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829 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1892
And of all the inhabitants of Ward No. 6, he is the only one who is allowed to go out of the lodge, and even out of the yard into the street. He has enjoyed this privilege for years, probably because he is an old inhabitant of the hospital 鈥� a quiet, harmless imbecile, the buffoon of the town, where people are used to seeing him surrounded by boys and dogs.
My only illness is that in twenty years I鈥檝e found only one intelligent man in the whole town, and he鈥檚 mad. There is no illness at all, I simply got into a magic circle that I can鈥檛 get out of. It makes no difference to me, I鈥檓 ready for everything.
袪邪蟹 褋褍褖械褋褌胁褍褞褌 褌褞褉褜屑褘 懈 褋褍屑邪褋褕械写褕懈械 写芯屑邪, 褌芯 写芯谢卸械薪 卸械 泻褌芯-薪懈斜褍写褜 褋懈写械褌褜 胁 薪懈褏. 袧械 胁褘 - 褌邪泻 褟, 薪械 褟 - 褌邪泻 泻褌芯-薪懈斜褍写褜 褌褉械褌懈泄. 袩芯谐芯写懈褌械, 泻芯谐写邪 胁 写邪谢械泻芯屑 斜褍写褍褖械屑 蟹邪泻芯薪褔邪褌 褋胁芯械 褋褍褖械褋褌胁芯胁邪薪懈械 褌褞褉褜屑褘 懈 褋褍屑邪褋褕械写褕懈械 写芯屑邪, 褌芯 薪械 斜褍写械褌 薪懈 褉械褕械褌芯泻 薪邪 芯泻薪邪褏, 薪懈 褏邪谢邪褌芯胁. 袣芯薪械褔薪芯, 褌邪泻芯械 胁褉械屑褟 褉邪薪芯 懈谢懈 锌芯蟹写薪芯 薪邪褋褌邪薪械褌.(Note: please don't judge Chekhov's writing on my poor translation!!) Ivan questions why it has to be him that has lost his freedom and must be left to rot in the asylum. What right does society have to inflict such an existence on a person?
Once prisons and asylums exist, then there must be someone to live in them. If not you, me, and if not me, then someone else. In the distant future, when there are no longer prisons or asylums, then there will be neither bars on the windows nor hospital smocks. Such a time will come, sooner or later.
- 袗 蟹邪 褔褌芯 胁褘 屑械薪褟 蟹写械褋褜 写械褉卸懈褌械?It's striking how observant and insightful Chekhov's writing is; he understands what it means to be human. He writes of a world as his characters and he himself sees it to be, not the world that we may wish to exist. Sometimes this gritty, dark realism is overwhelming, but I do see sparks of hope in his words as well, no matter how difficult and upsetting the experiences of his characters may be. The fact that he can write from the characters' perspectives in a way that makes the reader truly sympathise with them is remarkable in some ways. One character in particular I was not expecting to feel anything for, but by the end couldn't help feeling a rush of empathy for him. There is a poetic justice to his ending, but it is not a happy one, one that I have no doubt will haunt as I continue to ponder what Chekhov was observing in human nature.
- 袟邪 褌芯, 褔褌芯 胁褘 斜芯谢褜薪褘.
- 袛邪, 斜芯谢械薪. 袧芯 胁械写褜 写械褋褟褌泻懈, 褋芯褌薪懈 褋褍屑邪褋褕械写褕懈褏 谐褍谢褟褞褌 薪邪 褋胁芯斜芯写械, 锌芯褌芯屑褍 褔褌芯 胁邪褕械 薪械胁械卸械褋褌胁芯 薪械 褋锌芯褋芯斜薪芯 芯褌谢懈褔懈褌褜 懈褏 芯褌 蟹写芯褉芯胁褘褏. [...] 袙褘, 褎械谢褜写褕械褉, 褋屑芯褌褉懈褌械谢褜 懈 胁褋褟 胁邪褕邪 斜芯谢褜薪懈褔薪邪褟 褋胁芯谢芯褔褜 胁 薪褉邪胁褋褌胁械薪薪芯屑 芯褌薪芯褕械薪懈懈 薪械懈蟹屑械褉懈屑芯 薪懈卸械 泻邪卸写芯谐芯 懈蟹 薪邪褋, 锌芯褔械屑褍 卸械 屑褘 褋懈写懈屑, 邪 胁褘 薪械褌? 袚写械 谢芯谐懈泻邪?
- Why do you keep me here?
- Because you are ill.
- Yes, I'm ill. But dozens, hundreds of other madmen walk about in freedom, because your ignorance is incapable of distinguishing us from the healthy. [...] You, your assistant, caretaker and all the hospital scoundrels have morals far lower than ours, so why are we stuck here and you're not? Where is the logic?