My Disillusionment in Russia · Chapter
VIII: The First of May in Petrograd explained
The narrator describes the long-awaited May Day celebration in Petrograd in 1920, observing the subdued and silent mood of the crowds despite the festive decorations and a powerful pageant reenacting the revolutions.
What happens
The narrator describes the long-awaited May Day celebration in Petrograd in 1920, observing the subdued and silent mood of the crowds despite the festive decorations and a powerful pageant reenacting the revolutions. The performance fails to inspire the people, and two interpretations are offered: one that the reality of 1917 outshines any theatrical reproduction, and another that the accumulated disappointments since the October Revolution have drained the event of meaning.
Themes in this chapter
Disillusionment with Revolution
The narrator observes that the people are silent and joyless during the May Day celebration, and a young Communist explains that repeated disappointments have drained the Revolution of meaning.
Myth vs. Reality
The theatrical reenactment of the October Revolution fails to move the crowd because the real events were more powerful, highlighting the gap between revolutionary myth and lived experience.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator experiences the May Day celebration and is struck by the people's silence and lack of joy.
- Lisa Zorin
Lisa Zorin suggests the pageant falls flat because the people lived through the actual October Revolution.
- Little Communist Neighbour
A young Communist neighbour attributes the crowd's apathy to the many disappointments since October 1917.
Key passages
“The people had suffered so many disappointments since October, 1917, that the Revolution has lost all meaning to them. The play had the effect of making their disappointment more poignant.”
The little Communist neighbour explains that the crowd's accumulated letdowns since the revolution have made the pageant a painful reminder rather than an inspiration.
This quote directly articulates the theme of disillusionment with the revolution.