Hope or Tragedy: Points of View - Essay Example

Oates, on the other hand, chooses to have the narrator tell the story from the point of view of the female, Anna Sergeyevna, who exists in Nantucket in modern times. This simple choice, switching the point of view of the narrator, has striking effects. Checkov’s story seems more romantic, reflecting the older male character’s desire for youthful love, whereas Oates’ story seems more desperate as the female character attempts to escape a bad relationship and to try to manage a personal crisis.

As an initial matter, the narrative techniques are quite similar. The narrators are external to the stories themselves, removed from the action and detached, and limited in knowledge in each story. Both authors rely upon the third-person limited narrative technique. The narrative technique is limited rather than omniscient because each author tells the story from the point of view of a single character. In Chekhov’s story, the reader learns more about Anna through the eyes and thoughts of Dmitry; in Oates’ story, by contrast, the reader learns more about Dmitry through the eyes and thoughts of Anna. In short, the basic narrative framework, third person limited, is similar in both stories.

The specific point of view employed by the authors, though, results in very different interpretations. Chekhov’s protagonist, Dmitry, is aging, unhappy in his marriage, and an adulterer of some stature. He possesses a low opinion of women in general.  Indeed, after his initial meeting with Anna, he notes that “There’s something pathetic about her” (Baumbach, 15). That Anna becomes his ideal love, a last grasp at a new beginning, in which “a lovely new life would begin for them” (Baumbach, 28) is a function of his particular male point of view. His motivation, that of an ageing and perhaps unsatisfied male reaching the twilight of his life, is to hold on to what he perceives to be true love.  Chekhov’s point of view, as expressed through the male character,  implies hope.

The Anna the reader gets to know and understand in Oates’ version is a far-less happy woman. She is neither “delicate” nor naïve. She is hardly a romantic idealist. On the contrary, by switching the point of view to the female character, Oates portrays a love affair which is more the product of desperation than a meeting of kindred souls.  Oates’ Anna is confused, perhaps on the brink of a nervous breakdown, and trying to escape her unsatisfying life. From this point of view, Dmitry is more convenient than loved.  Hope is absent, in large part, when the story is told from Anna’s point of view.

In the final analysis, we have two stories that appear to be the same. And yet they leave the reader with fundamentally different feelings. Chekhov leaves the reader with a sense of hope. The reader might naturally wonder if this relationship will blossom and last. There is, to be sure, a subtle sense of optimism given the fact that Dmitry has overcome his loathing of women. Oates leaves the reader with a sense of pessimistic dread. Anna cannot be cured by Dmitry. They are, one might suppose, destined for tragedy. By switching the point of view,  the interpretations and feelings associated with literature can be drastically altered. Oates demonstrates this quite clearly in her version of the story, The Lady With The Pet Dog.