As this analysis of the short story, “The Snowstorm” by Alexander Pushkin emphasizes, the reader encounters a plot that is not entirely novel. The familiar story of the frustrated young love has, in fact, become a well-worn favorite over the course of literary history. Though undeniably Russian because of its setting, as this analysis of “The Snowstorm” by Pushkin suggests, it shares many similarities with more popular tales of complicated young love, such as “Romeo and Juliet.” Although the relationship between Marya Gavrilovna and Vladimir Nicolaevitch is unremarkable when considered alongside stories with similar plots and themes, what is noteworthy about “The Snowstorm” is how Pushkin uses images and metaphors of nature effectively in order to symbolize the psychological barriers that exist in romantic relationships. The snowstorm which prevents Marya and Vladimir from eloping not only signifies the hidden parts of one another they cannot see, but also the purity of spirit and experience with handling difficulty that they need to experience independently before they can unite in true love.
It is obvious that Pushkin intends the natural elements to play a central role in “The Snowstorm.” The title of the short story suggests as much, hinting not at the relationship that will develop between Marya and Vladimir, but at the nature—quite literally—of their naïve and unfounded love. By titling the story as he does, Pushkin directs the reader’s attention to the natural world and suggests that this element is more important than any of the actions that will be taken by the characters. In fact, the agency that the characters are permitted to exercise is limited because the sheer power of the snowstorm prevents them from being able to fulfill the plans they have set for themselves. Pushkin describes the snowstorm more effectively and more beautifully than he describes the characters and their interactions. While his treatment of the young lovers and their resistant parents seems almost trite, his rich and evocative description of nature and its power is, by contrast, highly original.
When Marya makes her decision to “leave for ever [sic] her parental home” (para. 8), she is not deterred by the snowstorm that is “raging outside,” accompanied by howling winds that are so strong they rattle the shutters, even though she has a vague sense that “everything seemed…menacing and foreboding” (para. 8). The narrator continues his insistence that the snowstorm is a negative harbinger that should cause Marya to reconsider her decision, noting that “The snowstorm did not abate; the wind blew against them as though trying to stop the young criminal” (para. 8). The use of the word “criminal” here is crucial, for it confirms the disapproval of the dubious love that has sprung up between the two young people, a love which has not been justified nor, as yet, tested. Marya and her maid “struggle” to reach the coach that is waiting for her at the end of the garden’s path, and the wind blows back against them; it also penetrates the very bones of the horses, who can “hardly stand still” (para. 8).
The snowstorm is even more challenging for Vladimir, causing the stubborn young man determined to unite with his lover to lose his course. Because he has been preoccupied with trying to find witnesses for the marital ceremony, Vladimir has waited until dusk to set off to join up with Marya. Like Marya, he fails to consider the blinding snowstorm an inauspicious sign, and presses on with determination. Vladimir hardly pays a care to his horse, which is debilitated by its efforts to soldier on, sinking “waist-deep in the snow” with nearly every step (para. 12). He has a nagging sense that he is headed in the wrong direction, but he persists for hours until a villager tells him he is eight miles off course. Everything conspires against his meet-up with Marya, and the two are separated for years. What this twist in the plot confirms is that the young lovers were not ready for one another. They had not learned, yet, how to weather the elements, and until they could understand what the snowstorm had to teach them, they would not be able to love genuinely.
The snowstorm should have served as a warning and a demand for the lovers to stop and reconsider their course, both physical and emotional. Because they did not do this of their own agency, the snowstorm forced them to do so, parting them for years. The snowstorm should also have reinforced for them, through the image of the snow as an symbol of purity and eventual renewal, that love must weather proof that it is both true and pure. At the time of their attempted elopement, neither pre-requisite of true love had been fulfilled. By using the images and symbols of nature effectively, Pushkin argues that love, however determined it may be to fight against obstacles, will not overcome all when it has not yet confronted and recognized the reality of its essential elements. Through the original image of the snowstorm, Pushkin creates a variation on the theme of frustrated love, and in the process, offers a valuable lesson to the reader.
Source
Pushkin, Alexander. “The Snowstorm.” Retrieved on December 2, 2007 from http://home.freeuk.com/russica2/books/pushk/metel/snow.html
