A Short Story Of Lina

The family benefits from Lina’s mother’s calmness by not having to worry as much. They were able to stay calm and pack up their belongings. Their mother’s calmness also prevents them from becoming scared. They did what the officers told them instead of rebelling. Yes, I consider Lina’s mother breaking the dishes an act of rebellion. She knew what they were going to do with the dishes if she did not break them. She loved her dishes and didn’t want the Nazi’s to use, sell, or profit from them. In my opinion, her reaction is appropriate. The Nazi’s did nothing to earn those items. She had the right to do break the dishes because they were coming to take away her and her family. She is trying to control the situation by breaking her china instead
She didn’t want the NKVD to know they were related because if they did, they might try to imprison Regina too, and Elena did not want that to happen. Elena is trying to accomplish safety for her cousin. Some conclusions that can be drawn about Elena from this encounter are that she cares about others more than she cares about herself. She wants everyone to be safe and doesn’t want their conditions to worsen. The government’s policy is controlling and unfair. The government wants no opposition. If someone disagrees with their policy, the government will take swift and deadly actions. The government wanted to eliminate Ona’s baby because they did not want her to cause any trouble like her father did. They did not want the father to have an offspring whom he could preach and teach his ideas to. They wanted to make him suffer for what he did. This would also be an example to others. The government held the whole family responsible for one member’s actions and affiliations. The government officials are murderers of innocent people and they don’t even care. This realization changes Lina by making her realize how harsh and evil the NKVD really is. They were going to take Jonas
Lina also uses her passion for art to remain connected to the outside world by putting her drawings in a wooden box and burying it for someone on the outside to discover. It is the discovery of this box that leads to this novel being written and the memories of those who survived Stalin’s cleansing of the Baltic region. Lina’s family made the right decision by refusing to “confess” to counterrevolutionary activities. There was no promise of freedom even if they did sign. However, those who did sign did not get moved. Lina’s family also made the right decision because they did not want to agree to the conditions of the contract. They were not criminals and if they signed the paperwork they were agreeing to be just that. Mother refused to sign as a show of dignity and pride. These attributes are nonmaterial things that the guards could not take away from Lina’s mother. This story is about compassion, determination, love, hope, and miracles. I chose compassion because of the shocking ending in which the guard is the one that really helps the prisoners to survive. Even in the face of total hopelessness, there are people who still have a sense of compassion. I chose determination because that is what the family displayed in surviving their