Gurov's wife
The narrator devotes almost an entire paragraph to a description of Gurov's opinion of his wife. She is described in terms of physical appearance, intellect, and personality. For example, the narrator notes her "tall, erect" stature and her "dark eyebrows." Gurov considered her to be overly intellectual and yet unintelligent, as well as "narrow [and] inelegant." He also was afraid of her. All of these descriptors serve to create a counterpoint to Gurov's image of Anna.
Yalta and the sea
The narrator depicts Yalta with vivid imagery, setting the scene for the commencement of Anna and Gurov's love affair. Indeed, their affair is embedded in the landscape. On a walk together, for example, the narrator writes that "they walked and talked of the strange light on the sea: the water was of a soft warm lilac hue, and there was a golden streak from the moon upon it. They talked of how sultry it was after a hot day." In this scene, the fabric of their relationship is the specific scenery of Yalta.
Gurov's moments of transcendence that he experiences while falling in love with Anna are also directly tied to Yalta imagery. After they consummate their affair, the narrator notes that "Yalta was hardly visible through the morning mist," noting the "white clouds [that] stood motionless on the mountain-tops." The narrator describes this moment as uniquely peaceful, both in Gurov's heart and in the setting: "the leaves did not stir on the trees, grasshoppers chirruped, and the monotonous hollow sound of the sea rising up from below, spoke of the peace, of the eternal sleep awaiting us." For Gurov at that moment, everything is beautiful: Anna, life, and especially the "magical surroundings—the sea, mountains, clouds, the open sky." Thus the setting of Yalta is an integral aspect of the love that develops between Anna and Gurov.
