SOURCE: “The Biblical and Theological Context of Moral Reform in ‘The Duel,’” in Russian Literature, Vol. XXXV, February 15, 1994, pp. 129–52.

In the following essay, Axelrod sees “the need for salvation and moral reform” as central to “The Duel,” and traces biblical references underlying this theme in the work.

In “The Duel” (“Duel” 1891), one of A. P. Čechov's longest stories, there are numerous allusions to the Old and New Testaments and to the teachings of the Russian Orthodox Church. Without understanding the biblical and theological references, one cannot respect the genius and artistry of this masterpiece, which has been neglected because of its allegedly “artificial” and “absurd” ending.¹ Critics from Čechov's time and the present perceive the outcome of “The Duel”, that is Ivan Andreič Laevskij's reformed life, as unconvincing and unanticipated. A. M. Skalbičevskij, for example, believes Laevskij's sudden change is impossible, and K. Medvedskij does not perceive...