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Chapter 14
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Sofia Petrovna, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Uncertainty and Disbelief
Patriotism and Fanaticism
Pride, Status, and Moral Superiority
Loyalty, Political Allegiance, and Truth
Summary
Analysis
The next time Sofia waits in line at the prison, there’s nobody there to save her spot. Natasha is buried in a grave not far from where Sofia’s husband lies, and Alik is in prison. She waits all night and then sees the sun rise, and by the time the prison doors open, she can hardly run toward the building. It takes another two hours before she finally gets to the window to inquire about Kolya. Until now, every time she gets to this window and tries to pass money along to Kolya, the attendant says, “Not allowed for him.” Today, though, the answer is different. “Deported,” the man says. When she asks where Kolya has been sent, he doesn’t answer, instead saying that Kolya will write to her himself.
Once again, Sofia faces complete uncertainty regarding Kolya’s case. The only thing she knows now is that he has been deported, but this is a torturous piece of news because it doesn’t give her much information—except, of course, that he has been sent to a remote work camp, which is horrifying news. Without anything else to do, she has no choice but to simply sit with this disconcerting information and worry about her son.
Themes
Sofia goes home in a state of exhaustion. The only thing she can think about is receiving a letter from Kolya, but she needs to focus on finding a job. Everywhere she has applied has rejected her because she has an imprisoned family member. These days, she doesn’t interact with anyone at all, making a point of avoiding the nurse and the other people living in the apartment. She has been replaced as the official apartment representative, and she’s afraid to encounter any of the other residents.
Sofia took Natasha’s advice and quit the publishing house before she could be fired, but she still can’t find a job, since she’s related to someone who has been imprisoned. Her predicament illustrates the political frenzy and hysteria at play in the Soviet Union at the time—everyone, it seems, is wracked with paranoia, which causes them to ostracize anyone who’s even remotely associated with an alleged criminal.
Themes
The night before she died, Natasha told Sofia that she should send money to Alik in prison. But Sofia recently spoke with her friend, Mrs. Kiparisova, who warned her about giving Alik money, saying that the government would connect his case to Kolya’s, which would only do more harm.
The culture of fear and paranoia in the Soviet Union is very strong. Sofia’s own life is much harder because nobody wants to associate with anyone related to an imprisoned citizen. But Sofia is also subject to the same kind of fear, which keeps her from helping Alik, since she’s afraid that doing so could decrease the likelihood of Kolya’s release from prison.
Themes
