Just to note, I’m sticking with the British spelling of this title, as it appears in the edition I’m reading.
The title is ironic. The “Defenceless Creature” of this story is anything but defenseless. Madame Shtchukin appears at first to be helpless, the wife of an invalid who has lost his job. Seeking compensation from the local bank, which is somehow tangentially related to the government job her husband lost, she makes such an irritant of herself that she prevails in the end.
In other words, another fable. Madame Shtchukin is moderately well drawn, but the problem with a well-drawn character who is irritating is that she is… irritating to the reader. I for one was pleased to be done with this story.
READ THIS? READ THAT!
On the whole, Chekhov did not make a habit of portraying women as harridans, but occasionally he gave into that particular cliche. Another tale featuring an egregiously annoying woman haranguing a stranger is “A Play.” I don’t recommend either one of them but they make for a thematic whole.
A Chekhov Circus 