Anton Chekhov's short story "The Lady with the Pet Dog," unlike no other work by him, reflects his attitude towards women and love. His attitude towards women and love seems so meaningful, and so succinct that the story can well be regarded as a summary of the entire topic. Dmitri Dmitritch Gurov, the hero of the story, and arguably Chekhov's alter ego is yet another sympathetic male character in Chekhov's fertile fiction. Consequently, Gurov's state of being and narrative (although is it a commonplace theme) allows, "The Lady with the Pet Dog," to benefit from Chekhov's insight, artistry, and preserved balance between the poetic and the prosaic, and its telling characterizations. The story suggests that the profound love experienced by the ordinary people becomes a force for good. This theme is illuminated by the author's telling characterization of Gurov, and the point of view of the story.
             When Gurov first sees the married woman with whom he will become involved, he sees it as being nothing more than a casual fling with Anna Sergeyevna Von Dideritz in Yalta, where both are vacationing. Burdened by a less than satisfactory marriage, Gurov's seemingly impetuous nature compels him to go to her provincial home town and confronts her at the theater. Both horrified and thrilled Anna agrees to meet him in Moscow. This in turn, leads him upon an agonizing "double existence." Outwardly, he lives a routine normal life, while his real life is hidden from the world.
             Gurov works at the bank, is married, and has three children. It is precisely for that reason: the fact that he has a family that he embarks on a love-affair with Anna. Ironically, the same reason leads to an impasse. Gurov's temperament suggests that he cannot be without the company of women, yet he describes them as an "inferior breed." This on the face of it is a logical if chau...