Uncle Vanya

Content Warning: This play includes depictions of alcohol abuse, sexual harassment, and attempted murder, as well as discussions of suicide and depression.

Alcohol addiction was a major social issue in 19th-century Russia, and this is reflected in the motif of alcohol in Uncle Vanya. In Act I, Marina notes that Astroff has begun drinking when he asks her how he has changed in the 11 years they have known one another—this is seen as a major change in his character over the years he’s been living in the area. His reliance on alcohol symbolizes the negative impact that his harrowing and exhausting work as a doctor has had on him. For Astroff, alcohol is a coping mechanism he uses to endure a life that he finds intolerable. At the end of the play, he has a shot of vodka before returning to work, which signifies his sense of resignation with returning to the daily slog of his job. He finds his work so stressful that he relies on alcohol to desensitize himself before he can return to it.

While drinks like vodka were culturally significant and common in everyday life in Late Imperial Russia, they were also recognized as being potentially ruinous. Excessive alcohol consumption was associated with negative character traits like irresponsibility, laziness, and uncouthness. In Act II, Astroff and Voitski are both intoxicated at the peak of their yielding to idleness, illustrating the association between alcohol and these negative character traits. Astroff’s promise to quit drinking at Sonia’s request reflects her brief hope that her feelings for him may be accepted, if not returned in full, which would in turn mean that he can step away from his misery and acknowledge a connection with another person. However, the fact that Astroff ultimately breaks this vow to Sonia echoes his inability to return her affections or form human connections. The motif of alcohol symbolizes the sense of futility and resignation that runs through the play.