Christmas Eve

I have a paper due for Slavic 50 in a few days. I am a science major. I am not used to having papers assigned and due in the same week.

But anyways, I am writing on Nikolai Gogol's "Christmas Eve." Basically, the story is about Vakula, a talented painter/blacksmith/overall awesome pious dude, who loves and pursues Oksana, a beautiful/spoiled/bratty girl who admires herself in a mirror all day. Oksana agrees to marry Vakula only if he can get the czarina's (for all of you who don't know anything about Slavic culture like me, that means the king's wife) slippers for her. Vakula agrees, and with the help of the devil, is able to do such a task. Oh yeah, in the meantime, all sorts of sin and debauchery goes down involving a sexton (this church taker-carer dude), spiced vodka and magical turnovers, a witch that married men like to fool around with, and a guy named Chub. Vakula and Oksana live happily ever after. The story ends with "Yaka kaka!" which means "What a poophead!"

Slavic literature mystifies me.