While reading Vladimir Korolenko’s “The Cold,” I was struck by the similarities and differences he describes in the reactions to the cold by animals, humans, and nature. A theme throughout the short story is how the cold affects humans physically and emotionally. While animals are showcased reacting to the cold and changing their mannerisms or habits, they do not seem to suffer any fundamental change regarding their priorities. As for nature, Korolenko frequently personifies the cold as an angry perpetrator with the river as its victim.

Sokolskii introduces the idea of the cold changing people after the men watch the deer, who they presume to be mother and child. He says that his friend is wrong in thinking that the cold makes people kinder: “Cold is death. Have you considered, for example, that a man’s conscience can freeze up?” (6). The idea that the cold can change something so engrained in a person as their conscience is incredibly striking, especially considering the frequently seen, yet futile, power struggle between humans and nature.

The relationship between animals and the cold is best seen by the deer. The men describe the how the deer “overcame such danger right before our eyes, and I think that even Polkan was ashamed to have it end with them being killed on the shore… Did you notice how unselfishly the older one protected the younger from the dog?” (6). Though the deer are facing challenging circumstance, they do not panic in the face of danger, regarding the danger of both the ice and the humans, and they continue to protect each other regardless of the adverse conditions.

As the ice takes over the river, it flows “in a thick and unbroken mass, ready to restrain – once and for all – the submissive and now powerless current” (3). Korolenko referring to the river as “submissive” and “powerless” builds on the idea of the cold as an uncontrollable and terrible force. If the cold is so unmanageable, I can’t help but wonder why the arctic and antarctic have such a strong draw for adventure-seekers and researchers.