#4 Gooseberries, By Anton Chekhov

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Gooseberries, By Anton Chekhov






Rating: 9.1/ 10

 Among Chekhov's short stories, Gooseberries is my favorite novel. It made me think deeper about happiness. Nikolay was so obsessed with money that he neglected his wife , starving to death. Nikolay thought that luxurious, cozy house with the full of gooseberries was the foundation for the happy life. On the contrary, for Alyohin, playing in the mud while working and staying with workers downstair rather than resting on the upstair was his happiness. 

 Nikolay and Alyohin both had different perspective toward happiness. It is impossible for all people to become happy. While one is happy by what one had done, someone on the earth must be unhappy. For instance, Nikolay was pleased by the abundant amount of gooseberries, overloading his workers and making them work like machines giving them alcohol. Moreover, he argued that his gooseberries had the best taste, although they were sour and bitter. We should respect people's individual perspective toward happiness, but it should be attained by reducing the possible damage that could occur to the others. Also, people's decision for happiness should be restrained if it infringes moral standards. 

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