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    A Study Guide for Anton Chekhov's "A Problem"
    A Study Guide for Anton Chekhov's "A Problem"
    A Study Guide for Anton Chekhov's "A Problem"
    Ebook36 pages39 minutes

    A Study Guide for Anton Chekhov's "A Problem"

    By Gale and Cengage

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    About this ebook

    A Study Guide for Anton Chekhov's "A Problem," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Short Stories for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Short Stories for Students for all of your research needs.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCengage Learning - Gale
    Release dateJul 15, 2016
    ISBN9781535817080
    A Study Guide for Anton Chekhov's "A Problem"

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      A Study Guide for Anton Chekhov's "A Problem" - Gale

      10

      A Problem

      Anton Chekhov

      1888

      Introduction

      Anton Chekhov's short story A Problem is one of his lesser-known works. In a mere ten and a half pages, it tackles such important issues as honor, justice, and the nature of personal responsibility. Questions of youth and free will are also raised over the course of the story. In this sense, A Problem is easily comparable to Chekhov's more famous short stories. Aside from its weighty topics, A Problem presents an interesting portrait of the men of the Uskov family and the family's overall dynamics. Chekhov also introduces a fascinating character study. The main character, Sasha Uskov, is a young man facing trial due to his bad debts. He awaits his fate as his three uncles decide whether or not to pay off the debt or allow their nephew to face the consequences. The uncles' debates rage on as Sasha eavesdrops in the hall. The young man remains remarkably unaffected by the circumstances, a stark contrast to his distraught family members.

      Although the exact publication date of A Problem is not known, it was most likely written around 1888, when the bulk of Chekhov's earlier short stories were composed. The story first appeared in English in 1917 in The Party and Other Stories. A 2006 Biblio Bazaar edition of the volume is also available.

      Author Biography

      Chekhov was born January 17, 1860, in Taganrog, Russia. He was the third of six children. Chekhov's father, Pavel Egorovich Chekhov, owned a grocery store that went bankrupt when Chekhov was a teenager. Afterward, the family relocated to Moscow, but Chekhov remained behind to complete his studies, finally rejoining his family in 1879. By then, Chekhov's father was working as a laborer, and his mother, Evgeniia Iakovlevna Morozova, was working as a seamstress. That same year, Chekhov began attending the University of Moscow. He graduated five years later with a medical degree and became a doctor. Also in 1884, Chekhov began showing symptoms of the tuberculosis that would eventually kill him.

      While Chekhov was a student, he began writing humorous essays and stories to contribute to the family's income. Many such works were published in periodicals under the pseudonym Antosha

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