Discuss the summary of "The Misery" by Anton Chekhov?

 “To whom shall I tell my
grief?”

The main character in the story “Misery”
by Anton Chekhov asks this question because even though he is around people, no one will
listen to him.  Iona Potapov needs to talk to someone about the death of his
son.

Setting

It
is winter in Russia. It is miserably cold with snow falling as the main character and
his little horse drawn carriage wait for people.  The time is the late nineteenth
century.

Tone

The
mood and atmosphere speak to the overwhelming grief of the main character.  The people
that he tries to talk with about his loss do not care and brush his misery aside.  The
harshness of human nature strains the emotions as the reader lives through the story
with
Iona.

Themes

 Grief

The
theme of grief encircles the protagonist Iona.  He is isolated from the rest of humanity
because he has no one with whom to share his pain.  Iona looks for  someone to stop and
let him reflect back on the terrible event that will forever impact his life. No one
seems to care.

Man’s inhumanity to
man

The incidences that Iona experiences in the
story portray the worst side of mankind.  The customers are rude, unfeeling,
indifferent, and uninterested.  They do not want to get involved because they might have
to do something or help the driver; consequently, they act as though they do not hear
him. 

Summary/Plot

Iona
and his little horse wait for people to need his services. He is physically and mentally
exhausted and debilitated from his grief for the loss of son only a week ago.   He
encounters five incidences in the story.

1st
incident

Brusque officer-

The
officer is in a hurry.  He does react to Iona’s story, but it is only to tell him that
life goes on.  He softens somewhat and makes a joke.  There is only polite
interest.

2nd Incident

Three
drunken young men

They have their own problems. They are
loud and abusive toward Iona.  They are numbed by alcohol.  One of the men is a sick
hunchback.  He is especially miserable.  The hunchback reacts to Iona’s story by saying
that “We all shall die.”

3rd
Incident

Iona stops and tries to engage an indifferent
house-porter who is delivering a package.  He tells Iona to go
on.

At this point, the sleigh driver gives in to his
misery.  He stops then and goes back to the yard.  He does not have enough money to buy
food for the horse.

4th
Incident

In the yard, Iona sees another cabman.  Again, he
tries to engage the young man in a conversation about his terrible grief.  The young man
goes to sleep while he is talking to him.

5th
Incident

Iona reflects on his grief.  Then, he decides to
check on his horse.

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'Are you munching?' Iona asks his mare.  'Since
we have not earned enough for oats, we will eat hay….Yes…I have grown too old to drive…
My son ought to be driving, not I…He was a real coachman.  Kuzma Ionitch is gone…He said
goodbye to me...' 

The old
man continues to talk as the horse eats his hay.  The horse seems to listen to his
master and breathes on the old man’s hands. 

Maybe the old
man will feel better once he has verbalized the details of his son’s illness to his
death and funeral.  Finally, Iona may find relief in talking to his little white mare. 
He pours his heart out.  The story is left with an indecisive conclusion.  Hopefully,
the resolution for Iona will come with the purging of his grief with his working
companion, his little horse.