At Odds, Together: Čechov on Siblings, Distance and Reconciliation

This essay considers Chekhov's portrayal of the relationship between brothers and sisters in ‘Excellent People’ (‘Khoroshie liudi’, 1886) and ‘Neighbors’ (‘Sosedi’, 1892), as a vehicle for conveying the author's thoughts on distance as a force for reconciliation within the family. For Chekhov, intimate family relations are secured through a kind of healthy distance, where the remoteness separating siblings generates a mutuality maintained by important barriers. By examining the author's evocation of distance in these works, this essay seeks to explore Chekhov's understanding of the relation that defines us as both siblings and selves.