Skip to main content

In Anton Chekhov's "Gooseberries," what point of view do we find in the first paragraph? How long does this last? When does a different point of...

In the first paragraph, we are offered the point-of-view of a seemingly omniscient but, in fact, limited omniscient narrator. If point-of-view can be visualized as the perspective of someone holding a movie camera and shooting a scene, this shows a shot of two men walking through the countryside as if the camera were behind them, seeing what they see as they walk: the windmills of a village, meadows, willows, telegraph poles, a train in the distance. It appears omniscient because we get what seem to be the thoughts of the characters, which, if this were a movie, we might imagine as a voice-over: they are both tired of walking and at the same time find the countryside grand and beautiful. They are not differentiated at this point: they have the same thoughts and reactions, which might lead us to believe that, after all, the narrator is limited omniscient, and does not know everything: is he summarizing the conversation he is overhearing? Is he guessing at what they are thinking? This sets up the theme of isolation, that we really do not know what others are thinking.

In paragraph 9, Aliokhin, their host, is "apparently very pleased" to see the two men, the word "apparently" pointing to the slippage between appearance and reality, suggesting that beneath a surface joviality, he may not be pleased to see them. This word reinforces the limited omniscient point-of-view as the narrator seems unsure of what Aliokhin is thinking.


Paragraph 15 again marks a shift, as Ivanich and Bourkin are differentiated as characters for the first time, their thoughts separated. It is apparently Ivanich alone at this point looking down at Aliokhin's head as he bathes. From this point on, Bourkin and Ivanich are not yoked. Ivanich swims with glee as Bourkin looks on: we have two different camera angles. Now, suddenly, alliances shift: Bourkin and Aliokhin are grouped together on the shore, dressed and waiting impatiently for Ivanich to finish swimming. This shift is important, as throughout the rest of the story, except for the moment when both Ivanich and Bourkins are grouped in silk dressing gowns and warm slippers, lounging in chairs, the two will be separated. Both Bourkin and Aliokhin will be disappointed in Ivanich's tale. The story can accommodate the change, at it underscores the isolation of the characters that in turn underscores the point of the story-within-a-story that people are too willing to isolate themselves from others.


In summary, the different points of view in the story include that of the limited omniscient narrator, who with his camera is recording the scene, but guessing at the thoughts of the characters; second, the generic point-of-view of Ivanich and Bourkin as a unit; third, the point-of-view of Ivanich as he tells his story; and then the collective point-of-view of Bourkin and Aliokhin as they react: "Ivanich's story had satisfied neither. ... it was tedious to hear a miserable story ... they had a longing to hear and to speak of charming people ..." Here, to complicate matters, Bourkin and Aliokhin take on the perspective of the brother Ivanich is critiquing, as they too want to insulate themselves from the unpleasant side of life. The people in the "frames"—the people in the pictures hanging on the walls, who symbolize the audience, that is, us, the readers, are also implied to share the perspective of Bourkin and Aliokhin, people "who sat and had their tea here," and lived pleasantly. Bourkin and Aliokhin like the life here, warm and with a pretty servant, "much better than any story." The narrator thus assumes the reader will find the story as unpleasant as Bourkin and Aliokhin do, as we also do not want to be reminded of suffering.


Bourkin and Aliokhin are also presented as having different points of view from one another as well as from Ivanich: "they all three sat in different corners of the drawing room and were silent."


Aliokhin wishes to go to bed, but apparently does not get much company or conversation, as he doesn't want to miss anything and likes the variety their conversation brings. Now we know that he is more than "apparently" glad for their company.


At the end we see the three isolated characters heading into their own rooms, Ivanich and Bourkin now each with their own thoughts.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the meaning of "juggling fiends" in Macbeth?

Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a... Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a sense of guilt, and that man tells him: Despair thy charm. And let the angel whom thou still hast serve...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...
Post a Comment
Read more