How and why does Volkovoy act so inhumanly to his fellow men?
The word Volk means wolf in Russian therefore his name can be translated to " a wolf to a man". So, even by his name you can already predict what kind of character Volkovoy really is. In other words Volkovoy feel no obligation to do rational things to his comrades. Like a crazed wild animal, he revels in the bloodshed itself. He does not draw blood to instill respect for the Soviet government but rather to satisfy some primordial bloodlust of his own.
Why is Volkavoy not following some rules in the camp?
Volkovoy ignores Buynovsky’s assertion that strip-searching in subzero temperatures outdoors violates an article of the Soviet Criminal Code, showing his lack of concern for right and wrong. We might imagine that a Soviet officer would rush to defend actions performed in the name of his country, such as a prison body count, but Volkovoy does not. He is altogether indifferent to others’ opinions of state-sponsored actions. Yet when Buynovsky goes a step further and accuses Volkovoy of being a bad Soviet citizen, Volkovoy gets violently indignant. He knowingly violates Soviet law and is thus, in a way, a bad Soviet citizen, but he is unwilling to admit as much. He cares much more about making himself look good than making his country look good. Though he disrespects his country’s laws with his actions, he wants, hypocritically, to be seen as an ideal Soviet citizen.
Ryoung,
ReplyDelete1.) To start with, I would like to say that the translation of the name Volkovoy is very interesting. And by this translation I can infer that he treats the other men in the camp just like a wolf protecting its territory. I believe that he intentionally tries to gain respect from the others.
2.) I believe that Ivan is not following some rules of the camp because he realized that he already had enough, he cannot take it anymore. Ivan is now feeling the need for freedom of speech and human rights.
Thank you,
Julia