Write the explanation of the story "The Lament".

Write the explanation of the story “The Lament”.

Ans.

Explanations

(1) The cabdriver, Iona Potapov……………… in deep thought.

Reference : These lines refer to the story, The Lament, by Anton Chekhov, a famous Russian writer.

Context: This is a Russian story of a cabdriver Iona Potapov. Russia is a land of snow. It is winter and Potapov and his horse are all covered with snow. Potapov’s only son has died recently. He is very sad and wants to share his sorrow with someone, but there is no one to listen to his sad story.

Explanation: Iona Potapov, who drives a sledge is all covered with snow and looks like a ghost. He is bent to the extent of possible limit. It may be because of cold. He sits on his box without making any movement. Layers of snow covering his body do not seem to make him any different. He is not the least troubled and so he does not feel the need of shaking the snow off. He will remain unperturbed even if some more snow falls on him. His little horse is also white with snow and does not make any movement. Its stillness and thinness and its straight legs that look like of wood, give it the look of a soft bread or cake that has the taste of ginger. There is no doubt that the horse is lost in deep thought.

(2) With a nod of assent…….. ..move undecidedly.

Reference: These lines appear in the story The Lament’, written by Anton Chekhov, a famous Russian story writer as well as dramatist.

Context: This is the story of Iona Potapov, a cab driver, who has recently lost his son and is lost in deep thought. He is desirous of unburdening himself by sharing his tale of woe with someone. As he is lost in thought, an army officer comes to him and asks if he will go to Viborg Way.

Explanation: Iona Potapov moves his head indicating that he is ready to take him to Viborg Way and then he picks up the reins. As a result of this movement, layers of snow resting on horse’s neck and back fall down. The officer takes his seat in the sleigh. The cabdriver makes a sound from his whip to alert his horse. He becomes active and stretches his neck in the manner of a swan and then moves his whip directing the horse to move. There is no need of brandishing the whip but it is his habit to do when he starts his cab. The little horse also becomes active, it also stretches its neck, its wooden looking legs bend a little and then it begins to move without making a decision of what it ought to do.

(3) Iona feels at his…………..died this week.

Reference : This passage has been selected from the story. The Lament’, written by Anton Chekhov, a famous Russian story writer.

Context: The story is about a cabdriver, Iona Potapov. He is very sad as his only son has died this week. He wants to share his sorrow with someone. This is Iona’s second fare. They are three drunkards. One of them is humpback.

Explanation: As Iona starts his cab, he feels that the little man (one of the three men) sitting in the cab is squirming and his voice is wavering. He is not speaking clearly. Iona listens to the insults that the three men sitting in his cab heap upon him. He sees people around him and little by little, he overcomes his loneliness. Then the humpback starts his long swearing which was interrupted by his coughing. Then the thin and tall men start talking about some Nadejda Petrovna. Jona thinks that it is proper time for him to share his tale of woe. He looks around the men sitting in his cab several times and as the three men in the cab become silent, Iona turns to them and says that his son died that week.