The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories · Chapter
Búlka and the Wolf explained
The narrator, preparing to leave the war-torn Caucasus at night, hears a pig being attacked.
What happens
The narrator, preparing to leave the war-torn Caucasus at night, hears a pig being attacked. He and others rush out, and he fires at a wolf jumping a fence, but his gun misfires. His dogs, Milton and Búlka, chase the wolf. Búlka is slightly wounded in the encounter. The group debates whether the creature was a wolf or a witch, and the narrator treats Búlka's wound with gunpowder to cauterize it, fearing rabies.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional peak is Esarhaddon's shocking, direct confrontation with the truth that he and his victim are on…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- War and Peace
The chapter opens with the narrator leaving the Caucasus 'where they were still fighting,' framing the personal anecdote within a backdrop of conflict and danger.
- Rural Life and the Landowner
Depicts a village incident involving livestock, hunting dogs, and folk beliefs (the witch), illustrating the perils and superstitions of rural life.
Characters to notice
- Búlka
Chases the wolf and is wounded on the head. The narrator treats his wound with gunpowder, fearing rabies.
- The Master
The narrator who attempts to shoot the wolf, treats Búlka's wound, and recounts the event.
- The Cossacks
An old Cossack suggests the creature was a witch who charmed the gun, influencing the group's interpretation of the event.
Key passages
“I burned out the sore with powder, in order to burn away the poisonous saliva, if it had not yet entered the blood.”
The narrator uses a folk remedy of cauterizing the wound to try and prevent rabies infection.
Shows pre-modern medical understanding and the fear of rabies from a wolf bite.
“An old Cossack said that there was nothing remarkable about it, because that was not a wolf, but a witch who had charmed my gun.”
A local explains the gun's misfire and the wolf's boldness as the work of a witch, not a natural animal.
Highlights the clash between rational thought and superstitious belief in the rural setting.
