Russia in World War I Maria Botchkareva and Russia in World War I

Maria Botchkareva's memoirs are painful to read, but also very uplifting in many ways. She talks about the hopelessness of many things in the war, but also about the camaraderie and the enjoyment that can be found in helping others. This is especially true when she writes of creeping out of the trench during the night to go to those that were lying wounded from the battle and begging for help. No one else would do it, and so she did it, and on the first night that she did this, she managed to save the lives of over 50 men. She was given commendation for this, but not as much as a man would have received, because there were still very strict rules and opinions about what a woman could or could not do during the war, and the rules were not going to change simply because there were some that admired her and sympathized with her.

Her memoirs were also very thought-provoking because they dealt with things that many women do not normally have to deal with. Now, there are more women that fight during wars and they are more accepted in the military in many countries, but back when WWI was fought, most people did not want women fighting. She made her case for women soldiers very well though - mostly because of the information she gave about bravery and courage. Going out into the battlefield under cover of darkness to rescue fallen comrades was only one of the courageous things that took place. Many women...

The only thing that really gave away her difference was her upset at having to use the bath house with the men. She did not get special treatment, however, and so she had to go and use the bath house with the men or not at all. They teased her at first, but many became used to her and respected her so much that the teasing soon stopped. To many of them, she simply became another soldier. She pulled her own weight, followed orders, and treated others with respect.
Some of what she writes about, however, makes her seem more feminine. Without having read memoirs like these written by a man it is difficult to tell, but it seems that she was more concerned with the well-being of others and that she was more pained by the cries of the wounded and the suffering than others were. This could have come from being a woman, as they are generally more compassionate, but it could have also just been in her nature to behave that way, and could have meant nothing else. Either way, her descriptions of the war are shocking when one realizes how much pain the soldiers had to endure and how they often fought even when they…