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Pathos
Definition of Personification
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the... read full definition
Act 2
Explanation and Analysis—Estate as Tomb:
Throughout the play, Chekhov employs a range of devices—including metaphor, simile, and personification—to capture the estate's negative connotation in the minds of his characters. At the start of the second act, Serebryakov complains that no one around him seems to appreciate his contributions. In a metaphor, he compares being at home to being in a tomb:
I work all my life for learning, I’m used to my study, the lecture hall, colleagues I esteem – and then, I end up for no good reason in this tomb, see fools here every day, listen to worthless conversations…
The supposed tomb in question is Serebryakov's rural estate, which he has recently relocated to with his second wife, Yelena. Contrasting his esteemed colleagues with the "fools" who live "here," the Professor also distinguishes the invigorating atmosphere of the university with the drab atmosphere of his rural home. He associates "learning" with the city, and therefore connects the possibility of prestige with the urban environment.
Voynitsky explains in the first act that the estate came into Serebryakov's hands through his first wife, and that "he has to live there because he can’t afford to live in the city." Serebryakov brushes off these financial constraints as "no good reason," and disparages his friends and family members as "worthless." The estate saves Serebryakov from destitution, but he nevertheless considers it his tomb. Leaving the city is tantamount to dying because it keeps him from being seen by people he respects and prevents him from building his legacy.
Within the same line, Serebryakov uses a second comparison to capture how it feels to live in the countryside, this time through a simile:
I want to live, I like success, I like fame, making a noise, and here it’s like being in exile.
He starts the sentence with words that have a positive connotation and suggest vitality: "live," "success," "fame," and "making a noise." These are things he likes and wants. Such an aspirational beginning gives the sentence's ending an especially negative connotation. For Serebryakov, being at the estate is like being dead or like being exiled from the excitement and life of the city. It stands in the way of living, success, fame, and making a noise.
Later in the same scene, Yelena personifies the house. Calling it "troubled," she goes on to list out the ways in which the people inhabiting the estate fill it with a bad atmosphere. All of these descriptions, along with other comments made by the characters in other parts of the play, establish the estate as desolate, stifling, and claustrophobic. Blaming the physical setting for the atmosphere the characters create, they neglect to recognize the part they play in their own misery.
Related Themes:
