At the beginning of the story the narrator wonders at the beauty of the Commander's legs and body; later he admires a handsome soldier's face. From the way other characters comment on the narrator's appearance, what does he look like? Is his envy of the Cossacks based only on his physical shortcomings?

Babel ends "My First Goose" with a complicated series of images—legs, women, and blood. What do these images symbolize? Where else are these images found in the story, and how do they relate to the story's theme of war?

Research Lenin's ideas during the Russian civil war and find a speech by Lenin from this time. Does the narrator present typical socialist views in this story? What do you think the Cossacks and the narrator mean when they praise the "straight line" of Lenin's writing?

During the initial...