Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Natasha

We don't want to vilify Natasha (make her the bad guy)—and it's not really true that she stands directly in the way of the sisters' dreams and goals. Well, maybe we want to vilify her just a little bit.

If the sisters represent fading Russian nobility, Natasha represents the lower-middle classes contributing to the destruction of their old-fashioned way of life. And whether or not Chekhov wanted to say that the entire middle class was no-good, he sure makes a good case for us liking the sisters and being pretty anti-Natasha.