The Wife

Anton Chekhov's short story "The Wife" offers a panoramic description of Russian life amidst the constantly warring oppositions of marriage. The winter frost cannot compare to the impasse in the relationship between Pavel and his estranged wife. The disintegration of the spouses in their rich mansion is portrayed against the background of the abject suffering and poverty of the peasantry. A typical Chekhovian story, "The Wife" focuses mainly on the lack of communication and understanding, and the characters' disillusionment is a warning sign for the deepening problems the Russian aristocracy was facing at that time.