Fat and Thin Summary

Summary for <> by Anton Chekhov

        The story is simply about what happened when two persons who knew each other since childhood met again accidently. The thin man introduced his wife and son to the fat man with full compassions. They hugged and kissed each other, but this wonderful situation did not last very long. After the thin man talked about what he and his wife did for living, the fat man told the thin man about his job, which was a higher position. The thin man suddenly felt panic, nervous and shame and started to flatter the fat man. The fat man did not like this, but he could not change the mind of the thin man. And then the fat man started to feel disgusted and unhappy, so he left in the end without another hug or kiss.

        Anton Chekhov wrote this story to show that the society of that time must be very dark, depressed and behindhand with a very clear caste system. The conversation at the end of story gives me a feeling that it is conversation between a slave and a master instead of two childhood friends. If we compare what the thin man firstly said and what tone he changed after knowing the job of the fat man, we can easily find the impact of unfairness of the society. For example, “Ho-Ho” was used to represent smile or laugh of the thin man before the fat man talked about the job, which sounds like with please and happiness; then “He-he-he” was used to represent smile of the thin man in the end of story, which makes me feel fake only.

        The story does not only show how tiny and lowly a person can be under such an environment pressure, but also makes me feel shocked and worried about my future. I worry that I may become “the thin man” in the future because of my own willingness or the impact of society. I only want to treat or be treat by my friends with my true and pure heart.

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