Death of a Minor Official

Author: Chekhov
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The grey, narrow, and oppressive living conditions of small people, and an outstanding portrayal of the tedious and frustrating life of a petty clerk. Chekhov was a talented yet tragically early deceased writer who achieved remarkable success in both short stories and drama. He excelled in humor, satire, and lyrical art, and was renowned as a classic author alongside French writer Guy de Maupassant and American writer O. Henry. He is universally recognized as a great Russian short story master. Death of a Little Official tells the story of a small official who accidentally drips spittle on a high-ranking military official sitting in the front row at the theater. The petty official, terrified that his action might be seen as a wild offense, apologizes repeatedly, causing the high-ranking official to become utterly exasperated and even furious. Meanwhile, the stubborn petty official, who insists on claiming innocence, dies after enduring the high-ranking official's impatience and scolding. Can a person really die from a sneeze? In fact, the petty official dies from his own fear of the high-ranking official. He desperately tries to alleviate his inner fear through apologies and explanations, yet even though the high-ranking official belongs to a different department, the petty official still becomes frantic and terrified because the high-ranking official: "didn't say a single reasonable word." Wanka depicts a young apprentice's drawing on a Christmas night. Anna on the Neck tells of a deformed and vulgar marriage. The Sixth Ward exposes the grim and terrifying truth of the Tsarist Russian society through the lens of a prison-like, suffocating institution: here, anyone has the chance to be labeled a mental patient and locked up at any time, even a seasoned physician who has been treated for years cannot be spared.