Chapter 5 Summary

Autumn lingers, until finally one night in the beginning of January the snow begins to fall. Tanya wakes early the next morning to see the ground covered in white. Winter is filled with lovely scenes: horse-drawn sleighs and children sledding. The narrator notes that perhaps the reader doesn't enjoy such winter scenes, and he refers to a poet who portrays the beauty of winter in his poetry. The narrator has no wish to compete with this poet.

Tatyana loves Russian winters, including the cold, snowy days and the Christmas traditions. Each year, according to tradition, the servants guess the futures of the two sisters, always predicting that both girls will marry soldiers and that there will be a war. Tatyana follows all the local superstitions, and everything to her is some kind of sign or portent. She wishes upon shooting stars and is...