An interesting story is described in the article, its brief content is given. Chekhov's "joke" makes you think about many things. For example, about how brutally youthful frivolity can sometimes be.
Laconic retelling of one story
So, let’s describe the story “Chekhov's Joke”. Summary of the story: a young man came to the rink with a girl Nadenka. He persuades her to slide on a sled from a steep hill, but the girl is very afraid. In the end, the guy still seeks her consent, and together they rush down the snow-covered steep slope. On the descent, with a strong gust of wind, the young man leans over to his companion and says in an undertone: "I love you, Nadia!" When the young people came down, Nadya wonders if her companion really confessed her love, or did she hear the cherished words? And the young man himself pretends that nothing happened. The girl hesitates, perplexed, and then she herself invites the guy to slide down the hill again with her on a sled. And everything repeats again: at the next gust of wind the young man whispers: "I love you ...", and below he pretends that there was nothing. They ride for a long time, the guy sees on the girl’s face that she is worried, but this only amuses him. Here is such a "joke" Chekhov! The summary of this story will continue below.
The next day, Nadia sends the young man a note in which he invites him to the ice rink. They again ride together on a sled from a steep slope, each time when descending a guy whispers words of love to his companion, and below he takes on an indifferent look. But the girl doesn’t care anymore - the wind declares her love or her companion, she is glad of these words. This continues until spring. In March, the guy leaves for St. Petersburg forever, but before leaving he comes to the girl’s house and again whispers through the fence to her: “I love you, Nadya!” The girl in response joyfully reaches out to meet the wind.
Years passed ...
How does Chekhov's "Joke" story end, a summary of which is given in the article? The reader is suddenly carried forward ten years. He sees Nadia already married, she has three children, but for her, the most romantic memory in her life is that of skiing down the hill and the gentle whisper of the wind ... And the young man matured. Remembering his joke, he only wonders why he said those words?
What does this Chekhov's "Joke" mean?
The summary of the story given in the article evokes sympathy and sympathy for Nadia and negative emotions towards a young man who literally "threw words into the wind", cruelly flirting with the heart of an impressionable young girl.