How is Gurov characterized?

Gurov is the center of interest of the limited
third-person point of view, with his background, interests, thoughts, self-reproaches,
and observations being reported by the narrator, who seems consistently to be
sympathetic to him. Initially Gurov is in the grips of ennui, a womanizer who holds
women in contempt. His alteration because of his increasing love and obsession for Anna
is responsible for the compelling nature of the story. Chekhov’s characterization of
Anna Sergeyevna is less well developed than that of Gurov, but he does succeed in
showing her as a woman living in the aftermath of having made a marriage commitment very
early in her life, perhaps too early. Both characters embody an idea of love’s progress:
from infatuation to obsession to love. Chekhov brings out the thoroughness of the love
between the two in paragraphs 119–126. Thematically, the story treats the topic of the
nature and power of love. Gurov embodies a number of attitudes, ranging from sexual
excitement and involvement, to boredom and disentanglement, to his ultimate infatuation,
obsession, love, and commitment. Of great interest is that this love does not solve
problems, but rather creates problems for Gurov and Anna to solve, in keeping with the
ultimate power of the love that the two develop for each other.