Ward No. 6

by Anton CHEKHOV (1860 - 1904)

Chapter 09

Ward No. 6

The line between sanity and insanity is blurred in this classic novella by Anton Chekhov. The disillusioned idealist Dr. Rabin is in charge of a provincial lunatic asylum, overseeing with weary, dubious policies a motley group of patients, a group that mirrors in microcosm all of human and especially Russian society. Seeking answers to profound questions, Dr. Rabin enters into dialogues with both staff members and patients, trying to make sense out of what has become of his life, until it becomes less and less clear who is the doctor and who is the patient. Written with obvious reformist concerns about the dehumanization of "lunatics," the story is also a harrowing parable about the meaning of human existence. Summary by Expatriate.


Listen next episodes of Ward No. 6:
Chapter 10 , Chapter 15 , Chapters 11-12 , Chapters 13-14 , Chapters 16-17 , Chapters 18-19