The Winter Oak

By Yuri Nagibin

Main Points

• Setting 1: The school• Setting 2: The forest• Anna BEFORE• Anna AFTER• Savushkin in school• Savushkin and Nature• The (Winter) Oak• Lessons Learnt

Setting 1: School

• the piercing bell• bidding farewell to the serenity of the

morning atmosphere• thawing and losing their brightness…by the

half-open door• the children stuck to what was closest to

them, to tangible objects

Setting 2: The forest

• they were immediately transported into another world, an enchanted world of peace and silence

• their delicate little branches looked as if they had been etched in Indian ink on the blue surface of the sky

• it seemed as if there was no end to the trees, the snowdrifts and the silence of the sun-dappled twilight.

• sometimes living water would gleam through the ice, looking like a dark, malevolent eye

• the stream is alive even under the snow• light shadows darted rapidly over the marble

surface

Anna BEFORE

• a ridiculous fear that perhaps they would not understand her

• the self-control which spread like warmth through her whole body

• Savushkin’s lateness; an unfortunate mishap spoiling a day that had begun well

• not understanding his strange excitement• a difficult boy• she felt sad and confused• how inadequately, drily and coldly she had

spoken of words and language

Anna AFTER

• suddenly Anna Vasilevna understood• so pleased…enraptured…enthralled• Anna Vasilevna was gazing with delighted

interest at this secret forest life• clearly here in the forest she had better keep

quiet• privately asking the oak to forgive her for being

human and slightly cunning• all the time her own native tongue was as fresh,

beautiful and rich as life is generous and beautiful

• she had not yet taken the first step along that road which takes more than a whole life to traverse

Savushkin in School

• a small figure in worn felt boots and covered in sparklets of frost

• the round face was…red from the frost…while the eyebrows were grey with rime.

• just as if he had woken up out of a dream• noticing neither the laughter of his

schoolfellows nor the teacher’s admonishment• the words were torn out of his soul, like…a

joyful secret which he could not keep from spilling out of his heart.

• Savushkin sat down, smiling, at his own thoughts

Savushkin and Nature

• ‘An elk had been here,’ said Savushkin, as if talking about a close friend

• this minute stem with the little bubbles on it looked like a spray of lily of the valley

• he busied himself at the foot of the oak, as if approaching an old acquaintance

• he went on showing Anna Vasilevna his own small world

• just wave the stick at him…otherwise he might take offence

The (Winter) Oak

• in the middle of the glade, clothed in glittering white raiment, huge and majestic as a cathedral, stood an oak

• the trees had respectfully stood aside to give their older brother room

• the trunk, three times the normal girth, seemed to be embroidered with silver thread

• the mighty, magnanimous guardian of the forest quietly waved a branch in greeting to her

• the mighty tree, laden with life, had gathered so much living warmth round itself that the poor creatures could not have found a better lodging

Lessons Learnt

• Savushkin had no idea what was going on in the schoolmistress’ heart

• he was guarding the teacher from afar• the most amazing thing in the forest was…

the small human being in the worn felt boots

• a mysterious and wonderful future citizen