Short Fiction · Chapter
II explained
Taras Bulba and his sons, Ostap and Andrii, ride in silence across the vast Ukrainian steppe toward the Zaporozhian Setch.
What happens
Taras Bulba and his sons, Ostap and Andrii, ride in silence across the vast Ukrainian steppe toward the Zaporozhian Setch. Taras reflects on his youth and fallen comrades, while his sons are preoccupied with their own thoughts. The narrative provides a detailed account of Ostap and Andrii's education at the Kiev academy, highlighting Ostap's stubbornness and eventual diligence, and Andrii's romantic encounter with a beautiful Polish girl. The journey continues through the magnificent steppe, with the Cossacks camping overnight and eventually reaching the Dnieper River and the island of Khortitz.
Themes in this chapter
War and Cossack Identity
The chapter establishes the Cossack ethos through Taras's reflections on fallen comrades, the journey to the Setch, and the education of Ostap and Andrii, which hardens them for a warrior's life.
Love and Romance
Andrii's memory of his romantic encounter with the beautiful Polish girl contrasts with the martial focus of the Cossacks, foreshadowing future conflict between love and duty.
Identity and Madness
The divergent paths of Ostap and Andrii—one embracing Cossack discipline, the other distracted by romantic longing—highlight the tension between personal identity and societal expectations.
Characters to notice
- Taras Bulba
Rides in silence, reflecting on his youth and fallen comrades; he counsels his sons and leads the journey toward the Setch.
- Ostap
The elder son, who initially struggled at the Kiev academy but later excelled; he is hardened by discipline and remains loyal to his comrades.
- Andrii
The younger son, who is distracted by memories of a beautiful Polish girl he met in Kiev; he rides with his head hung low.
- The Beautiful Pole
The daughter of the Waiwode of Dubno, who playfully adorned Andrii with her jewelry during a secret encounter in Kiev.
- The Waiwode of Dubno
The father of the beautiful Pole, whose departure from Kiev ended Andrii's chance encounters with her.
Key passages
“Old Taras’s thoughts were far away: before him passed his youth, his years—the swift-flying years, over which the Cossack always weeps, wishing that his life might be all youth.”
Taras Bulba reminisces about his past, feeling the melancholy of aging and longing for the vitality of youth.
This passage highlights Taras's reflective mood and the Cossack's attachment to youth and glory.
“The elder, Ostap, began his scholastic career by running away in the course of the first year. They brought him back, whipped him well, and set him down to his books. Four times did he bury his primer in the earth; and four times, after giving him a sound thrashing, did they buy him a new one.”
Ostap repeatedly tried to escape his studies by burying his textbook, but each time he was punished and forced to continue.
This illustrates Ostap's initial resistance to formal education and the harsh discipline of the academy.
“The beautiful Pole was so alarmed on suddenly beholding an unknown man that she could not utter a single word; but when she perceived that the student stood before her with downcast eyes, not daring to move a hand through timidity, when she recognised in him the one who had fallen in the street, laughter again overpowered her.”
The Polish girl was initially frightened by Andrii's sudden appearance, but then recognized him and found his shyness amusing.
This moment captures the playful and flirtatious nature of Andrii's encounter with the Polish girl.
“Oh, steppes, how beautiful you are!”
The narrator exclaims at the breathtaking beauty of the steppe landscape.
This exclamation emphasizes the sublime and almost spiritual quality of the natural environment.
