Previous
Chapter 4
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
As the months pass without Kolya, Sofia spends more and more time at work. When she’s not working overtime, she goes to the movies with Natasha. They both enjoy films depicting acts of great patriotism. Natasha is particularly fervent about supporting the Soviet Union, reading the entire newspaper every day and talking to Sofia about politics—just like Kolya used to do. And yet, the Komsomol once again denies her application. Sofia writes to Kolya about how unfair it is that Natasha, who is so devoted to communism, isn’t allowed to join the youth group of the Communist Party. But Kolya disagrees: he understands why the Komsomol won’t let her in, since she comes from bourgeois landowners. He also notes that fascist infiltrators are lurking throughout the Soviet Union, so the Communist Party has to be extra vigilant.
There’s a degree of hypervigilance to how Kolya and the other members of the Komsomol think about political allegiance. After all, it’s quite clear that Natasha isn’t a fascist infiltrator, nor does she even hold the same values as her landowning father (whom she barely knew). And yet, even Kolya thinks the Komsomol is right to deny her from joining the organization, demonstrating how intense commitment to a cause can push people to irrational thinking and paranoia.
Themes
Kolya thinks the Komsomol will let Natasha in after a few years. He, for his part, is quite excited about the work he’s doing in the engineering plant. But Sofia still worries about him, so she writes to Alik and asks if her son is doing well. Alik writes back and assures her that Kolya is fine and that Alik himself is looking out for him. Shortly thereafter, Kolya sends Sofia a cogwheel produced using a new “cogwheel cutter” that he designed at the factory. It’s the first cogwheel created by this means of production, and though Sofia doesn’t know anything about cogwheels, she proudly displays it on her windowsill.
The fact that Sofia prominently displays Kolya’s cogwheel in her bedroom underscores how proud she is that he’s contributing to the Soviet Union’s technological advancement. She doesn’t understand the specific significance of Kolya’s invention, and this lack of comprehension mirrors her entire approach to communism—she’s a patriotic Soviet citizen simply because she thinks it’s honorable and good to devote oneself in such a way, not because she actually cares much about politics or socialist values. And yet, just because her patriotism is ambiguous doesn’t mean her political allegiance to the Soviet Union is weak. To the contrary, her support of the Soviet Union is even stronger because it’s vague and all-encompassing.
Themes
A couple days later, there’s an article in the newspaper praising Kolya’s ingenuity. Natasha rushes to Sofia’s apartment and shows her the article and begs to send Kolya a telegram. That night, Sofia realizes that Natasha is in love with her son. But she doesn’t see Kolya ending up with someone like Natasha. Instead, she imagines him with a tall, beautiful wife with a name like Ludmila.
Sofia is a very proud person, and her pride extends to her son. She sees him as someone with status—an enviable, important person. As such, she doesn’t think he should be with Natasha, who isn’t particularly beautiful. Sofia’s slight superficiality and vanity comes to the forefront of the novel in this moment, especially since Natasha is someone she legitimately respects. If even she isn’t good enough for Kolya, nobody will be.
Themes
