The Lottery Ticket by Anton Chekhov. Short summary

5 seconds

A wife asks her husband to see if her lottery ticket has won. Some of the numbers match, the spouses are already dreaming of how they will spend the money and begin to hate each other. The ticket doesn’t win.

1 minute

A middle-class official, Ivan Dmitrich, is content with his life. One day he learns that his wife has bought a lottery ticket. The couple decide not to check the number of the ticket yet so they can enjoy their dreams.

Ivan Dmitrich reflects on how he would buy an estate, furnish it with new furniture and spend his days relaxing and enjoying life. He would leave his work behind.

He tells his wife that he would go abroad. His wife dreams of doing the same. Ivan Dmitrich begins to wonder how she would prevent him from vacationing abroad.

His wife seems old, boring and greedy to him, while he feels himself to be a younger man. Ivan Dmitrich wonders what else women might like. He reflects on the fact that his wife will not share her winnings with him. She looks at her husband with hatred.

The number of the ticket does not match. The couple is disappointed.