About Love Summary

About love summary

Characters:

AlyohinAlyohin (main character) plays the role of the narrator ie. Anton Chekhov
Anna AlexeyevnaThe main female character is the wife of Dimitry Luganovich
LuganovichHusband of Anna
Nikanor A servant in the hotel (male)
PelageyaA servant in the same hotel (female)
BurkinAlyohin’s friend
Ivan IvanychAlyohin’s friend

Table of Contents

Summary

“About Love” is a story written by Anton Chekhov. He has present here three different types of love stories and tries to prove that love is not bounded by castes, religion, colors, ages, and conjugal relations. He had also said, “Love is a great mystery”; everything else that has been written or said about love is not a solution, but only a statement of questions that have been remained unanswered. The explanation that would fit one case does not apply to others.

He has presented here three different types of love stories that are found in the present day. The first love story is between Nikanor and Pelageya which is a violet love story, the second is between Alyohin and a Russian girl which is related to wealth/money or monetary love story and the third love story is between Alyohin and Anna Alexeyevna which is a spiritual and unexpressed love story.

Alyonin said these three types of love story in the restaurant to his friend Burkin and Ivan Ivanych.

Types of Love StoryCharacters involveReason behind it
First Love StoryNikanor and PelageyaSexual/physical
Second Love StoryAlyohin and a Russian girlmaterialistic/money
Third Love StoryAlyohin and AnnaSpiritual

First love Story

Firs love story between Nikanor and Pelageya is the violet love story. According to Alyohin, Pelageya was in love with Nikanor who was a short-temper but don’t want to marry him. She only wants to live with him in a living relationship but Nikanor was a very good devout and religious-related person. So he doesn’t want to live in just a living relationship. He thinks to marry him, not living “just so” (living relationship). There is only a sexual passion behind it. Sometimes when he was drunk, he used to swear at her and even beat her. On such a condition, She hides.

Second love Story

The second Love Story is between Alyohin and a Russian girl. Alyohin was in love when he was a student. This is the story related to finance/wealth/money. When she was in the arm of Alyohin, she always asks him for money. She does not love him, She just loves his property. We also say it, a Material love where sex is exchanged with money.

Third Love Story

When we are in love, we don’t know whether it is honorable or dishonorable, sensible or stupid, or if it’s good things or not. Alyohin told that it is an obstacle in the way of achieving goals, sources of dissatisfaction, and irritation. To prove his statement, he has told another story to his friend. The third love Story is the central and main love story of this chapter.

Alyohin said that when he was studying his father has taken debt on mortgaged and to pay these debts, he has been living in Sofyiono and doing farming. Before he came to Sofyino, he was elected as honorary justice of the peace. From time to time, he had to go to town to take part in the assizes of the peace. He also makes the friends in the town. Luganovich is one of them who is also the assistant president of the circuit court.

Once, he invited him to dinner at his home where Alyohin meets Anna Alexeyevna, the wife of Luganovich. Anna, a very young woman, not more than twenty-two, and her first baby had been born just six months before. Alyohin was so attracted to Anna. They make dinner and play the duet on the piano.

He came to Sogyino and spent all the spring. He has no time to visit Anna but her shadow was lying on his soul. In late Autumn, he goes to the town for work where he saw Anna. They both planed to go to the theater. The next day, they met at lunch. After that, he went to the town and visit Luganoviche house to meet Anna but he never announced their love. Her husband has a positive attitude Therefore, he doesn’t doubt their relationship. Anna and Luganoviche told to Alyohin that if he needs money at any moment to pay the debts, doesn’t hesitate to ask for money. They will help him.

When he went home, he was unhappy and always thinking about Anna. When Alyohin visits her house, he saw from her eyes that she also loved him. She also told him that she had had a distinct feeling toward him. However, Alyohin doesn’t confess his love thinking that it will break up the whole household ie. the life of her husband, children and also ruin their life and happiness. He was also afraid of society, its morality. She also reasoned in the same way. She also thinks that she was not young enough to live with him.

Latterly Anna lives with her mother or her sister which took them away. Anna already has a nervous prostration. So, she doesn’t care about her husband and children. Luganovich received an appointment in one of the western provinces and planned to check up Anna in the western province so she sale his all property to transferred to the western province with Anna.

Alyohin met them at the station. The train already started running, Alyohin ran into the compartment to place on the rack a basket that she had almost forgotten. After that When their eyes met, their spiritual strength comes out. They conceal their love. He kissed her face, shoulder. Tears wet them but it’s the time of parted and said Good-Bye. The train was already running. He walked into the next compartment and came to Sofyino.

Some Important Questions Answer related to “About Love” ;

Describe the three dimensions of love in “About love” by Anton Chekhov?
What kind of love experiences are suggested by Alyohin in about love?
What are the three types of love affairs discussed in the story about love?

The answer to the above three questions are similar;

Alyohin has suggested three types of love stories in “About Love”. The first love story is between Nikanor and Pelageya which is violent. love story. She only wants to live with him in a living relationship. There is a sexual passion behind it. The second love story is between Alyohin and a Russian girl which is related to wealth/money or monetary love story. Here, sex is exchanged with money. She only loves Alyohin money, not him.

And the third love story is between Alyohin and Anna Alexeyevna which is a spiritual and unexpressed love story. Alyohin doesn’t express their love thinking that it will break up the whole household ie. the life of her husband, children and also ruin their life and happiness. He was also afraid of society and its morality. On the other hand, Anna thinks that she also thinks that she was not young enough to live with him.

What is love according to Alyohin? or,
How does Alyohin define love?

According to Alyohin, “Love is a great mystery”; everything else that has been written or said about love is not a solution, but only a statement of questions that have been remained unanswered. The explanation that would fit one case does not apply to others. Similarly, when we are in love, we never stop asking ourselves whether it is honorable or dishonorable, sensible or stupid, what this love will lead to, and so on. Love is not bounded by castes, religion, colors, ages, and conjugal relations. It is beyond all types of social limitations.

The love between Nikanor and Pelageya is unbelievable. It shows that love is possible between two unmatched people. Love is also possible after marriage also or having children. We can see this from the love story between Alyohin himself and Anna. Love is an unconditional and unrestricted thing in the world that crosses every type of boundary.

Why did alyohin and anna conceal their love?

The love story between Alyohin and Anna Alexeyevna is a spiritual and unexpressed love story. Alyohin doesn’t express their love thinking that it will break up the whole household ie. the life of her husband, children and also ruin their life and happiness. He was also afraid of society and its morality. On the other hand, Anna thinks that she also thinks that she was not young enough to live with him.

Sketch the Character of Alyohin.

Alyohin is a bachelor who wants to live a higher standard. But due to the debts that his father had taken at the time when he was studied. He can’t afford it. He works on the farm to pay the debts. This shows that Alyohin is a responsible person. He is a man of thought. We can see it from; Alyohin doesn’t confess their love because it will break up the whole household, the life of her husband, children and also ruin their life and happiness. He also thinks about society’s morals. He also thinks that he would not make Anna happy in their country house.

Sketch the Character of Anna Alexeyevna.

Anna Alexeyevna is a very young charming woman, not more than twenty-two. She is a beautiful, kind, intelligent, fascinating woman. She has lovely, caressing eyes that attract Alyohin. Her married to an old man was one of the reasons for her suffering. Her sexual urges are not fulfilled so she comes near to the Alyohin to fulfill her urges which later turn into love. But she does not confess her love to Alyohin because she was afraid of society’s morals. She also thinks that she was not young enough to live with him.

Why is Alyohin compared to a squirrel in a cage?

Alyohin friend’s compared him to a squirrel in a cage. The reason behind it is; Alyohin is a university-educated student but he has to live in a village/country and doing farming in order to pay debts that his father borrow at the time of his study. He has a dream to live a luxurious life, higher studies, and involve in scholarly activities but his all dream was flooded. There is no middle way rather than doing farming in the country.
Once again, his friend compared him to a squirrel in a cage at the last of the story when he told his love story to Anna. They were sorry for it what has happened to Alyohin. Here his friend compares to squirrel in a cage because Alyohin can’t do anything knowing that Anna was also loving him.

Do you consider Alyohin a successful or a failure person?

Alyohin is a failure person in both love and education. In the beginning, when he was in love with a Russian girl. She leaves him when Alyohin can’t fulfill her desire ie. money. She loves his money, not Alyohin. On the other, when Alyohin was in love with Anna, he doesn’t confess his love to Anna for thinking about society’s morals. He also thinks that it will break up the whole household ie. the life of her husband, children and also ruin their life and happiness. On the other side, Alyohin was a university-educated person, he wants to involve in scholarly activities but due to his debts, he can’t do it. This shows that he is a failure in both the love and education fields.

How did Alyohin come in contact with Anna?

Alyohin was a university-educated person. He was working on the farm to pay the debts that his father has borrowed for their studies. But before he came to the country Sofyino, he was elected as honorary justice of the peace at circuit court From time to time, he had to go to town to take part in the assizes of the peace. He also makes the friends in the town. Luganovich is one of them. Luganovich is the assistant president of the circuit court.
Once, he invited him to dinner at his home where Alyohin meets Anna Alexeyevna, the wife of Luganovich. She was a very young woman, not more than twenty-two and her first baby had been born just six months before. Alyohin was so attracted to Anna. They make dinner and play the duet on the piano.

What is love? Why should the love in each case be individualized?

Love is the intense feeling of affection for someone to whom you are spiritual or sexually attracted. Love should individualize. It may differ from one another. The explanation that would fit one case does not apply to others. In the story, we can see that for one Love is a source of money for a Russian girl, for others, it is the way to fulfill the sexual desire. Love has different definitions in each case. “Love is a great mystery”; everything else that has been written or said about love is not a solution, but only a statement of questions that have been remained unanswered.

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