Boris Character Analysis

A former Russian soldier in his mid-thirties, Boris and Orwell became friends at a Paris hospital where Boris was being treated for arthritis. Once attractive and a model of masculine strength, Boris is now obese from being bedridden with arthritis. Since he is a natural soldier, his happiest days (those of combat) are behind him. Nonetheless, despite the pain he suffers, he is endlessly optimistic and is always coming up with schemes to better his and Orwell’s situation. The two men live together in destitution for a time, bickering over small matters, and then, thanks to Boris, they eventually find work at the Hotel X and later at the Auberge. After Orwell leaves Paris for London, he hears that Boris has finally achieved his dream of making 100 francs a day as a waiter and living with a woman “who never smells of garlic.”