Anniversary- summary

https://r-lerman.ca/portfolio/jokes-of-chekhov/

The Anniversary by Anton Chekov is a hilarious play about a banker who is preparing to meet some respected shareholders for the bank’s 15th-anniversary celebrations. The play revolves around four principle character. Mr Andrei Shipuchin – A diligent and hardworking banker who also has a soft corner for women. Mr Kirin –Bookkeeper-The brilliant but short-tempered accountant on whom the banker totally depends for preparing an impressive report for the bank. Ms Tatiana -The banker’s wife- A naive and rather innocent women who is also a chatterbox. She is very young and views life adventurously. Mrs Merchutkina-The madwomen- An old woman who is also a constant pest. She is neither susceptible to logic nor reasoning. Her persistent annoyance and outright lack of sympathy for the banker form the central theme of the play. The Act begins with the accountant busy preparing the financial report using the Abacus. He is already worn out due to days of continuous work. He tries to put long hours since the banker has promised him a golden watch if the meeting with the shareholders goes well. The fact that the banker will corner all the glory of his accounts hard work does not go down well with him. However, he continues his work for the watch. Mrs Tatiana comes to the bank as she has just arrived from her hometown after meeting her sister and mother. Her husband is surprised by her visit and spends time with her on a casual talk so as to make her feel good. But he is worried if he was preparing enough for the meeting later in the day. Tatiana continuously kept chattering about her train journey and her sister’s fiancé that even the accountant was growing very impatient. suddenly an old woman barged into the bank. She seemed highly agitated and rushed to Mr Banker’s seat. The banker wondered if this was an angry customer. Only to realise later that she was Mrs Merchutkina who had come in to ruin his day. Merchutkina wanted the bank to pay her husband’s complete wage of twenty-four roubles and thirty-six kopecks which she claimed had been wrongly deducted. The banker is also helped by his wife who demands Mrs Merchutkina to leave the bank immediately. Even the accountant tries to drive away, but he fails. Realising that there was no way out now, the banker finally hands over twenty-four roubles and thirty-six kopecks to her. Just when things were beginning to return to peace again, Mrs Merchutkina reaches out to the banker and asks, “Could my husband have his job back, your Excellency?” This banker upon reaching the end of his patience orders the accountant to throw her out from the bank. But the accountant mistakes Tatiana to be the cause of the banker’s anger and orders her out instead. In the ensuing confusion, the accountant ends up chasing the madwoman and Tatiana around the bank when the group of Shareholders walk in. the shareholders are unmoved and heap praise on Mr Banker on how he had raised the bank to a higher reputation. However, they stopped their praise midway and announce that they would come back some other day considering that there was hectic activity at the bank at present.