Tapka is a short story about a pair of immigrant Russian families who come to Canada for a new life. It is told from the perspective of the youngest boy, Mark, who develops an affection for the neighbors' dog. Overall, I enjoyed this story and thought Bezmozgis portrayed the perspective of young Mark and the Russian immigrants very well. The newness of Canada, the difficulty of learning the language, and the troubles of being a young boy all help to portray this story effectively.
One line in the beginning of the story stuck out to me quite clearly: "At three o'clock, bearing the germs of a new vocabulary, we tramped back home." I like the author's choice of words here, choosing to describe the seeds of a new language as "germs". It's an interesting word choice and right away, the reader can see that this story is going to revolve around the struggles of a new language. Later on, we continue to see language as a barrier for not only Mark, but other members of the family, too.
While the characters' struggles with language makes for difficult interactions with other people, the story's main theme revolves around Mark and his love for the neighbor's dog Tapka. "My heart soared every time Rita opened the door and Tapka raced to greet me. The dog knew no hierarchy of affection. Her excitement was infectious. In Tapka’s presence, I resonated with doglike glee." The reader learns that Mark has never had an animal companion before, and it is evident that Tapka's loving heart quickly captures Mark's affection. I particularly love the sentence "the dog knew no hierarchy of affection". I think it describes the love of a dog quite well.
But as Mark and his cousin Jana continue to take care of Tapka, foreshadowing plays into the story, and it is clear that something bad is going to happen. Inspired by everyone’s confidence, we grew confident. … We had intuited an elemental truth: love needs no leash." In this paragraph, the two are getting bolder and allowing Tapka off the leash more often. When I read these sentences, I knew something bad was just around the corner.
Foreshadowing becomes more imminent: "The day, however, persisted in unimpeachable brilliance: sparrows winged overhead; bumblebees levitated above flowers; beside a lilac shrub, Tapka clamped down on Clonchik. I was amazed at the absence of consequences."
That "absence of consequences" doesn't last for long, and Tapka unfortunately gets hit by a car. They take her to the vet, and eventually the whole family finds out about the accident. Rita, Tapka's owner, is quite upset about it and says some really nasty things to Mark and his parents. From her reaction, I got that Tapka is the only thing that makes Rita really feel at home. It shows that she is deeply unhappy with the move, and Tapka serves to characterize her as being really homesick. She is frustrated with the newness of everything: "New. Everything we have now is new. New everything.” One can practically hear her desperate tone when she is saying this.
The story ends with all of Mark's guilt: "The swaying replied: There is reality and then there is truth. The reality is that Tapka will live. But, let’s be honest, the truth is you killed Tapka. Look at Rita; look at Misha. You see, who are you kidding? You killed Tapka and you will never be forgiven."
It is likely that the veterinarian will perform the operation for Tapka because she feels sympathy for Rita and her not adjusting well to life in Canada. But Mark's guilt stays, and he knows that he was wrong to not take care of Tapka properly. The last paragraph really stood out to me because while Mark and his family have a hard time with English and their new lives, some themes are universal, and it is clear that his guilt is a very big burden to bear.
One line in the beginning of the story stuck out to me quite clearly: "At three o'clock, bearing the germs of a new vocabulary, we tramped back home." I like the author's choice of words here, choosing to describe the seeds of a new language as "germs". It's an interesting word choice and right away, the reader can see that this story is going to revolve around the struggles of a new language. Later on, we continue to see language as a barrier for not only Mark, but other members of the family, too.
While the characters' struggles with language makes for difficult interactions with other people, the story's main theme revolves around Mark and his love for the neighbor's dog Tapka. "My heart soared every time Rita opened the door and Tapka raced to greet me. The dog knew no hierarchy of affection. Her excitement was infectious. In Tapka’s presence, I resonated with doglike glee." The reader learns that Mark has never had an animal companion before, and it is evident that Tapka's loving heart quickly captures Mark's affection. I particularly love the sentence "the dog knew no hierarchy of affection". I think it describes the love of a dog quite well.
But as Mark and his cousin Jana continue to take care of Tapka, foreshadowing plays into the story, and it is clear that something bad is going to happen. Inspired by everyone’s confidence, we grew confident. … We had intuited an elemental truth: love needs no leash." In this paragraph, the two are getting bolder and allowing Tapka off the leash more often. When I read these sentences, I knew something bad was just around the corner.
Foreshadowing becomes more imminent: "The day, however, persisted in unimpeachable brilliance: sparrows winged overhead; bumblebees levitated above flowers; beside a lilac shrub, Tapka clamped down on Clonchik. I was amazed at the absence of consequences."
That "absence of consequences" doesn't last for long, and Tapka unfortunately gets hit by a car. They take her to the vet, and eventually the whole family finds out about the accident. Rita, Tapka's owner, is quite upset about it and says some really nasty things to Mark and his parents. From her reaction, I got that Tapka is the only thing that makes Rita really feel at home. It shows that she is deeply unhappy with the move, and Tapka serves to characterize her as being really homesick. She is frustrated with the newness of everything: "New. Everything we have now is new. New everything.” One can practically hear her desperate tone when she is saying this.
The story ends with all of Mark's guilt: "The swaying replied: There is reality and then there is truth. The reality is that Tapka will live. But, let’s be honest, the truth is you killed Tapka. Look at Rita; look at Misha. You see, who are you kidding? You killed Tapka and you will never be forgiven."
It is likely that the veterinarian will perform the operation for Tapka because she feels sympathy for Rita and her not adjusting well to life in Canada. But Mark's guilt stays, and he knows that he was wrong to not take care of Tapka properly. The last paragraph really stood out to me because while Mark and his family have a hard time with English and their new lives, some themes are universal, and it is clear that his guilt is a very big burden to bear.
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