Ariel Schon

"City Of Thieves" David Benioff

Lyova Patriot or Indoctrinated?

Many conflicts and interesting thoughts come to mind when reading "City Of Thieves". All of them could possibly be widely discussed, but I chose a specific one that interests me for many reasons. My topic tries to understand Lev's patriotism, considering his past. Lev's father was taken and most possibly killed by the NKVD. Yet somehow Lev still wants to be a hero of Russia, to protect Leningrad. He is very loyal to his country throughout the book, and my researches goal is to understand why and how. I find this question interesting mainly because of the different directions it could be approached at: Egoism Lev worries for Russia not because he loves the country, but because he worries for his own personal life and the effects of havoc are threatening it. Mindlessness Lev, like many others, falls victim to the Russian propaganda. It affects him so strongly that he forgets about his father, or disconnects his absence from "Mother Russia". He might even blame it on someone else. Philosophy/Ideology Lev respects the law, and sees it as an important value to preserve order. He probably loved his father a lot, but thats not relevant His father broke the law, and law breakers must be punished. Lev does not see this as Russia's fault, but as his father's fault. He broke the law and was punished, but that doesn't make Lev hold grudge for his Country There are many other possible ways to look at this problem, and more approaches will be observed throughout this research.

Ariel Schon

"City Of Thieves" David Benioff

I would like to begin with a brief summary and analysis of Lev's prominent thoughts about his father and patriotism in the beginning of the book, and then refer to other parts in the book in order to thoroughly understand them. Right when the plot begins, we start seeing seeds of patriotism. When Lev's mother wants him to leave with her and his little sister, he refuses. He tells himself: "...But I wasn't leaving Piter. I was a Man, I would defend my city, I would be a Nevsky for the twentieth century" . We can clearly see here that Lev is influenced by propaganda deeply. He connects his desire to be a man, to grow up, to the act of defending the city and standing up for Russia. He speaks of this "Nevsky", who goes by the full name of Alexander Nevsky. Alexander was the prince of Novgorod, and held many titles. He is most known for his triumphs over German and Swedish invaders to Russia in the 13th century. Alexander's shrine is in St. Petersburg Lev's city. His image was also widely used in Russian war-time propaganda, as shown in figure 1. This subtle hint in the book shows us that Lev feels right now like a patriot, and wants to be a protector of Russia Just like Nevsky. He is easy prey for the Russian
Figure 1 Russian war-time poster featuring Alexander Nevsky

propaganda, at least as long as it's comfortable for him He didn't get a chance to prove his heroism yet. After reading a bit more, we reach the first reference of Lev's father and his encounter with the NKVD (Chapter Three). Lev speaks of his fear from the NKVD ("The men were NKVD I had learned to dread the sight of their Packards idling outside the gates of the Kirov"), and tells us that the men few lucky men that get to return after being taken by the NKVD return

Ariel Schon

"City Of Thieves" David Benioff

lifeless, without joy. They avoid Lev because they knew what happened to his father ("They knew what happened to my father and they could not meet my eyes"). In this paragraph, Lev speaks only about his fear from the NKVD and does not state any official opinion about them or the government in general he is docile, and does not question their authority or moral. From here on, the book is filled with evidence pointing both ways. I would like to jump to a turning point in the book, towards the end When Lev, Kolya and Vika escape the Nazi camp and run towards the Russian forest. There, we read an amazing paragraph as if especially designed to fit and shed light on our question: "I have never been much of a patriot. My father would not have allowed such a thing while he lived, and his death ensured that his wish was carried out. Piter commanded far more affection and loyalty from me than the nation as a whole. But that night, running across the unplowed fields of winter wheat, with the Fascist invaders behind us and the dark Russian woods before us, I felt a surge of pure love for my country." Lev tells us now that he was never a patriot which means our previous pieces of evidence point to something entirely different. Lev loved his city the place he was born and bred. He did not love his country. He felt fear and repulsion from it, and its primitive methods of governing and crowd-control. But now, after fighting for his country, Lyova has changed. He is now a patriot of Russia, and not only of Piter. He speaks of his father, clearly stating that his father would not allow this. And yet, he feels great love for his nation after everything that happened to him and his family.

Ariel Schon

"City Of Thieves" David Benioff

If we jump back to the prologue of the book, where Lev is regarded as David's grandfather, we read that Lev never felt a part of the U.S even though he lived there: "sat on a park bench reading his Russian newspaper He never lost his accent, he never voted in an election or listened to American music" The Lyova described here is a different Lyova than we know throughout most of the book This is Lyova after the life-changing fight with the Einsatzgruppen. We have many other evidence in the prologue that the fight was an important chapter in Lev's life. The book's first line is "My grandfather, the knife-fighter, killed two Germans before he was eighteen". The stump of his left index finger is also mentioned, and leads the reader to imagine a great battle. Although the battle wasn't of great magnificence, and probably had little effect on the war, it was a great moment in Lev's life he served his country.

To conclude, Lev didn't start out as much of a patriot he loved his city, but not Russia. That might have been due to his father and the way he was educated at home, or just because he did not appreciate the methods and principals of the Bolshevik Russian government. Lev kept this attitude throughout most of the book, right up until the changing moment when he fights the Germans. After serving Russia Lev feels a "surge of pure love" for his country. From that point on, he becomes a patriot of Russia. The best demonstration we could find for this effect on his life will be when going back to the very begging of the book. When reading the prologue, Lev is still a Russian patriot although he lives in America and many years have passed. He didn't begin as a patriot, or as indoctrinated but he became a true patriot and lover of Russia.