Rats are rarely liked by people. Even in the form of fairy-tale heroes, they seem vile and nasty. And if an animal has such negative qualities as Shushara the rat, it even seems ugly. By the way, who knows the origin of the name of the rodent?
About name
Readers will be surprised, but Alexei Tolstoy immortalized one of the stations in the suburbs of St. Petersburg in the name of a rat. The fact is that the future writer lived for a long time in a city called Children's Village. Now it is the city of Pushkin, which is part of St. Petersburg. Not far from it was the Shushary station, the emphasis falls on the second letter. The barrier was regularly closed there, blocking the railway crossing. Tolstoy had to wait for its opening long and often, and here he had the idea to perpetuate the name of the station in the name of the rat Shushara. What is symbolic is the place of residence of the rodent. She guarded the magic door in Papa Carlo's closet, just like a barrier at a railroad crossing.
About stress
A question that worries many readers: how to putaccent in the name of the animal? If it falls on the letter "y", then there are not very good associations. Shushera called small, insignificant people, punks and "sixes". It is hardly possible for a writer to condescend to name a rat after a nonentity.
As written above, Shushara got its name in honor of the railway station. And it is pronounced like "Shushara the rat" - the accent is on the letter "a".
About fairy rat
A vile old rat with a long tail and shabby hair is the guard of the magic door in Papa Carlo's closet. This animal has a deep meaning, for its name is associated with the swamps, known since ancient times as places associated with darkness and horror.
The fact is that Shushary is translated as "near the swamps". And, symbolically, the fairy-tale rat, named after the station, strictly watches so that Pinocchio remains in a dark closet, could not penetrate the magic door, where his joy and a bright future awaits.
The rodent constantly causes trouble for the wooden boy, regularly tries to eat him or just scares him in the presence of Papa Carlo.
Conclusion
Here she is - the rat Shushara from the fairy tale "The Adventures of Pinocchio". At first glance, a disgusting animal, trying to bend its line in relation to the main character. But it is worth digging deeper, and the understanding comes that Shushara is far from a random character invented by Alexei Tolstoy. Behind him lies something more than a rolenasty rodent.
