Bartleby, the Scrivener the Lady with the Dog Essay

A number of the stories studied this semester explore the conflict between social restraint and inner compulsion. Discuss at least two of the stories in the light of this. Through an exploration of the boundaries between social constraint and inner compulsion, Melville and Chekov reveal the restrictions forced upon one’s personal desires as they struggle to find a balance between conflicting values and social norms. Anna and Gurov in ‘The Lady with the Dog’ are restrained by the socially expected conventions in their marriages, inhibiting their ability to express their inner compulsion of desire. Chekov reveals their yearning to escape their individual lives as they cope with personal troubles by distancing themselves from marriage†¦show more content†¦He uses his employment as a means of escaping social conventions through his monotonous statement â€Å"I would prefer not† (Melville 1998, p. 198), living a life of choice and preference in a world where preference is non-existent. Bartleby represents a new form of humanity where an individual has the right to choice rather than living a life of routine through social constraints, defying all forms of society’s restrictions in order to reveal his true desires. Chekhov explores this concept of conflict through Anna and Gurov’s relationship in ‘The Lady with the Dog’ as he reveals a need to defy social restraints in order to escape their marriages as this restricts them from fully embracing their desires. The image of the â€Å"long grey fence adorned with nails† (Chekhov 1998, p. 371), symbolises the confines of marriage keeping them apart, unable to be free from social restraint. Creating an air of seclusion and limitations, this depiction appears to be fending off Gurov, producing a feeling of entrapment and isolation as it separates their love. The image of an old woman, a beggar and a dog walking in and out of the fence freely further emphasises this lack of freedom they have in their lives; the portrayal of a beggar being the most illuminating aspect of this passage. Even what is considered as the lowest form of humanity, appears to show more freedom then what they can as they cannot pass thisShow MoreRelat edBelonging Essay4112 Words   |  17 PagesInventing Elliot YA Golden, Arthur Memoirs of a geisha AF Golding, William Lord of the flies AF YA Grenville, Kate The secret river AF Greene, Graham Brighton Rock AF Gwynne, Phillip Deadly, Unna? APB YA Haddon, Mark The curious incident of the dog in the night-time AF, APB YA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curious_Incident_of_the_Dog_in_the_Night-time Hardy, Thomas Jude, the obscure AF Hardy, Thomas Tess of the D’Ubervilles AF Hawthorne, Nathaniel The scarlet letter AF Hemingway, Ernest,