Childhood And Early Life
Anton Chekhov was born in Targanrog, Russia on January 29th, 1860 as the third of six children. Despite his mother's efforts and kindness, his childhood was still a painful memory to him. His father was a pious grocer who had been born a serf, and he often would physically abuse his children. Despite his father's cruel treatment, Anton Chekhov did not bow to it and become so hardened himself. Instead, Chekhov condemned his father's actions and even criticized his own brother for his despicable treatment of his wife and children. Growing up in an abusive household gave him new and different insights on the world. His only escape became his education. Later his father's grocer business failed and they went bankrupt and the family moved to Moscow to avoid the debt collectors, but Anton Chekhov was left behind to finish his schooling. While still attending school, he worked to support himself and to help support his family in Moscow by sending them every spare penny he made. Because of these hardships, Chekhov gained perspective on how it is to be poor and desperate, working hard for everything. He found love in an actress named Olga, and they married 4 years before his death.("Anton Chekhov Biography - Brandeis.")
Young Chekhov attended a Greek school for boys where he was taught by the best standards of the time. He was a good student, although he was held back a year because of failing one exam. After graduating from there, he rejoined his family in Moscow and went to Moscow University where he studied and became a doctor. As a doctor he felt very compassionate towards his patients, especially the poorer ones who couldn't always pay. Because of their inability to pay, Chekhov never made much money as a doctor and he even contracted Tuberculosis, but would never let anyone check out his condition due to his humiliation. Soon he stopped his practice in Moscow and moved to Ukraine, where he would remain for nearly the rest of his life.
("Anton Chekhov - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.")
To be able to pay for his schooling and as the unofficial head of his family, and therefore the main source of economic income, Chekhov tutored and wrote short, humorous sketches about daily Russian life and submitted them. Later, as a freelance journalist, he became quite successful and slowly turned from a comedic writer to a more and more serious writer. His works from his journalist days outnumber his published work. Eventually he was asked to write for one of St. Petersburg's most popular papers. Soon there after, Dmitri Grigorivich read one of his stories and wrote to him advising him not to waste his gift and to slow down and write. Chekhov took this as a sign and began to write slowly and would edit his works intensely. Not long after, with a bit of string pulling by Dmitri Grigorivich, he won the Pushkin prize for a collection of short stories. He would continue writing short stories and plays until his death in 1904 at age 44.
("Anton Chekhov - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.")
Life in pre-1905 Russia would have been a very unsteady time. Before the 1917 revolution, Russia was already restless. Only a few decades after freeing the country of serfdom, the Russian peasants wanted more freedom, and slowly, they began protesting. The protests grew until in 1905, a Russian Orthodox priest and some hundreds of others marched onto the Czar's winter palace to demand recognition, but were slaughtered without any provocation by the palace guards. News spread throughout Russia and all over more protests broke out along side riots. Before any of this though, the time period between the 1840's and early 1900's was a very stressful time where socialism is spreading among the intellectuals, unrest and anger is growing in the lower class at their mistreatment and nobility just goes on trampling and over taxing the people.(Robert Wilde. "Pre- 1905 Russian Revolution Timeline - European History) All in all these events would have made an impact on Anton Chekhov although he never spoke politically about anything. (Anton Chekhov Biography - Brandeis)