“Lady with the Pet Dog” Checkov Discussion Questions
1. How did the setting contribute to the circumstances of their meeting and developing relationship in Checkov’s story? Would they have developed such a relationship had the setting been different?
2. What is Gurov’s view of women? What is Anna’s view of men? What does this reveal about each character?
3. Why did Oates write her version of the story? What was her intent and how did she accomplish it?
4. What is the effect of having Gurov as the central consciousness? Of having Anna as the central consciousness?
5. Discuss the two scenes where Anna is suffering – how are they different? What is each character’s action/reaction during these scenes, and what does it tell us about them and the nature of their relationship? How are the scenes related to the structure of the story?
