Gerasim seems to be a symbol of individuality and detachment from society. He stands on his own well, in his own little world due to his being a deaf mute. Although he is able to communicate with the other servants, there is not a distinct bond between them, other than the fact that they stay out of his way and he stays out of theirs. The other servants often wonder what's going through Gerasim's head which displays the true distance between them. Gerasim has adjusted and proved that he is successful alone.
Was Gerasim better off without women and Mumu?
Gerasim was much better off without women because of his lack of ability to relate to others. He seemed to be much different than the other servants, living in a society where people aren't looking to make friends, just trying to get their jobs done. This fact left him even more isolated from the group, and a dog was truly the answer. As long as he cares for and loves the dog, it's not going to run away, judge, or be scared of him. Gerasim seemed much happier with Mumu then he ever could have been with Tatiana.
Is Gerasim worthy of pity?
Gerasim is worthy of pity. The old lady took the only thing he loved away from him when it really wasn't causing any harm. If Gerasim hadn't been forced to hide Mumu in the first place, it probably never would have been barking all night. Gerasim had to kill Mumu himself. This mentally scarred him from ever wanting a dog again, so as to not deal with the pain again. Although I feel Gerasim of worthy of pity, he definitely does not need people to pity him to feel better. He continued to do his job at home better than before, and never showed any emotion concerning his dog, Mumu.
-Madison Garrett
Is Gerasim a product of his culture?
ReplyDeleteGerasim is a product of his culture, his being a deaf mute, not only distances him from his acquaintances, but also allows the author to exaggerate the reality that everyone is separated from others in their own way. The old lady whom all the characters work for, is widowed; all of her kids have moved away. She lives alone, and feels she needs to surround herself with people throughout the last years of her life, to fill that void of absence of love for her family. Gerasim, whose relationship with others is severely severed due to his disability, tries to fill a feeling of emptiness by showing affection for Tatiana. When Tatiana is taken away, he uses Mumu as a distraction to fill his need for love. He is a product of his culture because he exemplifies all the qualities everyone in his society represent, only he represents them more drastically to make a point to the reader.
Is Gerasim better without women and Mumu?
Gerasim is better off without women and Mumu they only offered a distraction for a temporary amount of time. Both Tatiana and Mumu were eventually taken away from him, and maybe that is a sign he is meant to be alone. He doesn't need to interact with people, all he needs to do his what he knows and that's his job. This story centers around the absence of love, for which Gerasim is a perfect example of. He is isolated, but proves he doe not need love when he goes back to where he grew up and begins to mow again. He did the work of four men, and knew what he was best at.
Is Gerasim a symbol of anything?
Gerasim is a symbol of peace. Similar in A Separate Peace, Gerasim is forced to find peace within himself to survive. He no longer can rely on companions, such as women and Mumu. Both leave him eventually. He finds peace in what he does best, work. In A Separate Peace, Gene is forced to find peace in what he has done to Finny. He has to accept the reality of Finny's injury and accept that he is the cause of it. Gerasim at one point did find peace through Tatiana, and later through Mumu. Though not consciously, Gerasim accepts that he has killed Mumu and moves on from it.
Why did the old lady want the dog removed?
ReplyDeleteThe old lady is a selfish indivual who doesn't care about anyone else's feelings. She seems to have turned bitter because she is lonely. The dog,Mumu, does not like her and she changes her first thoughts of the dog and develops a hate for Mumu. The mistress is trying to inflect the misery she has bulit up inside her onto the people around her like Gerasim and Tatiana. The woman successfully makes Gerasim miserable like her by forcing him to kill Mumu. After he kills Mumu and goes back to his village, he has "given up the society of women" and "does not keep even a single dog" This shows he misses Mumu and I think he doesn't really trust women and can't force himself to love again.
Is Gerasim better off without women and Mumu?
Everyone deserves happiness in their lives and Mumu really made Gerasim happy. They seemed to understand each other and they got a long. Mumu filled the void that Gerasim has within his heart since Geraism has a disablility, he doesn't really have many people he can go to to help him and have fun with. Women isn't really Geraism thing, since he can't communicate very well. He either needs someone who truly cares for him and doesn't care for him only out of pity or he doesn't need any women at all. I think he doesn't really understand how to treat a woman so I think he is better off without a woman and have his dog.
Is Gerasim worth pity?
Geraism is worth pity as would anyone who loses someone or something. The one thing he loved most was taken away from him which had a huge affect on Gerasim. The old lady should have just let it slide, but that is completely out of her character. It emoitonally scarred him for life because the event was so traumatic. The other serfs could have gone about the situation differently than they did. They could have tried to help him hide the dog or find the dog somewhere else to live. Gerasim does have his strength, size, and work ethic on his side. He can support himself and is used to being alone. At least he had a little taste of happiness from Mumu before she was removed from this earth.
Geraism unexpectedly became the owner of a puppy that he rescued from drowning in water. Turgenev ironically has Geraism drown the dog by the orders of his mistress. Water in literature is often a symbol of rebirth, and Mumu being given a second chance by being saved by Geraism allowed her to live and experience love and companionship. But, just as easily as she was saved, she was killed. Mumu’s death by water shows the dark side of an often illuminated symbol. Geraism could have shot the dog, beaten her, or even turned Mumu over to Gavrila for him to disposer of the dog, but instead he drowned her. Mumu was out of Geraism’s life as easily as she was brought into it, and although could not hear her whimpers, her bark left a heavy impact on his life.
ReplyDeleteSerfs in pre-1861 Russia were held in their predicament with no way to escape it, Gerasim is the exact same way. His stature was large and strong, which is a reference to how large the serf class is, and he can do the work of four men which allows you to infer that Russian serfs are thought to be hardworking. Geraism’s being a deaf mute symbolizes that the serfs of Russia have no voice among the rest of the country and their pleas are not heard by their masters. Although the fact that Geraism escaped to his old village gives hope to serfs, he did not make it out of his imprisonment unscathed. His life will never be such as those in his village, for he carries scars from being captured.
The title of this story is not only the dog’s name, but Mumu is also the string that ties the whole story together. Mumu filled Gerasim’s need for compassion and a companion and indirectly gave him the courage to return to his old life and his original village. The lonely, bitter mistress was encompassed into Mumu’s string, for the dog’s barking not only woke her up (which brought Mumu’s death) but also the old lady’s search for Geraism was one of the last things she did before she died. The warrant out for Mumu’s death allowed Turgenev to show the inner workings of the society within the mistress’ house and the pecking order that is instilled there. Mumu showed how easily life can be given and taken away and the time spent in between those two events should be filled with love and purpose.
Is Gerasim a symbol of anything?
ReplyDeleteYes, I believe Gerasim represents the lower class Russian population of his time era and somewhat still represents the lower class modern population of Russia. I think think that Gerasim's muteness, great strength, and size are not a coincidence. I believe they act like a metaphor for the "serfs" because they did not have a voice in their country's actions and decisions at the time due to their lack of prosperity and wealth. However, Gerasim's great strength and size represent the serfs potential of power in influencing what their country does and how, if they were to work together. Lastly, in the story Gerasim ends up lonely and upset. This is also how many serfs' lives were lived, very depressed and lonely.
Was Gerasim better off without women and Mumu?
No, I think it is better to acquire scars from harsh earthly realities than it is to shield yourself from them because you are afraid of getting hurt. A line from the poem, In Memoriam A.H.H. by Lord Alfred Tennyson, " 'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all." I hold this quote to be ever so true in Gerasim's case. For would it have been better for him to have no enjoyment during his time with Tatiana and Mumu, just to protect him from later pain? Or would it be better for him to enjoy the time he had with them and know what it was like to truly care about someone? In my opinion I would have preferred going through a little heartache to experience the joy before the separation.
Is Gerasim a product of his culture?
Yes, I believe so. During the time era Gerasim is living in the only option an impoverished person had was to go to work for someone who was wealthy. Education was not an option. Therefore, the predicament he is in now, working for the wealthy old lady, clearly displays how his culture has affected him. He has been trapped ever since his birth to a life of manual labor because it was his only option. Even at the end when he returns to his home he is forced to do manual labor because it is all he can do, due to his lack of education.
Was Gerasim better off without women and Mumu?
ReplyDeleteI do not think Gerasim would have better off without Mumu. Mumu created happiness, fulfilness and companionship in Gerasim's life. Although she was a dog, she was not judging; she was loving, and would always be there for Gerasim. Mumu was a friend that touched on the inside and qualities of Gerasim.It was healthy for Gerasim to have a companion to make his life less lonely. No person should go through their life living a dull, unhappy, and lonely life-style. Mumu had a positive influence on this character and it could even be seen by Gerasim's actions.
As for women, the question of is Gerasim better off without them,is a bit harder. I feel that if there was a girl out there that would love Gerasim and care for him, then why not? While Tatiana may not have been the best match for him, I think everyone deserves a companion that desires one. Gerasim was a good man with a tender heart who had much love to give.
Is Gerasim worty of pity?
Of course Gerasim is worthy of pity. He is a kind and caring man, with handicaps, who is shunned from society. He doesn't have any friends and everyone is very judging and rude. The one time Gerasim finds happiness, it is taken away from him by his selfish, old mistress. He must kill his one companion who was always there for him. Gerasim was also a hard worker and a good man. In the end of the story, although he returns home to his old village, he is still an unhappy man. While Gerasim might not fully comprehend his emotions and feelings, it seems that he is still lonely living a life of isolation. It seems that Gerasim is very worthy of pity.
Is Gerasim a symbol of anything?
Although it may not be apparent when the story is read through, the helpless Gerasim represents something much more than what he seems in the story. Here the author, Turgenev, has linked this character to a wider population and culture. Gerasim represents the enslaved and poor Germans who had hardly any rights. Gerasim's inability to speak clearly represents these enslaved people's inability to speak their opinions, change the ways of society, and recieve Civil Rights. It is Gerasim's inability to control his own life, (in the means that the Mistress controls the household), that shows a parallel image of the underclass people of Germany before the revolution. When Gerasim must kill Mumu, it represents the peasant Germans being forced to live a life that they do not wish. It is Turgenev's ability to create images and similarites to more vast views and concepts of this time, that makes this story so meaningful to the historical society of Germany.
Why did the old lady want the dog removed?
ReplyDeleteThe lady wanted the dog to be removed from her house once she found out that she could not control Mumu. She was a bitter, lonely, and selfish woman and at that moment things did not go as she wanted them to and that turned her life upside down. Her servants smiled in her face and did what she told them to do even though they truly dislike her, but when Mumu came into the house she showed her dislike for the mistress to her face and that upset her greatly. Also it is very evident that Gerasim loves Mumu and that Mumu makes him happy, but the mistress is miserable and wants others to be in the same boat as she is, just like the saying misery loves company. The only way she could accomplish that was to get rid of Mumu and that is exactly what she did.
Was Gerasim better off without women and Mumu?
Everyone deserves happiness no matter what disabilities they have. Without someone to love, or someone to love you, life could become an extremely depressing time. Mumu gave Gerasim something worth living for because he got to look forward to waking up to see her every day. Once Mumu was taken away from him he slumped back into his lonely cycle of waking up and working, with noting to make his day worthwhile.
Is Gerasim a symbol of something?
Gerasim is a symbol of all of the lower class of Russia. He was a mute, deaf man. He had no voice, just like to people in Russia. He never argued with his mistress and always did as she told because that is what he was suppose to do and this is exactly what the Russia government want of their people. Gerasim also had very little knowledge because of the disabilities that he had, which is something that the government would not mind because the less you know the less you can argue with what they are doing.
Why did the old lady want the dog removed?
ReplyDeleteThe old lady was very consumed with her self image, and doesn't like when things don't go her way. When she saw Mumu, she immediately wanted to have the cute dog. When Mumu snapped at the woman, the mistress would not accept the fact that this creature was simply scared. Instead of reasoning logically, she took it personally. Now that this pup didn't like her, it was despicable. The mistress saw the dog as an object that not only made her look bad, but also didn't like her.
Is Gerasim a symbol of anything?
I believe that Gerasim is a symbol of a man who is strong and weak at the same time. Although he is strong physically, he is weak both socially and emotionally. When people see this giant, they are quick to judge and set him off as an angry person who is able to hurt anyone. At the same time, they find out that he is deaf and dumb and realize that they have something over him. We see that Gerasim is emotionally weak when we read about Tatiana. Whenever someone hurts or even says something mean to Tatiana, Gerasim lets his emotions get the best of him. When the woman is yelling at Tatiana, Gerasim smashes her head on the table. Any emotionally stable person would have thought of a much less "impulsive" thing to do to deal with the situation. Gerasim is a perfect example of how a person can be strong and weak at the same time.
Is Gerasim worth pity?
I think Gerasim is definitely worth pity. Anyone who has to lose something close to them, and make the decision to do it themselves especially, deserves pity. However, I don't think pity is what he should get. What Gerasim needs is sympathy. He needs people to not only simply feel sorry for him, but realize that he feels pain just like the rest of them. He can make tough decisions just as well as, if not better than, the people who haven't had to go through the pain he goes through every day. Just because he is deaf and dumb doesn't mean that he just deserves an " oh what a shame" and then to be shrugged off. He deserves the respect that anyone who had to lose something close to them does.
Why did the lady want the dog removed?
ReplyDeleteThe lady is used to everyone liking her and she wants everything to be pleasing to herself. When this dog snaps at her, she thinks it doesn't like her but it is just simply scared. She wanted to keep the dog before it snapped which shows that she is a caring person but a biting, scared dog isn't appealing to the woman, therefore, she wants it removed and out of her sight. The lady knows that Mumu makes Gerasim happy but she doesn't want him to be happy. She is a lonely, sad woman and she wants other people to feel her pain. Taking away Mumu would put Gerasim in the same position as her, which would make her feel better about herself.
Was Gerasim better off without women and Mumu?
I think this could go either way. In some ways, Gerasim was better off without them. I think Mumu and the lady were more hurting him than helping him. Gerasim is considered "dumb" so he gets distracted very easily. When Mumu comes along, he can't focus on anything but the dog. Also, Mumu brought joy and happiness into Gerasim's world which gives him something to live for and be happy about. When Mumu is gone, Gerasim seems like he goes into a state of depression and his life almost loses all meaning. This is sad because Gerasim is a good person and he represents something significant in the story so the whole story takes a hard hit when Mumu is gone.
Is Gerasim a symbol of anything?
Yes, I believe Gerasim represents many things. He is a strong individual and he doesn't let anything hit him personally. As we talked about in class, Gerasim represents the lower class of Russia. He is a hard worker and a strong man. In the story, he works hard and does whatever people tell him to do. Although he is referred to as "the dumb man," when Mumu is around, he continues to stay strong and find happiness in his life. Although, when Tatiana comes into play, he let's his emotions get the best of him. An example of this is when the woman yells at Tatiana and Gerasim slams her head on the table. This shows that Gerasim is somewhat insecure and he has a weakness somewhere inside of him that comes out and overpowers his great strength.