This is a somewhat simple-minded tale of a ditzy young woman who marries the dedicated but poor doctor who had cared for her beloved, dying father. Olga, the young woman, is the grasshopper of the title – a blithe spirit who thinks she dotes on her stolid and well-meaning husband, Dymov, but who truly prefers the company of artists and bon vivants.
Doctors feature regularly in Chekhov’s stories (and plays, too), but often as secondary characters. Generally, they represent what is good in man: they are honest, rational and caring, albeit sometimes impatient with those under their care. But in this story, the utter goodness of the doctor is overstated in the extreme: His earnest kindness, his selflessness, his grinding work ethic are essentially laughable. He’s just too damn good.
As for Olga, she sings Dymov’s praise but prefers to spend her time with less dull company. She essentially abandons her decent husband, mistreats him (mainly by paying no attention) and ultimately betrays him.
In the end, Dymov dies a pathetic death. Either through sloppiness or possibly because he is broken-hearted over his wife’s treatment of him, Dymov contracts diptheria and dies alone. Even to the last breath he is heroic and good, warning Olga to stay away from him lest she become infected.
The details of Dymov’s death appear to be inspired by the real-life death of a doctor, Ilarion Dubrovo, who died of diphtheria after “sucking out a child’s infected membranes,” according to Chekhov biographer Donald Rayfield. (Sorry for quoting that repellent phrase.)
Obviously, this story is heavy handed in the extreme. Dymov and Olga’s behavior–his simpering servility, her bland cruelty–are just too much to be believed. This is an unusual Chekhov tale for its lack of nuance.
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This tale reminds me quite a bit of the much less heavy-handed “Not Wanted.” Both stories feature flighty wives who prefer their arty friends to their husbands. Neither is a great story but the father in “Not Wanted” is a richer, more multifaceted character than Dymov, who is little more than a plaster cast of a saintly healthcare worker.
A Chekhov Circus 