Russian Cover for Ward No.6, 1894
Credit: Author, Anton Chekhov. Public domain
This novella was first published in the periodical Russkaya Mysl (Russian Mind),1892. It later appeared in several anthologies.
Chekhov in 1893
Credit: Unknown. Public Domain. When this picture was taken, Chekhov had been suffering symptoms of TB for years. His brother Nikolai died of TB in 1889. Chekhov would succumb in 1904.
I read Chekhov's Ward No. 6 years ago and recently revisited the novella. Classic Russian writers are among my favorite. These include authors who write dense, highly philosophical novels, or pieces that challenge perceptions of reality: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev and Gogol. Chekhov offers something different.
Of the five writers listed, I would say Chekhov is the most accessible to the contemporary reader. He explained once that he represents "...the world as it is, without moral judgments." His prose is direct and powerful. He writes about the human condition in a way that wrenches the heart.
Prisoners, Sakhalin Penal Colony, Russia,(approx 1880-1889)
Credit: unknown. Public domain Chekhov visited the penal colony in 1889. He stayed for three months and published a book, "Sakhalin Island". When he learned that the children of the prisoners had no library, he donated 2,200 books for the establishment of several school libraries.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904) was born into a poor family that was one generation removed from serfdom. Chekhov himself managed to get through school and earn certification as a doctor. As he reached adulthood he became the economic mainstay of the family.
Fortunately, he discovered early that he could earn enough through writing to support not only himself but his whole family.
Chekhov With His Family, 1874
Credit: Unknown author. Public domain. Chekhov is standing, second from the left.
Anton Chekhov was influential in the development of the modern short story. While his writing is described as expressions of both realism and naturalism, his style is less brutal than what that description often implies. The word gentle has been used to characterize his particular brand of realism.
Chekhov at Home in Melikhovo, Russia, With His Dachsund, Khina
Credit:P. I. Seryogin. Public domain
One thing that comes through his stories (though he is recognized by many people more for his plays than his stories), is compassion. There is cruelty, suffering and irony present, certainly. Through it all, though, we feel the depth of his sympathy for the characters. "Ward No. 6" is an outstanding example of this.
Chekhov's sympathy is not only evident in his fictional characters. In addition to supporting his family and donating books to the Sakhalin penal colony, he joined with Tolstoy and other authors to raise money for relief during the great Russian famine of 1890-91.
Famine-Stricken Villagers, From the Illustrated London News 1892
Credit: The Illustrated London News. Public Domain.
Ward No. 6
****Spoiler Alert Spoiler Alert Spoiler Alert***
The story takes place in an institution that houses the insane. The institution is comprised of one ward, Ward No. 6. It has five residents and a keeper. The keeper, Nikita, believes it is his duty to "... beat people. He showers blows on the face, on the chest, on the back, on whatever comes first..." The institution is dirty and in decay. The inmates are not allowed to leave...except for one, Moiseika, who is described as an imbecile. Whenever this character returns from his wanderings, he is beaten and robbed by Nikita.
The inmates are fed gruel, and their entertainment consists of walking around the room. They are allowed to "...lie down, sleep, look out of window, and walk from one corner to the other". Into this state of almost existential suspension is introduced one character who is a doctor by profession but who does not treat patients: Andrey Yefimitch Ragin.
When we meet Ragin it might be said that he lacks interest in and sympathy for his fellow humans. When confronted with suffering patients he decides nothing can be done about it and all things will sort themselves out eventually. He wonders, "If the aim of medicine is by drugs to alleviate suffering, the question forces itself on one: why alleviate it?"
One day Ragin happens to visit Ward No. 6. There he meets a patient who captures his interest, Ivan Dmitritch Gromov. While Ragin considers the townspeople to be beneath him, in Gromov he discerns a fine intellect. Gromov is paranoid, but well educated and able to meet Ragin toe to toe in intellectual discussions.
When Gromov describes his suffering, Ragin dismisses it. But still the doctor continues to visit the inmate and he brings Gromov books to read.
Over time Ragin's alienation from the townspeople grows so strong that they begin to see him as unbalanced. It is decided that he is mentally unstable. He is tricked into visiting Ward No. 6. When he is there, the door closes behind him and he becomes one of the inmates.
Ragin screams. He insists that he be freed. His reward for this behavior is to be beaten by Nikita. From this beating, and the pain he experiences, Ragin realizes suffering is real. "...through the chaos in his brain there flashed the terrible unbearable thought that these people, who seemed now like black shadows in the moonlight, had to endure such pain day by day for years..." Now he realizes that suffering is not merely a state of mind.
Ragin has a stroke, and by the next day is dead.
Today Chekhov is considered a master of the modern short story and a leading playwright of the 19th and 20th centuries. I recommend readers pick up an anthology of his work if they have not done so before. Chekhov is sure to become a favorite writer.
His anthologies are available on Gutenberg. His work may be read free there. You can also pick up a copy on Amazon, where a paperback sells for $12.00. The Amazon (Penguin) edition has 368 pages and offers nine stories, including Ward No.6.
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