Chapter 79: Lina’s Desperate Plea for Medicine
⚠️ 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
Lina practices Russian words—doctor, medicine, mother, please—hoping to secure help. She recalls Andrius’s advice not to show fear. Her mother, along with others like the man who winds his watch and Janina’s mother, is dangerously ill. Lina approaches NKVD barracks, waiting for a private moment with Kretzsky. Ivanov spots her and mockingly suggests sunshine, fruit, and vegetables as a “cure.” Lina asks Kretzsky directly, but he says there is no doctor. Ivanov threatens her with an extra twenty-year sentence and denies her ration for the day. Lina loses both the chance for medicine and her daily bread, feeling humiliated. She reflects on her fading memory of sunshine and doubts whether the prisoners can survive to build a bathhouse or school. Back at the hut, Mother trembles and slips in and out of sleep. Lina and Jonas sandwich her to warm her. Mrs. Rimas heats bricks, Janina picks lice from Mother’s eyelashes, and the bald man tucks his own ration under Mother’s hand. Mother hands Papa’s wedding ring to Jonas, saying it is full of love. Her trembling worsens; her lips turn blue. She whispers “Kostas” before Jonas silently pleads, “No. Please.”
Key Events
- Lina rehearses Russian phrases to ask for medicine.
- She waits for a chance to speak to Kretzsky alone but is intercepted by Ivanov.
- Ivanov mocks her request, then threatens her with extra punishment.
- Lina loses her daily ration and gains nothing for her mother.
- She walks to the trees, struggling to remember sunshine and questioning survival.
- Mother’s condition deteriorates: chattering teeth, blue lips, slipping in and out of sleep.
- The community rallies: Lina and Jonas warm Mother, Mrs. Rimas heats bricks, Janina removes lice, a bald man donates his ration.
- Mother gives Jonas Papa’s wedding ring, emphasizing love.
- Mother’s final words are “Kostas” as Jonas begs for her not to die.
Character Development
- Lina: Grows in desperation but also in resolve. She swallows her hatred of the NKVD to beg for help, showing her love for Mother outweighs her pride. After the failure, she steels herself: “I would fight. I would do whatever it took.”
- Jonas: Silently frightened, he looks to Lina for guidance. His whispered “No. Please” reveals the core of his terror and his attachment to Mother.
- Mother: Physically broken, yet she maintains a focus on love as the most important thing. Handing over Papa’s ring shows she is preparing for death.
- Ivanov: Revels in cruelty, using sarcasm and threats to humiliate and punish Lina. His power is absolute.
- Kretzsky: Silent complicity; he offers no help despite Lina’s direct plea, reinforcing the prisoners’ isolation.
- Bald man, Mrs. Rimas, Janina: They act selflessly, providing small but significant acts of care, demonstrating communal solidarity.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Humiliation as Control: Ivanov’s mockery and denial illustrate how the NKVD uses degradation to break prisoners’ spirit.
- Love vs. Terror: Mother’s gift of the wedding ring—symbol of parental love and sacrifice—contrasts with Ivanov’s cruelty. Jonas’s desperate plea mirrors the larger fear of losing family.
- The Absurdity of Hope: Ivanov’s sarcastic prescription (sunshine, fruit, vegetables) highlights the grotesque gap between the prisoners’ reality and normal life.
- Community Sustenance: The shared act of heating bricks, picking lice, and donating rations shows that survival depends on mutual aid, not individual strength.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 79 marks a turning point in the family’s medical crisis. It is the first time Lina directly confronts the NKVD for a tangible need—and loses everything. Mother’s fading condition raises the stakes: the reader realizes that even if the winter ends, many may not live to see spring. The chapter also cements Lina’s shift from passive resentment to active fighting (though unsuccessful). The scene of the community gathering around Mother underscores the book’s emphasis on solidarity under oppression. This chapter sets up the possibility of Mother’s death and forces readers to ask how much more Lina and Jonas can endure.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Lina approach the NKVD barracks even though she hates them?
She hates the NKVD for killing her father, but her mother’s illness overrides her pride. She believes obtaining medicine is worth the humiliation. The alternative—watching Mother die—is worse.
2. What does Ivanov’s mock response reveal about his character and the regime?
Ivanov’s suggestion of “sunshine, fresh fruits, and vegetables” is a cruel joke that highlights the prisoners’ starvation and the complete absence of medical care. It shows his enjoyment of power and the regime’s utter disregard for prisoners’ lives.
3. How do the other prisoners respond to Mother’s crisis, and what does that suggest?
Mrs. Rimas heats bricks, Janina picks lice, a bald man gives his ration. These small acts show that compassion and reciprocity still exist among the prisoners, forming a fragile support network. It suggests that survival depends on emotional and material sharing, not individual effort.