Book Report on “Ward No.6”
Book Report on “Ward No.6”Anton Chokhov, Russian novelist, wrote the middle-novel “Ward No.6” in 1892 when Russia was ruled by Czars. The novel describes a hospital in a filthy, stupid, and wretched little town and its Ward No.6 where five patients with mental disorder lived. In a way, the hospital is a miniature of the real society in which people were living a depressing and miserable life.
Apparently, the hospital was founded by charities, but few people or officials paid much attention to it. As the only hospital in the town, it was equipped badly: there were only two scalpels and one thermometer in the whole hospital; there were only one doctor, one superintendent and several servants who had little medical knowledge. What was worse, the superintendent and medical assistant robbed the patients. And the former doctor ever secretly sold the hospital alcohol. Even the cook sometimes made fake accounts. Thus it was more difficult for patients to get a proper medical treat than to move to the moon.. Surprisingly, in spite of all the disadvantages of the hospital, some patients preferred to live there than live outside. It was because life outside the hospital was worse off.
It seemed that chokhov was not talking about the agonizing and disappointing situations due to the dictatorship of Czars, but clearly I sensed some stifling atmosphere .Life in a hospital founded by charities was already so horrible and hopeless, let alone life in the real world where ordinary people lived. No wonder some intelligent and well-educated people were reduced to madmen by the oppressive social circumstances.
The doctor, Andrey Yefimitch , was such a typical tragic creature. He received a good education at a medical school.As a doctor in the hospital, he worked very zealously at first. He saw patients every day from morning till dinner-time, performed operations, and even attended confinements. But in process of time the work unmistakably wearied him by its monotomy and obvious uselessness. After all he alone could not change the whole disgusting situation in hospital. Gradually, he tried to turn a deaf ear to the patients’ complaints and be indifferent to his work.. Instead, he spent most time reading in his lodge and sometimes engaged himself in a conversation full of lofty thoughts with his only friend Mihail Averyanitch , a postmaster. Andrey Yefimitch loved intelligence intensely. By chance, he went to Ward No.6 and found Ivan Dmitritch Gromov was an intelligent man. Then he often went there to talk with Ivan. However, his frequent visitsto Ward No.6 made him suspicious in others’ eyes. But he did not care about about that. He pretended to be insane.In this way he could have pleasant and equal conversations with the intelligent but mad mad man---Ivan. Unfortunately, he was regarded as a real madman and put into Ward No.6,becoming the sixth member there. When he realized that he had to explain the mistake and tried to go out, a cruel beat was given to him.Next day he died of an apoplectic stroke.On the third day he was buried.The postmaster Mihail Averyanitch and the servant Daryushka were the only people at the funeral.An intelligent and ambitious doctor turned to earth before he could realize his dream for freedom and before he could apply his medical knowledge to save more patients .Poor creature!
However, the doctor was not alone. The madman Ivan had a similar destiny. He was well-educated and well read. According to the townspeople’s notions,he knew everything and was in in their eyes something like a walking encyclopedia. But when he was young, a series of calamities showered on his family:his father died in prison hospital and mother bacame blind. Ivan who had no conception of poverty before had to make a living by himself and support his blind mother.The hard struggles for life had a bad effect on his temperament. At last he suffered from the mania of persecution and was put into Ward No.6 finally. Although he had become a pure madman,what he said often pointed out the social maladies directly.Maybe it was the reason for which the doctor would like to talk with him.No doubt the fact that Ivan was intelligent but insane was extremely regretable.
In fact, too many people were stifled to death under the dictatorship of Czars. The superintendent Nikita,in the hospital,was a right representive image of the government. Chokhov described Nikita like this:”He belongs to the class of simple-hearted,practical,and dull-witted people,prompt in carrying out orders,who like discipline better than anything in the world, and so are convinced that it is their duty to beat people.He showers blows on the face ,on the chest,on the back,on whatevercomes first,and is convinced that rhere would be no order in the place if he did not.” How ridiculous Nikita is!He wanted to settle down all the insurgencies with his vigorous fists.Does it really work?The famous Chinese writer,Lu Xun, ever wrote :”People will erupt in silence,or perish.”I felt the opportunity to erupt for Russians was approaching,when I was absorbed in the novel.
Actually Chokhov’s works often lead readers to discover some profound insights lying beneath the common social phenomina,just like “Ward No.6”. I prefer such writing style.While reading “Ward No.6”,I can not just focus my attention on the disgusting,chaotic,hopeless hospital or the tragic characters.On the contrary, I want to discover what caused all .The more I think, the more I get.
沈文文
页:
[1]