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Misery

Written by Anton Chekhov, "Misery" (1986) portrays the overwhelming grief of Iona Potapov, a Russian sleigh-driver, and his vain attempts to share with strangers the despair in the loss of his son. The story takes place almost a week after his son's death. Disturbing and inconclusive, "Misery" is not unlike a documentation of human suffering, specifically in the loss of one's child. Chekhov achieves a detailed portrayal of one man's grief, his attempts to ease his heartache, and his final comfort in sharing his story with his horse.
Struck with an immobilizing grief, Iona Potapov has isolated himself from reality and his present surroundings. “Iona Potapov, the sleigh-driver, is all white like a ghost. He sits on the box without stirring, bent as double as the living body can be bent. If a regular snowdrift fell on him it seems as though even then he would not think it necessary to brush it off....” Even in his unstable frame of mind, he must perform his duty as a sleigh-driver. Iona takes the officer on a reckless ride. The narrator describes his driving, “Iona fidgets on the box as though he were sitting on thorns, jerks his elbows, and turns his eyes about like one possessed, as though he does not know where he is or why he is there.” The uncontrollable physical ticks that he displays such as uncontrollable fidgeting, the jerking of his elbow and the inconsistent movement of his eyes mirror the loss of his grasp on his emotions. With a "wry smile" and "straining of his throat," Iona makes his first attempt in finding someone to share in his grievous story. Turning around several times, Iona desperately wants to continue his verbal purging, but the officer "keeps his eyes shut" and is "apparently disinclined to listen." The officer does not want to be burdened by Iona's story, or by just the simple act of listening to it. And easily, he tunes Iona out.
In making his next fare, Iona picks up three obnoxious young men. The...