Class 11 English Unit 5: ‘The Looking Glass’ by Anton Chekhov

 

Unit 5: ‘The Looking Glass’ by Anton Chekhov

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOkAqS03AGU

Reflection of the Text

The Looking Glass is a story written by Russian writer Anton Chekhov. The main character of this story is Nellie who was a daughter of a landowner and in general, she was a young pretty girl whose mind was strongly occupied with getting married as she had a problem of dreaming a New Year Eve while staring at the looking glass, she felt asleep and saw a dream about her future after getting married. She dreamed about living with a handsome man in a beautiful house. Then in one winter night, her husband was sick, suffering from a high fever, so she went to Doctor Stepan Lukitch to ask for help.

Although the cook informed her that the doctor was asleep, she didn’t listen and rushed to the doctor’s room. The doctor said that he could not help her as he was sick. He has been treating or taking care of people for 3 days, so he felt very exhausted and he would come the next day. He also suggested going to the next doctor, but she said her husband was seriously ill and impossible to reach another doctor. She implored him and tried hard to convince, and finally, he was ready to go. The doctor’s health condition is not so good, so she supported the doctor up to the road and went on a carriage. 

At 5 in the morning, they reached Nellie’s house, where she found that the doctor was as sick as her husband. She thought of going to see another doctor, and also remembered her house and her property were in the bank for a mortgage, and she could not pay the interest. She has six children who were sick, could not study well. Her husband was dying, and there was preparation for the funeral at last. The looking glass fell on the floor, then she woke up and realized it was just a dream.

Now, she has stopped dreaming and is facing the reality of life. Now, the realities don’t necessarily disturb Nellie despite having previously longed to be married. There is a sense that Nellie is contained within her situation and fully aware that what has occupied her has been no more than a dream, whether Nellie persuades her dream is difficult to say such as her relief at the end of the story. She may very well marry in the future, though it is also possible that she may focus on herself rather than her husband and family. In the end, she realizes that marriage is not necessarily needed and that a husband to be happy.

Symbolism

In this story, the looking glass symbolizes Nellie’s essential qualities, like her passion for marriage. Her pride and her shaky connections with reality. She is also searching for happiness and trying to escape from the boredom and isolation of life in her father’s country state. Like the glass, Nellie is pale, tense, and motionless, whereas the grey background gives a glimpse of dark, emptiness, and meaninglessness. She has a habit of escaping her dull life into her rich fantasy. In accents, she is seeking happiness through marriage. Before her dreams ended, she began to question what life is, how it can die, how a bank can repossess a home. But as the looking glass breaks at the end, she sees her reflection and comes into reality. Now, no longer does she see a reflection of all her hopes and aspirations. Nellie has stopped dreaming and is facing the realities of life.

Ways with words

A.   Match the words with their meanings.

a. exhausted                        i. tired

b. apparent                          ii. clear

c. vista                                iii. vision

d. undulating                       iv. wavy

e. destined                           v. predetermined

f. stuffy                               vi. airless, suffocating

g. restrain                            vii. prevent, hinder

B.    Write the meaning and word class (Noun, Verb, Adjective, and Adverb) of the following words. Then use them in sentences of your own.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMPf77EhONg

a.      implore (verb): beg someone earnestly or desperately to do something.
I regretfully and respectfully implore you to help us.

b.     despair (noun): the complete loss or absence of hope
A few positive words can turn despair into hope.

c.      beseech (verb): ask (someone) urgently and fervently to do something
I will fall at his feet and beseech him.

d.     eloquent (adjective): able to express a feeling
He made an eloquent plea for peace.

e.      whirl (noun): a state of confusion
My head is starting to whirl.

f.       egoism (noun): the fact of being excessively conceited in oneself
His egoism stopped him from loving anyone but himself.

g.     agony (noun): extreme physical or mental suffering
 She screamed again in agony as pain seared through her shoulder.

h.     delirious (adjective): in a state of wild excitement or ecstasy
The patient may be somewhat confused and delirious.

i.       delusive (adjective): giving a false or misleading impression
They were only coquetting a little with us or bent on kindling delusive hopes.

j.       compensate (verb): reduce the bad effect of loss
His enthusiasm compensates for his lack of skill.

k.     mortgage (noun/ Verb): convey property to a creditor as security on a loan
She didn’t have enough money to pay the mortgage.

l.       brood (noun/ Verb): a large family of children
He grew up among a lively brood of brothers and sisters.

m.   prelude (noun): an action or event serving as an introduction to something more important
A ceasefire had been agreed upon as a prelude to full peace negotiations.

C.    In the story, you saw the words like ‘exhausted’ and ‘smiling’. They are used as adjectives. Adjectives ending in –ing describe what someone or something is like, whereas adjectives ending in –ed describe how someone feels. Compare:

 

D.   Choose the correct word.

a.      Sarita was shocking/shocked to hear about the earthquake.

b.     I think that rainy days in winter are depressing/depressed.

c.      The football match was very exciting/excited. I enjoyed it.

d.     The meals at Delight Café are satisfying/satisfied.

e.      I’ve got nothing to do. I’m boring/bored.

 

f.       Tanka is very good at telling funny stories. He can be very amusing/amused.

g.     The teacher’s explanation was confusing/confused. Most of the students didn’t understand it.

h.      He is such a boring/bored person. He never wants to go out.

i.       I will be surprising/surprised if she does well in her test.

j.       Are you interesting/interested in politics?

E.    Write the correct form of the adjective in the blanks as in the example.

a.      They frustrate me, but they don’t bore me. I never get bored when I study grammar.

b.     If teachers want to interest the students, they must use interesting materials.

c.      Certain stories interest almost everybody. For example, most students are interested in fairy tales.

d.     Certain things frighten me, but I never get frightened when I speak English.

e.       If I get a good grade, that excites me. And if I get more than ninety percent, I am excited.

Comprehension

Answer these questions.

a.     Who was Nellie? What did she use to dream of?

Nellie was the daughter of a landowner and general, a young and pretty girl. She used to dream of getting married.

b.     What was she doing with the looking glass?

She was staring into the looking glass with exhausted, half-closed eyes.

c.      Why did she go to the doctor on one winter night?

She went to the doctor one night because her husband was ill.

d.     What was Stepan Lukitch doing when she reached his bedroom?

Stepan Lukitch was lying on his bed when she reached his bedroom.

e.      Why was the doctor not ready to go to see her husband?

The doctor was not ready to go to see her husband because the doctor was exhausted and ill himself, having seen the typhus patients for the last three days.

f.       Why did Stepan Lukitch suggest that Nellie go to the Zemstvo doctor?

Stepan Lukitch suggested that Nellie go to the Zemstvo doctor because he was ill himself and Nellie needed immediate treatment.

g.     Nellie said, “Come, perform that heroic deed! Have pity on us!" What was that pity to be done?

The pity to be done was to treat Nellie’s husband.

h.     When Nellie said, "I must have fallen asleep." What does it mean?

It means that Nellie stopped being awakened and was ready to face the realities of life.

i.       What is the main theme of the story?

The main themes of the story are devotion, loneliness, escape, fear, love, dedication, hope, defeat, and independence. 

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