Summary of the short story gooseberries by anton chekhov
Answers
The frame part of the story begins with Ivan and his friend, Bourkin, walking in the fields near the Russian village of Mirousky. Ivan is just about to begin his story about Nicholai when the overcast day becomes a rainy one. The two friends decide to take shelter at the farm of another friend, Aliokhin.
When they arrive, their farmer friend is happy to see them and offers them a bath and a change of clothes. They all use a bathing shed to get clean and then swim about in the river, after which, Ivan begins the story of his brother.
First, he tells them about Nicholai's dream of buying property and the specific items he planned to own, which always included a gooseberry bush. To save for his future dream, Nicholai lived meagerly and literally starved his poor wife to death.
Nicholai finally got his dream of owning land, and Ivan went to pay him a visit. Nicholai had changed since becoming a country landowner, eating too much and lazing about. Ivan tells his two friends that his brother put on airs as a landowner and took advantage of the local peasantry, just as all landowners can be expected to do. It's important here for contemporary readers to understand the state of affairs in Russia at that time. In terms of power and wealth, there was a great deal of inequality among the population.
The gooseberries come into the story during Ivan's reported visit to his brother. Nicholai has gooseberry bushes that are just then producing fruit. As Ivan tells it, Nicholai is overly enthusiastic about the berries and eats them greedily through the night.
As Ivan tells the story to his friends, he philosophizes about the nature of happiness and the value of achieving one's personal dream. According to Ivan, it's more important for those who are still young and able, like Aliokhin, to fight for the good of all than to seek personal satisfaction. The story ends with the three friends staying the night in the farmhouse, and the rain continuing to fall.
hope it helps ^_^ ♡♡
Answer:
The short story "Gooseberries" is a frame story by Anton Chekhov. It was published in 1898 and exemplifies a gloomy and profound tone. The story is narrated by Ivan Ivanovich about his brother Nikolai and his two friends.
The story begins with Ivan and his friend walking near Mirousky, a Russian village and the sky gets overcast with clouds befor he could begin narrating the story and they both take shelter at Aliokhin's farm a friend of theirs who gets delighted to see them and offers them clothes and a bath in the river. Ivan begins detailing Nikolai's future aspirations and dream of possessing a property with a gooseberry bush. In order to fulfill his desires he lived a skimpy life and his aspirations led him to starve his wife to death.
After the incident, his dream to own a land finally gets accomplished and Ivan pays a visit to him and witnesses Nikolai's changed attitude as he has turned a landowner who eats and loiter around. Ivan details his friends about the leverage enjoyed by Nikolai due to his advantageous position as a landowner. This incident indicates towards the political issues prevalent at that time in Russia as there was a great dominance of the wealth owners over the peasants and hence, inequality was preeminent at that time.
The gooseberries are introduced to the story when Ivan's visits his brother and sees his over-anxious attitude to the gooseberries which he eats greedily at night. Ivan philosophically states the value of achieving one's dream and the nature of delight. He emphasizes the worth of goodness and struggle as symbolized by Aliokhin more than relentless pursuit of personal avarice and satisfaction. The story concludes with three friends staying at farmer's house with the rain falling.
The story illustrates and interrogates the selfish human aspirations and nature that can go beyond the limits just for the pursuit of material wealth and desires.