The+Kiss

=Hi there year 12,= = = =What did you think of __The Kiss__?=

[|mrhodder] Jun 24, 2011 8:16 am I think that Ryabovich's vain self absorbsion, albeit fuelled by his poor self esteem and lack of confidence in his appearance, is characteristic of someone who is deeply depressed. He was never a confident man, but after the mysterious kiss his sudden transformation into a state of unrealistic euphoria is bound to turn out badly, and by allowing himself to fantasise about the unknown woman, he sadly just makes the inevitable realisation of the truth more difficult. Like extreme fantasies of winning the lottery, using pipedreams to escape from reality only serves to reinforce and focus on the dark truth.

From the beginning of "The Kiss", Chekhov portrays Ryabovitch to be a shy, naive person who feels rather uncomfortable in the presence of women. This supports why he was so astonished when this mysterious woman kiss's him. Through this one event, Chekhov manages to create a story of obsession and disappointment. Being the victim to this kiss causes him to become obsessed with this event and why it occurred as he though something this astonishing would never happen to a man such as himself. He creates this woman to be some kind of perfection embedded in his imagination. Ryabovitch then undergoes an enlightenment that brings him back into a very vivid reality, that the kiss was just a merely accident. I think maybe Chekhov wanted Ryabovitch's imagination to be oppressed, going from imagining about this mysterious woman as part of a fantasy to soon waking up to a depressing, cold reality, punishing himself for letting him self imagine such things but telling himself that something like this does not occur in the life of a mundane solider. I think Chekhov could possibly be trying to show what he could see Russian people becoming. The 1880's was the mere beginning of the revolutions that lead to Russian peoples freedom and rights being oppressed, as well as imagination. Ryabovich, by nature a shy and seemingly wrapped up in himself, is taken aback by the event of the kiss with the mysterious woman because it is not the norm for him, he doesn't give the impression that he has had much experience with females. He is almost sent into a state of overdrive by the event, and he allows himself to drift into a state where all he is thinking about is who the woman was, or why she was there and decided to kiss him. His appearance speaks of depression and as he begins to realise that what happened with the unknown woman was an accident, he also would begin to think about how nobody in their right minds would ever kiss him, which, as Mr Hodder said, is focusing on the 'dark truth'. [|Amphoras] Jun 28, 2011 10:16 am Characterised by a shy, introverted nature, Ryabovich's escapism after the kiss is, in a way, like Bertha in Katherine Mansfield's "Bliss". The kiss mirrors the effects of a drug, driving a sudden influx of dopamine in Ryabovich into a state of bliss, which unfortunately only serves to 'intoxicate' him for a short period of time. Like most drugs, the aftermath of the kiss after Ryabovich regains conscience is that of a state of immense depression. The way Chekhov has portrayed the character, emphasises the way in which a short period of escapism into unrealistic bliss does not actually resolve the underlying depression within, but on the contrary, merely aggravates it.
 * Briony**
 * Ryah**
 * Simon**
 * Isabelle**
 * Sam**
 * Brian**
 * Joe**
 * Harry**
 * Paul**

Ryabovich, an officer with a shy, depressed, non-social nature experiences a queer event during his return to headquarters with the artillery brigade. The kiss which he unexpectedly receives at the house party acts as a stimulant to the 'awakening' of a completely different side of him, contrasting with his normal, introverted self. A state of bliss is evident at this point, as Ryabovich frequently falls into his own blissful imaginations and re-enactments of the situation even as he is trotting back to the headquarters along with the artillery brigade, mesmerized by the experience of the kiss. He is even ignorant to his fellow comrades' conversations because of this. However this blissful behaviour goes on only for an instant, as Ryabovich realises the futility in hoping that he would be able to meet his kisser again, and I think that through this Chekhov deepens the depressing mood of the story at the end, by showing how the kiss only acted as 'morphine' to temporarily ease Ryabovich's pains in his lonely world. It only ends up wearing off; revealing the harsh reality behind his life and making him feel even more hopeless about improving it.

Personally, I feel that 'The Kiss' describes the need to escape from reality, into a fantasy. Chekhov describes Ryabovich, a shy and withdrawn individual. Ryabovich's character is descrived in the phrase 'he no longer envied them but was filled with sadness'. In a way, with the progression of time, there is a sense of acceptance on Ryaboich's part that has developed into a hardened exterior. We realise that Ryabovich does not feel out of place due to the social situation and the ingenuine invite as 'her upbringing and social position demanded it' reveals, but that this has been a life long struggle. Initially, his interpretation of the kiss was that she 'shrank backwards in disgust'. And yet, he disappears into this fantasy world altogether of an 'inexplicable, overwhelming feeling of joy' and readers witness an entire transformation in his demeanour. Back in the solider barracks, Chekhov aptly describes Ryabovich as 'abandoning' himself to these emotions. Ryabovich prefers to disregard logic and he allows these emotions to seize hold of him, almost in a consumption. Something that would have been a fleeting moment in someone's life has had a deeply traumatic effect on him, despite the initial joy. The Kiss serves only as a reminder that Ryabovich may never find love - 'would they ever see the day when they would own a large house, have a family, a garden...' Instead, he is exposed to this fleeting moment of joy to be cruelly brought back to his mundane and monotonous everyday life as a solider, nothing more than a cog in the machine.
 * Calvin**
 * Nicole**

I noticed a link between The Kiss and James K Baxter's Farmhand. There is a mirroring between the two protagonists, Ryabovich and the farmhand, in that they both appear out of place in a social situation as with the party. "But always his eyes turn/To the dance floor," in Farmhand, and "Ryabovich stood by the door with guests who were not dancing and watched," in The Kiss present both characters as no more than spectators. There is a sense of the characters being unaccepted and outsiders in such situations. Parallels are also apparent with how both characters are skilled in their own trade. The farmhand is described to be "effortless" in the fields, while Ryabovich is said to "understand everything perfectly well" when it came to the military. There are obvious differences between the two texts. While the farmhand is presented to be level-headed throughout, Ryabovich's disillusion slips him into hysteria.
 * John**
 * Allan**


 * Jordan**