The Man in a Case

[Thomas]

"The Man in a Case" is the first of a trilogy of stories often called "The Little Trilogy." This is another story-teller's story, this time that of the school teacher Burkin, who is spending the night in a hunter's hut with his friend, the veterinarian Ivan Ivanych. If this story were made into a short film, almost all of it would be a single shot of Ivan smoking his pipe outside the hut, listening to Burkin speaking from within it. (Is the hut itself a kind of "case"?)

The story concerns Belikov, a colleague of Burkin's, who seeks to isolate himself from the world, a man who refuses to take any sort of risk lest "something may come of it." He seems to "encase" himself in various ways out of fear. What does Belikov fear? And why does the story end with Ivan's comment on lies?

"The Man in a Case" is story #189 at the Eldritch Press site:
http://www.eldritchpress.org/ac/jr/18...

[Iván]

Such a tragic death. Reminds me of Dante when he got terribly sad when Beatrice denied him her salute.

I think the story describes two types of encasement. One is representen by Mavra, the other is represented by Belikov. We see a "healthy" encasement in the case (yes, I do that sometimes) of Mavra, who, "in this peace, wrapped away from care, toil, and sorrow in the darkness of night," liberates herself from the "airless and crowded" town in which "[we spend] our whole lives among trivial, fussy men and silly, idle women...talking and...listening to all sorts of nonsense." It is a matter of the quality of the case: she liberates herself from a trivial case to isolate herself in a more peaceful case.

We then see an opressive case in the case (yes, I did) of Belikov. He wants to encase other people instead of liberating himself. He does this, I think, because he is timid and fears ridicule (a mild social anxiety, anyone?), and therefore he's jealous of the other's freedom. He, then, tragically and gradually liberates himself by expressing rudely and lovingly to the Kovalenkos, and this is what causes his death.

[Tamara]

Iván wrote: "Such a tragic death. Reminds me of Dante when he got terribly sad when Beatrice denied him her salute.

I think the story describes two types of encasement. One is represented by Mavra, the other i..."

In addition to the two types of encasement you describe of Mavra and Belikov, do you think there may be a third type of encasement represented by Ivan? In light of the comments he makes at the end of the story, his restlessness and inability to sleep after hearing of Belikov's story, I'm wondering if he was sympathetic to Belikov's position by suggesting we are all "encased" in one way or another.

[Tamara]

I’m seeing a pattern in some of the stories we’ve read.

I think Chekhov sets up a dichotomy with his characters. He “encases” a character and then places a character(s) as an observer or commentator outside the case. The person within the case and the person outside it act as foils to each other.

For example, in “Excellent People” the brother is encased in his world view. His sister initially subscribes to his world view but then begins to challenge it. Whether she is pushed out or leaves voluntarily is debatable. But the end result is she rejects his world view and exits.

In “Oysters” we see a father and son encased in poverty. The men in the restaurant are outside of that case as observers. They react in ways that can best be described as reprehensible toward those suffering within the case.

In “The Darling” we see Olenka encased in subscribing to a pattern of behavior that mimics those with whom she shares her life. Those within that same case (her husbands) subscribe to her world view. But there are others outside of her case who act as observers/commentators: Sasha does not reciprocate; the community either loves her or ridicules her depending on whether one interprets “Darling” as a term of endearment or ridicule.

In “The Man in a Case” Belikov is obviously encased. Burkin is outside of his case, observing and ridiculing. Ivan is outside of both cases, listening to Burkin and formulating his own opinion about Belikov and perhaps showing greater sympathy toward his encasement:

"Yes, that is just how it is," repeated Ivan Ivanovitch; "and isn't our living in town, airless and crowded, our writing useless papers, our playing vint -- isn't that all a sort of case for us? And our spending our whole lives among trivial, fussy men and silly, idle women, our talking and our listening to all sorts of nonsense -- isn't that a case for us, too?”

I don’t know if this makes any sense. But it seems to me as if Chekhov “encases” his characters, sets up characters outside of the case but within the story to observe and comment. We, as readers, are then left with a choice: do we sympathize/endorse the view of those in the case, with those outside it, or with neither? I guess the answer depends on the “case” we inhabit.

Does this make any sense?

[Kerstin]

Chekhov seems to like deliberate absurdity to draw the reader out. In Belikov we get a man who is self-limiting to an absurd degree that his inner state of mind becomes manifest physically in a very comical but also sad way.

Every person is self-limiting to a certain degree. We all like to remain in our comfort zones and our routines. And there is nothing wrong with this per se. The follow-up question I see is, when does a person crave comfort and routine so much and crosses the tipping point, where these inhibit living a normal life? When do we, de facto, "entomb" ourselves?

[Genni]

Thomas wrote: "He seems to "encase" himself in various ways out of fear. What does Belikov fear? And why does the story end with Ivan's comment on lies?"

This is so interesting.

'Why, have I said any harm of the authorities?' asked Kovalenko, looking at him wrathfully. 'Please leave me alone. I am an honest man, and do not care to talk to a gentleman like you. I don't like sneaks!'

Kovalenko calls himself an honest man and Belikov a sneak, which I take to mean dishonest. Then the thoughtful Ivan sees something deeper or more than fear going on in the story and says,

"You see and hear that they lie," said Ivan Ivanovitch, turning over on the other side, "and they call you a fool for putting up with their lying. You endure insult and humiliation, and dare not openly say that you are on the side of the honest and the free, and you lie and smile yourself; and all that for the sake of a crust of bread, for the sake of a warm corner, for the sake of a wretched little worthless rank in the service. No, one can't go on living like this."

I'm not sure how this ties together, but I don't think Ivan was off "on another track"?

I went back and skimmed the story and while Belikov says things that allude to his actions as being out of fear, could they actually have another source? Maybe he was just an eccentric who liked things a certain way. Every time we are directly told that he did something out of fear, it was Burkin that is interpreting it that way, not Belikov confessing that he was afraid. ???

If Ivan is commenting on Belikov, then could his warning to Kovalenko been sincere because the "authorities" were oppressive in some way? He endured "insult and humiliation" and dared not say he was on the side of freedom because if he had his job would have been at stake and he needed his "crust of bread'?

[Genni]

Kerstin wrote: "The follow-up question I see is, when does a person crave comfort and routine so much and crosses the tipping point, where these inhibit living a normal life? When do we, de facto, "entomb" ourselves? "

I wish I knew the answer to this.

[Genni]

Tamara wrote: "I’m seeing a pattern in some of the stories we’ve read.

I think Chekhov sets up a dichotomy with his characters. He “encases” a character and then places a character(s) as an observer or commentat..."

It makes sense to me. I hadn't noticed it, but as you point out, the "story within a story" line seems to apply even when it isn't an obvious device.

[Sue]

This is a curious story, indeed. At first, I wondered if Belikov was a bit autistic..in that he liked things to be just so and not changed. But there is a bit of that in all of us. But of course, the story seems to suggest that fear encases people and if to such a degree, it is like being in a coffin: not living at all. Chekhov perhaps does employ the structure suggested by Tamara of "encasing" a character and having an observer discuss the same so to provide objectivity in the telling of the tale,..but as Genni suggests, that is subject to how objective is the teller of the tale.

[Kathy]

Great post, Tamara. And I love Thomas's observation that the hut itself is a kind of case. Ivan tosses and turns and finally frees himself from it. I was puzzled by the ending when I read it, but both your comments help to shed some light on how it works. This makes me think that the story itself is another case, and we are the observers outside it, looking in and judging.

[Bigollo]

I, too, liked Tamara's post.
And indeed, the barn is a kind of case. In the very beginning we read:
"Burkin was lying within [the barn] on the hay, and could not be seen in the darkness."
Could not be seen by who? Apparently, by us, the readers. As if we were right there, outside the barn, standing and listening to Burkin.

As for the lying, I think Burkin himself admitted that the whole staff and the teachers of the school were acting against their conscience, that is were lying, while Belikov was alive. Burkin also added:
"And, indeed, though we had buried Byelikov, how many such men in cases were left, how many more of them there will be!"

It looks like Ivan Ivanych generalized that sentiment on the whole society:

"You see and hear that they lie," said Ivan Ivanovitch, turning over on the other side, "and they call you a fool for putting up with their lying. You endure insult and humiliation, and dare not openly say that you are on the side of the honest and the free, and you lie and smile yourself; and all that for the sake of a crust of bread, for the sake of a warm corner, for the sake of a wretched little worthless rank in the service. No, one can't go on living like this."

This passage has already been quoted twice here, and mentioned even more so. More comments seem to come on that Ivan's explosion..