Short Stories The Bridge by Nicolai Chukovski Russia

Short Stories “The Bridge” by Nicolai Chukovski

Russia

2 THEME: The main idea in a work; the writer’s perception about life shared with the reader. Theme is rarely directly stated. SYMBOL: A person, place, or object that stands for something beyond itself.

Literary Terms RITE OF PASSAGE: A story that depicts a life-changing realization. MOMENT OF INSIGHT: When the “light bulb comes on. ” TRIGGER: The event that brings to pass the Moment of Insight.

The Bridge: Theme • “It was a woman’s factory where a true man wouldn’t be caught working” (Chukovski 179). • “He didn’t dare confess to anybody how frightening was the thought of leaving Gramma” (Chukovski 179).

Symbols • The road – (life—journey through life) • The girls – (adulthood) • River – (life—ocean) • The Bridge – (himself under construction)

TRIGGER • Girl falls of the bridge • Obstacle overcome: – “Their bicycles lay side by side on the grass. Kostya had removed them from the bridge by himself” (Chukovski 183).

MOMENT OF INSIGHT • “While he answered her questions. Kostya began to see his trip in a new light. He had suddenly made a discovery…” (Chukovski 184) • “’I’ll learn, ’ he said, thinking of Uncle Vasya. ‘What one man can do another man can, too’” (Chukovski 184).

14 • The Bridge • Participials • Faced with an emergency, Kostya is able to act and change his life. • Still dealing with the grief of losing his mother, Kostya must now leave the only home he has ever known. • Adverb Clauses • Even though Kostya was afraid of almost everything at the beginning of the story, he gained confidence by doing something difficult—rescuing the girl and retrieving the bikes. • Because Kostya had his moment of insight by rescuing the girl and saving the bikes, he decided he could take on this new adventure—going to Moscow.

9 • Appositives—Compound Element • Once a bright student, Kostya has received poor marks and is now unable to go to college. • Kostya, the main character of the story, dreads the thought of going to work for his uncle in Siberia. • Series • By the author’s description of Kostya at the beginning of the story, by his description of the bicycle race, and by his description of Kostya’s heroism later, Chukovski dramatizes his theme.

9 • Set-offs • Though Kostya is pleased (even ecstatic) with his rescue of the girl, he returns home saying nothing of it to his grandmother.