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Chapter 16
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
Sofia goes to sleep thinking about how Kolya will soon return. Both Mrs. Kiparisova and Degtyarenko’s wife implied that he would be back soon enough. When she wakes in the morning, she remembers that the government is letting prisoners out and that Kolya will surely be one of them—and when he returns, he’ll surely be given a medal of honor and a good job. She imagines him passing the nurse in the hall and not even acknowledging her.
Sofia’s expectations about Kolya’s return are out of touch with reality. Even if he were to be let out of prison, it’s highly unlikely that he would be given a medal of honor, as the Soviet government isn’t in the habit of publicly acknowledging its own mistakes. Nonetheless, she fantasizes about his triumphant return, basking in the idea of honor and status returning to her family name.
Themes
Sofia feels happy all day, even at work. When she cooks in the kitchen that evening, she sees Degtyarenko’s wife and finds herself saying that Kolya has been released from prison. Degtyarenko’s wife is thrilled for her, asking if Kolya sent a letter or a telegram. Sofia confidently answers by saying that he sent a registered letter and that it just reached her. After this conversation, she goes to her room and feels excited about the words she has just spoken.
It’s not entirely clear whether or not Sofia actually believes what she has just told Degtyarenko’s wife. Of course, she hasn’t received a letter from Kolya, but she seems oddly energized by merely saying that she has. Indeed, it’s almost as if her unwillingness to accept Kolya’s uncertain fate has grown into a bigger kind of disbelief—a kind of disbelief that borders on delusion.
Themes
At work the next day, Sofia tells one of her colleagues the same thing, despite the fact that she has never spoken to her before. She also tells Degtyarenko when she passes him in the apartment that evening, saying that Kolya will first work at the factory for a couple of months and then take a short vacation before returning to Leningrad. She’s surprised by how easy it is to say all of this, but she enjoys saying it. When she goes out later that night, she bumps into the accountant from the publishing house, who tells her that Comrade Timofeyev was arrested. But she hardly listens, quickly taking the opportunity to tell the accountant that Kolya has been released from prison. Upon reaching home again, though, she checks the mailbox and is disappointed to find it empty.
Sofia gets wrapped up in the story she’s telling everyone about Kolya’s imminent return. The more she says it, the more it seems as if she truly believes that he’s been released from prison. To that end, her story becomes more detailed, as she claims that Kolya will first work in the factory before taking a vacation. She’s so involved in her own story that she hardly registers the news that Comrade Timofeyev has been arrested, even though this news is significant because it underlines just how out of hand things have gotten in the Soviet Union. After all, Timofeyev was involved in casting suspicion on many other people, and his arrest therefore demonstrates that nobody—even the most politically overzealous Soviet citizens—are safe from persecution.
Themes
