The Proposal
Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) was a Russian playwright and short story writer, widely regarded as one of the greatest masters of short fiction. His works often explore human nature with subtlety, irony, and deep psychological insight.
Chekhov's writing is known for its realism, economy of words, and focus on character rather than plot. His influence extends to modern literature, theater, and even cinema.
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| Class 12 English |
Question No. 1
Bring out the aptness the title “The Proposal”.
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The reason why the marriage is important to all the character?
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How does Anton Chekhov satire marriage as a institution?
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Do you consider marriage comedy/farce?
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Oh! what a burden to be a father of grown up daughter- Who is the daughter? Why is the daughter a burden to a father?
Ans.
The Hilmar Baukhage rendered the Russian title “Pretdlozheniye” as “The Proposal” in english. The play the matizes that marriage is a business deal at its worst and social contact at its best. It was the title to do with human heart, Lomov in his middle late thirteen has no time to think or to look for an ideal or real love. He has epilepsy and palpitation. Natalya is past 25 and well beyond her nuptial age. Chubukov his desperate to say “Oh! what a burden lord, to be a father of a grown up daughter”. Thus marriage is a sign of realise for all the character concerned.
All the character of the play “The Proposal” are some way or the other influenced by the marriage proposal. Before unfolding lomov propose to Natalya, they engaged in several arguments such as, dispute over oxen meadows. And then over there hunting dogs. So, Natalya does not gave any proposal from Lomov. However, the proposal is successfully complemented by the marriage at the end. Thus, the title of “The Proposal” appears to be more meaningful for that.
Matrimony serves as a means to guarantee economic security, social approval, no matters it has love or no love. Gorky rightly commented that “Behind every humour of chekhov’s play there is a disgusting sadness”.
Question No. 2
Make a brief sketch of social life as you find in the play.
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How the marriage is presented as for Social security and status.
Ans.
“Literature is the mirror of society that reflects the pulse of the time”. Anton Chekhov’s one act play “The Proposal” is a miniscule cross section of the 19th century Russian feudal society. The society was fully agricultural landed property had great value and the prime source of income. Marriage was the necessary tool to state the thirst for land. The society does not pay any heed to personal desire and emotions. All the three characters revolved around extending protecting their sponsorship to land. The father consider his daughter as a liability. This society also considered marriage of a girl-children or worn-out convention in terms of dowry system which has been carried to the landed property as well. Therefore Lomov and Natalya fight over weather, oxen-meadows, hounds, love, romance, passion mattered little in selection of pair. Naturally, the gently like lomov and laity like mowers, hypocrite like Chubukov and “love sick cat” represented the bourgeois last but not the least, marriage in the then society was nothing but a means of economic stability and security that revolved with the feudal motif and belief.
Question No. 3
Describe the character of Natalya Stephnovan?
Ans.
In Chekov’s well-known one act play “The proposal” centers around Lomov’s proposal from Chubukov’s daughter Natalya. In the beginning of the play, Natalya remains a maiden for a long time. She is stepping well beyond her nuptial age. A 25 year old daughter of stephan chubukov is average looking well educated and accomplished in household works. She was born and brought up in orthodox russian family. So the love-sick-cat does not so any favour for the person who came to visit to her house and who came to propose for the marriage. Instead, she develops a long and furious quarrel over oxen meadows. She changes hue, turns furious, frantic, and finally turns lomov out. But later she learns that lomov came to beg her hands for in marriage. She goes frantic, hysteric to get lomov back. Time and again, Natalya cannot deny her ego and gets involved into dispute over the superiority and squeezer to guess. At last love-sick yet materialistic, she will make probably as an “excellent housekeeper” for hypochondriac lomov. The restlessness among the three characters like Chubukov, Lomov, Natalya is settled with the marriage between love-sick Natalya and hypochondriac lomov.
Question No. 4
How does Natalya try to divert the issue of oxen meadows? What result does she get?
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How does new arguments pop on after the arrival of lomov?
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What was the issue of the second/last debate between Lomov and Natalya?
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What was the opinion of Lomov and Natalya about their hunting dogs?
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Compare and contrast between Squeezer and Guess?
Ans.
In chekhov’s one act play “The Proposal” Natalya, the prospective couple got into several turns of argumentation. The fast between them revolved round with the possession of oxen meadows. In order to divert his mind, Natalya offers to “talk of something else”, then she asks whether lomov is going to start shooting soon.
Lomov informs that he is thinking of having a go after the harvest in the context of hunting. Lomov said that his hound guess had gone lame. Still it was a first rate dog purchased from Mironov 125 roubles. Natalya contended that her squeezer was received at 85 roubles and it was young in comparison to guess which it is old. It was through product of harness and chisels. But here lomov said that the squeezer was over short and worth 25 roubles at most of these Natalya remarked that guess was silly, half dead and no match for her squeezer and said “He is old and as ugly as a worm out cab-house”. Chubukov admits that guess is purebred, firm on his feet, has well-sprung ribs. But he points out to defects. “He is old, he is short in the muzzle”. Lomov admits that Squeezer is good, and Running points out that he is not competent to get hold of anything.
This quarrels finally caused lomov’s palpitation and humiliation.
Question No. 5
How Lomov and Natalya quarreled when lomov fast tried to propose Natalya? (iv,v)
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What is an Oxen Meadows? What is the measure of the land? Tell its exact location? What are the debates revolved round oxen meadows? (i,ii,iii,iv)
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“It is simply silly”- What is the silly matter? How does this silly matter solved? (iv,v)
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What is all out Natalya’s appeal to bring lomov back? (iv,v)
Ans.
i) An Oxen Meadows is a peace of land which is left open for the grazers to tend their cattle and also tool and also mow grasses as their fodder.
ii) The exact measure of the land comes from the lips of Natalya that the Meadows come to only five dessiants (13.5 acres). It will be priced at 300 roubles.
iii) The large open oxen meadows wedged in between Natalya’s birch woods and lomov’s Brunt Marsh.
iv) In attempt to propose Natalya, lomov’s says that his oxen meadows touch her Birch woods. Natalya interrupts lomov and claims that it belongs to them. Lomov refused to excepts this and asked her to show the documents. He claims that his aunts grandma’s there gave the free use of these meadows in perpetuity to the peasants of her father’s grandfather in return for which they were to make bricks for her. But Natalya claims that her grandfather and great grandfather reckoned that their land extended to brunt marsh and so it is surely their property. Lomov tried to tell about the history of the land, but Natalya says for that nearly 300 years they possessed the land. Natalya accuses lomov of his in gratitude and even warms to send her mowers out to the meadows.
v) Both of them raise their voice to claim Oxen Meadows as their property the dispute taken to court. But many abuses are continued by telling guzzling gambler the villain score crow, the monster to each other. At least lomov got nervous and his heart is palpitating awfully.
Question No. 6
Sketch the character of Chubukov?
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Describe the character of Chubukov as a sensible father?
Ans.
In Anton Chekov’s play “The Proposal” chubukov is a russian landowner with feudal mindset. He is a maniac in his early seventies. He is deeply concerned about his daughters marriage. But he looks at marriage as an economic settlements rather than a personal longing. He thinks her daughter, Natalya a liability. Through, he calls lomov “My Darling, my treasure” etc, but inwardly he suspects “he is come to borrow money”. First of all lomov is welcome cordially; but soon after, the several disarguments over “oxen meadows” ensures. The feudalism is attached with sentiment, ego in every patriarchal family at that time. He was a man of excessive rigorous. Father who become happy when his daughter is married of what a weight of my soldier out. He remains a flat character and plays the role of connector of marriage between Lomov and Natalya.
He relieved with the words saying after the proposal of marriage between Lomov and Natalya; what a burden lord to be a grown up daughter.
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Play:
