleteyou left me with more questions than answers that I was seeking.....
ReplyDelete