Essay The Anniversary -Anton Chekhov

The Anniversary

Anton Chekhov

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was born in the small seaport of Taganrog, southern Russia, born 29^th January 1904, the son of a grocer. Chekhov a Physician, dramaturge and author is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. Chekhov's first novel, Nenunzhaya pobeda (1882), was a success, and gradually he became a full-time writer. ‘The Shooting Party’, ‘The seagull’, ‘The cherry orchard’ are some of his  works.

The Anniversary by Anton Chekov   is a hilarious play about a banker who is  preparing to meet some respected shareholders for the bank’s 15^th anniversary celebrations The play revolves around four principle character.

Mr Andrei Shipuchin – A diligent and hardworking banker who also has a soft corner for women.

Mr.Kirin –Book keeper-The brilliant but short tempered accountant on whom the banker totally depend for preparing an impressive report for the bank.

Ms Tatiana -The banker’s wife- A naive and rather innocent women who is also a chatterbox. She is very young and views life adventurously.

Mrs Merchutkina-The mad women- An old woman who is also a constant pest. She is neither susceptible to logic nor reasoning. Her persistent annoyance and outright lack of sympathy for the banker forms the central theme of the play.

The Act begins with the accountant busy preparing the financial report using the Abacus. He is already worn out  due to  days of continuous work. He tries to put long hours since the banker has promised him a golden watch if the meeting with the shareholders go well. While the accountant is busy with the  calculations the banker walks in along with his customers who wish him good luck for the meeting. The accountant who has been watching all these is not convinced at all. The fact that the banker will corner all the glory of his accounts hard work does not go down well with him. However he continues his work for the watch.

Mrs Tatiana comes to the bank as she has just arrived from her home town after meeting her sister and mother. Instead of going home she has arrived at her husband’s bank. Her husband is surprised   by her visit and spends time with her on a casual talk so as to make her feel good. But he is worried if he was preparing enough for the meeting later in the day. Tatiana continuously kept chattering about her train journey and her sister’s date .However at the end of the room the accountant was growing very impatient and Mrs Tatiana ‘s irrelevant narrations were getting on to his nerves preventing him from focusing on the abacus.

In the midst of all this, suddenly an old woman barged into the bank. She seemed highly agitated and rushed to Mr. Banker’s seat. The banker wondered if this was an aggrieved customer. Only to realise later that she was Mrs. Merchutkina who had come in to ruin his day. Merchutkina wanted the bank to pay her husband’s complete wage of twenty four roubles and thirty six kopecks which she claimed had been wrongly deducted. However Mrs Merchutkina husband never worked with the bank and the bank never had anything to do with the payment of his wages. The banker tried in vain to explain her, but she simply does not comprehend his logic. Instead she continues to demand her twenty four roubles and thirty six  kopecks and that she is a ‘weak and defenceless woman’.

The banker is also  helped by his wife who demands Mrs.Merchutkina to leave the bank immediately. But the woman refuses and is persistent on her demands.

Finally at the end of his wits the accountant who has been silent victim all this while threatens to get her thrown out of the bank if she did not leave by herself. Even this threat did not deter her from demanding her husband’s rightful share of wages.

Realising that there was no way out now, the banker finally hands over twenty four roubles and thirty six kopecks to her which she gleefully accepts and momentarily there is a pause in the commotion. Meanwhile Tataina continues her woeful story to the banker who by now is already drained of his energies. Just  when things were beginning to return to peace again, Mrs.Merchutkina reaches out to the banker and asks “Could my husband have his job back, your Excellency?”

This banker upon reaching the end of his patience orders the accountant to throw her out from the bank. But the accountant mistakes Tatiana to be the cause of the banker’s anger and orders her out instead. In the ensuing confusion, the accountant ends up chasing the mad woman and Tatiana around the bank when the group of Shareholders walk in.

Amidst all this commotion, the shareholders are unmoved and heap praise on Mr Banker on how he had raised the bank to higher reputation. However they stopped their praise midway and announce that they would come back some other day considering that there was hectic activity at the bank at present.