World Lit Reading Journal: "The Student" by Anton Chekhov

“The Student” by Anton Chekhov portrays a clerical student who experiences remarkable change after sharing a story of Apostle Peter with two widows. In the beginning of the story, Ivan, a clerical student is walking back home on a bleak winter day, feeling hopeless and gloomy about the world surrounding him. However, after his encounter with the two widows, Ivan experiences a shift in attitude due to the changes that his story had brought to the despondent and uneasy widows.

The story was written during the late 19^th century in Russia, when numerous peasants and proletariats suffered from abject poverty. During the era, the overall atmosphere across the country was oppressive and gloomy and many people depended on religion to maintain their inner peace. Thus, Christianity, which was the dominant religion, was instrumental to purifying and enlightening people’s mindset; it usually united people under the name of God and made people heretical to theological beliefs. The characters in this story also represent the stereotypical aspect of people faithful to certain religion. They are easily affected by a short story that appears in the bible, the story of Apostle Peter who denied knowing Jesus three times. The story itself may seem irrelevant to religious beliefs, but the fact that it reveals human beings as powerless and passive creatures under superior authority (Gospel or God) gives the same message as those beliefs: people should subjugate themselves under religion to absolve their sins and become “better” beings. How could it be possible for an individual to change his attitude toward the world in such a short instant by telling a short religious story? And how could a person feel more optimistic after telling, not a story of a successful person or a respected man, but a story of betrayal and remorse?

The content of the story vicariously spoke for the miserable situation of the widows who had been denied by the villagers. Thus, it could be possible that the widows felt more encouraged after listening to the story of man of great sin because they could feel less guilty for themselves. It is true that the effect of religion (or story) on the characters in this story was hopeful enough to evoke compassion and supportive mind towards the effect of religion. Although the story did not bring tangible outcomes, its effect on spiritual aspect on Ivan and the widows, especially Vasilisa, was big enough to be considered striking. Nonetheless, the sudden change in Ivan’s attitude implies a need for change, revolution in religion and in people’s attitude toward accepting theological beliefs. The fundamental logic of having faith in religion have not changed until today, but nowadays people who are faithful to religion simply practice their convictions through practicing moral deeds and does not put much emotional attachment to theological stories or practices which is very different from the characters in “The Student”.