Question

Read this passage: He put in his finger, and drew out a nose! Ivan Jakovlevitch at first let his hands fall from sheer astonishment; then he rubbed his eyes and began to feel it. A nose, an actual nose; and, moreover, it seemed to be the nose of an acquaintance! Alarm and terror were depicted in Ivan's face; but these feelings were slight in comparison with the disgust which took possession of his wife. "Whose nose have you cut off, you monster?" she screamed, her face red with anger. "You scoundrel! You tippler! I myself will report you to the police! Such a rascal! Many customers have told me that while you were shaving them, you held them so tight by the nose that they could hardly sit still." Nikolai Gogol, "The Nose" How is this passage from "The Nose" typical of the genre of magical realism? A. Ivan and his wife wonder how a nose came to be alive and in the bread. B. Ivan is angry at those who have more money than he does, but he doesn't know what to do about it. C. Ivan and his wife are shocked to see the nose, but they don't question where it came from. D. Ivan's wife yells at her husband, but she really loves him and is frightened at what he's done.

Answer 1

C. Ivan and his wife are shocked to see the nose, but they don't question where it came from. This is the correct option.

The passage describes an ordinary scene from everyday life , the wife has prepared breakfast and the husband is having it , and then, this ordinary reality is refelt by the magic presence of " the nose" in the husband's bread. The wife's  shocking reaction is magnified ; she thinks she knows where the nose comes from. She accuses her husband of having cut it off from one of his customers. Her husband is a barber. The fact that  everyday life is disrupted and refelt by the magic element is a feature of magic realism. Then, the maginifying of states of mind is another characteristic.

These options are wrong:

A. Ivan and his wife wonder how a nose came to be alive and in the bread.  It is not mentioned whether the nose is dead or alive. It is just a nose.

B. Ivan is angry at those who have more money than he does, but he doesn't know what to do about it. This information is not given.

D. Ivan's wife yells at her husband, but she really loves him and is frightened at what he's do. She yells at him and she does not seem to be a loving wife. She insults him.

Answer 2

The correct answer is: C) Ivan and his wife are shocked to see the nose, but they don't question where it came from.

I believe the option that best represents the genre in this passage is option C because magic realism is characterized by having fantastical events treated in a realistic tone.