Reading Journal : The Student - Anton Chekhov(1894)
Rating : 6/10
I have great respect for modern Russian writers, especially since reading the works of Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Gogol, and Pushkin. However, this short story wasn't at all what I expected. To summarize the story, it's about a student studying the Bible who, while walking home one day after hunting, met two widows and related to them the story of Peter's Denial. Seeing them deeply moved by his tale, he walks away and decides that everything is connected, and life is beautiful. To be frank, I didn't understand what Chekhov was trying to say. If it was based off of a personal experience, then his epiphany from his experience didn't reach me in a clear way. Also, putting it into "The Hero's Journey" perspective, in my opinion the story doesn't fit any of the stages, let alone the third stage, which was 'refusal'. In the first place, there's no character that can be called a 'hero', so naturally there's no 'refusal' to a call to a new fate. Also, the story is too short to have 'a new life' inside of it. All in all, it was a story that can be respected for its literary meaning, but it certainly wasn't one that was a joy to read.
You have to be flexible with the Journey, and focus on the character arc - where Ivan is not a hero and there is no hero - but instead growth - which can be an abstract version of a hero. Refusal of the call - well certainly Peter did refuse to stand up for his friend, Jesus, in the story. All in all we don't need to get carried away with the math of things and focus on the overall quantity of the story that does indeed have a journey and realization at the end. Good work and keep up - and don't get too carried away by the chore of summarizing.
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