The Lady with The Dog

"The Lady with the Dog" was a bittersweet love story about an older man and a younger woman that meet on vacation in Yalta. In the beginning of the story, the plot revolves around the older man, Gurov, how he is a serial adulterer and has both respect and distain for his wife. He considers women "the lower race" (ass!), and has had numerous affairs with other women thanks to his inferiority complex. When he first sets eyes on Anna Sergeyevna, "the lady with the dog", he immediately hatches a plan to begin an affair with her. For a man with an inferiority complex, he's quite sure of himself isn't he?

When the affair first begins, Anna Sergeyevna talks to Gurov about how she feels guilty for having an affair even though she thinks lowly of her husband. She thinks herself a wicked woman for committing adultery even though she clearly is falling for Gurov.

Interestingly, Gurov is BORED with the conversation! (Ass!). He is bored with the naivety of his young lover and seems irritated by it. He knows Anna feels guilty because he had gone through this so many times with other women that he knows exactly what she is going to say. Does this means the story will end in the same way his other affairs ended?

As the story progresses and the vacation time ends, the lovers part ways; it turns out Gurov is going insane without Anna Sergeyevna. He misses her so much he seeks any sign of her in women on the street. He sees her in the fireplace, he hears her breathing. It becomes too much to bear and Gurov decides to set out and find his love.

As fate would have it, the lovers are reunited in the town of S, Anna's hometown. She confesses to Gurov that she couldn't go a day without thinking of him. His feelings for her are returned. The lovers are "together" but miles apart at the same time. They have to take their spouses into consideration. They have not only one, but two people to keep in the dark about their relationship. Although the lovers are physically and emotionally close, are they really together? Only time will tell, and the story ends there.

Gurov and Anna Sergeyevna both have quite similar character traits. Gurov is cold and severe when around men, but warms up when around women. He married when he was young and holds bitter feelings towards his spouse. Anna Sergeyevna, in the beginning of the story, seems cold and distant to the people in Yalta. The only person she warmed up to was Gurov, a member of the opposite sex. Anna, also like, Gurov, married very young and does not think highly of her husband; calling him a "flunky" when though he is a respectable man.

Even their spouses are similar in character. Both think highly of themselves even though their spouses think them to be complete idiots.

The setting of the story takes place in two very different locations. Yalta is a beautiful paradise with sunshine and beaches and ocean breezes. Moscow, Gurov's hometown, is very cold and bitter. The setting also seems to have some symbolism within the locations. Consider this: When Gurov and Anna meet, it is in Yalta, the beautiful paradise where nothing can go wrong and their days are spent happy together.
However, when they part and head for their homes, the town of S. and Moscow, they are very different settings. These towns are very cold, even in the summer time. Moscow is freezing and bitter, like the feeling of being alone or forsaken by a loved one.

This symbolism could be reminiscent of the Greek myth of the seasons. When Hades, god of the underworld, stole Persephone, the daughter of the harvest goddess, Demeter , to be his wife. Demeter was so heartbroken that for the months that Persephone was gone the earth turned cold and dead and nothing would grow for harvest. During the months when Persephone returned to her mother, the harvest was bountiful.

For Gurov and Anna though, the winter remains; even when they are together.