The Bolshevik Myth · Chapter
Sights and Views explained
The narrator observes the harsh realities of life in Moscow under Bolshevik rule, including the indifference of officials to a sick friend, the brutal tactics of the Cheka, the bustling black market at Okhotny Ryad, the forced labor camps f
What happens
The narrator observes the harsh realities of life in Moscow under Bolshevik rule, including the indifference of officials to a sick friend, the brutal tactics of the Cheka, the bustling black market at Okhotny Ryad, the forced labor camps for speculators, the contrast between luxurious living for Party elites and abject poverty for ordinary people, and the desperate conditions of a family living in a bare room.
Themes in this chapter
Economic Collapse and Survival
The black market thrives as people trade personal belongings for bread; families sell everything and children work as cigarette sellers to survive.
Human Suffering and Dehumanization
The narrator notes how starvation and misery have hardened the Russian people, making them indifferent to the suffering of others, as seen with Sergei's illness.
Betrayal of Revolutionary Ideals
Communist commissars are rumored to be in league with traders, while Party members enjoy champagne and luxury while the poor freeze and starve.
Terror and Violence
Chekists with drawn revolvers threaten women and bystanders near the Lubianka, and the narrator is warned not to argue or risk being sent to the Cheka.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator navigates Moscow, helping a sick friend Sergei, witnessing Cheka brutality, and visiting the home of a young cigarette seller.
- Karakhan
The narrator telephones Karakhan to request a physician for Sergei.
- Sergei
Sergei is very ill with malaria, has been ordered out of the Kharitonensky, and receives no medical attention.
- Lena
A young cigarette seller who was arrested for speculation; she lives in extreme poverty with her paralyzed mother, sick cousin Masha, and brother Yasha.
- Demian Bedni
The popular Communist poet is heard drunk and reciting in a luxurious apartment where champagne is being consumed.
- K⸺
A friend of the narrator from Petrograd who has secured a room in a private house after being asked to leave the crowded Hotel Savoy.
Key passages
“Starvation and misery seem to have hardened the Russian and stifled his native generosity. The tears he has shed have dried up the wells of sympathy.”
The narrator observes that the Russian people, once known for their compassion, have become indifferent due to prolonged suffering and deprivation.
Reflects the theme of dehumanization and the erosion of traditional values under extreme hardship.
“I saw leather-coated men rushing into the street toward the little groups. Revolvers in hand, they threatened the women, ordering them to 'go about their business.'”
Chekists brandishing guns disperse women who had gathered hoping to see arrested relatives.
Illustrates the terror and violence employed by the secret police against ordinary civilians.
“The girl took a chunk of black bread from her coat pocket, broke off a small piece and gave it to the boy. 'Mother is paralyzed,' she turned to me, 'and Masha is now also sick.'”
Lena shares a meager piece of bread with her brother while explaining that her mother is paralyzed and her cousin is ill.
Highlights the extreme poverty and desperation of a working-class family.
“I thought of the big apartment I had left an hour before; of the appetizing odors, the popping of champagne corks, and Demian Bedni reciting in drunken voice.”
The narrator contrasts the luxury of Party elites with the squalor of Lena's home.
Emphasizes the betrayal of revolutionary ideals and the vast inequality under Bolshevik rule.
