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Chapter 17
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 morning, Sofia sits in the kitchen and goes on at length about how Kolya is coming home. Everyone listens attentively to what she says—even the nurse. She claims that Kolya was named assistant director at the factory, that the government has purchased him tickets for a vacation, and that he met a beautiful woman named Ludmila who’s in the Komsomol. Kolya and Ludmila, she claims, are engaged to be married. Everyone is very impressed, and though the nurse doesn’t respond at first, she makes a point of saying good morning to Sofia the next time they see each other.
Sofia’s fabrications allow her to see herself as a respectable, enviable member of the community once more. She enjoys the attention she receives as she tells everyone about Kolya’s achievements. The more she says, though, the harder it is to discern whether or not she actually believes what she’s saying. She either has fallen into a state of complete delusion or has decided to save face in society by lying. Given that the lies bring her so much happiness, though, it seems likely that she has managed to trick herself into believing what she’s saying (at least on some level).
Themes
Sofia spends the day cleaning her room for Kolya. She has yet to hear from him, but she wants everything to be in order whenever he comes home. She’s in the middle of cleaning the carpet, then, when a letter from Kolya arrives. She tears it open and reads what he has to say. He explains that he’s alive and that a sympathetic person agreed to deliver this letter even though it’s not allowed. He was arrested because Sashka Yartsev—a boy he went to school with—claims to have persuaded him to join a “terrorist organization.” It’s untrue, but an investigator beat him into signing a confession corroborating the claims. He’s now deaf in one ear from this beating, and he suspects that Sashka Yartsev was probably beaten into making the initial claim.
Sofia’s false claims about Kolya’s return are shattered when she receives a real letter from him. She can no longer deny the truth, which he spells out very clearly for her: he’s still in a work camp, and he’s there because Sashka Yartsev—the boy who once called Alik an anti-Semitic name in school—accused him of terrorist activity. His letter confirms that he was beaten into signing the confession, thus clarifying once and for all that Stalin’s regime is corrupt and manipulative. Because of this letter, Sofia can’t delude herself anymore about Kolya’s circumstances, meaning that she must finally face the harsh fact that he’s at the mercy of an unjust government.
Themes
Kolya says in his letter that Sofia is his only hope of survival. She must write to the government and insist that he’s innocent. If she doesn’t act soon, he’s not sure what will happen—he doesn’t think he’ll last much longer.
Contrary to Sofia’s delusional stories about Kolya’s welfare, he now informs her that he’s unlikely to survive much longer in the work camp. Presented with this horrifying information, Sofia can no longer trick herself into thinking that the government is just and fair. She now has no choice but to acknowledge the grim circumstances of her son’s imprisonment.
Themes
After reading the letter, Sofia rushes to Mrs. Kiparisova’s apartment. When she arrives, she finds Mrs. Kiparisova sitting with her daughter in the middle of an empty room. Kiparisova explains that they’re being deported, but she agrees to take a look at Kolya’s letter. When she finishes reading it, she tells Sofia not to write an appeal to the government even though Kolya has urged her to do so. If she writes an appeal, Kiparisova says, it will only cause more trouble. The appeal wouldn’t do a thing to change Kolya’s situation, but it would attract attention to Sofia. The government has clearly forgotten to deport her, so she shouldn’t put herself at risk.
Many of the family members of imprisoned citizens have been deported, as this is the repressive government’s way of getting rid of people who would have reason to revolt against the repressive regime. Thankfully for Sofia, the government seems to have forgotten to send her away, but that might change if she writes an appeal on Kolya’s behalf. Plus, writing an appeal wouldn’t do anything, as it has already been made quite clear that citizens like Sofia are utterly powerless in the face of Stalin’s authoritarian, repressive regime.
Themes
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Sofia returns to her apartment and puts the letter on the table. After a moment of consideration, she makes a decision: she fumbles through a drawer, pulls out some matches, and burns the letter.
Sofia’s decision to burn Kolya’s letter signals the first time in the novel that she fully recognizes the harsh reality that the Soviet government has become deeply repressive. Until now, she has managed to cling to the hope that the Soviet regime is fair and virtuous. But she has finally realized that it doesn’t matter to the government that Kolya is innocent, so it would be futile for her to make an appeal on his behalf. By burning his letter, then, she faces the devastating fact that there’s no way for her to help him.
Themes
