The article describes the story written by A.P. Chekhov - "Joke", a brief summary of this work and readers' opinions about it.
Very brief retelling
In 1886, Chekhov published his latest story, The Joke. A summary of it is given below.
A young man is riding with a girl Nadezhda on a sled from an ice slide. First, the girl, frightened by the steep and high slope, flatly refuses to ride, but the young man persistently persuades her, and Nadia finally agrees. They swiftly fly down, and with a particularly strong gust of wind, her companion in an undertone says "I love you ...".
Once below, Nadezhda Petrovna is at a loss as to who said the cherished words: her companion or was it a joke in the wind? The desire to understand the riddle conquers the fear of a steep descent, and the girl herself already offers the young man to slide down the hill again.
Again and again they ride down the sled from a steep snowy slope. Each time, the heroine of the story trembles with fear, and the man, in a gust of wind in an undertone, says: "I love you, Nadya." Again and again, the girl wonders if this phrase was heard to her or not. And the young man is only interested in observing her doubts and timid hope ...
We continue the retelling of the work that Chekhov wrote - "Joke." A brief summary of it makes it possible to understand the very essence of the story.
The next day, the young man received a note from Nadezhda Petrovna offering to ride a sled from a hill. Everything repeated again: frantic descent and treasured quiet words with a strong gust of wind. In March, the young man left for St. Petersburg forever. Before leaving, he joked again. He hid at the fence of Nadia and, waiting for the wind, threw: "I love you, Nadia!" The girl laughed happily ...
Epilogue
How did Chekhov finish his story ? "Joke" (for a summary see above) gives the reader reason to reflect. The narrative jumps sharply for many years before. Nadya is married, she has three children, but her most romantic memory is that gust of wind that brought the coveted declaration of love. Over the years, a young man recalls with a bewilderment the joke of his youth, not understanding his meaning himself.
Readers' Opinions
What did A.P. Chekhov want to say with his story? The "joke", the brief content of which is described in the article, causes readers to sympathize with Nadia and reject the behavior of a young man who literally threw such words so important in the life of every girl.