Let's jump right into the questions.
- How does the author show the effect that war has on the humanity of the people?
One glaringly obvious example would be the cannibals. They are so starved that they had to resort to killing other humans and eating them. This lowers the humanity level down to almost purely animalistic. I suppose it's a little like Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs and how you can't have self-actualization, or humanity in this case, until you have your basic needs--food, shelter, water, all that. The level of humanity is lowered tremendously in some cases because of the war.
Another example that would refute this claim, however, would be Sonya Ivanovna and her house full of doctors and refugees. She, even in times of great strife, takes in whoever needs it. (possibly not whoever, but it kind of seems like it with all the medical students and the author never really stating her profession) She shares food and shelter and helps. She clearly doesn't have enough for herself and is even described in several different ways eluding to the fact that she has no food. "She had swaddled herself in a man's greatcoat and three or four sweaters, but even beneath all that bulk I could see there wasn't much left of her" (71). Also, "She gathered me in her arms. It was like being embraced by a scarecrow. I couldn't feel any body beneath her clothing, just layer after layer of smoky wool" (72). Her spirit and humanity is not affected, though. She merely pushes through.
One more example of spirit and humanity not being affected would be the men that stay in the Kirov even when the alarms go off, or the person that Kolya and Lev hear playing the great piano solo during the bombings. Their spirit is not affected, and they want to keep living life as it should be.
And a last example of people being affected could be how the poor kind of controlled the rich in times of war. There was no food, so the rich people had to barter with the poor in a kind of "black market" thing. And the poor could withhold things by simply saying "go ahead, eat your silverware. See if I care." This is kind of an upheaval of the social pyramid.
2. Why is literature such a huge part of this book about war? What's the message about reading books in society?
Hm. I think maybe literature is such a huge part of this book about war because it kind of shows the escapism involved in literature and writing. These people don't (and can't!) experience all these feelings of terribleness at once and they need escapes and ways out. Literature, in the form of books, helps the character to escape. In the case of Lev and Kolya, when Kolya asks Lev all these questions like "well haven't you read so-and-so's great work? that's a classic, why not!?" it's kind of bringing them back to simpler times, or rather, times before the war. The same goes for whenever Lev talks about (or doesn't) his father the poet. It's a link back to the past that he can hardly bring up because he doesn't want to tarnish that image he has of him with this horrible war and its atrocities. It was also just a super traumatic event, and it's very hard to talk about things like that, even without this added factor of war. In turn, Kolya's book (okay so we don't know it's his yet--but it is) is also a form of escapism. He's imagining himself as this great writer--which he drills into Lev's head by constantly saying how it's ridiculous how he's never heard of this great, prolific, writer--when he knows he could easily die by nightfall from starvation or a bullet or some other terror. (this relates to Kolya as a character too, in that he uses his haughty/cocky sense of self as a facade for his true demeanor which we only see when he talks about his book)
I think that the message about reading and writing in society is that it helps even the most damaged people escape from the horrors of the situation around them, and in that respect is a very useful tool.
3. What do you make of the pairing of Lev and Kolya? Are they a natural fit?
In terms of the world of literature, I think they are "a natural fit." It's the boy who doesn't want to do the thing (Lev) and the other boy, the contrast, (Kolya) who is like, "but the thing is fun!!!!! and ~ladies." They're a classic pair.
In terms of actual pairings, I feel like they work together well also. They may not listen to each other half the time, and they do get into dangerous situations, but that's the fun of it.
Lev is a boy who believes it is his duty to guard his city. He was born and raised in Piter and knows all the ins and outs of it. Unfortunately for him, he looks, and is, Jewish and a Russian. A terrible combination, in his eyes. He has a traumatic past and his family aren't around (in the city) anymore.
Kolya is, at first, the typical "bad boy," mischief-maker character. He looks like a German, is sarcastic and cheeky as he can get away with, and is a ladies man. He's in the army, but is a deserter. This kind of shows a little bit of his true character. He doesn't really care about the rules and regulations of the army, nor does he really want to go out there and die for this city, no matter how much he truly does wish to protect it. He's constantly talking about literature and women and how he hasn't pooped in like, what, eight days?
[the whole "I haven't pooped in (insert number here) days! how horrid!" thing obviously does mean something to the story if it's mentioned countless times throughout the book. I think that could, honestly, be a good point of discussion. I believe they talk about it so much because it illustrates how things are so strange, inhuman, and horrible in this war that not even normal functions are happening anymore. it's like the whole world has been turned on its head! I know there's the obvious, logical explanation of sawdust ration bread, but the fact of the matter is, you don't mention something more than twice if you don't think it's important in a book.]
Anyway, I think that these two characters go together so well because they're able to bounce things off of each other and hold themselves back or jump off. Lev learns countless things from Kolya--be they things he really wants to know, you be the judge--and Kolya is genuinely interested in and appreciative of what Lev has to say. This is great for Lev because he's never had anyone who really, really loved him and cared for him. Whether this be friendship that he seemed to be a perpetual fifth wheel to (the twins and Grisha and Vera already paired off and him left to the wind), or in the case of his mother who only said things about him being "stupid" as a way of "i love you." The only person that seems to have loved him was his father, who took care of him and taught him things (ding! ding!) like chess and how to win at having your swanky author friends over. Lev really needs this element of friendship/love because he's never experienced it. Kolya is a perfect half-to-the-whole for him because he likes to learn new things, and confirm suspicions, and is genuinely so very, very interested in everyone around him. Kolya needs Lev because he holds him back from some of the ridiculous things he wants to do, but he also appreciates him too. I don't think Kolya really gets many people that are truly interested in him other than for his good looks, mischief, or sex. Lev seems to understand this and listens and goes back-and-forth with arguments and comments on his behavior or ideas. I don't think Kolya gets this feedback often and it's honestly really positive.
(I found a spot where Kolya's opinion is actually respected by others and it's only when he's in an argument and people have to listen because he's a soldier. It's on page 75, and right after it everyone gets all annoyed with him and mockingly calls him 'comrade' and he goes back to his old cocksure self.)
What do you think about this relationship? I have so many thoughts on it.
And lastly, you asked me to come up with some ideas to discuss for Friday! Here goes.
- I think that the main adventure element at the very beginning is really interesting. While they are horrified at the idea of having to find a dozen eggs in Piter, they finally have a purpose. They might get out of this war if only they can find some eggs. They're scared and that seems to be the only element shown in the text, but I think they're also really, really intensely excited that they don't have to do this whole living day by day in a dying city and thinking of nothing but death. What do you think of that?
- Darling. Let's talk about the dying boy Vadim and the grandfather and the just-fantastic surprise they get when they take the *cough* chicken *cough* home. What do you think happened to the boy? Did he get better with the help of the two girls, or did he simply waste away on the rooftop? What was it like for the boy to live up there with only the seemingly crazy grandfather? Is this another example of how humanity is taken away during wartime and a little boy is killed in the midst of it?
- When Kolya and Sonya are going at it in the other room, and Lev is so confused as to what he's saying to her the whole time. I think in City of Thieves, sex is kind of used for Lev as a way of escapism. It's just like Kolya's book. It takes Lev away from this war and back to being a normal human teenage boy. It's also another way to further Kolya and Lev's relationship in that Kolya gets to teach something and Lev gets to be a willing subject. Also, why sex is such an embarrassing topic for Lev to talk about. This could be attributed to being a teenager, but it could also be about the war. (I actually had something really insightful about why it was about the war, but I LOST it and I can't remember it for the life of me) I guess it could be embarrassing for him also because it is a form of escapism and to even imagine himself out of this situation is kind of horrible. (<--this wasn't my original thought, but I guess it's okay) Thoughts?
- The character Sonya and why she is important.
- Pooping!!! it's so important! (refer to above)
- When Kolya talks about needing a high and getting it from the wood alcohol on page...51. He says "I needed a sniff, I took a sniff, now I feel alive again" (51). We can just discuss how interesting this is for Kolya's character. And also why he's so honest with the amount of money that they have when they're in the market. Why would he be so honest about it when Lev clearly wants to hide it?
Not all of those ideas are particularly important or significant, but I think they're all very fascinating things.
Anywho, I'm really excited about this book and the things that we can discuss with it.
