KASHTANKA ⁹⁺

Kashtanka is one of Chekhov’s most famous short stories, that irresistibly draws readers into Russia at the transition from the 19th to the 20th century. It is a story about love, loyalty, and responsibility. In this story, Chekhov shows human weaknesses from the perspective of a man’s best friend - a dog. This quest for love of the little female dog named Kashtanka challenges the reader/viewer to ask himself or herself how much love a man is capable of providing.Smells play important role in Kashtanka’s world, but the most important thing in her life is her master. He is the centre of her world, she belongs to him. She loves him unconditionally and patiently accepts his love as well as his abuse. When one day she gets lost and is adopted by a new master, the animal trainer in the circus, Kashtanka is dubious about whether a master who feeds you and does not hit you but loves you conditionally is better than a master who is rude and unpredictable but loves you unconditional, in his own way. Chekhov gives us food for thought, what we do that even a dog would not do it ... maybe we should just follow the example of a dog’s love and stop calling love a palette of relationships based on suffering and unfreedo