Anton chekhov the house with the mezzanine analysis

AP Chekhov
House with a Mezzanine
Narrator (the narration goes from the first person) recalls how six or seven years ago he lived in the estate of Belokurov in one of the counties of the T-g province. The owner “got up very early, walked in a podevke, in the evenings he drank beer and all complained to me that he did not find sympathy anywhere in anyone.” The narrator is an artist, but in the summer he got so lazy that he wrote almost nothing. “Sometimes I left home and until late evening wandered somewhere.” So he wandered into an unfamiliar estate. Near the gate stood two girls: one “older, thin, pale, very beautiful” and the second – “very young – she was seventeen or eighteen years old, no more – also thin and pale, with a big mouth and big eyes.” Both persons for some reason seemed familiar long ago. He returned with a feeling,
Soon, there was a carriage in the estate of Belokurov, in which sat one of the girls, the eldest. She came with a signature sheet to ask for money for the villagers. Having subscribed to the sheet, the narrator was invited to see, according to the expression of the girl, “how do admirers of his talent live.” Belokurov said that her name is Lidia Volchaninova, she lives in the village of Shelkovka together with her mother and sister. Her father once occupied a prominent place in Moscow and died in the rank of secret counselor. Despite the good facilities, the Voltchaninovs lived in the countryside without leaving, Lida worked as a teacher, receiving twenty-five rubles a month.
On one of the holidays they went to the Volchaninovs. Mother and daughters were at home. “Mother, Ekaterina Pavlovna, once, apparently, beautiful, now crude not by age, sick with shortness of breath, sad, distracted, tried to engage me in conversation about painting.” Lida told Belokurov that the chairman of the council, Balagan, “handed all his posts in the district to his nephews and sons-in-law and does what he wants.” “Young people should form a strong party,”

she said, “but you see how young we are.” It’s a shame, Pyotr Petrovich! ” Younger sister Zhenya (I’m afraid, because when she was a child she called her “Miss,” her governess), she seemed like a child. During dinner Belokurov, gesticulating, overturned the sauceboat with his sleeve, but no one, except the narrator, seemed to notice this. When they returned, Belokurov said: ” A good upbringing is not that you will not spill sauce on a tablecloth, but that you will not notice if someone else does it. Yes, a wonderful, intelligent family… “
The narrator began to visit the Voltchaninovs. He liked Misya, she also sympathized with him. “We walked together, tore cherries for jam, skated in a boat Or I wrote an etude, and she stood by and looked with admiration.” He was especially attracted by the fact that in the eyes of a young provincial he looked like a talented artist, a famous person. Lida disliked him. She despised idleness and considered herself a labor person. She did not like his landscapes because the people’s needs did not appear in them. In turn, Lida did not like him. Somehow he started a dispute with her and said that her charitable work with peasants not only does not bring benefits, but is harmful. “You come to them to help with hospitals and schools, but this does not set them free from bondage, but, on the contrary, they enslave you even more, for by bringing new prejudices into their lives,
Finally, the narrator confessed to Genet in love in the evening, when she accompanied him to the gate of the manor. She answered him in kind, but then she ran off to tell her mother and sister. “We do not have secrets from each other…” When the next day he came to the Voltchaninovs, Lida announced dryly that Ekaterina Pavlovna and Zhenya had gone to her aunt’s place in the Penza province, so that she could then probably go abroad. On the way back, he was caught up by a boy with a note from Misyu: “I told my sister everything, and she demands that I part with you… I was not able to upset her by my disobedience, God will give you happiness, forgive me. knew how I and my mother weep bitterly! ” He did not see the Volchaninovs anymore. Once, on the way to the Crimea, he met Belokurov in the car, and he reported that Lida still lives in Shelkovo and teaches children. She managed to rally around her “strong party” of young people, and in the last Zemsky elections they “rolled” Balagin. “About Zhenya Belokurov reported only that she did not live at home and was unknown where.” Gradually the narrator begins to forget about the “house with the mezzanine”, about the Voltchaninovs, and only in moments of loneliness he remembers them and: “… gradually, for some reason, it seems to me that they are also remembering me, waiting for me and that we we’ll meet… I’m afraid, where are you? “

The narrator (the narration is in the first person) recalls how six or seven years ago he lived on the estate of Belokurov in one of the counties of the T-th province. The owner “was up very early, walked around in a undershirt, drank beer in the evenings and kept complaining to me that he didn’t find sympathy anywhere and in anyone.” The narrator is an artist, but in the summer he became so lazy that he wrote almost nothing. "Sometimes I would leave the house and wander somewhere until late in the evening." So he wandered into an unfamiliar estate. Near the gate stood two girls: one "older, thin, pale, very beautiful" and the second - "young - she was seventeen or eighteen years old, no more - also thin and pale, with a big mouth and big eyes." For some reason, both faces looked familiar. He came back feeling like he had a good dream.

Soon a carriage appeared in Belokurov's estate, in which one of the girls, the eldest, was sitting. She came with a signature sheet to ask for money for the fire victims. Having signed in the sheet, the narrator was invited to visit, in the words of the girl, "how the admirers of his talent live." Belokurov said that her name is Lydia Volchaninova, she lives in the village of Shelkovka with her mother and sister. Her father once occupied a prominent position in Moscow and died in the rank of Privy Councilor. Despite good means, the Volchaninovs lived in the country without a break, Lida worked as a teacher, receiving twenty-five rubles a month.

On one of the holidays they went to the Volchaninovs. Mother and daughters were at home. “Mother, Ekaterina Pavlovna, once, apparently, beautiful, now damp beyond her years, sick with shortness of breath, sad, absent-minded, tried to keep me talking about painting.” Lida told Belokurov that the chairman of the council, Balagan, “distributed all the posts in the county to his nephews and sons-in-law and does what he wants.” “The youth should make up a strong party,” she said, “but you see what kind of youth we have. Shame on you, Pyotr Petrovich!” The younger sister Zhenya (Miss, because in her childhood she called that “Miss”, her governess) seemed like a child. During dinner, Belokurov, gesticulating, knocked over a gravy boat with his sleeve, but no one except the narrator seemed to notice this. When they returned, Belokurov said: “Good education is not that you don’t spill the sauce on the tablecloth, but that you don’t notice if someone else does it. Yes, a wonderful, intelligent family ... "

The narrator began to visit the Volchaninovs. He liked Misya, she also sympathized with him. “We walked together, picked cherries for jam, rode in a boat Or I wrote a sketch, and she stood nearby and looked with admiration.” He was especially attracted by the fact that in the eyes of a young provincial woman he looked like a talented artist, a famous person. Linda disliked him. She despised idleness and considered herself a laboring person. She did not like his landscapes because they did not show the needs of the people. In turn, Lida did not like him. Once he started a dispute with her and said that her charitable work with the peasants was not only not beneficial, but also harmful. “You come to their aid with hospitals and schools, but this does not free them from their fetters, but, on the contrary, enslave them even more, because by introducing new prejudices into their lives, you increase the number of their needs, not to mention the fact that that they should pay the zemstvos for books and, therefore, bend their backs more strongly. Lidin's authority was indisputable. Mother and sister respected, but also feared her, who took over the "male" leadership of the family.

Finally, the narrator confessed his love to Zhenya in the evening, when she accompanied him to the gates of the estate. She answered him in kind, but immediately ran to tell her mother and sister everything. “We have no secrets from each other...” When the next day he came to the Volchaninovs, Lida dryly announced that Ekaterina Pavlovna and Zhenya had gone to her aunt, to the Penza province, then, probably, to go abroad. On the way back, a boy caught up with him with a note from Misyu: “I told my sister everything, and she demands that I part with you ... I was unable to upset her with my disobedience. God will give you happiness, forgive me. If you knew how my mother and I weep bitterly!” He never saw the Volchaninovs again. Once, on the way to the Crimea, he met Belokurov in the carriage, and he said that Lida still lives in Shelkovka and teaches children. She managed to rally a "strong party" of young people around her, and in the last Zemstvo elections they "rolled" Balagin. “About Zhenya, Belokurov only said that she did not live at home and was unknown where.” Gradually, the narrator begins to forget about the “house with a mezzanine”, about the Volchaninovs, and only in moments of loneliness does he remember them and: “... little by little, for some reason, it begins to seem to me that they also remember me, they are waiting for me and that we Let's meet... Miss, where are you?

Volchaninova Zhenya (Miss) - one of the heroines of the story "The House with a Mezzanine", Lydia's sister, a girl of 17-18 years old, thin and pale, with a big mouth and big eyes. Unlike her sister, Misyu spends her life in idleness, reading a lot. She is friends with the artist, she likes to watch how he writes sketches, she talks to him about God, about eternal life, about the miraculous. Eventually she becomes infatuated with him. After his explanation, the heroine tells everything to Lydia, and she, not wanting the development of these relations, forces her to leave the next day with her mother.

Volchaninova Lydia One of the characters is a teacher. She comes from a good family, the daughter of a Privy Councilor. She is twenty-four years old, she is "thin, pale, very beautiful, with a whole mop of brown hair on her head, with a small stubborn mouth." Her face always has a stern, serious expression. Despite her wealth, she, along with her mother and sister, lives all year round on her estate and spends on herself only those 25 rubles that she earns at the Zemstvo school, and is proud that she lives on her own account.

Lidia Volchaninova is a supporter of the so-called small deeds. She treats men, organizes libraries, and is engaged in educational activities. This heroine speaks only about serious things: about the zemstvo, about school libraries, about the need to fight the chairman of the zemstvo council, who took the entire county into his hands, takes an active part in zemstvo activities.

Her acquaintance with the artist-narrator occurs when she comes to the landowner Belokurov, with whom he lives, with a signature sheet to ask for fire victims. She has a tense relationship with the artist. He believes that he is unsympathetic to her: “She did not love me because I am a landscape painter and do not depict the needs of the people in my paintings, and that I, as it seemed to her, was indifferent to what she believed so strongly in.” Starting a business conversation, she always dryly says to him: “This is not interesting for you,” thereby causing him irritation and a desire to argue and contradict her. In the family, she dominates and enjoys unquestioned authority. When the narrator declares his love to her sister, Lydia makes it so that the next day Misyu leaves with her mother.

Artist - the narrator, lives in the estate of the landowner Belokurov. At first he does nothing, living in complete idleness and contemplation, wandering around the neighborhood a lot. The hero meets the Volchaninov family and is fond of his younger sister Zhenya (aka Misya). Thanks to this romantic light hobby, he again begins to draw. With his older sister Lydia, he has a tense, almost hostile relationship. He is annoyed by her narrowness, constant talk only about serious things - the Zemstvo, school libraries, etc. He argues with her, refuting the "theory of small deeds" not only as ineffective, but also harmful, because this kind of interference in the life of ordinary people, in his opinion, it only creates new needs, a new reason for labor. He believes that "the vocation of every person in spiritual activity is in the constant search for truth and the meaning of life."

Pushing two "truths" - the Artist and Lydia - Chekhov does not take the side of either of them, because, being absolutized, each becomes an obstacle to the living element of life. They are colored precisely by human subjectivity, personal motives and moods (the same irritation of the Artist or Lydia's dislike for him) distort even that which is irrefutable in its own way. After the hero confesses his love to Missus and she tells Lydia about it, she, not wanting further development of their relationship, forces her to leave with her mother to her aunt in the Penza province. The artist, in turn, returns to Moscow.

"A House with a Mezzanine" is one of the most famous stories by the master of short prose Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. The work was published in 1896. It describes the love feeling that arose between a bored artist and a young landowner's daughter, and also touches upon socially important issues of the plight of the Russian peasantry and possible ways to change the current state of affairs.

In the story "House with a Mezzanine" there are 5 main characters:

• Artist(aka the narrator) - a bored intellectual who came to the village to unwind from the bustle of the city, but in fact continued to be bored, depressed and lead an idle lifestyle;
• Belokurov- the landowner, a friend of the Artist, the storyteller came to his estate to visit;
• Ekaterina Pavlovna Volchaninova- landowner, Belokurov's neighbor;
• Lida- the eldest daughter of Volchaninova, a beauty, an activist, an ardent fighter for transformation, an adherent of the “small deeds” method;
• Zhenya(for domestic Misya) - the youngest daughter of Volchaninova, a dreamy, cheerful, open person, the subject of the Artist's ardent passion.

The main character paints watercolors, he is an artist. True, for a long time art practically did not inspire him. Nothing excites the main character, no persistent emotion or strong experience resonates in his soul. To change the situation, he goes to the village to his friend the landowner Belokurov. The latter leads a no more active lifestyle. He sits without a break in his estate. From an idle way of life, his speech acquired some kind of viscous character. Belokurov is even too lazy to marry, he is quite content with a cohabitant, according to the narrator, more like a beefy goose.

However, Belokurov is not tormented by such a life, he is quite happy in his blissful idleness. But for our Artist, idleness is tedious. It's like he's doomed to do nothing. Existence in the village began to merge into one long, long day. But one day the guest met the Volchaninov girls, and everything changed.

There were two of them. Both are very beautiful, but each in its own way. The eldest, Lida, was thin, white-skinned, stately, with a mop of thick brown hair spread over her shoulders. With this beauty, a thin stubborn mouth and a stern expression were discordant. The second, Zhenya (at home she was called by the cheerful nickname Misya, as little Zhenya called the French governess), thin, miniature, like a doll, big-mouthed, big-eyed. It was these open, sincere eyes that delighted the Artist. Missus followed the stranger with an enthusiastic curious look, while Lida barely glanced at the man.

Soon the Volchaninovs' neighbors invited the Artist to visit. During the first visit, it became clear who was the boss in the house. Lida's loud voice was already heard from the threshold, giving some orders. Matushka Ekaterina Pavlovna was shy with her daughter, but Misya childishly agreed with any authoritative decision of her elder sister.

From the very first visit between the Artist and the charming Misyu, a love arose. He seemed to wake up after a long sleep. This little white fairy brought him back to life. But the more the Artist became attached to his younger sister, the more tense his relationship with his older sister became.

“I was unsympathetic to her,” noted the Artist. “She didn’t like me because I was a landscape painter and did not depict people’s needs in my paintings and that I, as it seemed to her, was indifferent to what she believed so strongly in.”

With each new argument, the gulf between Lida and the Artist widened. In the end, the imperious sister sent the youngest first to another province, and then abroad. Missus could not resist the will of Lida, and the Artist turned out to be too inert to save his love.

main idea

In the story "House with a mezzanine" two plot layers can be distinguished: love and ideological lines. If we talk about the love line, here Chekhov first of all focused on how often people do not value their happiness. Anton Pavlovich wrote: "... people so easily look through, miss life, they themselves refuse happiness."

And here you need to look wider than the love story of Miss and the Artist, because in fact the “House with a Mezzanine” is a story about three unfulfilled happiness. The happiness of the Artist and Misya did not work out, the landowner Belokurov vegetates in the wilderness and the active Lida, who decided to put her life in the service of the people, also refuses personal happiness for the sake of an idea that has completely mastered her.

And, finally, the main thing is that an idea (whatever it may be) should not have power over a person, it cannot run counter to his interests and the interests of those around him. So, Lida became obsessed with her “small deeds”, helping distant “others”, she did not notice that she had become a tyrant for her loved ones.

Introduced into literature in the early 80s of the XIX century with humorous stories (“Letter to a learned neighbor”, “Death of an official”, “Thick and thin”, “Chameleon”, etc.), the writer by the mid-1880s changes the nature of his creativity, enhances the psychological depth in the depiction of characters, moves from funny characters to complex, contradictory ones.

A special Chekhovian style of narration is taking shape, which is also characteristic of the story "A House with a Mezzanine".

The history of the creation of the story "House with a mezzanine".

In the autumn of 1889, A. Chekhov's sister Maria introduces him to a young gymnasium teacher, her friend Lika Mizinova, a beautiful, charming, intelligent girl. Lika becomes a frequent guest in the Chekhovs' house.

In the summer of 1891, the whole family rested in Aleksin, where Lika was also invited. On the way to Aleksin, the girl meets the owner of the Bogimovo estate in the Kaluga province, E.D. Bylim-Kolosovsky. He, in turn, having learned that his beloved writer Chekhov lives in a dacha in Aleksin, invites him to his estate for the summer. Anton Pavlovich accepts the invitation. It is the Bogimov summer of 1891 that is the basis of the story, at the beginning of which the Bylim-Kolosovsky estate appears before the reader and in which some features of the owner of the estate are transferred to Belokurov.

Questions for the analysis of the story "A house with a mezzanine".

- How does the narrator characterize the landowner Belokurov? What can be said about the author's point of view?

“I lived on the estate of the landowner Belokurov, a young man who got up very early, walked in a undershirt, drank beer in the evenings and kept complaining to me that he did not meet sympathy anywhere and in anyone ... "He always said" boring, sluggish and long , with a clear desire to appear smart and progressive ... he talked about how hard you have to work when you want to become a model farmer. And I thought: what a heavy and lazy fellow he was ... he worked the same way as he spoke - slowly, always late, he missed deadlines. I did not believe in his efficiency, because the letters that I instructed him to send to the post office, he dragged around in his pocket for weeks ... ".

The narrator gives a direct description of Belokurov as a man and a landowner who is unable to manage the household. Pyotr Petrovich is young, but does nothing, does not serve in the Zemstvo, but only talks about his efficiency. He is lazy and weak-willed, Lyubov Ivanovna, who lived with him in the wing, “... was ten years older than him and ruled him strictly, so when he left home, he had to ask her permission ...”,

- What is the estate of Belokurov? What epithet is repeated in his description? What state of the narrator colored the narrative? What is the author's idea being conveyed?

The narrator does not give a detailed description of Belokurov's estate: "... He lived in an outbuilding, and I lived in an old manor house." The description of the interior reveals the emotional state of the artist. He is uncomfortable in the empty “huge hall with columns”, because “... even in calm weather, something hummed in the old Amos stoves, and during a thunderstorm the whole house trembled and seemed to crack into pieces, and it was a little scary, especially at night when all ten large windows were suddenly illuminated by lightning ... ".

In the description of the interior, in the expression by the artist of his inner state, the idea of ​​the extinction of the noble estate is conveyed (it is no coincidence that the epithet “old” is repeated twice). Exploring the narrative style of Chekhov, Yu.V. Mann says that the type of Chekhov's narration can be judged by the way the landscape and interior are presented; the author retells the state of his character, uniting with him in a common feeling ...

- What is the estate of the Volchaninovs? What role does the landscape play?

“I accidentally wandered into some unfamiliar estate. The sun was already hiding. and on
blooming rye stretched evening shadows. Two rows of old, closely planted, very tall fir trees stood like two solid walls, forming a gloomy, beautiful alley. I easily climbed over the fence and walked along this alley ... Then I turned into a long linden alley. And here, too, desolation and old age ... To the right in the old orchard, reluctantly, in a weak voice, the oriole sang,
be an old lady too. But now the lindens are over.

I passed a white house with a terrace and a mezzanine, and suddenly a view unfolded in front of me of the manor’s courtyard and the wide pond with a bath, with a crowd of green willows, with a village on the other side, with a high narrow bell tower, on which a cross burned, reflecting in the setting sun. For a moment, I felt the charm of something dear, very familiar, as if I had already seen this very panorama once in my childhood.

A house with a mezzanine is a symbol of a noble estate. And although the Volchaninovs feel the breath of life, at the same time, “old fir trees”, “desolation and old age”, an old oriole - all this suggests that the nobility is losing its position in public life. The evening landscape that accompanies the meeting of the hero with the girls, the comparison of reality with a dream portends a sad development of events.

- What do the artist and Belokurov say about the Volchaninovs, about family relationships? How is the idea of ​​the typical life in a noble estate carried out?

Belokurov notes that this is a "wonderful, intelligent family." The artist feels comfortable in the Volchaninovs' house, in which "the servants were told" you ", and ... everything breathed decency ... ".

A trusting relationship has developed in the family, so Zhenya tells the artist: “We have no secrets from each other, I must now tell everything to my mother and sister ...”.

Ekaterina Pavlovna and Zhenya live in idleness. They are the closest, “adored each other ... they always prayed together, and both equally believed and understood each other well, even when they were silent ...”, the artist says that Ekaterina Pavlovna “... was in awe of her eldest daughter. Lida never caressed, spoke only about serious things; she lived her own special life, and for her mother and sister she was the same sacred, a little mysterious person, as for the sailors the admiral, who is still sitting in his cabin ... ". By virtue of her convictions, Lida works, does charity work, and is proud that she “lives on her own account.”

The unambiguous attitude towards Lida is removed by comparing her with the admiral, as well as by the fact that her mother worries about her: “School, first-aid kits, books - all this is good, but why extremes? After all, she is already twenty-four years old, it's time to seriously think about yourself. That way, behind books and first-aid kits, you won’t see how life will pass ... You need to get married ... ".

The artist's story about how the days pass in Shchelkovka testifies to the idle life of its inhabitants: they play croquet and tennis, drink tea, and dine for a long time. The typical life of this noble family is confirmed by the generalization: “For me, a carefree person who is looking for an excuse for his idleness, these festive mornings in our estates have always been unusually attractive.”

The unambiguity of this positive assessment is removed by the following reasoning: "... when everyone is so nicely dressed and cheerful, and when you know that all these healthy, well-fed, beautiful people will do nothing all day, then you want your whole life to be like that ...".

Yu.V. Mann notes: “Neutralization of categoricalness is a constant Chekhov trick”

— What is the relationship between the artist and Lydia?

The artist understands that he is unsympathetic to Lydia: “She did not love me because I am a landscape painter and do not depict people's needs in my paintings ...”. He talks about Lida’s appearance like this: “thin, pale, very beautiful, with a whole mop of brown hair on her head, with a small stubborn mouth, had a stern expression and barely paid attention to me ...».

In this psychological portrait, the character traits of the girl are guessed, which will be revealed later. And here is another characteristic of the girl: “Lida has just returned from somewhere and, standing near the porch with a whip in her hands, slender, beautiful, lit by the sun, orders the shaft something to the worker ...».

— How does the narrator characterize himself, how does he reveal his feelings for Zhenya?

The artist is dissatisfied with himself, he believes that his life "passed so quickly and uninterestingly." He calls himself a “strange person” because “from a young age he has been tormented by envy ... disbelief in his work”, constantly emphasizes his idleness and bitterly says: “... I am always poor, I am a vagabond.” But he is a talented artist. Ekaterina Pavlovna knows and praises his landscapes, which she saw at an exhibition in Moscow, Zhenya also likes his work.

He tells Lydia that he leads an idle lifestyle because in an unfairly arranged society the people are oppressed and under such conditions the life of an artist does not make sense, and the more talented he is, the more strange and incomprehensible his role, since it turns out that he works... maintaining the existing order. And he adds: "I don't want to work and I won't..."

In ideological disputes with Lydia, the artist expresses utopian ideas characteristic of socialists: the liberation of man from labor, universal equality, the establishment of a healthy lifestyle, when there will be no need for pharmacies or hospitals, the liberation of man from the fear of death and even from death itself. He does not recognize the "theory of small deeds", which completely absorbed Lydia, but he does not say how his ideas can be realized, although it becomes clear that this requires a radical change in the social structure.

The characters did not hear or understand each other. The author does not accept any of the positions in the ideological disputes of the characters, he gives the reader the right to choose. But at the same time, it becomes clear that living life with its eternal values ​​is more significant than any one-sided theoretical ideas about it and disputes.

The topic of ideological disputes remains open. The artist analyzes his feelings for Zhenya in an internal monologue: “I loved Zhenya. I must have loved
her for meeting and seeing me off, for looking at me tenderly and with admiration. How touchingly beautiful were her pale face, thin neck, thin hands, her weakness, her idleness, her books. And the mind? I suspected she had a remarkable mind, I admired the breadth of her views, perhaps because she thought differently than the strict, beautiful Lida, who did not love me.

Zhenya liked me as an artist, I won her heart with my talent, and I passionately wanted to write only for her, and I dreamed of her as my little queen, who, together with me, would own these trees, fields, fog, dawn, this nature, wonderful, charming, but among which I still felt hopelessly alone and unnecessary.

It is impossible not to notice that in this monologue "... in the very characterization of experiences and especially their motives, the author allows for variability ...".

The hero is not quite sure of his feeling: "should be", "maybe". He thinks that he loves Zhenya, because she loved him, but the strict, beautiful Lida did not love him. But at the same time, there is an unexpected, timid and reverent feeling for Zhenya, which is the poetic charm of the story. Love is born, hope for the artist's creative revival grows stronger, the landscape contributes to the growth of anxiety, causes a feeling of inevitable drama.

Lydia believes that the artist is not worthy of her sister and destroys their possible happiness.

Right or wrong Lydia? The author does not give a direct unambiguous answer to this question.

But the next morning, after a romantic walk with Zhenya, the artist comes home to the Volchaninovs and immediately hears the voice of Lida, dictating to the children: “Somewhere God sent a piece of cheese to a crow.” And in this one can see the author's irony in relation to the artist.

The end of the story remains open, Chekhov does not explain his position in solving the love theme, gives the reader the right to decide the fate of the artist himself and leaves hope: “... for some reason it begins to seem to me that they also remember me and that we will meet ... I wonder where are you? »

Analysis of the story "A House with a Mezzanine" by Chekhov

The narration of the work is conducted in the first person - the artist. "A House with a Mezzanine" is dedicated to the period when the narrator lived for some time in the Belokurovsky estate of one of the districts of T. province. According to him, the owner of the estate complained that he could not find a person to whom he could pour out his soul.

The narrator, during a walk, went into an unfamiliar estate, where he saw two beautiful girls at once. A few days later, one of them arrived at the estate, collecting money for the peasants who had suffered from the fire. It turned out that the girl's name is Lydia Volchaninova, and she lives near the estate. After the death of her father, who several years ago was an honorary adviser, Lida's family moved to the countryside, and she herself became a teacher.

One of the holidays came up, and the narrator, together with Belokurov, went to the Volchaninovs, where he met Ekaterina Pavlovna, Lida's mother, and her younger sister Zhenya, who was most often called Misya because of her childhood habit of addressing her own governess in this way. The house with a mezzanine in which the family lived looked quite solid.

The author visits the Volchaninovs more and more often, mutual sympathy arises between him and Misyu. But with Lida, on the contrary, relations did not work out, because she hated an idle lifestyle and tried to give the impression of a working person. She did not like the landscapes of the house, because they did not have a folk theme. In many ways, Lida is the head of the family, and her mother and Zhenya simply tried not to argue with her, because they were afraid of her temper. In the story "House with a mezzanine", the summary of which does not allow revealing all the characters in detail, a detailed description of Lydia's character is given.

There is a skirmish between her and the narrator, during which he notices that charitable work in favor of the peasants is not capable of giving a positive result, but rather, on the contrary, only brings harm. According to the narrator, help to the peasants in the form of organizing hospitals and schools is unable to free them. On the contrary, even more prejudices appear in people's lives. He also noted that they would now have to pay zemstvos to receive books, which automatically implies an increase in the amount of work. Lida insists on her own, the family supports her. Gradually, the author ceases to like the house with a mezzanine, in many ways this is facilitated by Lydia.

The narrator confesses his love to Missus after another evening walk. The girl reciprocates, but immediately tells everything to Ekaterina Pavlovna and her sister, warning the narrator that it is not customary to keep secrets in their family. The next day, the hero comes to the Volchaninov estate, and Lida tells him that Misyu and her mother went to Penza, after which, most likely, they will go abroad.

When the narrator comes back, the boy catches up with him with a note from Zhenya, in which she apologizes to him and says that she could not disobey her sister's will.

The author never saw the Volchaninov family again. One day he accidentally met Belokurov and he said that Lydia still lives and works as a school teacher. The owner of the estate could not tell anything intelligible about Zhenya.

The hero of the story gradually forgets the house with a mezzanine and the family in which Lydia is the main one. Only in moments of bitter loneliness does he remember the Volchaninovs and hope that someday he will see Missus again.

The story "The House with the Mezzanine" is one of the best works of A.P. Chekhov, in 1960 it was filmed.