The story, "The Student", opens on a gray, soggy note, as we watch the protagonist trudge along in a joyless world. It's clear that we are looking through his eyes; thus, the first impression I took away from this story was equally as bleak. "Perfect short story" indeed? At first what we see is a simple, unfettered tale of a student who chances upon a widow and her daughter and uses the opportunity to preach to them the story of Peter, the prophet who denies Jesus' name thrice before morning strikes. And it is this uncloggedness, this simplicity that gives the story the label of "realism". There is no magic, no supernatural occurrence involved; emotions are portrayed straightforwardly, without florid prose often employed by the Romantics. Myself, being more of a Romantically-inclined person, was not too attracted by the story at first. But therein lies the joy of realism--it leaves "scope for the imagination", as Anne Shirley would say. What effect was Chekhov trying to achieve? Surely he must have intended the reader to think, not just swallow.
A second rereading allowed more room for thought--that might in fact be a bit of an understatement. There is a world of difference between the first and second reading, and it became much clearer to me the precise kind of emotion Ivan was feeling at the end of the story: it was the same one that I experience when learning history. "When he touched one end [of the chain], the other quivered." Often the heart-thrilling feeling that I get when I connect past events to modern ones can be described precisely thus. After all, what is the past and present but a matter of semantics? Past chains of events are inextricably tied to our present, the same way our actions today influence those of our successors. Ivan, being a religious student, achieved this enlightenment through a spiritual connection rather than through connecting a concrete series of events, as historians do; his seeing the widow weeping and her daughter troubled was evidence enough for him that Biblical stories far in the past still had solid remnants in his day. I, as a student of Reason and of the post-Enlightenment age, reached that conclusion in a more logical and empirical manner, but I do believe the revelation is the same. Therefore, The Student held much more meaning for me the more I explored it.
Certainly, then, if both Ivan and the reader reach a light in the darkness together, wouldn't that be a sign of hope? After all, the Biblical tale Ivan himself told was fraught with optimism; Peter denied Jesus three times, but he was later forgiven, and went on to become a great disciple. In the same way, Ivan's initial bleak worldview of his Russia being similar to that of the dictators also reaches a hopeful conclusion; Peter's betrayal of Jesus was certainly negative, but there was improvement. Although the cold winds of Russia past continue to blow in the land, Ivan feels joyful because change is possible, thanks to continual holy forces working since Antiquity. There is a small strip of sunset shining on the ground as Ivan leaves--this is symbolism enough for a new hope glimmering in the student's heart.
As we are left with that image, we wonder: what did Chekhov mean to tell us? Of course, that question could be only answered by the man himself. If I may speculate, the story's moral could lie in the conclusion itself--that the past and present are connected by similar forces--or it could be something more mundane. Perhaps Chekhov simply wanted to paint a snapshot of a young man's mind, as many realist authors did. And before you cry "But that's so pointless!" it's important to know that capturing an emotion, a revelation, in a human mind, is a surprisingly difficult thing to do, especially so straightforwardly and without decorations. The existence of the story itself may have a meaning of its own, as a photograph of a person's mind. The readers could gain from it Chekhov's own understanding of humans and how they think; The Student could very well be an intensely personal piece, considering his religious background.
So is it the "perfect short story"? It's certainly not for everyone--after all, barely anything happens in it, and not every reader will walk away with a profound revelation or emotion. Some may argue that the story was not written poignantly enough for that, and that is the point of dry realism. I personally thought it was a rather moving piece, most probably because I could relate to the main character in a way.
2014년 2월 13일 목요일
2014년 2월 5일 수요일
30 Things You Should Know About Joelle
1. My favorite authors are Lewis Carroll and George Orwell.
Aside from the fact that they both used pseudonyms, these two don't really seem to have much in common. And because of that, I love them in completely different ways. Lewis Carroll speaks to my childhood self; all the things in the world that make me happy are condensed in his writing. His style is bantering, frivolous, yet very sharp, and keeps me intellectually satisfied as well as emotionally. George Orwell, on the other hand, writes in a gritty realism in which you can almost feel the wind swirl in behind you into Victory Mansions, and promotes deep thoughts about the human condition. I like to think that these two authors represent the two sides of me: the fun-loving, kid-like side, and the deep-thinking, inquisitive side.
2. I am very interested in food and drink. (I'm a foodie.)
Like Alice, I love to think about matters of eating and drinking. The perfect gift for me is a recipe-book with lots of pictures, which is ironic considering that I never saw the inside of a kitchen, but I just love to flip through the pictures and salivate. Food and drink are important subjects for anyone, I'm sure, but I have more fondness for them than most. I can't even say that I'm a gourmet--I prefer homey dishes to extravagant ones--but I love to look at food and think about food, perhaps even more than I like to eat it.
3. I love to draw.
Don't get me wrong, I'm no good at it. But I've been doodling pictures ever since I can remember, and I practice every day; hopefully I can get a little better at it each day that I draw. Maybe one day I'll manage to crap out a masterpiece.
4. I love horror games.
I don't even know what I was doing with my life before I discovered horror video games. I regularly scour the internet for new indie horror games and read reviews. When I'm too chicken to play one myself I watch play-throughs of them on Youtube. I love horror films too, but I prefer games to movies or novels because they are more immersive, and yet not too immersive so as to make me feel unsafe (like a haunted house)--they are just right in terms of terror factor, and since there are so many varieties to choose from, I never get bored. Someday I hope to contribute my own share to the horror game market by making my own.
5. I am fascinated with Stephen King.
Mr. King gets his own entry because my enjoyment of him is different from how I love Carroll or even Orwell. In fact, I am reluctant to say that I love Mr. King's works per se because quite frankly they disturb me so much. And that's precisely why I enjoy them. He really is very good at tapping into the hidden fears and dark sides of every human being, and his writing, to me, is more than a simple scare-fest--it's a form of shock therapy. He seems to understand the human mind better than many contemporary writers, and although he uses his perceptive powers to scare us, he also makes us think back on ourselves and leaves an impression that lasts long after the final note of the book has sounded. Stephen King is brilliant, no doubt about it, and he has me captivated.
6. I love most animals, and just about anything that lives, really.
I love animals, but not just animals; I love plants, and bugs, and of course, people (although they are arguably animals). My favorite animals are tigers, snakes, and toucans.
7. I tend to overthink a lot.
Often I will 'think' myself into a depressive mood, by sheer force of mind. My mind gets overwhelmed with thoughts and I end up feeling down because of how many things I can find wrong with life. Strangely enough, my thoughts flow in a more pessimistic way than optimistic.
8. I am curious about everything.
Ever since I was a kid, I questioned everything. "What's this?" "Why is that?" The zeal for asking questions and learning new things never actually faded, and I still retain that insatiable curiosity to this age. I wish I could learn everything in the world there is to be learned--a dangerous, mind-shattering wish, perhaps.
9. I'm an agnostic.
I could go on a really long tirade about the existence of God/gods, and how I feel about it, but I'll just summarize my feelings about them thus: I don't know if there is a God and if there is, we'll never be able to prove it; if there isn't, we won't be able to prove it, either. My pet theory is that we're all living in a computer simulation made by a vastly superior civilization, but that would raise a whole lot of questions that I won't be able to answer.
10. I changed my English name several times over the course of the years.
There's a bit of a story behind this one. I started out with the name "Jackie" in Canada (my teacher came up with it, actually), and thought I would stick with it for the rest of my life, until I read the book "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli. In that book, the main character, Stargirl, says she chooses her own names depending on how she feels, and doesn't see the reason to stick to one name forever. It left a profound impression on me and so I cycled through a few names during my 18 years of existence: Jackie, Jacqueline, Jo, Lynn, Julie, and finally settling on Joelle now. I am not sure if I should stick with it.
11. I want to dye my hair.
Preferably red. Or any other color that might fit my personality. I'm open to suggestions. (Please give me some suggestions. It's going to happen sooner or later anyway.)
12. I'm a pacifist.
Although I am strongly for equality and human rights, I don't believe in using violence to achieve those means. I hate fighting fire with fire; I find that it just makes things worse. Radical movements, therefore, leave a horrid taste in my mouth. I've gotten into a lot of ideological fights because of this, but hey, can't please everyone.
13. I'm an avid reader of Cracked.com.
Cracked is where I get most of my own sense of humor (mostly immature and word-based humor, that is). I don't care if it's not as classy as the Onion, although I love the Onion in its own right; I love Cracked because of the sheer diversity of topics they cover, and with a touch of nerdiness too. One of my hobbies is to browse through the site and leave tons of comments whenever the fancy strikes.
14. I like Japanese anime.
It's no secret to those that know me (and even the ones who don't) that I am a fan of Japanese animation, or anime as it's more widely known. My FB profile picture is a picture of an anime girl, enough said.
15. I'm a Capricorn.
The mere fact that I'm including this in this list shows that I have an interest in astrology, however meagre it may be. I don't actually believe in horoscopes or zodiac-based personalities, mostly because the description for Capricorns is so far off the mark when it comes to me (personality-wise I'm more Sagittarius or Cancer, actually), but I think it's really fun and I like the symbolisms/mythology behind them.
16. I have a few really weird phobias.
A silly phobia that I have is a form of botanophobia, the fear of plants. I am not afraid or uncomfortable with plants in the wild, but I am very uncomfortable with plants that are indoors, because of one nasty incident involving a cactus when I was very young. But I do believe that is something that I can overcome, given enough time.
The bigger, more serious phobia that I have that really has affected my life is emetophobia, or the fear of vomiting. Ever since I got really, really sick once when I was 10, I have been terrified and disturbed by anything that has to do with vomit or nausea. I can't stand to go on boats for fear of seasickness, and I avoid amusement park rides that may give me motion sickness, despite the fact that I actually don't get motion sickness that easily. I am also terrified of watching other people throw up, so if you complain of nausea around me, I will probably get really nervous and might even run away. Please, please don't take this personally; it's not something I can control, it's one of those irrational fears that has a firm grip on my life and that I want to shake off, but can't. Even writing out this paragraph has mildly disturbed me because of all the vomit mentions...you know how bad it is now.
17. I want to learn how to cook and bake.
I mentioned my love of food and drink above. This kind of ties into that. I don't know how to cook yet, but someday I will become a master chef! It's one of my aspirations.
18. I love pranks and practical jokes.
I don't think I can emphasize this enough. Most of the time I'm too scared of authority figures to actually pull any off, and I'm also afraid of accidentally harming someone, but once I get into the adequate scenario for a prank, there's no stopping me. Needless to say, my favorite "days" are April Fool's Day and Halloween, if only for the sheer number of pranks I can pull.
19. I love walking outside on sunny days, staying in and watching the rain on rainy days, and sitting by the window on snowy days.
If you thought that was oddly specific, it's because it's supposed to be. I have a very set itinerary on certain weather days. If you make me go outside on a rainy day, or close the curtains on a snowy day, or deprive me from going out on a sunny day, I will definitely be cranky for the entire day--nay, week.
20. I love to travel.
It doesn't really matter where; I just love to pack up and leave somewhere. I tend to get very bored when I stay in one place, so traveling to another country/region/city, even, is enough to get my blood racing.
And the final 10:
-I'm an INFP in the Myer-Briggs test
-I have a "Neutral Good" alignment
-My temperament is Sanguine
-My Enneagram is Type 4
-Out of the 12 Archetypes, I'm a Creator
-I'm a gamer
-I'm a family guy (girl?)
-I'm a teenager with many thoughts in a rapidly changing world
-I'm an Asian in a rapidly globalizing world
-I'm still confused about where I want to go, but hope to figure it out soon
Aside from the fact that they both used pseudonyms, these two don't really seem to have much in common. And because of that, I love them in completely different ways. Lewis Carroll speaks to my childhood self; all the things in the world that make me happy are condensed in his writing. His style is bantering, frivolous, yet very sharp, and keeps me intellectually satisfied as well as emotionally. George Orwell, on the other hand, writes in a gritty realism in which you can almost feel the wind swirl in behind you into Victory Mansions, and promotes deep thoughts about the human condition. I like to think that these two authors represent the two sides of me: the fun-loving, kid-like side, and the deep-thinking, inquisitive side.
2. I am very interested in food and drink. (I'm a foodie.)
Like Alice, I love to think about matters of eating and drinking. The perfect gift for me is a recipe-book with lots of pictures, which is ironic considering that I never saw the inside of a kitchen, but I just love to flip through the pictures and salivate. Food and drink are important subjects for anyone, I'm sure, but I have more fondness for them than most. I can't even say that I'm a gourmet--I prefer homey dishes to extravagant ones--but I love to look at food and think about food, perhaps even more than I like to eat it.
3. I love to draw.
Don't get me wrong, I'm no good at it. But I've been doodling pictures ever since I can remember, and I practice every day; hopefully I can get a little better at it each day that I draw. Maybe one day I'll manage to crap out a masterpiece.
4. I love horror games.
I don't even know what I was doing with my life before I discovered horror video games. I regularly scour the internet for new indie horror games and read reviews. When I'm too chicken to play one myself I watch play-throughs of them on Youtube. I love horror films too, but I prefer games to movies or novels because they are more immersive, and yet not too immersive so as to make me feel unsafe (like a haunted house)--they are just right in terms of terror factor, and since there are so many varieties to choose from, I never get bored. Someday I hope to contribute my own share to the horror game market by making my own.
5. I am fascinated with Stephen King.
Mr. King gets his own entry because my enjoyment of him is different from how I love Carroll or even Orwell. In fact, I am reluctant to say that I love Mr. King's works per se because quite frankly they disturb me so much. And that's precisely why I enjoy them. He really is very good at tapping into the hidden fears and dark sides of every human being, and his writing, to me, is more than a simple scare-fest--it's a form of shock therapy. He seems to understand the human mind better than many contemporary writers, and although he uses his perceptive powers to scare us, he also makes us think back on ourselves and leaves an impression that lasts long after the final note of the book has sounded. Stephen King is brilliant, no doubt about it, and he has me captivated.
6. I love most animals, and just about anything that lives, really.
I love animals, but not just animals; I love plants, and bugs, and of course, people (although they are arguably animals). My favorite animals are tigers, snakes, and toucans.
7. I tend to overthink a lot.
Often I will 'think' myself into a depressive mood, by sheer force of mind. My mind gets overwhelmed with thoughts and I end up feeling down because of how many things I can find wrong with life. Strangely enough, my thoughts flow in a more pessimistic way than optimistic.
8. I am curious about everything.
Ever since I was a kid, I questioned everything. "What's this?" "Why is that?" The zeal for asking questions and learning new things never actually faded, and I still retain that insatiable curiosity to this age. I wish I could learn everything in the world there is to be learned--a dangerous, mind-shattering wish, perhaps.
9. I'm an agnostic.
I could go on a really long tirade about the existence of God/gods, and how I feel about it, but I'll just summarize my feelings about them thus: I don't know if there is a God and if there is, we'll never be able to prove it; if there isn't, we won't be able to prove it, either. My pet theory is that we're all living in a computer simulation made by a vastly superior civilization, but that would raise a whole lot of questions that I won't be able to answer.
10. I changed my English name several times over the course of the years.
There's a bit of a story behind this one. I started out with the name "Jackie" in Canada (my teacher came up with it, actually), and thought I would stick with it for the rest of my life, until I read the book "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli. In that book, the main character, Stargirl, says she chooses her own names depending on how she feels, and doesn't see the reason to stick to one name forever. It left a profound impression on me and so I cycled through a few names during my 18 years of existence: Jackie, Jacqueline, Jo, Lynn, Julie, and finally settling on Joelle now. I am not sure if I should stick with it.
11. I want to dye my hair.
Preferably red. Or any other color that might fit my personality. I'm open to suggestions. (Please give me some suggestions. It's going to happen sooner or later anyway.)
12. I'm a pacifist.
Although I am strongly for equality and human rights, I don't believe in using violence to achieve those means. I hate fighting fire with fire; I find that it just makes things worse. Radical movements, therefore, leave a horrid taste in my mouth. I've gotten into a lot of ideological fights because of this, but hey, can't please everyone.
13. I'm an avid reader of Cracked.com.
Cracked is where I get most of my own sense of humor (mostly immature and word-based humor, that is). I don't care if it's not as classy as the Onion, although I love the Onion in its own right; I love Cracked because of the sheer diversity of topics they cover, and with a touch of nerdiness too. One of my hobbies is to browse through the site and leave tons of comments whenever the fancy strikes.
14. I like Japanese anime.
It's no secret to those that know me (and even the ones who don't) that I am a fan of Japanese animation, or anime as it's more widely known. My FB profile picture is a picture of an anime girl, enough said.
15. I'm a Capricorn.
The mere fact that I'm including this in this list shows that I have an interest in astrology, however meagre it may be. I don't actually believe in horoscopes or zodiac-based personalities, mostly because the description for Capricorns is so far off the mark when it comes to me (personality-wise I'm more Sagittarius or Cancer, actually), but I think it's really fun and I like the symbolisms/mythology behind them.
16. I have a few really weird phobias.
A silly phobia that I have is a form of botanophobia, the fear of plants. I am not afraid or uncomfortable with plants in the wild, but I am very uncomfortable with plants that are indoors, because of one nasty incident involving a cactus when I was very young. But I do believe that is something that I can overcome, given enough time.
The bigger, more serious phobia that I have that really has affected my life is emetophobia, or the fear of vomiting. Ever since I got really, really sick once when I was 10, I have been terrified and disturbed by anything that has to do with vomit or nausea. I can't stand to go on boats for fear of seasickness, and I avoid amusement park rides that may give me motion sickness, despite the fact that I actually don't get motion sickness that easily. I am also terrified of watching other people throw up, so if you complain of nausea around me, I will probably get really nervous and might even run away. Please, please don't take this personally; it's not something I can control, it's one of those irrational fears that has a firm grip on my life and that I want to shake off, but can't. Even writing out this paragraph has mildly disturbed me because of all the vomit mentions...you know how bad it is now.
17. I want to learn how to cook and bake.
I mentioned my love of food and drink above. This kind of ties into that. I don't know how to cook yet, but someday I will become a master chef! It's one of my aspirations.
18. I love pranks and practical jokes.
I don't think I can emphasize this enough. Most of the time I'm too scared of authority figures to actually pull any off, and I'm also afraid of accidentally harming someone, but once I get into the adequate scenario for a prank, there's no stopping me. Needless to say, my favorite "days" are April Fool's Day and Halloween, if only for the sheer number of pranks I can pull.
19. I love walking outside on sunny days, staying in and watching the rain on rainy days, and sitting by the window on snowy days.
If you thought that was oddly specific, it's because it's supposed to be. I have a very set itinerary on certain weather days. If you make me go outside on a rainy day, or close the curtains on a snowy day, or deprive me from going out on a sunny day, I will definitely be cranky for the entire day--nay, week.
20. I love to travel.
It doesn't really matter where; I just love to pack up and leave somewhere. I tend to get very bored when I stay in one place, so traveling to another country/region/city, even, is enough to get my blood racing.
And the final 10:
-I'm an INFP in the Myer-Briggs test
-I have a "Neutral Good" alignment
-My temperament is Sanguine
-My Enneagram is Type 4
-Out of the 12 Archetypes, I'm a Creator
-I'm a gamer
-I'm a family guy (girl?)
-I'm a teenager with many thoughts in a rapidly changing world
-I'm an Asian in a rapidly globalizing world
-I'm still confused about where I want to go, but hope to figure it out soon
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