The Suitor and the Papa: Summary, Questions & Answers | HS 1st Year Alternative English
About the lesson:
"The Suitor and the Papa" is a humorous play by Anton Chekhov that satirizes the shallow nature of marriage and human relationships. The story revolves around Pyotr Petrovich Milkin, a young man who has been spending all his time with a girl named Nastya, leading everyone to assume he will propose. Fearing commitment and looking for an escape, Milkin visits Nastya’s father, Kondrashkin, to make excuses for why he cannot marry her. He fabricates several ridiculous flaws about himself, claiming to be a drunkard, a convict, and even legally insane. However, Kondrashkin is so desperate to marry off his daughter that he eagerly dismisses every single objection Milkin raises. Ultimately, Chekhov uses brilliant irony to expose the desperation of parents and the cowardice of young suitors in 19th-century society.
About Anton Chekov:
Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) was a world-renowned Russian playwright and short-story writer. He is universally regarded as one of the greatest figures in the history of modern literature. Professionally, Chekhov was a physician, famously stating that medicine was his lawful wife and literature his mistress. He revolutionized the literary world by introducing the concept of the "stream of consciousness" and open-ended endings. Some of his most famous full-length plays include The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull, and Three Sisters. His writing style is characterized by economy of language, where every dialogue and detail serves a specific purpose.
1.Answer these questions in one or two words...
1.Pyotr Petrovich Milkin
2.It was Milkin's friends
3.Kondrashkin had seven daughters in total
4.Pytr Petrovich Milkin claimed that insanity (or madness) was a hereditary vice in his family
5. Pyotr Milkin claimed that he was on trial for embezzlement (and forgery).
6.Pyotr claims that insanity (madness) is a hereditary vice in his family and that he is losing his min
7.Pyotr Petrovich Milkin goes to meet his friend Dr. Fituyev to obtain a medical certificate proving that he is legally insane.
II. Answer these questions in a few words each.
1.Pyotr’s friends ask for a stag party because they are completely convinced that he is about to get married to Nastya Kondrashkin.
2.When Pyotr tries to argue that he and Nastya are completely incompatible because their convictions, views, and mindsets are entirely different, Kondrashkin counters him with a mix of cynical, old-fashioned philosophy and parental desperation.
3.Kondrashkin reacts with utter, desperate optimization—eagerly dismissing every extreme flaw Pyotr fabricates just to secure a husband for his daughter.
4.When Pyotr claims that he takes bribes, Kondrashkin quickly dismisses the objection with cynical normalization. He reacts by saying that everyone takes bribes in one way or another.
5.Kondrashkin knows that if Pyotr is convicted of stealing such a huge sum from public funds, the standard state punishment is being stripped of his civil rights and sentenced to long-term exile or hard labor in Siberia.
6.Kondrashkin calls Pyotr dishonest because he realizes Pyotr is manufacturing ridiculous, escalating lies just to escape his moral obligation to marry Nastya.
7.Dr. Fituyev refused to give Pyotr the medical certificate because he believed Pyotr was perfectly sane.
III. Answer these questions briefly in your own words.
1.Pyotr was disturbed: He was terrified of marriage and commitment. He had only been spending time with Nastya to pass the time, but when society and his friends assumed a proposal was imminent and began demanding a stag party, he panicked at the thought of being backed into a lifelong obligation.What he tried to do: He visited Nastya's father, Kondrashkin, and fabricated an escalating series of wild lies about himself (claiming he was an incompatible drunkard, a bribe-taker, a lunatic, and a criminal facing exile to Siberia) to prove he was a terrible match and escape the marriage.
2.According to the play, the specific crimes Pyotr claims to have committed that might land him in Siberia are embezzlement and forgery. Specifically, he lies and says he is on trial for embezzling a massive state sum of 144,000 rubles.
3.Pyotr decided to adopt "Hamlet's device"—which refers to feigning madness or insanity—as a last-ditch effort to scare off Nastya's father, Kondrashkin. After smaller excuses like being an incompatible drunkard and a bribe-taker failed to work, Pyotr realized that only something as extreme as being legally certified as a lunatic could save him from the forced marriage and commitment he so desperately feared.
EXTRA QUESTION & ANSWERS::
1. Who is the central character trying to avoid marriage in the play?
Answer: Pyotr Petrovich Milkin.
2. Who convinced Pyotr's friends that he was about to get married to Nastya?
Answer: Pyotr’s own behavior, as he spent almost all his time with Nastya, leading his friends to demand a stag party.
3. How many daughters does Kondrashkin have in total?
Answer: Seven daughters.
4. What does Pyotr claim is a hereditary vice in his family?
Answer: Insanity (or madness).
5. For what specific financial crimes does Pyotr claim he is on trial?
Answer: Embezzlement and forgery.
6. Why does Pyotr say he is losing his mind?
Answer: To simulate hereditary madness ("Hamlet's device") so Kondrashkin will deem him unfit for marriage.
7. Whom does Pyotr visit to try and obtain a legal certificate of insanity?
Answer: His friend, Dr. Fituyev.
8. How does Kondrashkin counter Pyotr's excuse that he and Nastya have completely different views?
Answer: He claims that all women are the same, views change, and they will get used to each other after marriage.
9. Why does Kondrashkin argue that taking bribes is not a reason to cancel the marriage?
Answer: Because he believes that everyone takes bribes in one way or another.
10. What does Kondrashkin call Pyotr when he realizes Pyotr is inventing wild excuses to escape?
Answer: Dishonest.
2-mark extra questions and answers based on the play:
1. Why did Pyotr’s friends demand a stag party from him?
Answer: His friends demanded a stag party because Pyotr spent all his time dining and walking with Nastya. This behavior convinced everyone in their social circle that he was about to propose.
2. How does Kondrashkin counter Pyotr’s excuse about having different views from Nastya?
Answer: Kondrashkin dismisses it by claiming that all women are fundamentally the same, views change over time, and the couple will naturally get used to each other after marriage.
3. What is Kondrashkin's reaction when Pyotr claims to be a heavy drunkard?
Answer: He completely shrugs it off, stating that he does not believe Pyotr is a true alcoholic and that a little drinking is a minor, acceptable flaw in a husband.
4. Why did Kondrashkin dismiss Pyotr’s confession about taking bribes?
Answer: He uses cynical normalization, casually responding that everyone in the civil service takes bribes in one way or another, so it shouldn't stop the marriage.
5. What makes Kondrashkin fear the prospect of Pyotr being sent to Siberia?
Answer: Pyotr claims he is on trial for embezzling 144,000 rubles. Kondrashkin knows that stealing such a massive amount of state funds carries a penalty of exile and hard labor in Siberia.
6. How does Kondrashkin ultimately resolve his fear about Pyotr facing exile to Siberia?
Answer: Driven by parental desperation, he rationalizes that the wedding should proceed anyway because Nastya’s love is pure enough to follow Pyotr to Siberia to support him.
7. Why does Kondrashkin call Pyotr a dishonest man?
Answer: He calls him dishonest because he realizes Pyotr is manufacturing an escalating series of absurd, wild lies purely to evade his moral obligation to marry Nastya.
8. Why did Dr. Fituyev refuse to grant Pyotr a certificate of insanity?
Answer: The doctor reasoned that any man who creates such wild excuses and goes to extreme lengths just to avoid getting married is showing excellent judgment and is perfectly sane.
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