The story “About Love”, written by Russian playwright and short story writer Anton Chekhov, defines love as a great mystery. The author has included three different love experiences to prove love as a big secret. Allohin tells stories to his guests Burkin and Ivanich. The story begins with the violent and erotic love affair between Cook, Niknor and the beautiful female servant, Pelegia. Foolish and drunkards used to abuse and beat their beloved Pelegia. So, Pelageya wants to live with him without getting married. On the other hand, Nikanor does not want to live without marriage.
Reflecting the love affair between Nikanor and Pelageya, Allohin defines love as the big secret behind any final definition. He then recounts his own brief account of his love affair with a university girl. While studying at Moscow University, he fell in love with a girl and always held her in his arms, but she only thought about the money he would give her to meet his daily expenses.
After briefing graduates from both urban and rural areas and environments, Allohin begins to tell his guests his next love experience with a married woman. After graduating from university, Alyohin returned to his father’s farm in Sofyino. Even though an educated person like him did not like farming, he was forced to repay the loan taken by his father for education.
While in the village, he was elected as a magistrate and was required to go to town to address court issues. During his visit, he met another judge, Ivan Luganovich, who invited him to dinner. At dinner, he met Ivan Luganovich’s kind, beautiful, charming and young wife, Anna Alexeva, and fell in love with her at first sight. In the summer, Aloyhin was busy making grass in his field.
However, he was always haunted by the memory of Anna Alexeyevna Alyohin went to the city in the autumn to attend a charity show. On the show, he met Anna Alexeyevna again. From then on, he met Anna Aleksevna on his way to town. He was welcomed into Luganovich’s family as a great friend. Both Luganovich and Anna Alekseeva were concerned about Alohin’s career and offered him financial support.
The Aloyhinand Luganovich family exchanged gifts. Allyohin thought that Luganovich was not the best game for Anna. He used to go to the theater with Anna. Sometimes he used to travel on foot. Despite their tender, platonic and sincere love, they could not accept each other’s love. Anna argued that she was not young and energetic enough to start a new life with Alyohin. Allohin thought he would not be able to make Anna happier. He does not want to move Anna from one dull life to another.
So they kept their feelings to themselves. Later in life, Anna moved in with her brother and sister. When she realized that her life had been ruined, she suffered a mental breakdown and was recommended to go to Crimea for treatment. On the day he moved to Crimea, a large crowd of people, including Allohin, came to see him. Alyohin went to meet him in the train car, carrying the basket he had almost forgotten.
When their eyes met, they could not control their emotions and cried and confessed their love for each other. While the train was on its way to Crimea, Aloyin got into another compartment, got off the train at another station, and returned home. After Elohin told his guest about his love experience with Anna, it stopped raining outside, the sun came out, and they saw beautiful views of the garden and the river.
Read more at: https://thepronotes.com/about-love-summary-and-important-questions/