“Lady with the Pet Dog” Checkov Discussion Questions
1. How did the setting contribute to the circumstances of their meeting and developing relationship in Checkov’s story? Would they have developed such a relationship had the setting been different?
2. What is Gurov’s view of women? What is Anna’s view of men? What does this reveal about each character?
3. Why did Oates write her version of the story? What was her intent and how did she accomplish it?
4. What is the effect of having Gurov as the central consciousness? Of having Anna as the central consciousness?
5. Discuss the two scenes where Anna is suffering – how are they different? What is each character’s action/reaction during these scenes, and what does it tell us about them and the nature of their relationship? How are the scenes related to the structure of the story?
Misery by Anton Chekhov
1. What is the main theme in Anton Chekhov’s “The Lament,” also called “Misery”?
What did the officer say when Iona told him his son died?
Why does the hunchback hit Iona?
Who does Iona end up venting to?
Read Chekhov’s Natural Description and the Center of Gravity Page 151
Discussion Questions “Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield
Analyze Miss Brill’s Sundays in the park. Why does she go there, and how does she feel when she is there?
5. How might you describe the mood of the story up until the very end?
6. In what ways are Miss Brill’s thoughts and feelings about those around her ironic?
7. Most of this story lets you know what’s going on in Miss Brill’s mind. During her visit to the park, she speaks to no one, she does nothing. Her mind, however, is active, and she identifies with what is going on all around her. Consider Miss Brill’s imaginations.
a. What do they reveal about her needs and fears?
b. How would you describe Miss Brill’s life? (Rich? Meaningful? Empty? Something else?)
c. How do her reactions to what she sees reveal the emptiness of her life?
8. The story takes a sharp turn when the young couple came to sit down beside Miss Brill. Before they came, Miss Brill has been having imaginations, imagining herself as an important part of the park scene, as an “actress” in the performance. When she overhears the conversation between the boy and the girl, (the insulting comments), she finds out what others think of her.
a. How does this scene convey the nature of Miss Brill’s life?
9. At the end of the story, Miss Brill bypasses the honeycake, her Sunday treat, and returns to her “cupboard” of a room. It is clear that she is crying as she puts away her fur.
a. What does this action reveal about Miss Brill?
b. Do you think something has changed for her?
The Garden Party” Katherine Mansfield
A major theme in the story is the relationship between classes. What do you think the author was trying to communicate to the reader about class distinctions?
In what ways has Laura grown up in this short story?
What was the central conflict of this story?
What do you think Laura would have said if she finished her question at the end of the story?
What does the black hat with the yellow flowers symbolize? When Laura sees the dead man why does she say “Forgive my hat”?
