The LOTTERY TICKET

By: Anton Chekhov

(January 1860 15 July 1904)

- was a Russian short-story writer, playwright and

physician, considered to be one of the greatest shortstory writers in the history of world literature. His
career as a dramatist produced four classics and his
best short stories are held in high esteem by writers
and critics. Chekhov practiced as a doctor throughout
most of his literary career: "Medicine is my lawful
wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress.

The Setting

Chekhov had at first written stories only for the

money, but as his artistic ambition grew, he made
formal innovations which have influenced the
evolution of the modern short story. His originality
consists in an early use of the stream-ofconsciousness technique, later adopted by James
Joyce and other modernists, combined with a
disavowal of the moral finality of traditional story
structure. He made no apologies for the difficulties

The setting of the story is the house of the couple. In the statement,
was very well satisfied with his lot, sat down on the
reading the newspaper

sofa after supper and began

it connotes that Ivan is comfortable with the house he is living in but at the end of the story,
after the fall of the high hopes and daydreams, the house was revealed to be dark and lowpitched. It does not necessarily mean that the house is indeed as bad as how they described
it; probably the huge disappointment and hatred towards each other have wiped off their
optimism toward their current living condition.

The Characters
Ivan Dmitrich
Ivan was barely done a characterization, neither by the narrator nor the other character. His
persona in the beginning was revealed limitedly in the description:
he was a middle class man who lived with his family on an income of twelve hundred a
year and was very well satisfied with his lot
But as you read on with the story, through the so-many narrated monologues, it is gradually
disclosed that he has qualities within himself that entirely contradict the description made of
him by the narrator that he is very well satisfied with his lot in the opening of the story.

The Theme

Money does not buy love; it destroys it.

Before and in the beginning of the couples exciting moments of anticipation regarding the
possible fortune, it was somehow pictured in the line,
she clears the table while he reads the newspaper on the sofa
that they are married long enough to have fallen into their respective routines and there was
respect and love amidst the relationship. However, in the course of their daydreaming,
because of Mashas hope to travel too, Ivans feelings diverted into resentment towards her.

The Conflict

PERSON versus Self

Ivan becoming greedy and selfish with the lottery money and thinking
about how he was going to spend it

From being an average and loving husband, he became loathsome and

hateful one.

PERSON versus Person

When Ivan thinks about his wife spending the money on herself and
leaving nothing for him

This sparks anger and hatred to both of them.

The Solution
The Lottery Ticket is an open-ended story because the conflict was not really
resolved in the ending. I wonder what happened next: did they just disregard or
ignored all the pessimistic notions they had for each other? Were they able to
really share to one another all of it?
In any relationships there are contributory factors that may better or worsen it.
People involved are still in control of how and in what way they will allow these
factors to affect their relationship.