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Wednesday, June 26, 2019

A character study of Ivan and Nicholai in GOOSE BERRIES

 A  character study of Ivan-GOOSEBERRIES

Ivan did not have  any interest in  gooseberry bushes like his brother Nicholai. He also did not believe in limiting one's desire for happiness.Ivan says "six feet of land " is for the corpse and not for a man. He needs much more. He also loved country life as he lived there as a child, but his love for it was not as passionate as his brother's.  Ivan used to feel hurt seeing his brother like this and he used to give him money to go away for a holiday. But he would put that money also in the bank.Contentment is an overwhelming power. The happy man feels he is happy. The unhappy man bears his burden in silence. According to Ivan freedom is a boon, as essential as the air we breathe. Freedom should be instant and not something that comes after a long wait.  Ivan found it difficult to live in town after visiting his brother because the peace and quite of the town oppressed him. He did not dare to look in at the windows because to him nothing was more dreadful to see than the sight of a happy family, sitting round at table, having tea. ivan always lived in the present and found time to enjoy the pleasures of life  .At Alokhine's house, Ivan responded to the rain by plunging into the water with a splash. He swarm about in the rain, flapping his arms, and sending waves back. He swam out to the middle of the pool and dived, trying to reach the bottom. He shouted with glee and said how delicious it was.He went on enjoying the pleasure of swimming and kept people waiting for him.But the pleasures and luxuries make him moody and thoughtful later. when he finishes the story about his brother and his pursuit of happiness,Ivan feels uneasy about himself.He was an old man now and he was not good for the struggle. Ivan asks forgiveness from God. He realizes that his previous attitude was wrong.

A  character study of Nicholai- GOOSEBERRIES
                             Nicholai's  dream was to live in the country, eating out in the open air, sleeping in the sun and sitting for hours together on a seat by the gate and gazing at the fields and the forest. He
wanted to sit on the veranda drinking tea and watching his ducklings swim in the pond, and
everything smelling good. His dream house always had a gooseberry bush in it. To achieve his goal, Nicholai lived meagerly. He never had enough to eat or drink. He dressed almost like a beggar. He always saved the money and put it into the bank. He was terribly stingy. Ivan used to feel hurt seeing his brother like this and he used to give him money to go away for a holiday. But he would put that money also in the bank. Nicholai had to buy an estate quite different from what he had dreamt of. But he did not grieve much.
Nicholai looked after his soul and did good works pompously. The good works included
curing the peasants of all kinds of diseases with soda and castor-oil. On his birthday he would
have a thanksgiving service held in the middle of the village. He would treat the peasants to half
a bucket of vodka. He thought it was the right thing to do. The gooseberries were unripe and sour, but Nicholai found them delicious. The gooseberries were unripe and sour, but Nicholai found them delicious because they were his own gooseberries. Even the ugliest child would look most beautiful to its mother. Nicholai was happy with his life. His dearest dream had come true. He had attained his
goal in life. He had got what he wanted. He was pleased with his destiny and with himself. We
see him laughing with joy looking at his first gooseberries. When he looked at them there were
tears of joy in his eyes.

A COMPARISON OF NICHOLAI AND IVAN
Checkhov’s story presents two brothers of entirely different nature. The elder Ivan was
a veterinary surgeon. The younger Nicholai was a government servant. Ivan was happy with the
kind of life he was leading. But Nicholai always dreamt of a peaceful life in the country. He
would always dream of eating out in the open air and of sleeping in the sun and sitting for long
hours gazing at the forest.The life of the two brothers is presented in sharp contrast. Nicholai realizes his dream. He manages to own an estate with a gooseberry bush. His life is one of great satisfaction. But ivan never sympathized with the desire to shut himself up in one’s own farm. The two brothers spent their childhood on an estate.They spent their days and nights in the fields and the woods, minding their horses and fishing.Later the estate was sold off to pay their father’s debts. Nicholai's  dream was to live in the country, eating out in the open air, sleeping in the sun and sitting for hours together on a seat by the gate and gazing at the fields and the forest. He
wanted to sit on the veranda drinking tea and watching his ducklings swim in the pond, and
everything smelling good. His dream house always had a gooseberry bush in it. To achieve his goal, Nicholai lived meagerly. He never had enough to eat or drink. He dressed almost like a beggar. He always saved the money and put it into the bank. He was terribly stingy. Ivan used to feel hurt seeing his brother like this and he used to give him money to go away for a holiday. But he would put that money also in the bank. Nicholai had to buy an estate quite different from what he had dreamt of. But he did not grieve much.Nicholai looked after his soul and did good works pompously. Nicholai was happy with his life.
Ivan did not have  any interest in  gooseberry bushes like his brother Nicholai. He also did not believe in limiting one's desire for happiness.Ivan says "six feet of land " is for the corpse and not for a man. He needs much more. He also loved country life as he lived there as a child, but his love for it was not as passionate as his brother's.  Ivan used to feel hurt seeing his brother like this and he used to give him money to go away for a holiday. But he would put that money also in the bank.Ivan found it difficult to live in town after visiting his brother because the peace and
quite of the town oppressed him. He did not dare to look in at the windows because to him
nothing was more dreadful to see than the sight of a happy family, sitting round at table, having
tea. He was an old man now and he was not good for the struggle. Ivan asks forgiveness from God. He realizes that his previous attitude was wrong. Ivan was not happy with his life as his brother was.



A  character study of ALOKHIN- GOOSEBERRIES

Aliokhin was leading the life of a farmer. He was a man of forty, tall, stout with long
hair. He was more like a professor or a painter than a farmer. When Ivan reached his residence,
Aliokhin’s boots were covered with mud and straw. At the time we see him first he was wearing a grimy white short and rope belt, and pants instead of trousers.His nose and eyes were black with dust.  He was leading a leisurely life. He has a sense of satisfaction as he had realized his dreams. He

was no longer be tired official, but a real landowner and a person of importance. Still Aliokhin couldn’t bathe regularly despite having a good bathing shed because he had
no time.Happiness felt by Alokhin does not look like happiness for any one of his friends.

( to be modified  -CKR 26/06/2019)

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