I sense from Chekok’s narrative that all three are quite self-centered. The protagonist of the entire narrative is neither the one who made the proposal out of love nor the one who did so but was accepted because of it. Marriage has no significance. I believe that the issue in this narrative is a reflection of modern humans in that we frequently act selfishly and without considering the repercussions of our actions.

Chekov also depicts aspects of a relatively conventional marriage. Although it is no longer customary for a woman to ask her parents for permission before getting married, many characteristics of traditional marriage are still valid today. A long-standing and somewhat peculiar tradition has it that the male always makes the proposal on stage.

I think Chekhov’s (marriage) is ironic in that the three characters in the story are very greedy people.

Chubkov was a greedy landowner because he could sell his daughter for money.

Romov proposed marriage simply because he needed a woman. He has such low self esteem that even a little thing can make him suffer from cramps until he faints. Being petty, he would argue with a woman over a pointless matter and forget why he proposed to her. He never considers what dignity is for self interest, and interest is his greatest purpose.

Natalya’s outlook on life has only interests in it. She can quarrel with the person she wants to marry over a dog that has nothing to do with marriage in a state of desperate marriage, and can continue to argue while getting engaged.

The summary of the whole story is that the person who proposes is not because of love, nor is the suitor who accepts because of love. Marriage is not as important as a piece of grass or two dogs. In the process of this proposal, there are insults and curses. And the marriage proposal turned out to be a success. I think the problem shown in this story is the same as modern people, we are always focused on showing our good side to others, we only do things for our own benefit without thinking about the consequences.

Proposals have been become a large deal over the years. Many people care about how grand their proposal is. It has become such a big deal that many people believe the sincere part of proposals have been stripped away and many people believe them to be stupid. In the play the main character is extremely nervous about proposing and it gets worse as the play goes on. They begin to argue over who owns the field and completely forget about the reason he came over in the first place. After Natalia realizes he came to propose her tone changes.

Many people focus on the proposal and forget about the real work that is to be done after marriage.

In his play, Anton Chekhov has Ivan Lomov boasting and trying to show off his inheritance to Natalya before proposing to her. This is before they start to argue about who owns the oxen meadows next to the Stepanova’s birchwoods. Ivan letting Natalya know about the land he owns is a bit similar to people today buying big, shiny diamond rings and finding expensive places to propose at to let others and their partner know that you have valuables to offer. I think that Chekhov is saying that marriage proposals are usually just a way for people to show off and let others what they have even if it’s just your partner. In the end it’s all about boosting one’s egos and feeling like “The man”, demonstrating the performative aspect of marriage proposals, especially public ones.

Chekhov demonstrates this idea of “Symbolic gendering” by having Ivan ask Natalya’s father for her hand in marriage. I think that “The Marriage Proposal” is outdated with its execution; however, it still does a good job at demonstrating the gender roles of marriage proposals and how they should be. Instead of using land and livestock to convince your partner to marry you, men use rings, trips and specific places to show that they are “worthy” of a “Yes!”.

In “Marriage Proposals”  Chekov is highlighting the fact that the traditions of marriage and proposals both have not changed. He essentially mocks the idea of the proposal by showing that the feelings expressed or felt by the characters can completely contradict the circumstances, or how they actually feel about the other person. In reference Kitchener’s article, Chekov is in a way, agreeing with her point of view that proposals are stupid, overemphasized while highlighting that they can be completely theatrical while lacking true meaning. 

Chekov also shows that the societal view on marriage, even in contemporary marriages, are largely impacted by gender roles. This relates to the point made in the article regarding symbolic gendering. Chekov shows elements of very traditional marriages such as the man asking the woman’s father for permission to marry his daughter. This still occurs occasionally in contemporary marriages/proposals, yet it is ultimately outdated. The practice of asking parental permission for a woman’s hand in marriage is certainly falling out of the societal norm, however many aspects of traditional marriage shown are still relevant today. The theatrical performance of the proposal itself is a long-standing and slightly unusual tradition, as is the depiction of only men proposing to women.

The play of “Marriage proposals ” by Chekhov shows that an interesting comedy approach was followed for the show. Marriage is ancient customs and traditions that define nations and peoples and still exist to this day. Marriage is still the great event that is the hallmark of one’s life. Marriage is an ancient tradition, and both men and women must adhere to it. In my opinion, although Chekhov’s play is a comedy, it cleanses the reality of what is happening in our real life. For me, marriage is more than just an imaginary show. Before you think about marriage, you must think about your goals, your future, your work, your family, your money, your livelihood, your residence, and you must overcome them before.

Symbolic gendering is a method stereotyping people based of suggested role in society in the play “the marriage proposal “we see flips this stereotype by making the male character complain and whine throughout the plot while the female character is very aggressive and assertive during their confrontation a lot of newly released tv shows and movies’ targeted to teenagers also flip gender roles to show their audience that gender shouldn’t be a deciding facto on how one acts we see this a lot in marvel movies. the play isn’t necessarily outdated as it does show in today society how over complicated and celebrated a proposal is a made into a big event

Increasingly, in the new age of social media, marriage proposals have become more about the people watching the couple than the couple themselves. People have become hyper-fixated on getting the perfect photo to share to all their friends and family. The pressures that have been placed on people by social media may make people feel as though their lives must look “perfect” at all times. This translates to all aspects of like, including relationships. As Kitchener mentions, many times couples will have conversations about marriage prior to engagement to retain the element of surprise needed to execute a perfect romantic moment worthy of a proposal in today’s day and age. This begs the question of wether or not the proposal is even necessary. 

“Symbolic gendering”, mentioned by Kitchener, also plays a large role in why heterosexual couples feel the need to plan elaborate proposals. The ideas Kitchener discusses in her article directly translate to Chekov’s play. The couple in the play are very obviously not well suited to each other, yet end up engaged to be married by the end of the story. Their adversity is ultimately overshadowed by Natalya’s excitement at being proposed to. One can image the expectations that are placed in young women’s minds about a such an event from the time they are children. This prompts Natalya to beg her father to make Ivan return to the house to ask for her hand, regardless of the hurtful things that had been said prior. The drama of the perfect proposal is seemingly more important to the couple than the reality of what it will mean to be married.