Why did lomov and Natalia quarrel about their dogs? | Arguments and Quarrel on the Superiority of Dogs in The Proposal.

Question Discussed: 

1.Describe the argument between Lomov and Natalya over superiority of their dogs.
2. Arguments and Quarrel on the Superiority of Dogs in The Proposal. 

Introduction:

The play explores the comic situation that arises in the course of a marriage proposal. The quarrel regarding the superiority of the dogs is too a comic element in the play.

Quarrel on the Superiority of Dogs :

Lomov and Natalya gets a second chance at veering the subject again towards the romantic proposal. However, instead of an untroubled communication of the proposal, they start bickering once more with each other. This time the argument centres on the superiority of their respective hunting dogs named Guess and Squeezer.

Points of Argument : 


According to Lomov, his dog Guess is a first-rate dog. This turns to be an argument for claiming superiority of their respective dogs. Natalya demands that their dog, Squeezer is better than Lomov’s Guess. They argue over the price of the dogs, their pedigree, their hunting capability and even the proportions of their jaws.


Various Points of Argument/ Quarrel:


Price 》Lomov argues he paid a higher price to buy Guess compared to Squeezer. 

Size 》Lomov says that Squeezer is overshot than Guess. 

Age 》Natalya mentioned Guess has become old.

Pedigree 》Natalya asserts that their dog Squeezer has a good breeding, whereas Lomov’s dog has no pedigree. 

Hunting Capacity》Lomov says Guess is a great hunter but Squeezer is not a good hunter. 

Proportions of their jaws》

Significance of the Dog Episode:

Their stupid arguments make the play hilarious. A trivial argument gets more important than a marriage proposal. Through the Dog episode Chekhov exposes the non-romantic nature of marriage as it occurs as a social practice. Chekhov resorts to satire in order to bring out the hollowness of marriage as a social institution.


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