The Kiss by Anton Chekhov

“The Kiss” by Anton Chekhov After reading Anton Chekhov’s “The Kiss”, it is apparent that several elements of fiction were incorporated into his story. The story included interesting characters, a descriptive setting that effectively reflects the mood of what is going on, sufficient amount of irony. And a well developed plot and structure. Out of all of these components that help to build a successful fictional story, the element that was most effective was the element of plot. The plot of “The Kiss” is an excellent arrangement of events that fulfills every aspect that is expected to be incorporated into a fictional plot.

It includes interesting twists, admirable characters, and most importantly, a subject that almost everyone can easily relate to. “The Kiss”, is about a man named Ryabovitch that is completely unsatisfied with his life until one night, he takes part in an “adventure (288). ” In an unexpected series of events, Ryabovitch, who has never experienced female interaction, finds himself mistaken by a mysterious woman for her lover. As a result of the mix-up, Ryabovitch experiences his first kiss. The kiss puts a new spin on his life and Rybovitch becomes more bold and confident than ever.

Even though most would view the incident as a simple misunderstanding, Ryabovitch takes it for more than that. He becomes convinced that he is in love with someone that he does not even know. At the end of the story however, Ryabovitch realizes that the situation was simply exaggerated and he goes back to his normal life. This first reason that the plot stands out so much is that it is relatable. In “The Kiss” Ryabovitch exaggerates the meaning of the kiss beyond recognition. In the story Ryabovitch is “…surprised dreadfully by the time it took him to tell his story (294). He overreacted so much that he did not even recognize how simple and insignificant that his incident was. Everyone has been guilty of this as one time or another. “The Kiss”, was written based on and overreaction and everyone is able to relate to what Ryabovitch is going through. Another reason that the plot stands out is that Chekhov writes in a way that makes the reader want to read on. He makes the reader care about what happens to Rybovitch by vividly describing everything that he goes through. Chekhov forces the reader to want to read on by making them feel sympathetic for Ryabovitch.

The plot is set up to keep the reader interested and it stands out because of it. Without this incorporation of getting readers into what is going on with Ryabovitch, the effectiveness of the element of plot would be severely weakened. After reading “The Kiss”, it is obvious that Chekhov incorporated the element of plot into his story effectively. By writing about a subject that can be easily related to, the overall value of the plot drastically increased. Chekhov did a great job of getting into the readers mind; he made them want to read attentively and continue the story by using the element of plot.