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Wife for Sale
A Living Chattel by Anton Chekhov is about a love triangle between a husband and an unhappy wife who is in love with someone else. You will enjoy reading this titillating and highly scandalous tale. "Well, yes, what are we to do? Come, decide, wise little head . . . I love you, and a man in love is not fond of sharing. He is more than an egoist. It is too much for me to go share with your husband. I mentally tear him to pieces, when I remember that he loves you too. In the second place, you love me. . ."
75 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1882
3 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Anton Chekhov
5,895 books9,766 followers
Antón Chéjov
(Spanish)
Dramas, such as The Seagull (1896, revised 1898), and including "A Dreary Story" (1889) of Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, also Chekov, concern the inability of humans to communicate.
Born ( Антон Павлович Чехов ) in the small southern seaport of Taganrog, the son of a grocer. His grandfather, a serf, bought his own freedom and that of his three sons in 1841. He also taught to read. A cloth merchant fathered Yevgenia Morozova, his mother.
"When I think back on my childhood," Chekhov recalled, "it all seems quite gloomy to me." Tyranny of his father, religious fanaticism, and long nights in the store, open from five in the morning till midnight, shadowed his early years. He attended a school for Greek boys in Taganrog from 1867 to 1868 and then Taganrog grammar school. Bankruptcy of his father compelled the family to move to Moscow. At the age of 16 years in 1876, independent Chekhov for some time alone in his native town supported through private tutoring.
In 1879, Chekhov left grammar school and entered the university medical school at Moscow. In the school, he began to publish hundreds of short comics to support his mother, sisters and brothers. Nicholas Leikin published him at this period and owned Oskolki (splinters), the journal of Saint Petersburg. His subjected silly social situations, marital problems, and farcical encounters among husbands, wives, mistresses, and lust; even after his marriage, Chekhov, the shy author, knew not much of whims of young women.
Nenunzhaya pobeda , first novel of Chekhov, set in 1882 in Hungary, parodied the novels of the popular Mór Jókai. People also mocked ideological optimism of Jókai as a politician.
Chekhov graduated in 1884 and practiced medicine. He worked from 1885 in Peterburskaia gazeta.
In 1886, Chekhov met H.S. Suvorin, who invited him, a regular contributor, to work for Novoe vremya, the daily paper of Saint Petersburg. He gained a wide fame before 1886. He authored The Shooting Party , his second full-length novel, later translated into English. Agatha Christie used its characters and atmosphere in later her mystery novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd . First book of Chekhov in 1886 succeeded, and he gradually committed full time. The refusal of the author to join the ranks of social critics arose the wrath of liberal and radical intelligentsia, who criticized him for dealing with serious social and moral questions but avoiding giving answers. Such leaders as Leo Tolstoy and Nikolai Leskov, however, defended him. "I'm not a liberal, or a conservative, or a gradualist, or a monk, or an indifferentist. I should like to be a free artist and that's all..." Chekhov said in 1888.
The failure of The Wood Demon , play in 1889, and problems with novel made Chekhov to withdraw from literature for a period. In 1890, he traveled across Siberia to Sakhalin, remote prison island. He conducted a detailed census of ten thousand convicts and settlers, condemned to live on that harsh island. Chekhov expected to use the results of his research for his doctoral dissertation. Hard conditions on the island probably also weakened his own physical condition. From this journey came his famous travel book.
Chekhov practiced medicine until 1892. During these years, Chechov developed his concept of the dispassionate, non-judgmental author. He outlined his program in a letter to his brother Aleksandr: "1. Absence of lengthy verbiage of political-social-economic nature; 2. total objectivity; 3. truthful descriptions of persons and objects; 4. extreme brevity; 5. audacity and originality; flee the stereotype; 6. compassion." Because he objected that the paper conducted against [a:Alfred Dreyfu
Dramas, such as The Seagull (1896, revised 1898), and including "A Dreary Story" (1889) of Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, also Chekov, concern the inability of humans to communicate.
Born ( Антон Павлович Чехов ) in the small southern seaport of Taganrog, the son of a grocer. His grandfather, a serf, bought his own freedom and that of his three sons in 1841. He also taught to read. A cloth merchant fathered Yevgenia Morozova, his mother.
"When I think back on my childhood," Chekhov recalled, "it all seems quite gloomy to me." Tyranny of his father, religious fanaticism, and long nights in the store, open from five in the morning till midnight, shadowed his early years. He attended a school for Greek boys in Taganrog from 1867 to 1868 and then Taganrog grammar school. Bankruptcy of his father compelled the family to move to Moscow. At the age of 16 years in 1876, independent Chekhov for some time alone in his native town supported through private tutoring.
In 1879, Chekhov left grammar school and entered the university medical school at Moscow. In the school, he began to publish hundreds of short comics to support his mother, sisters and brothers. Nicholas Leikin published him at this period and owned Oskolki (splinters), the journal of Saint Petersburg. His subjected silly social situations, marital problems, and farcical encounters among husbands, wives, mistresses, and lust; even after his marriage, Chekhov, the shy author, knew not much of whims of young women.
Nenunzhaya pobeda , first novel of Chekhov, set in 1882 in Hungary, parodied the novels of the popular Mór Jókai. People also mocked ideological optimism of Jókai as a politician.
Chekhov graduated in 1884 and practiced medicine. He worked from 1885 in Peterburskaia gazeta.
In 1886, Chekhov met H.S. Suvorin, who invited him, a regular contributor, to work for Novoe vremya, the daily paper of Saint Petersburg. He gained a wide fame before 1886. He authored The Shooting Party , his second full-length novel, later translated into English. Agatha Christie used its characters and atmosphere in later her mystery novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd . First book of Chekhov in 1886 succeeded, and he gradually committed full time. The refusal of the author to join the ranks of social critics arose the wrath of liberal and radical intelligentsia, who criticized him for dealing with serious social and moral questions but avoiding giving answers. Such leaders as Leo Tolstoy and Nikolai Leskov, however, defended him. "I'm not a liberal, or a conservative, or a gradualist, or a monk, or an indifferentist. I should like to be a free artist and that's all..." Chekhov said in 1888.
The failure of The Wood Demon , play in 1889, and problems with novel made Chekhov to withdraw from literature for a period. In 1890, he traveled across Siberia to Sakhalin, remote prison island. He conducted a detailed census of ten thousand convicts and settlers, condemned to live on that harsh island. Chekhov expected to use the results of his research for his doctoral dissertation. Hard conditions on the island probably also weakened his own physical condition. From this journey came his famous travel book.
Chekhov practiced medicine until 1892. During these years, Chechov developed his concept of the dispassionate, non-judgmental author. He outlined his program in a letter to his brother Aleksandr: "1. Absence of lengthy verbiage of political-social-economic nature; 2. total objectivity; 3. truthful descriptions of persons and objects; 4. extreme brevity; 5. audacity and originality; flee the stereotype; 6. compassion." Because he objected that the paper conducted against [a:Alfred Dreyfu
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 25, 2022
An early Chekhov play that deals with a relationship triangle, but probably more importantly with a question of whether desire exists to be satisfied, or exists only to keep desire going, only for its own sake. I liked it but didn’t feel it to be one of his better short stories. Nevertheless, Chekhov's short stories are always worth checking out.
July 4, 2019
Why do we always desire that what we can't have? It's just human nature, I guess. Anton Chekhov is a writer who knows human nature all too well. This is definitely a work I would recommend to Chekhov's fans as it beautifully portrays human relationships with all of their complexities and features many of his signature dilemmas.
A Living Chattel is another example of love triangle explored by Anton Chekhov. What an incredible story it is! I listened to an audio version of this book in Russian. I enjoyed it immensely. Like most Chekhov stories, it is a story about love or perhaps better to say- everything that we call love. Often we use love as an excuse for our selfish actions.
This story feels like a very mature work, well thought thought and executed. The plot is both realistic and full of surprises and the writing is simply superb. The characters are masterfully portrayed and the story is dynamic, credible and touching. The story opens with a love triangle.
The beginning of the story seems simple enough, as we witness a domestic drama. Chechov quickly paints the basic strokes that will reveal his characters. There is a husband who treats his wife as a child, forgiving her infatuations she had in the past. There is a feeling he really loves her, but the way he treats her seems very patriarchal. The wife is in love with another man who loves her dearly. The husband learns of affair, and the lover who wants the woman for himself, feeling guilty, hands out money to the husband. The woman leaves with his lover. Everything seems settled. Sure, the lover and the ex-wife feel guilty, but surely they can work it out?
However, the story doesn't end there, as the wife is destined to meet her, now ex-husband, again...and you know the human nature. We always want what we cannot have. The things are just about to get interesting.
https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2...
A Living Chattel is another example of love triangle explored by Anton Chekhov. What an incredible story it is! I listened to an audio version of this book in Russian. I enjoyed it immensely. Like most Chekhov stories, it is a story about love or perhaps better to say- everything that we call love. Often we use love as an excuse for our selfish actions.
This story feels like a very mature work, well thought thought and executed. The plot is both realistic and full of surprises and the writing is simply superb. The characters are masterfully portrayed and the story is dynamic, credible and touching. The story opens with a love triangle.
The beginning of the story seems simple enough, as we witness a domestic drama. Chechov quickly paints the basic strokes that will reveal his characters. There is a husband who treats his wife as a child, forgiving her infatuations she had in the past. There is a feeling he really loves her, but the way he treats her seems very patriarchal. The wife is in love with another man who loves her dearly. The husband learns of affair, and the lover who wants the woman for himself, feeling guilty, hands out money to the husband. The woman leaves with his lover. Everything seems settled. Sure, the lover and the ex-wife feel guilty, but surely they can work it out?
However, the story doesn't end there, as the wife is destined to meet her, now ex-husband, again...and you know the human nature. We always want what we cannot have. The things are just about to get interesting.
https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2...
July 28, 2014
The end was quite abrupt but its beautifully woven with some awestruck words.
October 21, 2024
Chekhov weaves the drama of a story well here. The characters are plagued by their worry as much as they are the social interactions.
January 16, 2024
Chekhov is nice with it! He just knows how to write a good story!
My interpretation of the story:
Don't bore a woman, be it your wife or your girlfriend.
My interpretation of the story:
Don't bore a woman, be it your wife or your girlfriend.
May 11, 2016
All fantasy ends in disappointment. The worst demon is your desire to own another, even if you don't know why. Domestic Russian melodrama at it's beest
August 15, 2019
don't fear the dog who barks, fear the dog who's quiet :)
November 22, 2021
Having not read Chekhov for many years you forget how wonderful a writer he is, so beautifully descriptive, bringing up many vivid images in your mind. This story is no exception. Another story of young love, on a backdrop of stunning scenery.
September 10, 2023
he handled that significantly better than i ever could
September 18, 2017
местами очень тонко
July 19, 2021
You can't own a woman or a cat, so don't buy either.
September 8, 2024
Anton Chekhov’s short story A Living Chattel explores the complexities of love, desire, and the dark reality of how people can treat others as possessions rather than individuals with feelings. This work sheds light on the selfishness that can arise in human relationships, particularly when love becomes transactional or self-serving.
Plot Summary:
In A Living Chattel, Chekhov tells the story of Pyotr and Natasha, a married couple whose relationship becomes the center of a problematic love triangle. Natasha falls in love with a man named Vasily, a friend of her husband. In a highly unusual turn of events, rather than being outraged or heartbroken, Pyotr consents to the affair. Rather than holding onto his wife out of love or pride, Pyotr seems indifferent, even passively facilitating the union between Natasha and Vasily. Natasha, in turn, ends up being treated like an object that can be passed between two men.
The title of the story, A Living Chattel, is itself a reflection of this reality. "Chattel" refers to personal possessions, often livestock, and in this context, Natasha becomes little more than a piece of property in the eyes of the men around her. She loses her agency and humanity in the face of their selfishness.
Themes of Love and Selfishness:
Chekhov’s story critiques the way love can become twisted when it is rooted in selfish desires. Both men in the story seem to view Natasha not as a person to be loved, but as something to be acquired, possessed, or relinquished without much thought. Pyotr’s passive reaction to his wife’s affair demonstrates an almost disturbing indifference, as though he lacks a true emotional connection to her. His primary concern seems to be avoiding conflict or discomfort, rather than protecting his wife or the integrity of their marriage.
Vasily, on the other hand, is driven by desire, yet it’s clear his love for Natasha is not rooted in any deep respect for her as an individual. His love, like Pyotr’s, is selfish and shallow. He too seems willing to treat Natasha like an object, more interested in satisfying his own desires than in truly caring for her well-being.
The Tragic Consequences of Selfish Love:
Chekhov subtly highlights the emotional and psychological toll that this selfish love takes on Natasha. While she initially appears to be making choices for her own happiness by pursuing an affair with Vasily, the reality is far more tragic. She ends up isolated, reduced to a mere pawn in the lives of these men, without any true fulfillment or respect from either of them. Her role as a "living chattel" leaves her trapped in a system where her emotions, desires, and well-being are secondary to the men’s own self-interests.
Chekhov doesn’t offer a tidy resolution, leaving the story’s conclusion as bleak and unresolved as the relationships it depicts. The indifference of Pyotr and Vasily toward Natasha speaks to a larger societal problem in which love, marriage, and relationships can easily become hollow and transactional.
A Reflection on Chekhov's Insight:
Through A Living Chattel, Chekhov critiques not just the characters in the story, but the broader societal dynamics that allow such relationships to exist. The story is a profound commentary on how love, when poisoned by selfishness, can lose all meaning. Rather than being a force that brings people together in mutual respect and understanding, it becomes a means of control, possession, and personal gain.
The story also reflects Chekhov’s broader thematic interests in human nature, particularly his belief that people are often motivated by selfishness and that true emotional connection is rare. In A Living Chattel,love becomes just another commodity in a world where people are often treated as possessions rather than individuals.
Conclusion:
Anton Chekhov’s A Living Chattel is a powerful examination of the way selfishness can corrupt love and human relationships. By portraying a woman who becomes a "living chattel," passed between two men with little regard for her autonomy or feelings, Chekhov critiques the emptiness that can result when love is reduced to possession and desire. The story’s bleak and unresolved ending underscores the tragedy of selfish love, leaving readers with a haunting reflection on the nature of human relationships.
Plot Summary:
In A Living Chattel, Chekhov tells the story of Pyotr and Natasha, a married couple whose relationship becomes the center of a problematic love triangle. Natasha falls in love with a man named Vasily, a friend of her husband. In a highly unusual turn of events, rather than being outraged or heartbroken, Pyotr consents to the affair. Rather than holding onto his wife out of love or pride, Pyotr seems indifferent, even passively facilitating the union between Natasha and Vasily. Natasha, in turn, ends up being treated like an object that can be passed between two men.
The title of the story, A Living Chattel, is itself a reflection of this reality. "Chattel" refers to personal possessions, often livestock, and in this context, Natasha becomes little more than a piece of property in the eyes of the men around her. She loses her agency and humanity in the face of their selfishness.
Themes of Love and Selfishness:
Chekhov’s story critiques the way love can become twisted when it is rooted in selfish desires. Both men in the story seem to view Natasha not as a person to be loved, but as something to be acquired, possessed, or relinquished without much thought. Pyotr’s passive reaction to his wife’s affair demonstrates an almost disturbing indifference, as though he lacks a true emotional connection to her. His primary concern seems to be avoiding conflict or discomfort, rather than protecting his wife or the integrity of their marriage.
Vasily, on the other hand, is driven by desire, yet it’s clear his love for Natasha is not rooted in any deep respect for her as an individual. His love, like Pyotr’s, is selfish and shallow. He too seems willing to treat Natasha like an object, more interested in satisfying his own desires than in truly caring for her well-being.
The Tragic Consequences of Selfish Love:
Chekhov subtly highlights the emotional and psychological toll that this selfish love takes on Natasha. While she initially appears to be making choices for her own happiness by pursuing an affair with Vasily, the reality is far more tragic. She ends up isolated, reduced to a mere pawn in the lives of these men, without any true fulfillment or respect from either of them. Her role as a "living chattel" leaves her trapped in a system where her emotions, desires, and well-being are secondary to the men’s own self-interests.
Chekhov doesn’t offer a tidy resolution, leaving the story’s conclusion as bleak and unresolved as the relationships it depicts. The indifference of Pyotr and Vasily toward Natasha speaks to a larger societal problem in which love, marriage, and relationships can easily become hollow and transactional.
A Reflection on Chekhov's Insight:
Through A Living Chattel, Chekhov critiques not just the characters in the story, but the broader societal dynamics that allow such relationships to exist. The story is a profound commentary on how love, when poisoned by selfishness, can lose all meaning. Rather than being a force that brings people together in mutual respect and understanding, it becomes a means of control, possession, and personal gain.
The story also reflects Chekhov’s broader thematic interests in human nature, particularly his belief that people are often motivated by selfishness and that true emotional connection is rare. In A Living Chattel,love becomes just another commodity in a world where people are often treated as possessions rather than individuals.
Conclusion:
Anton Chekhov’s A Living Chattel is a powerful examination of the way selfishness can corrupt love and human relationships. By portraying a woman who becomes a "living chattel," passed between two men with little regard for her autonomy or feelings, Chekhov critiques the emptiness that can result when love is reduced to possession and desire. The story’s bleak and unresolved ending underscores the tragedy of selfish love, leaving readers with a haunting reflection on the nature of human relationships.
April 15, 2021
This is admittedly the second short story of Chekhov that i have read thus far. We’re introduced with Grohotsky who fell in love with Liza only for himself. But Liza was married to Bugrov. There was domestic abuse; Bugrov treated Liza asa little girl. Grohotsky was a rich man, for he’s willing to pay Bugrov a large amount of money to get Liza, and Bugrov agreed. And then, Liza and Grohotsky moved into a villa and lived happily, only to find out that Bugrov and her son moved into the same villa in Kremlin, which was just located opposite to Liza and Grohotsky’s villa.
It’s a life story reminding us that we often want something we don’t have. Liza thought that her life with Grohotsky would be much better, only to find out that she missed all things she used to do together with her ex-husband. Bugrov sounded like a violent man at first, but he did love Liza, and regretted that he has sold her to Grohotsky. However, we can’t buy love with money, can we?
It’s a life story reminding us that we often want something we don’t have. Liza thought that her life with Grohotsky would be much better, only to find out that she missed all things she used to do together with her ex-husband. Bugrov sounded like a violent man at first, but he did love Liza, and regretted that he has sold her to Grohotsky. However, we can’t buy love with money, can we?
November 27, 2017
لم تكن الزوجة هي المتاع الذي يُباع ويُشترى بل كان الرجال الذين يتنافسون عليها هم العبيد وهم المتاع الذين تاجرت فيهم وتلاعبت بهم جريا وراء أهوائها كما تشاء وهم يظنون أنهم هم من يشترونها ويبيعونها
March 19, 2020
He's the master. Not much else to say. I will say this shouldn't be included in short story collections as it's clearly a novella. But whatevs.
December 7, 2020
Nothing about this story really moved me
November 21, 2022
Love triangle told with incredible subtext. Toxic masculinity, simmering rivalry and rich subtext where what doesn't happen is even more enthralling than what does. Chekhov is an influential master of narrative intrigue.
February 7, 2015
أجمل ما في القصة أنها غير مملة علي الإطلاق.
أحداث غير متوقعة نهاية غير متوقعه ، تسلسل الأحداث ذكي للغاية .
أحداث غير متوقعة نهاية غير متوقعه ، تسلسل الأحداث ذكي للغاية .
August 10, 2021
Definitely worth a read! It’s short and entertaining, but it is easy to see how modern works were inspired by Chekhov through classic works like this!
January 7, 2014
One of the better stories if the authors I have read thus far
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews