misfortunes touch her, and Olenka becomes sympathetic towards Kukin’s life, then Olenka begins to love him p.179. Because Olenka has sympathy to Kukin,
her attention towards Kukin grows into love. Olenka’s characteristic, that easily falls in love with a man, can be seen when she loves a man who gives his
responsibility, respect, or care to Olenka. When Olenka’s first husband, Kukin, passed away, Emily meets with
Pustovalov. Pustovalov gives the attention that Olenka needs when she is grieving. Pustovalov entertains Olenka to make her happy. He suggests her that
every human being will face a problem in life and everything can happen, bad or good.
“Everything happens as it is ordained, Olga Semyovnovna,” he said gravely, with a sympathetic note in his voice, “and if any of our dear ones
die, it must be because it is the will of God, so we ought to have fortitude and bear it submissively” p.181.
Pustovalov’s attention impresses Olenka. Olenka is happy with Pustovalov‘s attention towards her. All day afterwards, she hears his sedately dignified voice;
and whenever she shuts her eyes she sees his dark beard. She likes Pustovalov very much p.181. Pustovalov’s attention grows into a love to Olenka, and finally
Olenka and Pustovalov marry and live together. The short range of time for Olenka in falling in love with Pustovalov after the death of her first husband
proves that she easily falls in love with a man.
2. Affectionate
Olenka loves her parents. She respects her father very much. Beside her father, she also loves her aunt who cares about her and always visits Olenka’s
house. Olenka’s care is not only for a man, but also for others who have given attention and care for her. Olenka’s love to everyone shows that she is an
affectionate person. The author shows it directly: In earlier days she had love her papa, who now sat in a darkened room,
breathing with difficulty; she had love her aunt who used to come other year from Bryansk; and before that, when she was at school, she had love
her French master p.179.
Olenka also loves children. She loves to have a child. Her love to children can be seen from her attention towards Sasha, the son of Vladimir Platonitch.
Vladimir Platonitch or Smirnin is a man who entertains Olenka when her second husband, Pustovalov, passed away. He works as a veterinary surgeon. Olenka
gives all of her care and attention to Sasha, because Sasha’s parents entrust him to Olenka. She gives her full attention to Sasha as her own son. Every morning
Olenka comes into Sasha’s room to wake him up, because Sasha has to go to school. Olenka always prepares the breakfast for Sasha and likes to accompany
him in studying. Olenka loves Sasha very much as her own son. Ah, how she loved him Of her former attachments not one had been so
deep; never had her soul surrendered to any feeling spontaneously, so disinterestedly, and so joyously as now that her maternal instincts were
arouse. For this little boy, with the dimple in his cheek and the big school cap, she would have given her whole life; she would have given it with joy
and tears of tenderness p.186.
3. Dependent
Olenka does not have an orientation in life without another person at her side. Her life depends on other people. Everything she tells and does is based on
others’ point of view. She always has the same opinion with everyone who is close to her. She does not have capability to give her own opinion by her own
