A reflection on "The Student" by Anton Chekhov

             Having learned that “The Student” was renowned as one of the most perfect short stories to be written, I couldn’t hide disappointment during my first read of the story. I had been anticipating a shocking twist that would render me somehow convinced that the book deserves the title. However, the book was far from my expectations. As a matter of fact, “The Student” was completely devoid of the element of surprise.

             Of course, the descriptions were quite impressive and every detail very touching and beautiful, yet it didn’t strike me as special. In trying to speculate why to me it was not such an astounding piece of work, I came up with a few explanations: my lack of understanding of biblical allusions and the apathy towards the tears shed by the widow and the self-satisfaction of the protagonist. However, in the process of contemplation and reexamination, I did realize that the work had a taste all its own, that it had something beyond simply articulate prose. The characters were vivid and three dimensional.

             Ivan is the most interesting of the characters. Ivan was initially full of contradictory. He was no sage, but a mere cleric student. Yet his speech implied that he had knowledge beyond the skies. However, his grumpiness at the start of the story and his complacence after he had “touched one end and the other quivered” seemed contradictory to his supposed knowledge.

             However, as I read more, I realized that he had been affecting a sagacious tone or attitude. To explain, he learned that “The past is linked with the present by an unbroken chain of events” and that “life is full of lofty meaning” through a revelation. Indeed, a young man may experience an epiphany, and itself is no surprise. Yet his shallow interpretation of Vasilisa’s tears and his complacence makes me think otherwise, and doubt the knowledge of the immature young student.

             Finally I came to wonder why the title was “The Student.” Why not “The Sage,” or “The Missionary?” Students are not perfect. They are beings that continually change. Such volatility is a common factor of two characters mentioned in the story: Vasilisa, the old widow who was nonetheless moved by the preaching of a 22year old boy, and Ivan, a student of arrogance and pride evident in the complacence after a speech of revelation, which he had never undergone. As far from perfect as they are, they are capable of change. It is notable that Vasilisa shades tears and Ivan experiences a change in his worldview. Indeed, both Vasilisa and Ivan may be students after all.