Anton Chekhov's The Proposal - Review -

by itamitum

There are three characters in this play, they are; Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov, a large and hearty, 35 year-old man, who is a neighbour of Chubukov and also a very suspicious landowner. And then, Stepan Stepanovitch Chubukov, a 70 year-old man, who is a landowner, too. And the last is Natalya Stepanovna, a 25 year-old woman, who is a daughter of Chubukov. Chekov tried to satire the Russian social life through this play. This play seems to satire the marriage inside the courtship that get married because of their property possesion and superiority rather than for love. However, Chekhov had displayed it successfully in a ridiculous romantic scene.

Here, the story is begun with the coming of Lomov

into the Chubukov’s country house. Lomov, who wanted to propose Natalya Stepanovna, came with wearing an evening formal dress and gloves. Of course, his coming was welcomed warmly by Chubukov that was having tea in his living room at that time. Lomov entered Chubukov’s living room with a palpitated heart and started to say that he wanted to propose Chubukov’s daughter, Nataliya Stepanovna. Hearing that marriage proposal for his daughter, Chubukov was hysterically very happy. Then he went inside to call  his daughter, Natalya Stepanovna. While Chubukov went inside, Lomov was having a kind of an over-nervousness. His body was trembling and he felt cold. His palpitations grew worse. After a little while, Natalya Stepanovna came into living room. However, what an unexpected of the Lomov’s coming for Natalya Stepanovna, because her father told her that there was a merchant to meet in living room but she found Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov there.

Natalya Stepanovna was trying to be kind to him at first. They have a good conversation on each other. While Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov was trying to make clear his reasons for being there, accidentally he also mentioned that the Oxen Meadows was his own. The Oxen Meadows was a disputed land between the Lomov and Chubukov’s family. Thus, suddenly, Natalya Stepanovna cut his talk and said that she did not agree with what he said. She claimed that the Oxen Meadows was belonged to her family’s property. Because of their egoism, then they got into an argument about who was possessing the Oxen Meadows. They shouted on each other, so that Natalya Stepanovna’s father came out to see them, when heard their yelling. Then Natalya Stepanovna told the whole story to her father, and her father tried to convince Lomov that the Oxen Meadows was indeed belonged to Chubukov’s family. But still, Lomov against his point. So that they argued on each other again. This heated situation then made Lomov having an awful palpitations. His body was trembling awfully. Chubukov that was heated by the situation then asked Lomov to get out from his house and never to come back again.

While Chubukov ranted about Lomov in front of his daughter, he expressed his shock, "that turnip-ghost has the confounded cheek to make a proposal!". This news made Natalya Stepanovna, who did not know the real purpose of Lomov’s coming, immediately starts into a hysterical sob. She was begging for her father to bring Lomov back to their house. And her father did it, although with a heavy heart.

After that, Lomov came into their house with being exhausted because of his palpitations. Natalya Stepanovna immediately begged for Lomov’s apology and admitted that the Oxen Meadows was fully belonged to Lomov. Then, when Natalya Stepanovna asked him whether he was going to start shooting soon, actually she hoped that Lomov could know how to start shooting her. But Lomov got a word ‘shoot’ in a real interpretation. So that he explained about his hunting with his dog, Guess. He admitted that Guess was the best dog ever that he bought with very expensive price. Hearing this admission, Natalya Stepanovna seemed strongly disagree, then she argued that her dog, Squeezer, was the better dog. So, they got into a second big argument, but this time it was about the superiority of their hunting dogs. And again, Chubukov came to see them and was being involved in their heated conversation. Than they ranted on each other, until Lomov was getting collapse because of his heart ‘burst’ in his over arguing.

Knowing that Lomov was in his unconsciousness, Natalya Stepanovna and her father feared he has dead. Natalya Stepanovna screamed and wailed hysterically. While Lomov woke up, immediately Chubukov put Lomov’s hand into his daughter’s and claimed that he and his daughter was willing to accept his marriage proposal. Then Chubukov asked them to kiss each other. But after that, Natalya Stepanovna restart her agument about the superiority between their dogs. Then they were involved in another argumentative conversation. While on the other hand, Chubukov said that that was a way to start their happiness. And the story is ended with Chubukov’s yelling ‘Champagne! Champagne!’

Author's comment: HAHAHAHAHA what a fool people with their own childishness! But it's also a kinda romantic story, I think! GOOD JOB CHEKHOV! =)