Deal Me In, Week 32 ~ “In the Cart”

Hosted by Jay @ Bibliophilopolis

“In the Cart” by Anton Chekhov

Card picked: Nine of Hearts

From: The Portable Chekhov, edited by Avrahm Yarmolinsky

Thoughts: Schoolmistress Marya Vasilyevna wishes for a different life, away from the eternal humdrum of traveling to town, by cart, and corruption that permeates her school system. On her way to Vyazovye, she and her wagon driver are passed by young, handsome Hanov. She entertains the notion of being his wife, how different life would be and how different her life was before her parents died.

There isn’t much to this story, but the writing, even in translation, is deft and lyrical. There’s a reason that Chekhov is considered one of the premier short story writers. In a simple vignette, Chekhov touches of class and politics and the way that people often ignore the beauty around them.