The Caucasian Chalk Circle

In The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Grusha falls for a soldier named Simon whom she meets by the river. When they are forced to part during the uprising against the Governor and his family, they make a promise to find one another again. Simon gives Grusha a silver cross necklace that belonged to his mother as a symbol of his love for her. Though the cross necklace is not an engagement ring, it is still symbolic of their promise of love for one another. This is evident when Grusha prays to the cross while she is being wed to Yussup as a secret vow of her faithfulness to Simon.

When Simon returns from the war to find Grusha married to someone else, he feels that their promise has been broken. He doesn’t stop to listen to Grusha and why it was necessary for her to get married. He tells her, “Give me back the cross I gave you. Or better, throw it in the stream” (90). Grusha does not discard the necklace, symbolizing that there is still hope for the couple. By the end of the play, Simon amends his relationship with Grusha and the two of them are wed.