People say he is the most read author after William Shakespeare. One reads a short story expecting a twist in the tale, a sudden change in the plot, an unexpected turn of events etc, as in O.Henry, Saki or Guy De Maupassant. Sometimes the short story is an exploration of character, a delineation of a person in detail and why such and such a person necessitates a study, a deeper introspection of his/her nature, for it throws light on some aspects of humanity as in Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Pushkin or Gogol. Chekhov however seems to represent a tone of general observation, a seemingly innocuous but incisive way of looking at things. He surveys humanity dispassionately, and observes their idiosyncrasies, peculiarities, foibles and preferences. Also it is an inherently Russian way of looking at things. He does not ridicule or scorn, nor does he present a picture of amusement, rather he presents the irony in the character or the situation. People are not made out to be great. Nor are they painted as villains with black motives in their life. They are simply people caught in the vortex of society but living to realize an inner compulsion of their life that keeps them going, as in ‘The lady with the Dog, The Bet, Vanya, etc. But Chekhov’s way of expression and his narrative which is shorn of adornment succeed in locating a poignant philosophical under text in his stories. The under text identifies the sadness and cruelty that is eating into the social fabric. Chekhov’s great triumph is being able to bring this world into his short stories. They do not describe Russian life, they are Russian life itself, pining for a receding old world and not yet in complete grasp of the emerging modern reality.
Many of Chekhov stories are an exploration of the situation, a particular episode in a person’s life. The sharp, sparse way in which Chekhov writes transforms such reflective pieces spoken through the characters towards highlighting the general fatigue and ennui that permeated Russian life during that period.