Symbolic Manifestation of Spiritual Crisis in Anton Chekhov'sThe Seagull

Abstract

This research has presentedTheSeagullas a symbolic play and killing of the seagull as symbolic manifestation of Treplev’s spiritual crisis. The play contains various symbols like the seagull, weather, lake, etc. The study has tried to show how and why Treplev underwent spiritual crisis and killing of the seagull as manifestation of spiritual crisis. Treplev loves Nina very much. He also wants to becomea successful writer and he longs for his mother’s love, affection and approval in his work. He is ever ready to do anything for his beloved but he is not able to get her love back. In fact, he is not able to get his mother’s support too. He gets patronizing behaviour from his mother’s lover, Trigorin who is a famous writer from whom he expects supportive behaviour. In short he feels that he is not successful in his activities. He feels that he is not likely to get any kind of support from anybody. In sucha situation he considers his living a worthless, purposeless and meaningless activity. In fact, he doesn’t believe in living instead he believes in sacrificial death. He reaches in a point of faithlessness which is the mental state of spiritual crisis. When he reaches such a state he kills the seagull all of a sudden. When he kills the seagull, he not only kills the seagull, symbolically, he kills himself for the sake of his beloved. In fact, killing of the seagull is the manifestation of his mental state,a state of faithlessness. The first chapter of the thesis introduces Chekhov’s life and works, especially his plays, in brief. A general survey of symbol and symbolism has been made in the second chapter. Chapter three contains textual analysis of the play where seagull is a key symbol. And finally, Chapter four concludes the dissertation.