The Bronze Horseman
66 pages • 2-hour read
Paullina SimonsThe Bronze Horseman
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Book 1, Part 1, Chapters 1-2Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes depictions of physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual harassment, and discussion of war, graphic violence, and death.
Book 1: “Leningrad”, Book 1, Part 1: “The Lucent Dusk”
Book 1, Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary: “The Field of Mars”
1
In June of 1941, 17-year-old Tatiana is living in Leningrad, Russia, with her parents, Irina and Georgi, grandparents, Deda and Babushka, twin brother Pasha, and older sister Dasha. One morning, Dasha yells at Tatiana to wake up and join the family for an important radio announcement. Tatiana resents having to share a bed with her sister, seven years her senior. On the radio, the Foreign Minister announces that Germany has invaded Russia.
The family tries to decide what to do and how to keep themselves safe. Georgi insists on sending Pasha to a Tolmachevo boys’ camp so he won’t have to enlist. The family protests but to no avail. When he leaves, everyone assures Tatiana he’ll be back soon.
2
Georgi tasks Tatiana with going out in search of food for the family. As she wends her way through town, Tatiana muses on her life over the recent years, her factory job in Kirov, and the intensifying political conflict. Everywhere she goes, the food stores are low. She doesn’t know where to find what Georgi wants and feels uncomfortable in her dress, which she’s been wearing for three years.
Tatiana heads to the bus stop, hoping to find better food elsewhere. While waiting, she buys an ice cream from a kiosk and runs into an attractive soldier who remarks on her treat. Excited and uncomfortable, Tatiana hops on the wrong bus; the soldier follows. She pretends she’s going to her cousin Marina’s house, but when they get off the bus, Tatiana discovers she has gone too far. The soldier introduces himself as Alexander Belov and they get to talking. They discuss his lieutenant position in the Red Army, Tatiana’s family situation, and her search for food. He offers to help and leads her to the Pavlov Barracks, where he introduces her to his friend Dimitri Chernenko. From there, the three buy food, talking about where they are from. Tatiana is surprised Alexander is from Krasnodar because of his strange accent. Eventually, they head back to Tatiana’s home.
Tatiana introduces Alexander and Dimitri to her family. She is disappointed when Dasha and Alexander recognize each other, revealing they used to go out. After dinner with their new friends, Tatiana and Dasha retreat to their room. Dasha informs Tatiana she has cared for Alexander for some time and hopes something will happen between them now. Tatiana “curl[s] up, facing the wall” (57).
3
Alexander and Dimitri talk about the Metanova sisters on their walk home. Dimitri insists Tatiana is too young for Alexander, who is 22. He mentions other girls Alexander has gone out with and indicates his own interest in Tatiana. Alexander feigns disinterest and they part ways.
Book 1, Part 1, Chapter 2 Summary: “Uncharted Tides”
1
On her birthday, Tatiana works at the factory, preoccupied with thoughts of Alexander. Later, she runs into him at the bus stop and they decide to walk together. Alexander urges Tatiana to tell Georgi to bring Pasha from Tolmachevo. Tatiana insists he is fine because the Germans are nowhere near there. The conversation shifts to Dasha; Alexander assures Tatiana they had a non-serious relationship and he isn’t interested in her. Tatiana insists it doesn’t matter because Dasha likes him and she won’t betray her sister. Meanwhile, Tatiana ruminates on her disappointed dreams, wishing she could be more like Deda, a good person at heart.
2
Back home, Tatiana’s family talks about the war, an argument ensuing. Irina screams at Tatiana to clean up dinner while Dasha heads out, presumably to see Alexander. Early in the morning, Tatiana wakes to a siren, fearing the Germans are bombing the city.
3
At work, Tatiana learns that working hours will now be extended until seven “in honor of the war effort” (70). After work, she runs into Alexander again. He again urges her to talk to Georgi about Pasha, but Tatiana is reluctant, insisting he task Dasha with confronting her parents instead. They take a long walk and Alexander opens up about his past, revealing that he is really American. His given name was Anthony Barrington and he was born in Massachusetts. His parents, Harold and Jane Barrington, were Communists and left the States for the Soviet Union in 1930. However, his parents struggled to find housing and work and were eventually killed by the state. A speechless, tearful Tatiana thanks Alexander for sharing his story. She understands she must keep these details secret lest she jeopardize Alexander’s life.
4
At home, Tatiana spends time with Dasha and her best friend Anton. Noticing her subdued mood, Anton urges her not to worry about the war. Tatiana wishes she could explain her concern for Alexander.
5
Tatiana and Alexander meet up again after Tatiana’s shift the next day. This time, Alexander gives her a book collection from his late parents, which includes Aleksandr Pushkin’s poetry collection, The Bronze Horseman. Overwhelmed, Tatiana finds herself accepting Alexander’s offer to buy her a belated birthday dinner in the Summer Garden. There, they talk about the war and America. Tatiana is especially excited to hear Alexander speak English. Finally, Tatiana reveals that people close to her call her Tatia. Alexander suggests that Tatiana call him Shura.
Back at home. Dasha scolds Tatiana for keeping everyone waiting. Dimitri is there to see her, and visits with the family for several hours. Tatiana can’t stop thinking about Alexander throughout.
6
Tatiana and Alexander meet up again after work. Alexander reveals he will be joining her family for dinner, per Dasha’s invitation. That night, Tatiana, Dimitri, Dasha, and Alexander take a walk together. Tatiana obsesses over Alexander’s behavior towards Dasha. Meanwhile, Dimitri gets upset with her for not paying attention to him. Tatiana feels upset the rest of the night and pretends to be asleep back home in bed so she won’t have to talk to Dasha.
7
After work the following day, Tatiana and Alexander walk together. Alexander tells her about his relationship with Dimitri, who he attended Officer Candidate School with. Unlike Alexander, Dimitri didn’t pass the training. While the two are friends, Alexander warns her that Dimitri will tell her many lies about him. They part ways, planning to see each other for another double date that night.
8
Alexander and Dimitri stop by before Dasha is home. Dimitri insists on leaving before Dasha returns. Outside, Tatiana becomes increasingly uncomfortable around Dimitri, who is forceful with her, insisting they walk in the trees. She yanks away from him when he grabs her wrist. Dimitri apologizes and turns the conversation to Alexander and Dasha’s relationship. Back at the house, Alexander notices Tatiana’s bruised arm but she dismisses his concern.
Alone, Dasha tells Tatiana how much she loves Alexander. Tatiana tries to hide her upset.
9
Tatiana borrows a Russian-English dictionary from the library and privately practices some English phrases. That evening, Alexander stops by and visits with the family, who loves him. When he and Dasha leave, Tatiana feels glum.
10
At work, Tatiana is reassigned to another division. Instead of flamethrowers, she will now be working on tanks. Afterwards, she meets up with Alexander, who warns her about Dimitri. Tatiana dismisses his concern insisting she can stand up for herself. Alexander is skeptical, given that she hasn’t talked to her family about Pasha. He also fears Tatiana isn’t safe in Luga at all.
That evening, Tatiana tells Georgi to bring Pasha home, but he refuses. An argument ensues. The family decides they need to evacuate but Irina and Dasha refuse to go anywhere without Pasha. Over the following days, Irina tries calling the camp but can’t reach Pasha.
11
Tatiana and Alexander meet up again, this time talking about work and the war. Alexander takes her for ice cream and they walk through the city, watching people pack up their belongings in anticipation of a Nazi attack. These scenes incite the friends’ discussion about the war and the future. Alexander gets upset when Tatiana indicates she’d die fighting in defense of her country.
In the days following, Tatiana realizes how much she has changed these past weeks, attributing some of this to Alexander. She can’t stop thinking about him yet can’t act on her feelings.
12
Tatiana, Dasha, Alexander, and Dimitri go out together again. Throughout the outing, Dasha urges Tatiana to tell the men stories about their youth and teases Tatiana for her childish antics. Tatiana plays along. Then the four talk about love, each offering their definitions. That night, Tatiana lies in bed silently repeating Alexander’s nickname to herself.
13
After work the following Monday, Tatiana tells Alexander to stop waiting for her after work. She insists they can’t be together because he is with Dasha and she doesn’t want to upset her sister. Alexander clasps onto Tatiana, passionately professing his feelings and arguing they should reveal the truth of how they feel for each other. Tatiana refuses to give in, finally storming away with Alexander calling after her that it’s over between them.
14
Alexander continues seeing Dasha but pulls away from Tatiana. Meanwhile, the war rages on. Tatiana tries not to think about Alexander.
Book 1, Part 1, Chapters 1-2 Analysis
The opening chapters of Book 1, Part 1, are devoted to world-building, introducing the primary characters, conflicts, stakes, and themes of The Bronze Horseman. Written from the third-person point of view, the narrative primarily follows the Tatiana’s romance with Alexander amid the violence of devastation following the German invasion of the Soviet Union. By largely limiting the narration to Tatiana’s vantage point, the author establishes the novel as Tatiana’s story and centers Tatiana’s emotional reactions to her surroundings. Even when those in Tatiana’s life dismiss or disregard her perspective as innocence or naïveté, the third person limited narration gives credence to her experience and point of view.
Germany’s invasion of the USSR at the start of the novel provides the historical backdrop that kickstarts Tatiana’s coming-of-age arc and foregrounds the novel’s thematic emphasis on Developing Identity Through Adversity. As a teenager, Tatiana is still developing her sense of self and exploring her world, which has been limited to the confines of her diminutive home and the parameters of her insular family structure and community. The German invasion ignites a national crisis that expands her world, requiring her to support her family, community, and country in new ways. The recurring images of her going to work on the military assembly line, and toiling over flamethrowers and tank construction, underscore her devotion to the war effort and to keeping her family safe regardless of her youth and sex, establishing her resourcefulness, determination and loyalty.
Tatiana’s too-small, white dress acts as a symbol of her childhood innocence. The scene of her wearing it as she wends her way through the city for food for her family conveys her desire to support her parents, grandparents, and siblings despite her lack of experience or knowledge. Although it is “a perfect summer dress” (23), it is “too small for Tatiana” and it vexes her “that the body she was increasingly uneasy with could outgrow her favorite dress” (24). The war forces Tatiana to quickly outgrow her childhood, just as she does her dress. As the dress grows too tight for her, it signals that she’s maturing in imperceptible ways, developing a new understanding of herself and the world. In some ways, Tatiana longs to remain a child but is powerless to stop her transformation—particularly as her increasingly unpredictable circumstances compel her to grow up faster than anticipated.
Tatiana’s first meeting with Alexander, the novel’s inciting incident, catalyzes her sexual awakening, defining her coming-of-age arc from innocence to experience. Tatiana’s relationship with Alexander begins to transform her character, challenging her towards more mature and resilient ways of being. Tatiana develops feelings for Alexander which are unfamiliar to her. She has never been in love before and fears acting on her feelings for Alexander lest she betray her older sister, introducing the first major obstacle to their romantic connection. At the same time, Tatiana remains powerless to quash her attraction to Alexander or to end their daily meetings, foreshadowing Love’s Enduring Power Amidst Hardship as a central theme in the novel. Each time she walks and talks with Alexander, she grows closer to him and learns more about herself:
Somewhere in those weeks Tatiana’s innocence was lost. The innocence of honesty was gone forever, for she knew she would have to live in deceit, every day in verse and prose, in close quarters, in the same bed, every night when her foot touched Dasha’s, she would live in deceit (128).
Tatiana’s refusal to betray Dasha despite the growing love between herself and Alexander helps define herself and her values for the reader, highlighting her belief in The Ways One’s Choices Reveal One’s Character. Her unprecedented circumstances challenge her developing sense of self. She comes to lean on Alexander, even while believing this relationship is taboo. While she initially equates her innocence with honesty, and her maturation to deceit, Tatiana is simply crossing the threshold between childhood and adulthood. She’s learning what it means to make choices of her own volition—those which will not always align with her family’s desires or expectations.
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