Misery (To whom shall i tell my sorrow)

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Title: Misery (To whom shall i tell my sorrow)
Author:  Anton Chekhov
Author's Background: Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, 29 January 1860[1] – 15 July 1904)[2] was a Russian playwright and short story writer, who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. His career as a playwright produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. source
Vocabulary:

• galoshes - a waterproof overshoe, typically made of rubber.
• reins - a long, narrow strap attached at one end to a horse's bit, typically used in pairs to guide or check a horse in riding or driving.
• kopecks - a monetary unit of Russia and some other countries of the former Soviet Union.
• misery-  a state or feeling of great physical or mental distress or discomfort

Characters:

• Iona Potapov- the sledge driver who wants someone to listen to his thoughts out about the death of his son.
• Officer - first passenger of Iona who didn't listen to his grief.
• Short young man - the hunchback who verbally abused Iona.

Setting:

• somewhere in Russia.

Exposition:

• Iona sits on his box without stirring, bent as double as the living body can be bent.
• Iona hears a call for a sledge and he goes to his first passenger of the day.
• He tries to share his thoughts to his passenger who wasn't interested to listen.

Rising Action:

• Iona drops his first passenger and in a little while gets three young passengers.
• The three were unrespectful especially the short, hunchbacked man.
• The hunchback verbally abused Iona and even hit him in the back.
• Iona tries to share his thoughts and the three didn't care at all, and they finally arrived at their destination, and left.

Climax:

• With a look of anxiety and suffering, Iona's eyes stray restlessly among the crowds moving to and fro on both sides of the street, he asks himself if he can find someone among the thousands in the crowd to listen to his grief.
• Iona drives a few paces away, bends himself double, and gives himself up to his misery.

Falling Action:

• He decides to go back to his yard and rest.
• He tries his last attempt to share his thoughts to a young cabman, but still, even the young cabman was not interested and slept.
• He decides to check his mare at the stable and starts talking about his dead son.

Ending:

• Iona gets carried away and continues to share his thoughts to his mare.

Symbolisims:

• "Iona Potapov, the sledge-driver, is all white like a ghost. He sits on the box without stirring, bent as double as the living body can be bent." it shows that he has not taken care of his self after losing his son, and is very depressed and miserable.
• "Iona drives a few paces away, bends himself double, and gives himself up to his misery." he loses hope because there was no one who's interested to listen to him.

Theme: Letting your thoughts out to end the pain of loss.
Lesson: 

• Lend an ear to a person who needs someone to talk to.