Analysis Of David Benioff's 'City Of Thieves'

From The Slums
Social justice issues demonstrate the blight of society in addition to negatively influencing quality of life and the developing potential of affected individuals or communities. David Benioff’s City Of Thieves recites the narrative of two boys freeing themselves from the shackles in which poverty places them in. The inequitable distribution of food, wealth, combined with the lack of government care throughout the country force laborious standards of living in order to survive. As a catalyst, political issues creates tensions between humans as a whole which spark towards war; leading to poor living conditions within the country. Resulting from poverty, inequality rises which contribute to the discrimination and segregation of
Desperate conditions result in desperate measures in order to live. This desperation is seen when Lev risks his life running, “with no fat or muscle to cushion the fall, meant a broken bone, and a broken bone meant death.” (Benioff 13). Despite knowing the consequences and risk, he continues to runs outside to the falling German in hopes that he carries food, even if the punishment for violating curfew without a permit is summary execution. This displays the struggle that he must face on a day to day basis, when the decision between life or death is placed upon him, risking his life is a worthy cause in order to combat the starvation experienced. Similarly, bold decisions must be made in order obtain food to survive, even if the decisions made are considered unethical. When embarking on their journey Lev and Kolya visit a building for eggs, Lev grows in suspicion, he soon realizes he’s looking at “a flayed thigh that could only be a woman’s thigh, a child’s rib cage, a severed arm with the hand’s ring finger missing,” (Benioff 59). As disturbing as it is, the insufficiency of food means resorting to cannibalism is not uncommon during wartimes. This highlights the immorality caused by desperation and starvation which citizens face on a daily basis as a result of the insufficient amount of food provided by the government. In Canada, struggling to survive
There is a common scapegoat amongst the majority to place a finger on when facing hardship. “The Germans’ barbarity, the Party’s propaganda, the crossfire of incendiary bullets,” (Benioff 51), serve as a reason to have war. War diverts resources away from its citizens which leaves the people in starvation and suffering from poverty. The way you are born in affects the way you live your life. As for Lev, he “was cursed with the pessimism of both the Russians and the Jews, two of the gloomiest tribes in the world.”(Benioff 98), which illustrate the importance of societal status and race. Depending on your race or political affiliation, it could decide the way you live in luxury, or the way you die in debt. Societal issues have been used as a leverage in the past as an excuse to start war. For example, in 1939 during the Great Depression, “most families were struggling just to put food on the table and pay the rent, retirement saving was an unaffordable luxury”, according to John Hardman’s The Great Depression and the New Deal. Families are desperate to get food on the table, thus succumbing to political repression which eventually lead to World War II. The requirement of basic needs and necessities for families cloud the thinking to make rational decisions. Poverty causes indecisive judgement which as a result, leads to decisions made which allow political issues and strain to