Summary of About Love

About Love      -Anton Chekhov

About love is a famous love story written by famous Russian dramatist and story writer Anton Chekhov tries to show that love is different in different situations. He views love as spiritual and the truth is not bound by marital relation, social bondage, happiness and unhappiness, morality, sin, prestige, etc have nothing to do with a love. In this story. The writer presents about three different example of love and proofs that love is not an ad. The story starts when the narrator and his guest Ivan and Burkin having breakfast in restaurant. At first Alyohin tells about the violent love affair between Nikanor and Pelageya. Nikanor is cooked, drunkard and religious minded person when Nikanor drinks wine he starts to beat Pelageyaa. He gives physical torture to her. She is ready to live with Nikanor just so but does not want to marry him. But Nikanor was religious minded man so, his religious principle does not let them to stay together without getting married.
Similarly, the second love is between narrator himself and university girl. When he goes to university for his higher education he falls in love with a girl who is very selfish and money minded. Everytime she asks him for money to buy things. Actually she doesn't love him, but she loves him for his money. So it is materialistic love which ultimately cannot get success. Alyohin further tells the next love story between him and Anna. It is the major love story. After finishing his study, he returns back to his village at Sofyino, that time his family was suffering from economically problem because his father had spent a lot of money for his study by mortgaging the land. One day he is elected as honorary magistrate (judge). So sometimes he has to go to town to take part in procession. Unexpectedly one of his friends Luganovich invited him for dinner. He goes to the house of Luganovich, and he meets Anna. Anna is very beautiful, intelligent, kind married women of 22 years old having six months old baby. Later unknowingly they fall in love with each other. He frequently visits her. They spend much time talking together for hours and hours and going to theater. They do not express their love, desire and feelings fearing that it will ruin both of their lives.
Finally due to the result of unexpressed love, Anna suffers from mental sickness, and she has to go to crimea for treatment. Many people gather at the railway station to say goodbye to Anna. Alyohin also gather to say goodbye. When they saw each other inside the train, their emotional eyes meet together, and they cannot control themselves and start to kiss and hug each other. At last, they expressed their deep love, but they are going to be separated forever and ever. Alyohin returned to his village being very sad. In this way Alyohin defines love as a hindrens, a source of dissatisfaction and irritation.