Previous
Mestkom
Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1953 (the year of his death). Even though the Soviet Union was supposed to be governed by collective leadership, Stalin eventually became its authoritarian leader and led a repressive, violent campaign called the Great Purge from 1936–1938.
Joseph Stalin Quotes in Sofia Petrovna
The Sofia Petrovna quotes below are all either spoken by Joseph Stalin or refer to Joseph Stalin. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6
Quotes
Two years before, after the murder of Kirov (Oh! What grim times those were! Patrols walked the streets…and when Comrade Stalin was about to arrive, the station square was cordoned off by troops…and there were troops lining all the streets as Stalin walked behind the coffin)—after Kirov’s murder there had also been many arrests, but at that time they first took all kinds of oppositionists, then old regime people, all kinds of “vons” and barons. But now it was doctors.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16
Quotes
Lying in her bed, she would think about her next letter to Comrade Stalin. Since Kolya had been taken away, she had already written three letters to Comrade Stalin. In the first she had asked him to review Kolya’s case and have him released since he was not guilty of anything. In the second, she had asked to be told where he was so that she might go there and see him just once more before she died. In the third, she implored him to tell her one thing only: was Kolya alive or dead? But there was no answer…The first letter she had simply dropped into the mailbox, the second she had sent by registered mail, and the third, with a return slip for confirmation of delivery. The return slip came back after a few days. In the space “signature of recipient” was an incomprehensible scribble, in small letters: “…eryan.”
Who was this “Eryan”? And had he given Comrade Stalin the letter? After all the envelope had been marked: “Personal and Private.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Sofia Petrovna LitChart as a printable PDF.
Joseph Stalin Term Timeline in Sofia Petrovna
The timeline below shows where the term Joseph Stalin appears in Sofia Petrovna. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6
...instead. When they decorate the office for the party, they replace the standard portrait of Stalin with one of him sitting with a child in his lap.
(full context)
...is astounded. There were many arrests two years ago after Sergei Kirov was assassinated, as Stalin made multiple arrests. But those arrests made sense to Sofia, since the people taken off...
(full context)
Chapter 7
...people, Sofia learns, who apparently murdered Sergei Kirov, and now they want to kill Joseph Stalin and threaten the soviet way of life. Everyone around Sofia talks about how even the...
(full context)
Chapter 16
...shortage in the markets whenever Kolya is set free. She has written multiple letters to Stalin about Kolya’s case, and she’s unnerved by the suspicion that he has not read them...
(full context)
