Looking for the original text of Chekhov's "The Man in a Container"

Original text:

Belikov, real life always makes him feel uneasy and scared. In order to isolate himself from the world and not be affected by the outside world, he always wants to give Wrap yourself in a layer of shell and create a so-called safety cover for yourself: even if he goes out on a sunny day, he always wears galoshes and carries an umbrella. His umbrella, pocket watch, pencil sharpener, pocket knife, etc. can be wrapped up Everything is always in a case.

Even his face seemed to be in a sleeve, because he always hid his face in his turned-up collar, wore black glasses, and stuffed cotton in his ears when he was riding in a taxi. Also ask the coachman to put up the hood immediately.

This is just an external manifestation of his resistance to fear. On the other hand, everything that is prohibited makes him feel secure and clear, while everything that is not explicitly prohibited by the government feels suspicious and scary to him. One of his catchphrases that is always on his lips is: "Don't cause any trouble."

This sentence actually appears in different ways in this short novel. Nine times as many as it was, it was almost like a spell, overwhelming people. What is particularly intolerable is that he always visits every teacher's residence uninvited like a ghost, sits for an hour or two without saying a word, and then disappears like a ghost.

His fear spread bit by bit like a cancer, infecting everyone around him. He stayed in school for 15 years, and the entire school and even the whole city were controlled by his emotions for 15 years. No one wanted to resist or say no to him during this long period of time.

People in the whole city are afraid of everything: they dare not speak loudly, dare not send letters, make friends, study, dare not help the poor, teach people to read, dare not eat meat, play cards, dare not do anything In entertainment activities, people are just like him, curling up in their own condoms and living an ignoble existence. Belikov was afraid and ashamed, and died a month later. Belikov died in such a dramatic way.

People in the school and the city thought that they could enjoy the freedom of liberation. But sadly, this fearful emotion has penetrated into everyone's blood, and the good mood will not last long. A week later, life returned to its old self, still as depressing and dull as before.

Source: From the short story "The Man in the Box" written by the Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov.

Extended information:

Creative background:

The end of the 19th century when Chekhov lived was a very dark period of Tsarist rule in Russian history. Although Russia was still under feudal autocratic rule politically, its economy and social life had entered a capitalist society, and the development of the capitalist economy accelerated the demise of feudalism.

In this case, the reactionary rule of the Tsar and the The tide of the times was making a desperate struggle, and the system of censorship of books and periodicals was intensified. The secret police closely watched people's every move, and the tsarist regime did not allow any opposition to it. They were afraid that the flames of revolution would spread, so they intensified the inspection. In order to control people's thoughts and actions

Those who opposed the tsarist rule or tried to promote the revolution were severely suppressed. Many progressives and intellectuals were imprisoned, exiled or executed. In such a suffocating atmosphere, people will be highly vigilant in every move. Most people are eager to change the status quo, but because they are unable to fight against the powerful authoritarian rule, they live cautiously every day.

Chekhov lived in such an environment. On the one hand, he deeply hated the brutal and reactionary tsarist rule. On the other hand, he was saddened by the numbness and resignation of the Russian people at that time. He wanted to awaken people's consciousness, but he did not want to. Seeing that feudal autocracy has killed the good side of people's nature,

So he uses exaggeration to create a character like Belikov. Through this character, the author magnifies people's stubbornness, conservativeness and timidity. The image of being fearful and stubborn.