Vince Lanese IC230 December 4 2013 “The Tale of Cross-eyed Lefty from Tula and the
Steel Flea”
In Leskov’s “The Tale of Cross-eyed Lefty from Tula and the Steel Flea,” there are
numerous characters. One character is Lefty, who is a left handed gunsmith hired to modify the
flea and ends up creating tiny screws to keep the flea’s horseshoes in place. Another character is
the czar who is the person who wanted altercations to the flea to show the Russian’s dominance
over the English. Another character is Platov who is the czar’s servant. Another character is the
sailor who makes a bet with Lefty which involved drinking.
The title “The Tale of Cross-eyed Lefty from Tula and the Steel Flea” is a good title for
the story. One reason this title is suiting is because the whole story revolves around the discovery
and modifications to the steel flea. The flea discovery also leads to the czar wanting to prove
Russia is more advanced which is why the three gunsmiths are introduced (particularly Lefty).
Another reason this title is suiting is because Lefty is the main character in the story and even
though you never know his name the title gives as good of a description that the story does. The
story also revolves around Lefty and tells the tale of his creativeness and his eventual death.