The Sneeze
The sneeze is the only instance in the story when the narrator provides readers with a descriptive representation of events. Most of the story is written from a straightforward point of view as the narrator simply reports the events without must elaboration. The sneeze, by contrast, is described as a shocking and disruptive dramatic occurrence: "But suddenly his face puckered up, his eyes disappeared, his breathing was arrested... he took the opera glass from his eyes, bent over and... 'Aptchee!!'" (1). That this sentence describes the act of sneezing before telling readers what is actually happening helps create a heightened sense of drama in the story, as readers will likely not know what is going on until the narrator announces, "he sneezed as you perceived" (1). This sense of drama humorously comments on the significance of the insignificant sneeze, suggesting that Tchervyakov's perspective is heavily skewed against himself.
