Montag, 14. Dezember 2009

Dialectic Journal of Uncle Vanya

Quotations
Responses
Ivan: "Oh yes. I am Jealous. And what a success with women… What a Don Juan is this man. Who is his first wife? My sister, a transcendent beauty, pure as the blue sky. Generous, noble, who had more admirers than this man had students, and who, God knows why, loved him as only the pure angels love. My Mother, his mother-in-law, dotes on him to this day, and to this day, he inspires in her reverent awe. His second wife, this beauty whom we just saw, a perceptive woman, married him, he was already old, and gave up to him her youth, her bauty, her freedom, her … luster … for what? Why? I ask you." Pg 9

This quote of Ivan already involves most of his inner conflicts. How he misses his sister, how he is jealous of the professor and how he is sad that Yelena gave up her youth her luster her freedom. However I believe Ivan is angry that like her he gave up his freedom, his youth and his beauty.


Ivan: "Twenty-five years this wise man tells us about Art. Twenty-five years, he reads the works of others and prattles about realism, naturalism, specious nonsense which the clever have long known, and which the stupid do not care about…" Pg 8

Ivan is explaining partly why he is angry at the professor. He thinks he has wasted 25 years just because the professor told him about unimportant facts he was going to study.


Ivan: "Since the Herr and Frau Professor come to visit my life's gone completely off the track. I'm sleeping days, I'm up nights, I'm served all sorts of je ne sais quoi to eat and I don't think its healthy… I'm drinking wines…Eat. Sleep. Drink. It isn't good." Pg 5

Ivan is blaming his misfortune on the professor and his wife, because the professor made him waste his life and Yelena he fell in love with. Also this shows what he does about it but that is only drinking, eating and sleeping.


Ivan: "How else can I look at you? I love you. I look and see my life, my happiness, my youth. And I know that the chances you reciprocate my feelings are nothing, But I want nothing. Only that you permit me to look, to hear your voice…"

Ivan is talking to Yelena and she asks him not to look at him that way but his response makes him look idiotic because he has given up but talks like he still hopes.


Ivan: "You're tired by him and I'm sick of myself. This is the third night without sleep. I'm tired of nausea." Pg 26

Ivan has gotten sleep issues and he feels sick constantly. He thinks his problems are more important because they are worse.



Ivan: "… My one feeling is for you. Can I renounce it? My one feeling in life and it's dying like a ray of sun shone in a well. And I am dying."
Yelena: "You speak to me of love. How am I to deal with that? I don't know. I'm sorry but it's true. What do you expect? I'm sorry. Forgive me. I must say goodnight."
Pg 27-28
Yelena is taking more distance to Ivan because he overwhelms her by telling her his only feelings are for her and how his feelings and he are about to die because of her. Ivan's self-pity and love destroy him because of what he does to himself.