Yolen’s short story ‘‘Suzy and Leah’’ covers the meeting of two young girls—one is a blondehaired American student named Suzy; the other is Leah, a dark-haired refugee who has come to the United States from Nazi Germany. At the opening of the story, it is August 1944, approximately one year before the official end of…
A Problem by Anton Chekhov – Literary Analysis
Because ‘‘A Problem’’ is one of Chekhov’s more obscure stories, little criticism specific to it remains in print. However, Chekhov’s short fiction in general is widely reviewed, and much is directly applicable to the story at hand. For instance, Writer contributor Bob Blaisdell notes that “Chekhov showed . . . that short fiction could be…
Anton Chekhov – Writing Style & Legacy
In his short, productive life, Anton Chekhov (1860–1904), a mild-mannered, hardworking Russian doctor, managed to influence profoundly the development of two branches of world literature, the short story and drama. The stories that you read today in literary journals and magazines and what you see in many plays are something of what they are because…
A Problem by Anton Chekhov – Characterization of Sasha Uskov
Chekhov’s ‘‘A Problem’’ is an intensely intimate and detailed character study that also addresses themes of honor and crime. The story obliquely explores justice and the nature of the criminal mind. The story’s protagonist, the antihero Sasha Uskov, is certainly a criminal, albeit one who, for the bulk of the story, successfully attempts to convince…
A Problem by Anton Chekhov – Setting
Reform and Upheaval in Nineteenth-Century Russia Chekhov was writing during a period of great social, cultural, and political upheaval. The uncertainty of the times can be felt in much of his work, as his characters often struggle to find their place in a social order that they no longer understand. This period of flux began…
A Problem by Anton Chekhov – Literary Devices
Antihero Sasha is the main character and protagonist of ‘‘A Problem.’’ The story is largely told as if he is eavesdropping on the meeting being held on his behalf. Much of the narrative is also concerned with his thoughts on the matter. But Sasha is not the story’s hero (that distinction is reserved for Ivan)….
A Problem by Anton Chekhov – Themes
Crime The question of whether or not Sasha is a criminal takes up a great deal of the narrative of ‘‘A Problem.’’ It is clear that the Colonel sees Sasha as such. Aside from the fact that the Colonel’s name was the one forged on the promissory note, it is the Colonel who argues forcefully…
A Problem by Anton Chekov – Characters
Colonel The Colonel is one of Sasha’s two paternal uncles. He is a bombastic, haughty, and self-righteous man. When he is first introduced in the story, he speaks loftily but largely nonsensically. His blithering is underscored by the fact that the other uncles profess to understand him. When the Colonel finally begins to make sense,…
A Problem by Anton Chekhov : Summary
In Chekhov’s ‘‘A Problem,’’ the Uskov family has a secret. As they discuss it, they send their servants away lest they overhear. Half are exiled to the kitchen and the other half are sent away, either to attend the theater or visit the circus. The servants that remain in the house are instructed not to…
The Pit and the Pendulum – Explained – Essay
‘‘The Pit and the Pendulum’’ is the most unique of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories in that it has a happy ending. The narrator has been imprisoned in a booby-trapped dungeon and sentenced to death by the Spanish Inquisition. He successfully escapes both the pit and the pendulum, only to be threatened by the superheated…