Russian Literature Four Months Ago,

Russian Literature Four months ago, on a Friday evening, Gedali the junk dealer took me to your father, Rabbi Motale, but back then, Bratslavsky [...] and I, who can barely harness the storms of fantasy raging through my ancient body, I received my brother's last breath." Red Cavalry by Isaac Babel Pugachov dragged himself into the narrow throat of the cave. It was a bears' den, the beast's winter quarters, and the animal had long since left to wander the taiga.

[...] Then he put a muzzle of the pistol in his mouth and for the last time in his life fired a shot." Kolyma Tales by Varlaam Shalamov These two passages indicate the hopelessness of the two characters and those around them. Their lives, whether in the forced-labor camps of the north, or during the war against Poland, were worth very little, and they had little hope of ever returning to the lives they had once enjoyed.

Living conditions were harsh, and people had little to hope for or live for, as these passages clearly indicate. Author Shalamov puts it this way. He writes, "The absence of any unifying idea undermined the moral resistance of the prisoners to an unusual degree" (Shalamov 242). Thus, the prisoners in the labor camp and the soldiers in the war were more alike than different -they both had little to motivate them and less to live for.

However, even in hopeless situations people strive for freedom, as the prisoners desperate attempt at escape clearly shows. As Pugachov and Khrustalyov agree, "it was better to die than be a convict, better to die with a gun in hand than be exhausted by hunger, rifle butts, and the boots of the guards" (Shalamov 249). Thus, dying is the only hope many of these men have, because living is such a horrific nightmare. Pugachov's suicide makes perfect sense under the circumstances.

He has tasted freedom again, and he cannot go back to the camp. He knows he will be executed anyway. He dies free, which, as his pact with Khrustalyov indicates, is far better than dying in the camp. In addition, they indicate the tenacity and sheer will of the men. Pugachov has survived a German POW camp, a military trial, and another labor camp, all for fighting for his country and doing nothing wrong.

In the "Red Cavalry, the men are all fighting a war they do not think will ever end, and yet they continue to endure terrible conditions to continue with their mission. These men all have an incredible will to live, but they are not stupid, and recognize there comes a time when will is not enough.

The men of the Cavalry fight because it is their duty, and they die, as well, like the Rabbi's son, who Gorky calls the "last prince." Death is the ultimate end for both of these characters, and the books leave little other option open for them. The prisoners know they will die in the camp, and the soldiers fear they will die in battle, as many of them will. Death is the fate everyone faces, but for most people, they live decent, satisfying lives before they face death.

In these stories, the characters do not have that luxury. Instead, they face death at the prime of their lives, due to circumstances out of their control. The prisoners because they have lost all control of their lives due to political circumstances, and the soldiers because they are fighting a war for their governments, rather than for their own interests. Death is always around the corner for both groups, and they have no way to avoid it, and this is a terrible and frightening situation.

However, it is interesting to note that few of the characters in these two books are frightened, or show they are frightened of their circumstances. They are almost all brave and enduring, like the young boy in "The Rabbi's Son." It is clear he is young and that he is dying, but his last words are words of regret that he did not complete his mission. He says, "I took over a mixed regiment, but it was too late. I didn't have enough artillery" (Babel 333).

These are brave men who view their situations with bravery and a sense of reality as well. They all know they are facing death, but they face it, and attempt to do as much as they possibly can to change their fate. The prisoners attempt to escape, and the fighting men listen to songs that make them nostalgic, and remember happier times, such as the Sabbath night Gorky remembers when he first met the Rabbi's son. Both of these passages illustrate the futility and hopelessness of war, as well.

Many of the prisoners are in the labor camp simply because they had the misfortune to be taken as prisoners of war during the Second World War. Russia denounced them as traitors, even though they fought for Russia. Thus, these men could not win. They did not die in battle, and they managed to survive the prison camp, only to be branded as traitors and end up in the labor camp. They have a hopeless situation that resulted from the war.

The Red Cavalry illustrates the futility of war as well. No matter what side wins, thousands of participants will die, and lives will be forever altered. War is hell, and both of these works show it, no matter what side a person fights on, or who wins. War alters lives even after the war ends, and these works indicate that as well. The POWs thought they had survived the worst, but their nightmare had only just begun.

The family of the "last prince" is left behind to mourn their loss and attempt to make something out of their lives after he is gone. War changes lives, and not in a good way. These two passages are different in their situations, and in the tone of the writing. Babel's writing is lyrical and quite descriptive. For example, he writes, "that night in which the Sabbath, the young Sabbath, crept along the sunset crushing the stars with the heel of her red slipper?" (Babel 331).

That imagery is beautiful and descriptive at the same time. Shalamov's work is descriptive, but not nearly as literary or as descriptive, it is more journalistic, but it still interesting and compelling to the reader. Dig in, Kavalerov," he invited me and bore down himself. [...] His eyes became bloodshot; he took off and put on his pince-nez, smacked his lips, snorted; and his ears moved." Envy by Yuri Olesha p5 The Cossacks began eating with the restrained grace of muzhiks who respect one another.

[...] He finished an extra spoon out of his boot and handed it to me. We slurped the cabbage soup and ate the pork" Red Cavalry by Isaac Babel p233 It is not surprising that food plays an important part in all these works. Hunger is one of the most compelling and memorable experiences of many of the characters in all of these books, and it only makes sense that these passages and others would deal with this issue.

Babel's passage deals with the killing of a goose and the camaraderie it brings to Gorky, while the Olesha passage refers to a man just about to dig into a huge evening "snack." Many of the people in these works are hungry, due to poverty, war, or imprisonment, and so, when food shows up, they are in awe of it, they gobble it, and they even hoard it so it will last longer.

Food is an issue because food is hard to come by in every situation, and it is the most basic need of all humans, no matter their circumstances. All of these works show that, and indicate just how important food is to everything from survival to camaraderie. The soldiers gather around the soup kettle and welcome Gorky because he has proved he can be one of them.

Babichev, the roommate, invites Kavelerov to join him in his snack, as food and eating is often the time when people get to know each other and share their feelings and thoughts. Food is important in our lives because it means more than sustenance. For some, like Babichev, it is a form of recreation, or even almost a religion. For others, it is a form of enjoyment and decadence.

For just about everyone, it is a sign of civilization, camaraderie, and fellowship, and these passages show it can mean survival, but it can mean much more, as most people know. Another theme of these passages is acceptance and fitting in. Gorky, because of his glasses and intellectual appearance is not taken seriously or embraced by the soldiers. He has to prove he is a man by killing a goose before they will let him share their kettle of soup.

They call him a "little powder puff" because he is educated and ridicule him. He knows that to get the material he needs in his journal, he must gain their acceptance and trust, and so, he allows them to manipulate him. While they do not force him to kill the goose, he knows he has to do something to prove himself to them, and that is the only thing he can think of.

He gains their respect, and so, he knows he will have the information he needs for his journal. There is another, underlying theme in these passages that is more difficult to acknowledge, and that is the presence of the Russian government. In "Envy," the Party gives Kavalerov's roommate a spacious, luxurious apartment because of his prominence in the Party, and in the story leading up to the passage in "Red Cavalry," Gorky reads a Lenin speech reprinted by Pravda.

Throughout all of these works, the theme of the Party and their influence over every aspect of life, from what people think to what people read and how they live. The Party is a constant thread in these works, and they indicate how structured life was in Russia at the time. The people enjoyed few freedoms - many of which we take for granted. People could be sent off to labor camps for the least infraction, and many, many were.

Freedom was not a Russian element of life at the time, and yet, Russians still fought for their country. It shows that even a restrictive society like Russia's still inspired loyalty and patriotism in many people. There is an animalistic quality to these passages as well. The men sit around the soup kettle and eat communally, carrying their utensils in their boots. They "slurp" the soup and generally have few manners among them as they eat. Babichev.