And God''s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters..." (marine symbolism in Anton Chekhov’s story "The Duel")
The article analyses the marine leitmotif in Anton Chekhov’s story "The Duel". It reveals the symbolic connotation of the several marine images and associations. The initial episode of the first chapter of the story initiates the fateful/salutary occasion’s theme which is virtually destined to become the most important in "The Duel". The analysis of the final episode of chapter XVI, where the sea is mentioned in connection with the beginning of the storm, and the sea associations in chapter XVII clarify the true meaning of the "duel" storyline. Special attention is paid to chapter XVIII which contains an extremely significant allusion conjugated with the marine image in the general contest of the Old Testament. The author comes to the conclusion that the sea in "The Duel" is spiritual force of nature. It is the embodiment of naturalness, a symbol of the unconditional truth the story personages’ different actions, words and thoughts are correlated with.