# VIII: A Village “Bourgeois-Capitalist” explained — Red Dusk and the Morrow

> Chapter companion for Red Dusk and the Morrow by Paul Dukes.

## What happens

The narrator visits Uncle Egor in the countryside and learns about the oppressive policies of the Bolshevik regime, including the Committees of the Poor and forced communes. Uncle Egor, a hardworking peasant, is disenfranchised and labeled a 'grabber.' The narrator then travels back to Petrograd with Uncle Egor and his daughter, witnessing the brutal suppression of 'sackmen' smuggling goods. Reflecting on the revolution's betrayal, the narrator contrasts the hope of 1917 with the current terror and starvation under Bolshevik rule.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Peasantry and Rural Life Under Bolshevism

Uncle Egor's story illustrates the Bolsheviks' exploitation of peasants through Committees of the Poor and forced communes, disenfranchising hardworking individuals.

### Revolution and Its Betrayal

The narrator contrasts the hope of the 1917 Revolution with the current terror and oppression, noting that the Bolsheviks have restored Tsarist police and imprisoned revolutionaries.

### Totalitarian Control and Repression

The violent suppression of sackmen at the Okhta Station and the strict embargo on matches demonstrate the regime's brutal control over daily life.

## Character check-ins

### Uncle Egor

A hardworking peasant who has been labeled a 'grabber' and disenfranchised by the Bolsheviks. He expresses a desire for a 'Master' to restore order and helps the narrator travel back to Petrograd.

### The Finn

The narrator's Finnish guide who accompanies him to Uncle Egor's village and later returns, refusing any reward for his help.

### Maria

Mentioned as the intended recipient of the shoes the narrator carries; she is a poor woman the narrator hopes to help.

### Mrs. Marsh

Referenced in the narrator's memory of the flight with her in December at the Okhta Station.

## Key lines

> What matters it what they write? Our 'comrades'—whatever they want to do, they do.

Uncle Egor dismisses official decrees, stating that the Bolsheviks act arbitrarily regardless of written laws.

_Highlights the disconnect between Soviet propaganda and reality._

> Russia, my son, wants a Master—a Master who will restore order, and not that things should be as they are now, with every scoundrel pretending to be master.

Uncle Egor believes Russia needs a strong leader to restore order, as the current situation allows corrupt individuals to seize power.

_Reflects peasant disillusionment with Bolshevik rule._

> The design, of course, was to share such necessities equally amongst the populace, but the Soviet departments were so incompetent and corrupt, and so strangled by bureaucratic administration, that nothing, or very little, ever got distributed, and the persecuted 'sackmen' were hailed as benefactors.

The government's intention to distribute matches equally failed due to corruption and inefficiency, making smugglers the true providers.

_Critique of Bolshevik economic policies._

> The song of Hope was dead, and the people's faces bore the imprint of starvation, distress, and terror—terror of those very same Tsarist police!

The hope of the 1917 Revolution has vanished, replaced by suffering and fear of the new regime's police, who are as oppressive as the Tsar's.

_Emphasizes the betrayal of revolutionary ideals._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/red_dusk_and_the_morrow_se/chapters/viii-a-village-bourgeois-capitalist
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/red_dusk_and_the_morrow_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/red_dusk_and_the_morrow_se/chapters