Vanka by Chekhov - Expressing Humanity through Words on a Page

Today on the blog I am excited to write about Anton Chekhov’s story Vanka. Coming in at five pages, it is incredible how much impact this story has at such a short length. The story is hyper focused on a young boy’s tragic predicament as an apprentice shoemaker under abusive and awful circumstances. The story takes place over one night when the young boy Vanka secretly writes a letter to his grandfather who Vanka remembers in tragic detail.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of Chekhov’s style is his knack for description. It pretty great when you get a sentence like this: “The entire sky is studded with gaily twinkling stars and the Milky Way is as distinctly visible as though it had been washed and rubbed with snow for the holidays.” This sentence is meant to show the clarity and ideal nature of Vanka’s memories of his grandfather. Because Vanka’s life is so awful, it is easy to envision a better life. Vanka is also quite young so he has not had a great deal of formative memories yet. What makes Vanka unable to deal with his current predicament is the fact that he has experienced a better life. The abuse he suffers at the hands of his guardians is utterly abhorrent.

Chekhov is a master of the short story form. As a doctor he mined material for his stories from the many patients he treated. Chekhov’s vocation allowed him to understand the human condition by learning about the lives of many different people. This is why characters in Chekhov’s stories seem so realistic. Every character in Chekhov’s fiction is likely based on a real-life person. This allows Chekhov’s work to serve an important function – it provides readers a mirror with which to base their own lives upon. Chekhov’s work is universal. At some level, all of his characters are dealing with a problem that has been experienced by people all over the world. Vanka’s experience represents the experiences of suffering children through history.

All of Vanka’s attributes are universal. The way looks at the door before writing, how he sighs after remembering a happy moment with his grandfather, the fact that he lacks the knowledge of how to properly address his oh so important letter. These qualities speak so much about this character and his experiences in the world. What makes this story so tragic is the humanity that is expressed through words on a page. Chekhov is arguably the best at pulling this off.

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