In the play The Brute by Anton Chekhov; I believe that Mrs. Popov is the brute

by treehouse (student)

International Baccalaureate World Literature

Sunday, March, 25, 2012

The Brute by: Anton Chekhov

In the play “The Brute” by Anton Chekhov; I believe that Mrs. Popov is the brute. What is a brute? A brute is somebody brutal; somebody who is very cruel, ruthless, or insensitive. For explain, Mrs. Popov is the “brute” of the title because she is rude, arrogant, and violent. In this essay I will show how these three attributes of Mrs. Popov reeves her really self which is a brute.

Mrs. Popov has been rude from the beginning of this play, with her own butler and to her guest, which she had never met. When Luka, the butler tries to convenes her to move one with her life, find happiness; giving her great advise to help her. She says “(Breaking down) Oh Luka!” partially not even giving it a look and declining it without even hiving him gratitude for caring. Then latter went there’s a visitor at the door “Mrs. Popov: Who is that? Tell them I’m not home.” When Luka informs her that the meeting is urgent, “Mrs. Popov: (shrilly) I see no one!!” she uses such tone to her caring butler like that, for simply informing that the meeting is urgent and she should attend. If that’s not enough, when she finally agreeing to meet her guest After his formally introduced, he expecting a hand greeting, but she “(Declining to offer him her hand) what is it you wish, sir?”. Later she kept forgetting his name “Mr.—what was it again”. I know how some people feel sad and graceful after a die of a husband but what she was doing wasn’t that, Mrs. Popov was being impolite, selfish and uptight so simply rude!

This is a preview of the whole essay

Secondly Mrs. Popov is also arrogant; she is full of herself and believes that her way is the only right way. She calls herself a “lady” but barely acts the part and is very proud or I would call it stubborn with her decisions not have the decency to lesion to others advices and sometimes acts like a kid because of it. “Mrs. Popov: Mr. Smirnov, do you know how to behave in the presence of a lady?” in the beginning dose she remembers her rude and a little immature intro she had with him, who again is the lady? Then when Mr. Smirnov said how her plans to dead in the house and to be a faithful wife to were unreal or a joke. Her response was negative “(Flaring up) How dare you? How dare you insinuate---? (Incoherent)” showing how she can’t hand criticism very good. With that she acts like a kid “I’m not shooting, you’re shooting! Oh, leave me alone!” Also another explain of her childish acts before the “shoot off”, then the two of them get into a fight again but (Mrs. Popov: trying to outshout him) Brute, brute. Brute! Shows how her UN lady like behavior is due to arrogant and stubborn, she has!

Lastly Mrs. Popov is a very violent lady. When Mr. Smirnov offered a shoot off, she willing agreed “(screaming) All right! You want to shoot it out? All right! Let’s shoot it out!” Yes this setting is in Russia, but real ladies don’t solve problems or arguments with violent and war they have higher levels and more commonsense. “Here and now! All right! I’ll have Popov’s pistols here in one minute! (Walks away, then turns)Putting one Popov’s bullet through your silly head will be a pleasure! Au revoir! (Exits)” now if you didn’t think she was serious now you know, she really attends to shoot Mr. Smirnov (guest). In the play Mr. Smirnov is also rude to Mrs. Popov but since she is a lady she is not suppose to, use violent as an answer because violent solves nothing.

In conclusion Mrs. Popov is the brute as in the title of this play because she is not able to control her emotions of rage and anger as neither a lady nor a normal person. That’s why she shows rudeness, arrogance, and violence making her scoop down to the brutal level.

Palden Thakur