The Lottery Ticket: by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

THE LOTTERY TICKET: BY ANTON PAVLOVICH CHEKHOV
Introduction:
Anton Chekhov was a Russian short-story writer, playwright and physician. He is one
of the greatest short-story writers in the history of world literature. In his career as a
dramatist, he produced four classics and many short stories. Chekhov practised as a doctor
throughout most his literary career. For him, “Medicine is his lawful wife” and “literature is
his mistress.” The story “The Lottery Ticket” is about a family man named IVAN DMITRITCH.
He and his family were living a middle-class life and was very well satisfied with their life.
Story:
Not until one day, his wife asked Ivan to check the list of lotteries drawing in the
newspaper. His wife’s number got series 9,499, number 26. To his shock and amazement,
Ivan saw the series 9,499. Without checking the ticket number yet, he and his wife already
started dreaming of a good life. Wanting to put excitement whether they got the correct
ticket number or not, they first thought of several possibilities on what to do with the large
amount of prize money. They dreamed of a big property, new furnishings, travelling and
paying debts. Pictures continuously crawl in their minds, each more selfish than the last.
Greed is eating up their imaginations.
Ivan then realized that his wife could either abandon him or control him with the
money, and he began to get angry. His wife started worrying that Ivan would spend all the
money—which was, after all, her money. She began to hate him for desiring her winnings.
They argue, and then Ivan realized the last number doesn’t match. Ivan Dmitritch, read her
the series, which is correct, but not the number, which is incorrect. They were no longer
angry at each other as their hope for winning disappears. At the end of the story, Ivan talked
about how terrible his life is, and he said, he is going to hang himself from a tree outside.
The story shows how people’s lives and what’s important to them can quickly change with
the sudden onset of wealth.
Conclusion:
After Ivan read her the series, they became ecstatic and couldn't believe that his wife
just won the lottery which shows that they have hope, aspiration, selfishness, power, greed,
control, freedom and satisfaction.
THE HAPPY PRINCE BY OSCAR WILDE
Introduction:
Oscar Wilde was an Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and critic. He is regarded
as one of the greatest playwrights of the Victorian Era. In his lifetime he wrote nine plays,
one novel, and numerous poems, short stories, and essays. The story is about a sculpture of
the Happy Prince which was covered with precious gems and golden leaves.
Story:
A beautiful statue had been set up on a tall column high above the city. It was the
statue of the Happy Prince. It was covered with gold. It had sapphires in its eyes and ruby on
its sword-hilt.
The prince was always happy when he was alive. He lived in the palace of happiness.
He did not know what tears were. So, his courtiers called him the Happy Prince. After his
death, his statue was set up so high that he saw the misery of his city all around and wept.
He wanted to help his people but was helpless. His feet were tied to the pedestal. Still, he
helped the needy people through a little bird.
One day, a swallow who was flying over the city on his way to Africa, took refuge at
the feet of the statute to spend the night there. When she saw the statue’s sadness, she felt
sorry for him and agreed to help him despite the fact that she did not have long; winter was
on its way and she had to emigrate to warmer lands where her fellow-swallows were
waiting for her.
He started with plucking the ruby from the prince’s sword and giving it to the
dressmaker who had no money to feed her ailing child. Then he plucked a sapphire from
one of the eyes of the statue and gave it to the playwright who was too poor to make fire in
the winter to continue his writing. He was also very hungry and feeling weak.
One day, the prince saw a match girl who was being beaten by her father for letting
her matches fall in the gutter. The prince’s heart filled with pity for the girl. He immediately
commanded the swallow to pluck out his other eye and help the girl. But the swallow was
not ready to do so because this would make the prince completely blind. On being insisted,
he plucked out the prince’s other eye, swooped past the match girl, and slipped the jewel
into the palm of her hand.
The prince became blind now. So, the swallow decided to stay with the prince
always. The prince asked the swallow to fly over his city and tell him what he saw there. The
swallow informed the prince that the poor were leading a miserable life.
The prince said to the swallow, “I am covered with fine gold. Take it off, leaf by leaf,
and give it to the poor.” The swallow picked leaf after leaf and took them to the poor people
of the city. The poor children had now bread to eat. They laughed and played games in the
street.
The bird followed his words and picked off leaf after leaf of the gold. when all the
gold was removed, the prince looked very ugly. Then the snow came and the poor little
swallow grew older and colder. But he did not leave the prince. Eventually, he grew weak
and died of cold at the price’s feet. Just at that moment a curious crack sounded inside the
statue, as if something had broken. It was, indeed, the leaden heart of the prince that had
snapped directly in two pieces at the sudden demise of the sweet and kind swallow. The
sculpture was therefore, no more valuable and beautiful like before. It stood abandoned.
The next morning, the city Mayor passed that way and saw the statue that was
looking very ugly. He ordered it to be pulled down. The statue was melted in a furnace but
the broken lead heart would not melt. So, it was thrown on a dust-heap where the dead
Swallow was also lying.
God sent one of His Angels to the city. He asked the Angel to bring Him two most
precious things from the city. The Angel took the leaden heart and the dead swallow to God.
God warmly welcomed the two beings in His garden of Paradise and regarded them as His
charming creations.
Conclusion:
Thus, The Happy Prince teaches us that we should show compassion towards the
needy and help them however we can.

The Lottery Ticket: by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

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