Essay Questions

What is the unifying theme in the stories ‘The Station Master and The Blizzard’?

Relationships and family emerge as the common theme across all stories in the book 'Tales of Belkin.' However, the author is not conclusive of his descriptions because he leaves readers to decide on whether the family responsibilities succeed or not. For instance, in the short story 'The Station Master,' the father is depicted as a caring father, but at the same time, he is a drunkard. He has an inadequately guided daughter who moves with different men. Similarly, in the short story 'The Blizzard,' the reader comes across a lady who gets engaged to the wrong suitor, but the man ends up being the best husband, and they raise a beautiful family together.

How does the author illustrate that love is blind?

Mostly, Pushkin's collections of stories are about romance. In the short story 'The Squire's Daughter,' the reader encounters hostile neighbors who do not visit each other. However, the hostility of the parents does not affect the romantic relationships among their sons and daughters. For instance, Alex is the son of Berestov and Lisa is the daughter of Muromskyi. Alex is the most handsome guy in the estate, and after his return from graduation, Lisa wants to do anything to have a sexual relationship with him. However, Berestov and Muromskyi are enemies, and they cannot stand the idea of courtship between their children. Lisa's wayward character drives her to do insane things to escape to meet Alex. Lisa disguises herself as a peasant and manages to escape to meet her lover. The two frequently see each other, and they develop a romantic relationship behind their parents' back.

Why are suitors all over chasing after Dunya?

From the story 'The Station Master,' Dunya is the daughter of the Vyrin, and she is blessed with a beautiful body. The author describes Dunya as a woman of enormous exquisiteness. Dunya is under the care of her reckless alcoholic father because her mother died while she was young. Vyrin's recklessness exposes Dunya to accept proposals from different suitors who come her way. Since Dunya receives little supervision and guidance from her father, she finds it enjoyable having a good time with various men who come her way. However, most men are fighting to be Dunya because she looks like an angel, and her gorgeousness cannot be compared with any other woman in the neighborhood.