10.

The Proposal
BY- ANTON CHEKOV

Notes
INTRODUCTION:
The present play ‚The Proposal‛ is written by Anton Chekov. It is a one-act satirical play in
which Lomov presents proposes a marriage to his neighbour’s daughter. Before things could
be communicated, they indulge in a series of arguments. The author portrays how affluent
families seek to marry in similar families to add to their assets.
Broadly The Proposal can be divided into:
 Lomov visits Chubukov

 Lomov’s Purpose of Visit

 Chubukov’s Consent
 Lomov’s Thoughts
 Natalya and Lomov together
 Lomov’s Claim and Natalya’s Defense
 Intense Argument
 Chubukov on Natalya’s Side
 Abuses and Accusations
 Natalya’s Reaction to the ‘Proposal’
 Fighting over Dogs
 Abuses Hurl
 Lomov’s Physical Condition
 Chubukov Announces the Marriage
Lomov Visits Chubukov
 One day, Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov visited Stepan Chubukov.

 Ivan Lomov was dressed in his finery – a dress jacket and white gloves.
 The two neighbours greet each other affectionately.
Lomov’s Purpose of Visit
 Chubukov thinks Lomov is here to ask for money.
 Lomov is in a state of excitement. Stammering, he asks Chubukov for his daughter
Natalya’s hand.
Chubukov’s Consent
 Chubukov is ecstatic. He accepts the proposal and runs out to send Natalya to meet
Lomov.
 He is confident that his daughter will accept the proposal too.

Lomov’s Thoughts
 After Chubukov leaves, Lomov thinks to himself.

 He feels that he needs to decide and not think too much. Otherwise, he will never get
married.
 Natalya – he feels – has all the qualities of a good wife. She is ‘an excellent housekeeper,
not bad-looking and well-educated’.
 Besides, he is thirty-five and has a weak heart. He ought to settle down and lead a quiet
life.
Natalya and Lomov Together
 At this point, Natalya enters. She makes Ivan comfortable and asks after him.

 Ivan hesitatingly and nervously begins to say why he is there. Instead of getting straight to
the point, he starts talking about their childhood and the warm relationship between their
families.
Lomov’s Claim and Natalya’s Defense
 Lomov also points out that they are neighbours too – his Oxen Meadows touch their
birchwood trees.
 Natalya interrupts him here. She asserts that Oxen Meadows belongs to the Chubukovs
and not the Lomovs.
 Ivan disagrees strongly.
Intense Argument
 And thus, begins a long argument between Natalya and Ivan about the ownership of Oxen
Meadows.
 Ivan believes that his grandmother had allowed some peasants of Natalya’s great-grand
father to settle on the land in exchange for laying bricks for her.
 Natalya, on the other hand, tells him that Oxen Meadows had always been part of their
estate.
 The argument gets louder and louder, and Natalya threatens to send her mowers to Oxen
Meadows on the same day.
 Lomov feels agitated. He clutches at his heart, but he does not back down.
 Natalya’s father, hearing the commotion, enters the room.
Chubukov on Natalya’s Side
 Natalya asks her father to settle the matter. Chubukov, of course, agrees with his
daughter.
 And thus, starts a new round of arguments between the two Chubukovs and Lomov.
Lomov threatens to take them to court.
Natalya’s Reaction to the ‘Proposal’
 Natalya is horrified when she realises what she had done. She cries out hysterically and
tells her father to call Ivan back.
 Chubukov is alarmed to see his daughter’s state. He leaves and sends Lomov back.
 Natalya greets Lomov affectionately and tells him that Oxen Meadows is his. Lomov is
happy to hear that.
Abuses and Accusations
 Chubukov, in anger, abuses his family.

 Lomov feels his arm going numb. Angry and agitated, Lomov stumbles out the door.
 Chubukov, calling him a villain, tells Natalya that he cannot believe that this ‘scarecrow’
had the nerve to propose to Natalya.
Fighting over Dogs
 Lomov then tells her that his dog has gone lame. He laments the fact that he paid 125
roubles for him.
 Natalya feels that the amount was too high. She believes that the dog her father bought
for merely 85 roubles is better than Lomov’s.
 Lomov disagrees. And another long argument starts.
 Chubukov returns as the heated argument is in progress.
 By now, Lomov feels that his foot is going to sleep. His heart does not feel well either.
Abuses Hurl
 Chubukov and Natalya continue arguing with Lomov. They even begin to tease him.

 Lomov, unable to bear it anymore, collapses.

 Natalya screams. She believes Lomov is dead.
Lomov’s Physical Condition
 Chubukov looks around wildly, shouting for a doctor. In panic, he seizes a glass and brings
it to Lomov’s mouth.
 To their surprise, Lomov starts moving. He is not sure where he is.
 Chubukov Announces the Marriage
 Chubukov quickly tells him that Natalya is willing to marry him. He tells his daughter to
kiss him in agreement.
 Lomov is now fully awake. He is happy that Natalya has agreed to marry him.
 Natalya is also happy, but she is unwilling to lose the argument. She reiterates that her
dog Squeezer is better than Lomov’s Guess. Lomov too refuses to give in and insists that
Squeezer was worse.
 As for Chubukov, he wanted to avoid another argument. He quickly shouts for
champagne.
CENTRAL IDEA:
This farce drama is about how wealthy families seek to tie up with one another through
marriages in order to increase their property and wealth. Lomov is a rich bachelor who wishes
to marry Natalya, the daughter of Chubukov who himself is a rich man. The play deals with
how all the three characters are very quarrelsome. They quarrel over trivial issues and call
each other names. Lomov is not really in love with Natalya, but wants to marry her as he feels
she is a good house-keeper, beautiful and well educated. He feels that it is the time he
should settle down. Natalya, who doesn’t know he has come to propose to her, feels that he
has come to claim oxen meadows as his own. This results in a quarrel with her father
Chubukov joining in. After much mud-slinging, when Natalya comes to know that he has
come to propose her, she becomes willing to marry him. The proposal is made and
accepted, with the knowledge that quarrels will take place in life, and important things
should not be side-lined because of this.

Lomov visits Chubukov’s house asks for her daughter Natalya’s hand
Lomov was an unmarried man in his mid-thirties. He couldn’t get a bride of his choice but
looking at his advancing age and several ailments that he had, he decided to compromise by
proposing Natalya for marriage. Natalya was Chubukov’s daughter and Lomov’s immediate
neighbour. Both the families never got along well. Even after that, Lomov thought Natalya to
be fairly good-looking, well-educated and a great housekeeper. So, Lomov visited
Chubukov’s home.

Chubukov is extremely happy to meet him. He asks him to sit down and also enquires why he
was wearing an evening dress. Lomov tells him that he has come there with a purpose. He
tells him that he wants to request him about something. Suddenly he gets excited. Chubukov
feels that he must have come to borrow money from him. Lomov starts to speak and talks
about random things. Finally, he tells Chubukov that he has come there to ask for Natalya’s
hand. Chubukov gets excited at hearing this.
Chubukovis insanely happy at the Proposal
Chubukov gets so happy that he starts to behave idiotically. He hugs Lomov and kisses him.
Lomov tells Chubukov he wants his consent for the marriage. Chubukov tells him that he was
always hoping that he would come to ask for Natalya’s hand.

Lomov Thinks About Natalya and his Life

Lomov starts trembling due to overexcitement. He says that if he would have looked for a
perfect partner, he would have never got one and would have remained unmarried. He feels
that Natalya is a good housekeeper. He says that she is not bad-looking and is very well
educated. He feels he is already too old to get married and now he should lead a quiet and
regular life. He starts to jump like a mad person.

Lomov and Natalya arguing over the ownership of Oxen Meadows

Natalya comes and asks Lomov why he had not come there for a long tie. She informs Lomov
about the harvest. She asks him why he was dressed in an evening dress and enquired if he
was going to a ball.

Before Lomov told Natalya his purpose for the visit, they were off the point. He starts telling
her that he has known his family for a very long time. He also tells her how he inherited his
land and how he respects her father. He tells Natalya that his Oxen Meadows touch Natalya’s
Birchwood. On hearing this, Natalya says that the Oxen Meadows are theirs.

Natalya gets serious and tells him that Oxen Meadows do not belong to him. They actually
belong to them. Lomov clarifies that he is talking about the Oxen Meadows that are between
her Birchwood and Burnt marsh. Natalya insists that they are theirs. Lomov refuses it. He tells
her that his aunt’s grandmother gave those meadows to her father’s grandfather. The
peasants used the land for forty years.

Argument Continues Between Natalya and Lomov

Natalya refuses and sticks on her point that those Meadows are theirs. Lomov on the other
hand says that he has the documents to prove that it is his land. Natalya tells him that they
had that land for nearly 300 years.

Both of them continue fighting over the ownership of the land. Lomov offers to make a
present of them to Natalya. She also says that she can make a present of them to him. They
start shouting at each other.

Lomov and Chubukov he takes Natalya’s side

Chubukov also enters the room. Natalya asks him to tell Lomov that the Oxen Meadows are
owned by them. Chubukov also supports Natalya and regards the meadows as theirs. Lomov
refuses. Chubukov says that by shouting Lomov cannot prove that the Oxen Meadows are
owned by him.

Chubukov accuses Lomov by saying that he cannot talk to him so disrespectfully as he is

twice of his age. Lomoc says that he is calling his land as his and wants him to speak to him
politely. He calls Chubukov a land grabber.

Lomov threatens that he would take Chubukov to the court. A lot of abuses are exchanged
between them. Chubukov says that Lomov’s grandfather was a drunkard. His younger aunt
Nastasya ran away with an architect. Lomov felt that he was dying so he could not say
anything at that time. Natalya also calls Lomov a rascal. Chubukov calls him a villain and a
scarecrow. He also calls him a monster who has the courage to propose.

Natalya asks Chubukov to bring Lomov back at home

As soon as Lomov leaves their home, Chubukov tells Natalya that he came to propose her.
Hearing the word ‘propose’ , Natalya enquires him. Chubukov tells her that Lomov had come
there to propose Natalya for marriage. Hearing this, Natalya starts crying. She asks Chubukov
to bring Lomov back at once.

Fight Over the quality of Dogs

Lomov enters again. Natalya begs to be excused. They shift their talks to the dogs as Natalya
tells him that the Oxen Meadows are his. They now talk about the dogs. Lomov tells Natalya
that his best dog cost him 125 roubles. Natalya says that it is too much. She tells him that her
father had given just 85 roubles for the Squeezer (her dog). She says that Squuzer is better
than his dog. Lomov refuses and says that his lower jaw is shorter than his upper jaw. Natalya
says that Squeezer is one of the finest pedigrees. They both continue fighting over the breed
of their dogs. Chubukov enters ad enquires about the matter. Chubukov also says that
Lomov’s dog is old and short.

Lomov suffers from palpitation and collapses

Lomov suddenly falls. Natalya asks her father what has happened to him. Chubukov thinks
that he has difficulty in breathing. Natalya feels Lomov is dead. Chubukov then calls for water
as well as a doctor.

Chubukov asks Lomov to marry Natalya

Chubukov seems helpless. He starts accusing himself. He asks for a knife and a pistol. He calls
himself the most unhappy of men. He calls himself the most unhappy man. Lomov starts
reviving. He took the opportunity and gave his
daughter’s hand into Lomov’s hand.
Lomov says that he sees stars. he asks where he is. Chubukov says that he should hurry up
and marry Natalya. He also tells him that she is willing to marry him. He asked Lomov and
Natalya to kiss each other. Natalya becomes extremely happy on hearing this. Chubukov also
feels happy. he blesses them and starts celebration with champagne.

Issues of disputes:
A Nervous Visitor
The play takes place in Russia during the 1880s. All the action happens in the drawing room
in the house of Stepan Stepanovitch Chubukov. Wearing dress clothes and white gloves, Ivan
Vassilevitch Lomov enters and greets his friend Chubukov. Lomov seems nervous about
something and Chubukov is puzzled by his friend's anxiety and formal attire. Eventually,
Lomov says he wants to ask Chubukov's daughter, Natalya Stepanovna, to marry him.
Chubukov is overjoyed, assures Lomov that Natalya will accept, and leaves to get her.

The Oxen Meadows

Soon Natalya enters and greets Lomov. After exchanging pleasantries, Lomov has difficulty
coming to the point about why he wants to see her. Instead, he digresses, talking about their
respective families and the land he owns. When he mentions that his Oxen Meadows borders
her land, Natalya contradicts him, saying this land belongs to her family. Gradually, the
dispute about which family owns Oxen Meadows develops from a polite disagreement to a
heated argument. Lomov, who is a hypochondriac, begins to feel all types of pains
throughout his body as the discussion takes this turn.

Chubukov enters and wonders what their shouting is about. When Natalya explains,
Chubukov quickly takes his daughter's side. At first, Chubukov tries to remain calm and use
logic, but he also loses his temper. Lomov threatens to sue Chubukov, who counters by
saying the Lomovs are all crazy. Lomov calls Chubukov's relatives various derogatory names,
and Chubukov and Natalya do the same about Lomov's relatives. Lomov leaves in a huff.

Then Chubukov tells Natalya that Lomov came to propose marriage to her. She is stunned
and soon becomes hysterical about missing the chance to get married. She commands her
father to bring Lomov back.

Guesser or Messer: the Better Dog

Chubukov fetches Lomov and brings him back, complaining about his various ailments.
Natalya apologizes to Lomov, admits that Oxen Meadows belongs to him, and encourages
him to propose. However, the two of them digress into a conversation about their prize dogs.
The talk quickly devolves to an argument about which dog is better, Lomov's Guesser or
Chubukov's Messer. This argument also becomes more and more heated, and soon Lomov
begins to feel heart palpitations again. So once again Chubukov takes his daughter's side. As
before, his calm logic develops into vitriolic name-calling. Lomov hurls as many insults as he
receives. However, the argument becomes too much for him and he faints into an armchair.
Chubukov and Natalya both think Lomov is dead and become hysterical.

Lomov murmurs something, and Chubukov asks him to hurry and get married. Still
somewhat dazed, Lomov agrees to marry Natalya, who accepts and at first seems overjoyed.
But the couple soon begin to argue again about Guesser and Messer. Chubukov ends the
play on an equally exaggerated note, saying "And they lived happily ever after!"

Theme
The major theme of the chapter is :

 Romance and Marriage

 Lack of Communication
Romance and Marriage
 Through the story, the poet depicts that marriages are not always as romantic as we
believe.
 The arranged marriage between Lomov and Natalya is purely a practical agreement and
there is no respect or love between the two.
 Through the characters of the story, Chekhov describes how wealthy families marry in
similar families to maintain their status and grow their wealth.
Lack of Communication
 Chekhov depicts the theme of lack of communication throughout the story.

 Firstly, when Lomov first meets Natalya, he talks about their families instead to directly
proposing to her.
 Secondly, even after knowing that they were prospective partners, they argued about who
had a better dog, instead of talking about their future.
 And finally, the use of abusive words is never a mark of a healthy communication. They
insult each other and call each other names like ‘snake’, ‘rat’, ‘brat’, ‘fool’, etc.
 Character Sketch
The major characters in The Proposal are:
 Stephan Stepanovitch Chubukov

 Natalya Stepanovna
 Ivan Vas Silevitch Lomov

Stephan Stepanovitch Chubukov :

Chubukov seems happy about the potential marriage between Lomov and Natalya. However,
he sees marriage in a mercenary way, referring to Lomov's proposal as a merchant buying
goods. For him, the match is advantageous as a good business arrangement for both
families. Whether Lomov and Natalya really love each other probably doesn't matter much.
Despite his eagerness for the marriage to happen, Chubukov places greater value on
maintaining a superior appearance. As a result, he gets embroiled in the inane arguments
between Lomov and Natalya.
Responsible: Chubukov, a landowner and father of Natalya, is desperate to marry her
daughter as he believes that she is of a ‚marriageable age‛.
Cunning: He calls Lomov by names like ‘angel’, ‘treasure’, etc., so that Lomov’s desire to
marry Natalya persists.
Favours family: Until Natalya entered the scene, Chubukov sang praises of Lomov. But no
sooner did the fight between Natalya and Lomov pick up than Chubukov favoured his
daughter.

Natalya Stepanovna :
Natalya is a strong-willed woman who is more effective than Lomov in speaking clearly and
getting to the point. However, her will is focused on maintaining a superior appearance. As a
result, she insists that Oxen Meadows belongs to her family and not to Lomov. She also
argues that her dog is better than Lomov's dog. Yet, she feels the burden of being a potential
if not actual spinster and, thus, desperately wants to marry Lomov. Despite this, her concern
for being right about superficial matters takes precedence.
Short tempered: Natalya, though well educated, is short-tempered and quarrelsome. Even
though she wished to marry Lomov, she quarrelled over a piece of land.
Love-sick: Natalya is desperate to fall in love. So much so that her father calls her a ‘lovesick
cat’. She forces her father to call Lomov back after he stormed out because she wanted to
marry him.
Argumentative: She continues to argue with Lomov over trivial matters, knowing that she
may anger him and he may not marry her.
Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov :
Lomov was a thirty-five-year-old gentleman who suffered from severe heart-throbbing and
became upset easily. He thought that Natalya was an excellent housekeeper, a well-educated
and average-looking woman who would be an ideal partner to marry. However, when
Chubukov heard about the proposal, he was glad and embraced Lomov. He immediately
rushed inside to call his daughter, Natalya.
Lomov is a hypochondriac who wants to get married for the sake of appearances. He doesn't
seem to love Natalya but decides to marry her because she's the best woman available. He
has difficulty coming to the point, which makes conversing with him difficult. Because of his
tendency to digress, he becomes involved in silly arguments with Natalya and Chubukov
about land ownership and dogs. What seems most important to him is maintaining a
superior appearance, which is also true of the other two characters.
Desperate: Lomov is a thirty-five-year-old man who is desperate to get married. He visits
Chubukov with a proposal to marry his daughter, Natalya.
Practical: Lomov thinks of Natalya as a good prospect to get married as she is a ‘good
housekeeper’ and ‘not bad looking’. He has a very practical approach towards marriage and
is clearly far from love.
Quarrelsome: He quarrelled with Natalya over irrelevant things like Oxen Meadows and pet
dogs when he had visited them with a proposal to marry Natalya.

Conclusion of The Proposal

The drama displays the greed of rich families to marry their children into other wealthy families
with the aim of enhancing their wealth. The play 'The Proposal' explains how anger and
arguments can easily ruin a relationship. Thus to maintain a good relationship, it is important
to have control over your anger. Having arguments over silly or small issues is extremely
harmful and a waste of time.

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