The Doctor (Chekhov)
Short summary
In a quiet villa, Dr. Tsvyetkov visited Olga Ivanovna, whose son Misha was gravely ill with a brain tumor. The doctor informed the distraught mother that her son would not survive.
Olga Ivanovna was inconsolable, declaring that her son meant everything to her and she could not survive his loss. While the doctor examined Misha, who lay in bed dreaming and barely responsive, Olga requested a consultation with other doctors, though Tsvyetkov had little faith in its benefit.
As midnight approached, the doctor prepared to leave but suddenly returned to the drawing room. In a quivering voice, he asked Olga to finally tell him the truth about whether Misha was truly his son. When she insisted the boy was his, Tsvyetkov erupted in anger, accusing her of lying even in this tragic moment.
"A father's rights to the boy are equally shared with me by Petrov and Kurovsky the lawyer, who still make you an allowance for their son's education, just as I do! Yes, indeed! I know all that quite well!"
Despite his outburst, Olga maintained that Misha was his child. The doctor revealed he had kept her letter to Petrov naming him as Misha's father, but still she would not admit the truth. Frustrated by his inability to make her confess, Tsvyetkov left, promising to return the next day.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
A mothers anguish over her dying son
In the quiet drawing room of a villa, Olga Ivanovna stood by the window looking out at the flowerbeds. The stillness was so complete that a housefly could be heard brushing against the ceiling. Dr. Tsvyetkov sat in an easy chair, swinging his hat in his hands. He had been summoned to treat Olga's son, Misha, who was gravely ill.
Breaking the silence, Olga expressed her devastation at her son's condition. She declared that life had no value for her apart from the boy, who was everything to her - her joy, happiness, and wealth. She insisted that she could not survive if he died. Wringing her hands, she moved from window to window, explaining how motherhood had transformed her from the vulgar, feather-headed woman she once was.
"No misfortune more terrible can be imagined," she said, without turning from the window. "You know that life has no value for me whatever apart from the boy... He is everything to me. He is my joy, my happiness, my wealth."
The doctors examination of the sick child
Dr. Tsvyetkov left the distraught mother and went to check on Misha in the nursery. The boy was lying on his back, staring at one point as though listening to something. When the doctor sat on his bed and felt his pulse, he asked if Misha's head hurt. The boy responded after a pause that it did, and that he kept dreaming.
The doctor, uncomfortable with children, awkwardly stroked the boy's burning head and tried to reassure him. He asked Misha if he recognized him, but received no answer. After examining the boy and questioning the maid who was caring for him, Dr. Tsvyetkov returned slowly to the drawing room where Olga Ivanovna waited.
Discussing Mishas terminal condition and a possible consultation
Back in the drawing room, Dr. Tsvyetkov found Olga Ivanovna still standing by the window, her face pale and exhausted with grief. When he asked if he should light the lamp, she did not answer. The silence was broken only by the housefly still brushing against the ceiling and the distant sounds of a band playing at the club.
When Olga finally spoke, she asked about arranging a consultation with other doctors. Dr. Tsvyetkov agreed to organize it for the next day, though his tone revealed little faith in its benefit. He then delivered the devastating news about her son's condition.
"The boy has a tumour on the brain, and we must try to prepare ourselves for his death, for such cases never recover... I am ready to answer as many as you like, but it will make it no better for us."
Olga questioned why her son never complained if he was in pain. She lamented that God would take the boy because they had not properly valued such a treasure. As the band at the club played through a succession of dances, the doctor paced the drawing room, seemingly wanting to say something but unable to find the words. The evening dragged on agonizingly as Olga repeatedly went to check on her son and returned to the drawing room in tears.
The painful question of Mishas paternity
At midnight, as the doctor prepared to leave, he promised to return the next day and urged Olga to get some rest. After putting on his coat and picking up his walking stick in the passage, he hesitated, then returned to the drawing room. In a quivering voice, he repeated that he would come tomorrow.
Then, still wearing his coat and holding his stick, the doctor sat beside Olga and began speaking in a soft, tender half-whisper that seemed at odds with his heavy, dignified figure. He implored her to tell him the truth about Misha's paternity. He reminded her that she had always claimed the boy was his son and asked if this was true.
When Olga affirmed that Misha was indeed his child, the doctor sighed deeply. He told her that he knew she was lying, as he had kept her letter to Petrov in which she had called him Misha's father. The doctor revealed his knowledge that Petrov and Kurovsky the lawyer shared paternity rights with him and still provided financial support for the boy's education.
"You have been the one attachment in my life," the doctor went on, "and you cannot imagine how deeply my feeling is wounded by falsehood... At these moments one cannot lie. Tell me that Misha is not my son."
The doctors confrontation with Olgas persistent lies
Despite the doctor's plea for honesty, Olga Ivanovna continued to insist that Misha was his son. Frustrated by her persistent deception, Dr. Tsvyetkov grew increasingly agitated. He paced around the drawing room, angrily waving his stick as he unburdened himself of nine years of suspicion and resentment.
He accused her of fearing that if she told the truth, he would stop providing money for the boy. He expressed his contempt for her lies, calling her a warped, corrupted creature, and declared that he should be ashamed of his feelings for her. From the dark corner where Olga sat, the sound of weeping could be heard.
Realizing he had lost his temper, the doctor apologized and asked her to disregard his outburst. He found his hat on the floor and approached Olga in the dark corner. In a softer tone, he again entreated her to tell him the truth, saying there should be no lying between them. When Olga hesitated but still maintained that Misha was his child, the doctor left in frustration, promising to return the next day.
All the way home in his carriage, Dr. Tsvyetkov kept shrugging his shoulders and muttering to himself, lamenting his inability to speak persuasively and make Olga understand the importance of honesty between them.