Windfall and Evil
In the short story “The Lottery Ticket” by Anton Chekhov, a couple named Ivan and Masha who think they may have won the lottery fantasize about how to spend the winnings. This story shows the couple’s ironic imaginations of a big windfall. Chekhov’s portrayal of the couple and the depiction of the setting dramatize the theme that one can change into an evil and can’t master his destiny if he does not properly handle a sudden windfall.
In the story, Ivan and his wife Masha live a middle-class life with 1,200 Rubles annual income. Ivan does not believe in lottery luck. When Masha asks him to check her lottery series number on the newspaper, Ivan shows his mockery and skepticism face. However, when Ivan notices the series of lottery number and figure out that they may win 75,000 Rubles he suddenly reveals his different perspective and starts to fancy many things with the prize. He imagines that he and his family will move in luxury house with new and expensive furniture. They will get well food, serene, healthy body, feeling warm, and even hot. An irony also comes to Masha who dedicates her life to take care of the house, cook, bring up the children and others house wife’s job. When she learns that she win the lottery, she imagines the same thing what her husband does. She even feels bored and tired with her recent condition.
Furthermore, the irony in this story becomes more complex. Both Ivan and Masha have their own fancy in their imaginations. Ivan thinks that if his wife got the lottery, she would go abroad and would find another man who is better than him. He also thinks that she would keep the money only for herself and would hide it from him. From his imagination, it seems that he has lost his confidence to lead his family through a simple life. He starts underestimating himself and creates his imagination that he would lose his power in the family. If it happens, his family would go away from him. Meanwhile, Masha feels what Ivan hides...