At the Tolstoy Museum we sat and wept. Paper streamers came out of our eyes.
-- The Narrator (N/A paragraph 1)

Importance: This is the first line of the story. It is important because it establishes a surreal atmosphere. The metaphor involving paper streamers creates a bizarre image in the reader’s mind, so the reader understands that Barthelme’s conception of reality in this story is abstract.

I was eating a sandwich at the Tolstoy Museum.
-- The Narrator (N/A paragraph 1)

Importance: This quote is important because it highlights a phrase that is repeated throughout the story; “at the Tolstoy Museum.” Many paragraphs in the story begin with this phrase, which creates a poetic style and deviates from the conventional style of a short story.

The entire building, viewed from the street, suggests that it is about to fall on you. This the architects relate to Tolstoy’s moral authority.
-- The Narrator (N/A paragraph 1)

Importance: This quote introduces the theme of morality. It suggests that Tolstoy’s...