The play is physically set in the countryside, which places a lot of emphasis on nature. Astrov’s obsession with man’s destructive relationship with nature is a perfect example of how, without too much social contact, the family has withdrawn into themselves and turned to see beauty in Mother Nature instead of human nature. He speaks of “the hum of my young trees, which I planted with my own hands.” This pride that Astrov has in his work and the pleasure that he derives from nature is infectious, and truly captures the influence that nature has on the characters that live in the country. Therefore, we can see that through the themes of nature and close relationships, Chekhov explores the sense of country living in ‘Uncle Vanya’.
Country life is often seen as slow, comfortable and easy. The pace of the first act certainly fits perfectly with this stereotype, as does the apparent lethargy of the characters who, in Vanya’s case, find themselves with little to do apart from complain about the intrusion of Serebryakov and Yelena into their lives: “now only Sonya works and I sleep, eat and drink…That’s no good!” This state of affairs is fitting with the popular picture of country life and the wordy dialogue between the characters and the long speeches that Astrov, and indeed the other characters make emphasise the need for dialogue between characters in such an enclosed setting.
However, the slow pace is ruined by the tension between the characters and their apparent dislike for each other, especially Vanya and Serebryakov. Their climatic scene, which ends with Vanya attempting to murder the Professor, in a fit of apparent madness: “Oh what am I doing! What am I doing!” is a great disturbance in the calm atmosphere, especially when contrasted with the easy-going pace of the scenes before it. Chekhov often uses climax and anti-climax to upset the mood of the scenes, such as the difficult scene where Serebryakov disturbs the afternoon by calling a meeting to discuss the future of the estate. As all of the characters have other things on their minds, no one really pays attention to Serebryakov and so respond irrationally to his suggestions. This heightened tension is a welcome change from the previous uneasiness which had permeated the play so far. By clashing Vanya and Serebryakov, Chekhov creates a mood of conflict, which is later replaced by one of calm in act four, which reinstalls the characters into their stereotypical countryside manner.
This uneasiness is another technique that Chekhov uses to disturb the ‘country living’ ideal. He uses pathetic fallacy with mentions of a storm on its way: “There’s a storm brewing outside.” in act one then follows this up with said storm just when emotions are running at their highest among the characters. Also in the first act, Astrov comments that the weather is “hot and stuffy” which suggests to us that the characters feel uncomfortable in their own situation. This awkwardness translates to the audience, and they get a sense of the rising tensions. This puts the audience on edge, and they are unable to relax in the manner in which a traditionally homely and comfortable country scene would allow them to do. This unease and tension is one of the factors which prevent this play from becoming merely ‘scenes from a country life.’
Chekhov’s characterisation is fundamental in supporting his statement. His insights into the way the characters live are extremely telling, especially with Astrov’s mild alcoholism, bred from his boredom. At the play’s conclusion, Sonya has resigned herself to life in the country with only her uncle for constant and reliable company. She tells Vanya: “We shall live Uncle Vanya.” We shall live out many days and long evenings…and when our time comes, we shall meekly die.” This shows us how inescapable country living is to someone like Sonya who has only know that and who is scared of knowing anything different. Chekhov has cleverly used characterisation here to show us the boredom and frustration of living in the country. However, these character traits cross over onto the Professor and Yelena, showing us that they are not restricted to characters that live in the country. Yelena shows the same frustration that Sonya feels, and Serebryakov shares Vanya’s moaning. The themes of alcoholism and nature are also universal and in placing them solely in a countryside context, Chekhov has created a scene that, without the tension created by being confined in such an isolated situation, could be taking place in a town house in Moscow.
Contrary to the universal characterisation, there are certainly contrast to be made between the countryside and the town characters. While Sonya accepts her life without Astrov and bemoans the fact: “He’s gone and I still hear his voice and his footsteps”, proclaiming herself plain, Yelena takes action on her feelings and allows herself to be swept off her feet by the doctor, then rights the situation by forcing her husband to leave with her immediately afterwards. Also, Vanya reacts to conflict violently and somewhat naively while Serebryakov handles the same situation sensibly, by avoiding Vanya and leaving without delay: “Wild horses wouldn’t bring him back here.”
Chekhov’s ‘Uncle Vanya’ contains many characters of much the same mould, despite their different background. The tensions that arise between these characters upset the countryside atmosphere, along with the uneasiness and uncertain weather that is evident. While Chekhov certainly succeeds in creating an episodic, slightly stereotypical picture of country life, it is not exclusive to the countryside and the uneasy atmosphere and pathetic fallacy upset the idyllic tone making it impossible to fully agree with Chekhov view that the play is composed of ‘scenes from a country life.’
