After the Dance Flashcards
by Leo Tolstoy — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: After the Dance
Who is the narrator of "After the Dance"?
Ivan Vasilievich, an older man telling his friends about a transformative experience from his youth.
Who is Varinka, and why is she significant to the narrator?
Varinka (Varinka B—) is the beautiful, tall, slender young woman Ivan falls deeply in love with at the ball. She is described as graceful, stately, and queenly.
Describe Varinka's father, the colonel.
Colonel Peter Valdislavovich is a handsome, well-preserved old man with white moustaches curled in the style of Nicolas I. He has a broad military chest and a kind smile like his daughter's.
What detail about the colonel's boots does Ivan find touching, and why?
The colonel wears cheap, square-toed, home-made boots built by the regimental cobbler—suggesting he sacrifices his own comfort so his daughter can afford fine clothes for society.
Who is the Tartar soldier, and what is his role in the story?
The Tartar is a deserter being punished by running the gauntlet. He is stripped to the waist and beaten by rows of soldiers while pleading "Brothers, have mercy on me!" He represents the victims of institutionalized military cruelty.
What role does the blacksmith play in the punishment scene?
The blacksmith is a bystander who explains to Ivan what is happening ("A Tartar is being beaten through the ranks for his attempt to desert") and mutters "My God!" at the sight, serving as a witness to the horror alongside Ivan.
What event is Ivan attending at the beginning of his story?
A ball at the provincial marshal's home on the last day of carnival season, hosted by a good-natured old court chamberlain and his wife.
What keepsake does Varinka give Ivan at the ball?
A feather plucked from her white fan, along with one of her gloves when he helps her into her carriage after the ball.
What does Ivan witness the morning after the ball?
He sees Varinka's father, the colonel, presiding over the military punishment of a Tartar deserter who is being beaten through the ranks of soldiers with sticks while fifes and drums play.
Why does the colonel strike one of his own soldiers during the punishment?
The colonel furiously hits a soldier for not bringing down his stick with enough force on the Tartar's back, shouting "I'll teach you to hit him gently!"
What happens when the colonel recognizes Ivan at the punishment scene?
The colonel assumes an air of not knowing Ivan and, with a ferocious, angry frown, hastily turns away. Ivan feels utterly ashamed, as if caught in a disgraceful act.
How does Ivan's love for Varinka end?
His love gradually fades because every time Varinka looks dreamy or meditative, Ivan involuntarily recalls her father on the parade ground. He begins seeing her less frequently until his love "came to naught."
What philosophical question does the story open with?
Whether a person can independently understand good and evil, or whether environment (surroundings) entirely determines one's character. Ivan argues it is "all chance" and tells his story to prove it.
How does the story illustrate the theme of appearance versus reality?
The colonel appears to be a kind, graceful, devoted father at the ball, but the reality is that he is also a ruthless military enforcer who oversees brutal corporal punishment and demands soldiers beat a man harder.
What does the story suggest about the relationship between social elegance and violence?
Tolstoy suggests that the refined elegance of aristocratic society and institutionalized military violence are two sides of the same coin—the colonel's self-sacrifice for his daughter's social life is inseparable from his role enforcing state brutality.
How does the story explore the theme of moral awakening?
Ivan's chance encounter with the punishment scene awakens his conscience in a way he cannot reverse. He is unable to understand or accept what the colonel "knows" that makes such cruelty acceptable, and this leads him to withdraw from both military and civil service entirely.
What does Ivan mean when he says his life was shaped "not by environment, but by something quite different"?
He means that a single chance event—witnessing the flogging—transformed his entire life path, challenging the deterministic view that environment alone shapes character. His moral response to what he saw, rather than his social circumstances, determined his future.
What is the narrative structure of "After the Dance"?
A frame narrative: the older Ivan Vasilievich tells his story to a group of friends, embedding the main tale within a conversational setting that adds retrospective perspective.
How does Tolstoy use juxtaposition as the story's central structural device?
The story is built on the contrast between two scenes: the beautiful ball (warmth, music, love, grace) and the morning punishment (cold, harsh drums, violence, blood). Nearly every detail in the second scene mirrors and inverts something from the first.
What role does music play as a symbolic element in the story?
At the ball, the music creates ecstasy—mazurka tunes that fill Ivan's soul. At the punishment, the fifes and drums produce "very harsh" and "unpleasant" music. The contrast in music mirrors the contrast between beauty and brutality.
What is ironic about the colonel's suede gloves?
At the ball, the colonel carefully smooths his suede glove before dancing tenderly with his daughter. The next morning, his "strong hand in the suede glove" strikes a soldier for showing mercy. The same refined accessory is used for both tenderness and violence.
How does Tolstoy use the technique of defamiliarization in this story?
By presenting the gauntlet punishment through the eyes of the love-struck Ivan—who first sees a vague "something very huge and black" and only gradually recognizes the horror—Tolstoy forces readers to see an accepted military custom as if for the first time, exposing its barbarity.
What is the historical practice depicted in the punishment scene?
Running the gauntlet (Russian: shpitsruten)—a military punishment where a condemned soldier walks between two rows of men who beat him with sticks. It was commonly used under Tsar Nicholas I's regime.
When was "After the Dance" written and published, and what inspired it?
Written in 1903, published posthumously in 1911. Tolstoy based the story on an incident his brother Sergei experienced in his youth. It was originally intended for a collection to benefit victims of the 1903 Kishinev pogrom.
Why is the story set during the reign of Nicholas I rather than Tolstoy's own time?
Setting the story in the 1840s under Nicholas I—notorious for rigid military discipline and authoritarian rule—allows Tolstoy to criticize the brutality of the Russian state while connecting it to a specific historical period. The practice of running the gauntlet was especially associated with Nicholas I's military.
What does "mazurka" refer to in the story?
A lively Polish dance in triple meter that was popular at 19th-century Russian balls. It involved intricate footwork and partner-choosing figures, and was a highlight of formal social gatherings.
What is a "ferronniere" as mentioned in the story?
A ferronière is a thin chain or band worn across the forehead with a jewel at the center. The hostess wears a "diamond ferronniere," reflecting the formal elegance of the ball.