Who Is The Antagonist In Tapka

Many people say that a dog is a man’s best friend. In the short story “Tapka,” Tapka is a dog owned by the Nahumovsky couple that lived in the same complex as Mark’s family and was taken care by him. Mark’s family and the Nahumovsky couple are both immigrants from Russia who moved to Toronto to start a new and better life. The story was in the perspective of six-year-old Mark and his experiences dog-sitting Tapka. David Bezmozgis expresses the main character, Mark, and his love for his neighbor’s dog, Tapka throughout the story by being by her side

To start, with Rita and Misha as Mark’s neighbors, he would show his love for Tapka by always visiting her. Every evening after finishing homework, he would go over to the Nahumovsky’s place to play

With Mark and Jana always taking care of her, they thought Tapka wouldn’t have needed a leash after being obedient most of the time. The incident took place when Mark decided to toss a doll that Tapka would always return to get, but as she was running toward the doll, she followed a bird onto the street and got hit by a car. Mark’s guilt was explained by his conscious saying, "The swaying replied: There is reality and then there is truth. The reality is that Tapka will live. But, let’s be honest, the truth is you killed Tapka. Look at Rita; look at Misha. You see, who are you kidding? You killed Tapka and you will never be forgiven." This shows that he felt guilt for betraying Rita and Misha’s trust by getting Tapka in an accident and killing her. It especially hurt himself to see what he has done to Tapka after he had been entrusted to take care of her.

In conclusion, in the story “Tapka,” Mark expression of passion love by being with Tapka and spending time with her throughout the entire story. With Mark, always being around Tapka and visiting her, they grew an unbreakable relationship in which why a dog is a man’s best