Tolstaya Reading Guide

Prepared by: Abigail Snyder (acs73@pitt.edu), Lauren Carpenter (lmc46@pitt.edu) and David J. Birnbaum (djbpitt+tales@pitt.edu)
Last modified: 2009-11-29
Location: http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/tales/tolstaya_guide.html

Read these questions before you read “Date with a Bird.” Think about them and try to answer them as you read. Students often make the mistake of reading this tale strictly for plot and, in not paying enough attention to the details, actually miss major plot points.

  1. Who is the narrator?
  2. When you read “The boys, up to their elbows in sand, looked up and came back to the real world,” (p. 116) what does this indicate about Petya’s state of mind or world view? Keep this thought in mind as you read.
  3. Color, especially the colors red and black, plays a significant role in this tale. Pay attention to where the colors appear. What could these references mean?
  4. What sort of character does “He keeps bugging, nagging, mocking–what does he want?” (p. 118) set up Uncle Borya to be? Do you think this is how he is in reality, or only in Petya’s mind?
  5. How is smoking represented for different characters in the story? Petya sees it from a different perspective for each person who does it, but is it really different?
  6. How is Tamila described? What does her exoticism indicate about her status in her community? What purpose does her exoticism serve for Petya?
  7. What does panacea mean (if you don’t know, look it up!)? What is Tamila actually drinking from her black bottle? Why would she call it a panacea?
  8. Students often wonder whether Tamila is Petya’s imaginary friend. What specific passages indicate whether this is the case?
  9. What does “Oh no, oh no; if you take that off, it’s the end of me. I’ll turn into black dust and the wind will scatter me. It protects me. I’m seven thousand years old, didn’t you know?” (p. 121) foreshadow? Will Tamila really die if her toad ring is removed? What could, metaphorically, die? Why would Tamila tell Petya she’s seven thousand years old?
  10. “Petya didn’t know what it was to be depressed for life, and took the egg.” (p. 122) What is happening to Petya as the story progresses?
  11. What roles do the various birds (especially the Alkonost and the Sirin [first appear on p. 121]) seem to play in this tale? Where do you see other birds and what role do they play? What role do eggs play?
  12. “But Tamila says little girls don’t drown, they simply cannot drown.” (p. 123) What is Tamila trying to protect Petya from?
  13. “Drunken delirium of our shaggy friend! Eh? A girl, eh?” (pg. 127) What has Petya just learned about Tamila’s stories? Does he believe what he’s learned?
  14. What does Petya’s dream (pg. 128-129) foreshadow?
  15. Petya immediately runs for a magical cure to save his dead grandfather (pp. 130-31). What does this show about his development? What does he find when he goes for help?
  16. What does Petya finally realize at the end of the tale (p. 131)? What is this the result of?