A CHAMELEON
— ANTON CHEKHOV
- Why was the police superintendent walking across the market square at the beginning of the story ‘A chameleon’?
Ans: A red-haired policeman was striding after him with a sieve full of confiscated gooseberries in his hands.
- Who was following the police superintendent and how?
Ans: The open doors of the shops and taverns look out upon God’s world disconsolately, like hungry mouths; there is not even a beggar near them.
- With what had the author compared the open doors of shops and taverns?
- What did the police superintendent visualize when he glances in the direction of the sounds?
- Ans: Ochumyelov looks in the direction of the sound and sees a dog, hopping on three legs and looking about her, run out of Pitchugin’s timber-yard.
- Who is Hryukin?
Ans: Hryukin, was the goldsmith who was bitten by a stray dog.
- Who was the culprit? Why had he been referred to as culprit?
Ans: The culprit was the stray dog which was ugly in looks, a white Borzoi puppy with a sharp muzzle and a yellow patch on her back.
- Why was Hryukin waving his finger?
Ans: Hryukin, the goldsmith was waving his finger showing it as a flag of victory when he caught the dog, because he was not going to leave the culprit without punishment.
- Why did why did Hryukin charge for damages?
Ans: As Hryukin was a goldsmith, therefore he would not be able to use his finger for one week due to the damages done by the doggie culprit.
- How did Ochumyelov think of punishing the culprit and its owner at the initial part of the story?
Ans: For the punishment, Ochumyelov thought of asking for a fine from the owner of the dog regarding him as blackguard and for the dog, it must be strangled.
Answers
The dog had been referred to as ‘culprit’ because it had bitten the finger of Hryukin who was the goldsmith.
1. Discuss humour in the story ‘The Chameleon’ by Anton Chekhov.
Ans: Most of the humour in the story ‘The Chameleon’ is satirical. Poking fun at the overly hierarchical and differential nature of society in Tsarist Russia.
The main character of the story Ochumyelov is an officious police superintendent suddenly called upon to investigate an incident in which a dog has bitten the finger of an unfortunate goldsmith by the name of Hryukin. As the story unfolds rapidly changes his attitude towards the crime, initially expressing sympathy for the helpless Hryukin before accusing him of seeking compensation when he discovers that the dog might belong to general Zhigalov.
Ochumyelov’s incessant manner proves to be fertile source of humor. Chekhov paints such a vivid portrait of this pompous bumbling official so that he can easily envisage Ochumyelov as he splutters with each new twist and turn in the course of events. He speaks in short sentences, a sign of no-nonsense man whose times are precious. Chekhov also uses description of Ochumyelov physical appearance to good effect in adding to the humorousness of his portrait.
Although the incident is a relatively trivial one, Ochumyelov stern manners makes it seem like the crime of the century. One sense that Ochumyelov does not have much crime to deal with.
As a result, when something happens, no matter how much minor, he treats it with undue seriousness. He treats it with when the story opens it is noteworthy that his subordinate striding after him with a sieve full of confiscated gooseberries. This is about as serious as isolations of the law.
What is also highly amusing is that how shameless Ochumyelov is about each sudden volte-face that he makes. This is a man entirely without made sense of self awareness.
Ochumyelov is supposed to be a police officer, sworn to uphold the law without fear. Yet as soon as he thinks of the dog might belong to a local worthy, he publicly turns on the victim making wild accusations against him. Ochumyelov also shamelessly dodges responsibility by dispatching his subordinate to the General’s house to find out for sure if the dog actually does belong to him. Also Ochumyelov is happy to look about incredibly important and to act as a part of a police superintendent, he finds it so much more important to maintain good relations with the town’s social elite than to do actual police work. When the General’s cook informs the gathering that the dog infacts belongs to the General’s brother, Ochumyelov’s priceless reaction manages to combine all the main sources of humour in the story.
This is all about humorous but it is of a distinctly darkish hue. Mostly would not line want to line in a town in which the oatish Ochumyelov was the senior law enforcement official.
2. Importance of the title of the story.
Ans: The Chameleon is one of the Chekov’s shortest story at a length of four pages but that doesn’t make the story any less.
The Chameleon expresses a deep truth about human behaviour in a detailed setting. The title refers to a police officer named Ochumyelov who changes his mind several time about how to act in a situation when he does not know all the facts. At first Ochumyelov is tempted to side with the man whose finger was bitten in part because the situation seems trivial and Ochumyelov wants to dispense justice because it seems like a rational decision. When a member of a crowd yells that the dog belongs to a general, Ochumyelov in turn assumes that the bitten man deserves all the blame. Chekov ends the story by revealing that the dog belongs to General’s brother. This revelation allows Ochumyelov to settle on a decision to rescue the dog and punish the injured man. People change their behaviour to suit their own needs regardless of how it effective affects others. Ochumyelov also like a Chameleon went on changing his colour to suit his own motive.
3. Justify the title of the story ‘A Chameleon’.
Ans: The story ‘Chameleon’ written by Anton Chekov deals with a case in which the police superintendent ‘Ochumyelov’ comes upon an incident in which Hryukin the goldsmith, who has come to the timber-yard has been bitten by a dog.
As a Chameleon is a reptile that changes its colour in order to save itself from danger, similarly the police superintendent changes his decisions as per the case in order to save his job and himself. Ochumyelov starts the case by accusing the dog, but then changes his mind when somebody in the crowd says that the dog belongs to the General. Suddenly, the police superintendent starts to feel hot and gives his coat to his companion Yeldyrin. Then, again when another says that the dog cannot be of General’s due to its ugly appearance then the superintendent starts criticising the dog again and asks Yeldyrin to get on the coat for him as the wind was getting on and he was cold. Ochumyelov changed his judgement many a times which was known that the dog belongs to the General’s brother to suit his own motive, Ochumyelov accused Hryukin and rescued the dog.
Therefore these two activities of Ochumyelov like that of the reptile in giving judgement would be beneficial to him. Thus the reptile Chameleon justify the title of the story ‘Chameleon’.