In "The Lady with the Pet Dog," Oates takes a common human sin (adultry), and turns it into the right thing. This story is seen through the woman's point of view rather than Chekhov's male point of view. The reader gets filled in as the story goes on. Anna has had an affair with a nameless man, labeled by her as a stranger. The man surprisingly appears after six months from their last meeting, and Anna drives back to Albany with him for a couple of days. Shame is mentioned continuously throughout the story and Anna cannot make up her mind as to why she is with this man. She definitely feels shame with her husband because their relationship is loveless and cold. In their last meeting together, Anna and the stranger part forever, but she is extremely happy. Her lover is puzzled, but Anna has finally come to grips with her internal battle, realizing that she is really married to this stranger, and "she had all along been behaving correctly; out of instinct" (page 721).