PRESENTATION

ON
GRIEF
(ENGLISH
ELECTIVE)
 PRESENTATION WORK

Submitted To: Submitted By:

Ashwani Kumar
Mrs. Indira
B.A.-1st year
Sharma 5737/13
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ANTON CHEKHOV
He was born on 29 January 1860 in
Taganrog, Russia and he was died on
15 July, 1904.
Anton Chekhov was a Russian short-
story writer, playwright and
physician.
He had a disease in which he could
live only for a few years.
 WHAT IS GRIEF?
• Grief is the emotion people feel when they
experience a loss. Greif can make us feel
guilty. Some people might blame themselves
or think they could have done something to
stop the death.
 THEME OF GRIEF
The theme of misery is the callousness
of man, his unwillingness to share
the grief of others. Man is very
selfish and is not concerned towards
the grief and sorrow of others. Thus
the story depicts the apathy of man
to man.
 SUMMARY OF THE STORY
• It describes the plight of a Russian Cab
driver who wants to share his grief with
someone but does not find a sympathetic
listener. Cab driver namely Iona has lost his
Son.
• Iona was in search of some man before
whom he can unburden his heart and thus
find an outlet for his grief, so he was waiting
for some passenger at the cab station.
 SUMMARY OF THE STORY
• Iona’s first passenger was an
Officer. When Iona tells him that
he lost his only son a few days
ago, the Officer simply asks him
what he had died of. After this his
interest flags and he curses and
swears at Iona for his bad driving.
 SUMMARY OF THE STORY
Iona waits for another passenger. A little later
three young men hire his carriage at a very
low fare. Iona does not mind the fare. One of
them gives Iona a blow on the neck. Iona
wants to tell them the story of his grief, but as
soon as he begins, they reach their
destination.
 SUMMARY OF THE STORY
• Iona says, “My Son– died this week”.
• -- The remark comes ‘Cabby Are you
married?’
• The listeners are so disconnected and
disinterested that Iona is left alone.
 SUMMARY OF THE STORY
His Grief makes him feel that death had gone to
the wrong door. As he was alive and his son
was dead. Iona’s heart is full of grief, he
wants to unburden his heart. So when he
sees the hall porter, he decides to go to him
and speak to him. In order to engage him in
talk, he asks the hall porter what time it was.
The porter tells the time and Iona is again left
alone.
 SUMMARY OF THE STORY
• After his bad experience with
people, Iona decides to go to the
stables. Finally, he decides to tell
the complete story to his horse. The
real purpose is that Iona must
unburden his heart before
someone.
 SUMMARY OF THE STORY
• ‘Grief’, with its basic simplicity and
minuteness of detail, is a typical example
of Chekov’s craftsmanship. The author’s
sense of sorrow at man’s inhumanity to
man, and his compassion for the lonely
and the downtrodden is reflected in this
disturbing tale.