Enemies Summary | Anton Chekhov | Encounters |Major English Class 12 by Suraj Bhatt

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Enemies Summary | Anton Chekhov | Major English Class 12

Enemies by Anton Chekhov

SHORT SUMMARY 

Enemies by Anton Chekhov

The story “Enemies” was written by the famous Russian writer Anton Chekhov. This story begins with a tragic scene. The main character here in this story is Dr. Kirlov, who seems very sad. He has just lost his only six-year-old son, Andrey. His wife is full of tears, remaining silent in front of her son’s dead body.

Andrey's dead body is lying on a cot with his eyes wide open. It’s about 10 p.m. on September night. They lost their son just five minutes before due to diphtheria. There is complete silence in the doctor’s house. In the meantime, a visitor named Aboguin arrives at Dr. Kirlov’s house and looks so worried.

He pleads with Dr. Kirlov to go with him. He informs her that his wife’s condition is too serious. His wife has quite a pain in her heart. He has come there to make a house call. Dr. Kirlov remains silent. He doesn’t know what to do. He moves towards the drawing room and remains silent. He is in a serious plight. His mind isn’t working properly. He hesitates to go to the visitor’s house to save his wife. Dr. Kirlov doesn’t care about Aboguin’s request. He remains indecisive. His behaviour makes the visitor feel bad. Dr. Kirlov seems inhuman to the visitor. Aboguin feels sorrow over his loss. He thinks his sorrows are greater than Dr. Kirlov’s sorrows. Finally, he insists on Dr. Kirlov again and again and convinces him that he can return in an hour. Dr. Kirlov becomes ready to move, being dutiful and leaving his wife and his son's dead bodies in a critical situation. He keeps his sorrows within his heart and goes with Aboguin in the name of humanity. The condition of Dr. Kirlov is helpless, hopeless, and depressed.

They move on the carriage so hurriedly. The wheels’ noise makes all the rooks cry mournfully. Their carriage disturbs the rooks’ sleep. They move through the dark forest's path. Nature even seems helpless and hopeless. Both Dr. Kirlov and Aboguin are in great sorrow.

After reaching the big house in Aboguin, Dr. Kirlov is asked to sit in the drawing room. Dr. Kirlov doesn’t have any attraction towards Aboguin’s house’s luxuries. Aboguin moves to the room to see his wife. A bit later, he reappears in front of the doctor. He seems so regretful. He asks Dr. Kirlov for excuses and informs the doctor that his wife has deceived him and eloped with one of his friends named Papchinsky.

Aboguin loved his wife more than his life. He hadn’t expected such deceit from his wife. But she pretended about her heart pain and eloped with his friend. Aboguin expresses his grief to Dr. Kirlov. But Dr. Kirlov feels his insult.

The doctor becomes too furious with Aboguin. Later on, both of them abuse each other. They call each other their lifelong enemies. While coming back home on the carriage, Dr. Kirlov is in great tension and grief. His hatred towards Aboguin becomes more unforgettable and irreparable than the tragedy of his family.

 

ANALYSIS 

Enemies by Anton Chekhov

People on this planet are so selfish. They are too concerned about their affairs. People become selfish, wicked, unjust, inhuman, and indecisive during times of grief or sorrow. They think of their grief as a greater one. They become limited during times of unhappiness. They forget their principle of humanity. The doctor seems too reserved because he thinks his grief is greater than Aboguin’s grief. Aboguin doesn’t even care about the doctor’s grief. Both of them become inhuman and selfish.

In this story, both Dr. Kirilov and Aboguin are obsessed by their own grief. Each thinks that his own grief is greater than others'. Dr. Kirilov is grief-stricken at the death of his only 6-year-old son. His wife is full of sorrow. They have no possibility of having another child. Just five minutes after the death of the son, a visitor comes to the house of Dr. Kirilov at night. It is Aboguin who has come to call the doctor to save his seriously sick wife. The doctor is obsessed by his own tragedy, and he hesitates to go save a dying woman. He is unjust, indecisive, cruel, wicked, and inhuman. His son is already dead, and now he can't save him. But to be dutiful and for the sake of humanity, he must be ready to save a dying woman. When Aboguin insists again and again and convinces him that he can return within an hour, Dr. Kirilov is ready to go. When he hears that the wife of Aboguin has eloped with Papchinsky, the doctor becomes furious. He feels insulted and abuses Aboguin severely. Aboguin tries to express his grief and the secrets of his life, but the doctor doesn't listen. He feels that Aboguon is his unforgettable enemy.

On the other hand, Aboguin is also equally obsessed with his own grief and tragedy. When he knows that Dr. Kirilov has just lost his only son, he doesn't show much sympathy to the doctor. His wife is full of sorrow, and the doctor is grief-stricken. He says that because of his own grief, he cannot go with Aboguin. However, Aboguin thinks that his own grief is more important and insists on the doctor saving his life. He obliges the doctor to go with him at night, leaving his grieving wife alone. When the doctor gets angry and feels insulted knowing that the wife of Aboguin is not sick but she has eloped with Papchinsky, Aboguin can't control his nerve (anger). When the doctor abuses him, he also abuses and threatens the doctor. Instead of feeling sorry for calling the doctor for nothing, he forces the doctor to listen to his own grief. Thus, the writer says that unhappy men are usually selfish.

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