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Chekhov’s story, A Chameleon, centres on the injustice of the Russian society and the privileges received by the upper class. Chekhov lived in a society where the only peaceful way to bring about a change in conditions was to educate people of the society's shortcomings through the use of satire. Therefore Chekhov’s purpose in writing the story is to draw his reader’s attention to the inequalities in society, in an attempt to bring about reform. He does this through the literary techniques used to convey his point of view, in particular the humorous nature of the story and its characters. Chekhov uses caricature, irony, and hyperbole to enhance the comic situation that he depicts. He also uses descriptive writing, dialogue and irony to communicate his message. The comical situation that is being relayed in the story immediately draws the attention of the reader. The police superintendent, Otchumyelov, fluctuates in his decision regarding the fate of a dog that has bitten a mans finger, while a crowd of townsfolk watch as Hryukin, who received the bite, makes attempts at revenge on the dog. ‘On his half drunken face is plainly written: “I’ll pay you out, you rogue!”’, ‘I must have damages, for I shan’t be able to use this finger for a week, may be.’ The dog is described as ‘the culprit who has caused the sensation’. The reader sees that it is ludicrous to be calling a dog a culprit, and just as ludicrous for Hryukin to expect justice to be carried out on the animal. The ridiculous situation is intensified when Otchumyelov makes a great effort to find who owns the dog so that it can be brought to justice. ‘Whose dog is it? I won’t let this pass! I’ll teach them to let their dogs run all over the place!... find out whose dog it is and draw up a report!’ Even Hryukin’s attempt to catch the dog is ridiculous, as we are told that Hryukin ‘runs after her, and throwing his body forward falls down and seizes the dog by her hind legs.’ Such an effort to catch a small dog, when the only damage the dog did was to make Hryukin’s finger bleed, is clearly foolishness. The situation is absurd, and we see that all involved lack a sense of proportion in regards to the importance of events. Chekhov enhances the humour through the use of caricature. The actions of the characters and the way that they perceive and react to the situation is exaggerated to provide humour, but also to achieve the authors purpose in showing the shortcomings of the society.
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