Question

This is a question from the lesson "The Death of a Government Clerk" Comment on the ending of the story. Is the government clerk's dearh comic or tragic or both? Think and answer.

Answer 1

“The Death of a Government Clerk” is one of Chekhov’s first published stories. I love it for its comic nonchalance, playful absurdity, brevity, and for the way I can feel the hand of the author all over it: In the opening words, where he explains almost defensively that the clerk is every bit as fine as the evening; in the authorial interruption for commentary on the relationship between life and art, “The authors are right: life is so full of surprises!”; in the ludicrous, hilarious ending, which feels as if Chekhov himself didn’t know what to do with a character who would only wander around apologizing. It’s Chekhov in his brilliant youth—a little subversive, a little angry, always generous, vigorous, and alive.