The Lady with the Dog and Other Stories

Setting is an important element in all Chekhov. Choose 3 different settings from the whole story. Discuss how Chekhov connects setting with the emotions of the characters.

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One important setting is Yalta. Filled with sultry heat and wind, the atmosphere in Yalta makes people restless. In addition, the effect of diffeent types of lights, including moonlight and dawn, upon the sea create an erotic and dreamy atmosphere, which allows the reader to understand why Anna and Gurov have difficulty thinking clearly. There is also a timeless quality to the sleepy landscape, which is marked by the rhythm of the sea and the clouds, sitting motionless upon the mountain peaks.

Another important setting can be found in the town where Anna lives. The best room in the hotel where Gurov stayed is described in this way; "the floor was covered with gray army cloth, and on the table there was an inkstand, gray with dust and topped by a figure on horseback, its hat raised in its hand and its head broken off." From this description, the reader can easily infer the depressed and provincial nature of the town, as well as Anna's feeling of entrapment and dreams of something more..... romance and adventure.