Flirting in Space

The Lady with the Little Dog may often be read as a love story about transcending societal norms to achieve spiritual freedom, but I think that’s a surface-level interpretation. At its core, the characters are weak, purposely two-dimensional, and trapped by their own limitations. From the outset, Chekhov emphasizes that Gurov, the male protagonist, views women as inferior, disposable – he’s convinced of his superiority and treats love as a fleeting thrill rather than something meaningful.

The fact that Gurov has left women – women who genuinely fell for him – makes me question whether his relationship with Anna is any different. Is this just another of his conquests, one that happens to last a little longer? There’s no solidification that Gurov’s infatuation won’t fizzle out once Anna becomes like all the other women in his life. She may fade into the familiar, burdensome, and lack the allure of novelty. The inevitability of life turning “normal” will probably make Anna just another “nagging” figure to him, like his wife. People often seek these fleeting moments of excitement because they believe it will elevate them above the monotony of their lives. In Gurov’s case, Anna is simply a more potent “high” than the women who came before her – she seems more promising, but that’s what makes the cycle so dangerous.

I also think that the common interpretation, where love conquers all and defies societal expectations, is a lazy one. Yes, the characters are relatable, but it’s precisely because they are flawed and weak. They are not heroes defying the odds – they’re people bound by their own limitations. And in Gurov’s case, it’s his strong convictions and narrow perspective that make him weak. He’s so convinced of his superiority, of the monotony of life, that he fails to see the richness of the world outside his own viewpoint.

As for Anna, her character seems easily dragged into things. There’s a chance she’ll fall into the same role as Gurov’s wife – a submissive, ordinary figure, perhaps doomed to the same fate of becoming just another source of dissatisfaction for him. Her repetitive outcries from her shock are reflected in her cognitive dissonance of processing this new perspective. Is she realising freedom or can’t save herself from manipulation?

The story doesn’t end with a triumphant declaration of love. Instead, Chekhov signals that the road ahead for Gurov and Anna will be complicated and difficult. For some readers, that’s a sign they’ll continue to defy societal norms. But for me, it suggests their shallow perspectives will struggle to survive, weighed down by their inability to break free from the very conventions and weaknesses they think they’ve escaped. This creates a chilling, cyclical view of human relationships, where every new beginning is just the prelude to eventual disillusionment. Rather than a romantic escape, it’s the start of another inevitable downfall.

Furthermore, I would like to add that a lot of readers overlook a key point in The Lady with the Little Dog: it’s written from a third-person perspective, which allows Chekhov to subtly insert his own critique of the characters. He sketches Gurov as someone chasing temporary highs, with Anna being the latest medium for that pursuit.

In a short story, every line carries weight and moves the narrative forward. Chekhov doesn’t describe Gurov as a lonely man. Instead, he’s portrayed as emotionally detached and self isolating – he feels little for his children and rejects his wife’s criticisms. Thus, he keeps seeking validation in other women, only to discard them once they no longer serve his needs. This isn’t a story of romantic love, but one of escapism. Gurov is driven by a false conviction that the world is two-dimensional, that everyone else is simple, while he is somehow exceptional.

At its heart, this isn’t about a deeper, transformative love. It’s about Gurov’s biased hatred of the external world—a dissatisfaction that pushes him to constantly escape his life, rather than confront it. The ending doesn’t promise fulfilment but hints at the cycle repeating itself. It’s the illusion of love masking a deep-rooted disenchantment with everything around him.

As Chekov clued, at the beginning the protagonist was indulging in a cold drink and at the end, gets burnt with hot tea.