Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
In Section III, Gurov sees a playbill for the Sydney Jones opera The Geisha and attends the opening performance, hoping that Anna will be there. She is, and the opera serves as a backdrop to the emotion-filled reunion. This particular opera is not without significance. It tells the story of a man who, despite his engagement to another woman, falls in love with a geisha. It even features the famous line, "Every man is disappointed in his wife at some time or other." If this coincidence is lost on Gurov, it certainly should not be on Chekhov's readers.