Chapter 20: Smoking a Book – Summary & Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
The train crosses the Ural Mountains into Asia, heading toward southern Siberia or beyond. The stench from Ona’s baby’s corpse becomes unbearable. After several failed attempts to dispose of the body secretly, Miss Grybas snatches the bundle and throws it down the latrine hole. Ona collapses in grief. Jonas grows distant and angry, spending all his time with Andrius, who teaches him Russian slang and lets him smoke. One night Lina sees Jonas lighting a cigarette but Mother tells her to leave him be. Later, Miss Grybas discovers Jonas and Andrius smoking pages torn from Lina’s copy of The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens. Lina is furious because the book was a gift from her late grandmother. Andrius takes the blame, but Lina screams at both boys.
Key Events
- The train crosses the Ural Mountains, marking the boundary between Europe and Asia.
- Ona’s baby has been dead for three days; the smell is overwhelming.
- Miss Grybas forcefully disposes of the baby’s body through the train’s latrine hole.
- Jonas displays behavioral changes: he is angry, clings to Andrius, and learns Russian slang.
- Lina spots Jonas smoking a cigarette at night; Mother declines to intervene.
- Miss Grybas catches Jonas and Andrius tearing pages from The Pickwick Papers to use as rolling paper.
- Lina confronts Andrius and Jonas, devastated that her grandmother’s gift is destroyed.
Character Development
Lina – Already burdened by hunger and uncertainty, Lina’s emotional stability cracks when her prized possession—a book from her grandmother—is sacrificed. Her anger at Andrius and Jonas reveals her deep attachment to memory and objects that connect her to her past life.
Jonas – He retreats into a hardened shell. His apprenticeship with Andrius in Russian slang and smoking marks a loss of innocence. He no longer seeks comfort from Lina or their mother, choosing instead to emulate the male figures around him—both the NKVD and Andrius.
Andrius – He assumes a protective but reckless role. He teaches Jonas survival habits (smoking, Russian words) that may help him later, but his decision to burn a book shows his pragmatism has a destructive edge. He tries to shield Jonas by taking the blame.
Miss Grybas – Her cold efficiency in disposing of the baby and her outrage at the book-burning show a rigid moral code. She believes in preserving knowledge and culture, but her methods are harsh and judgmental, making her an ambiguous figure—neither fully cruel nor truly kind.
Mother – Her refusal to stop Jonas from smoking indicates a shift in parenting: she prioritizes emotional survival over rules, trusting Andrius’s influence as a buffer against despair.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
The Book as a Symbol of Civilization
The Dickens novel represents art, memory, and the educated world the deportees were forced to leave. Burning its pages to smoke tobacco is a tangible destruction of culture. Miss Grybas’s lecture—“You are becoming the animals they treat us as!”—directly links the act to the dehumanization the Soviets intend.
Latrine Hole as Erasure
The hole where the baby’s body is dumped is also where human waste goes. It symbolizes the regime’s view of the deportees as disposable refuse. Miss Grybas’s cold comment—“It’s always easier for someone unattached”—reinforces the idea that emotional bonds are a liability.
Loss of Innocence
Jonas’s smoking, his use of NKVD slang, and his anger all signify a child forced to grow up too fast. The chapter marks a point where childhood comforts (a favorite book, a sister’s protection) can no longer be sustained.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter crystallizes the tension between survival and humanity. The destruction of the Dickens book is a microcosm of the larger cultural erasure the Soviets practice. It also deepens Lina’s internal conflict: she must decide whether to hold onto anger or forgive those who are also victims. The disposal of the baby’s body shows how the prisoners themselves are forced to participate in acts that would be unthinkable in normal life. Jonas’s emotional drift suggests that the camp experience will permanently alter family bonds.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Miss Grybas take the baby’s body from Ona and throw it down the latrine?
She acts out of pragmatic cruelty. The rotting corpse endangers everyone with disease and attracts guards’ attention. An “unattached” person, she believes, can perform the act more efficiently than the mother. Her statement “It’s always easier for someone unattached” reveals her belief that emotional distance is a survival tool.
2. How does Lina’s reaction to the book burning differ from her reaction to the baby’s disposal?
Lina does not protest the baby’s disposal beyond gasping; she understands its necessity. But the book burning sends her into a rage because the object held sentimental value. This contrast shows that Lina has compartmentalized her trauma: she accepts the loss of life as unavoidable but reacts to the destruction of a meaningful symbol.
3. What does Jonas’s anger and new behavior (smoking, Russian slang) suggest about his psychological state?
Jonas is trying to adopt the traits of the oppressors (NKVD slang) and of a protective older male (Andrius) to feel in control. His anger masks fear and helplessness. Mother allows it because she sees Andrius as a lifeline; a rebellious Jonas may be better than a broken one.