Symbolism In Kostoglotov's Cancer Ward

In the book, Cancer Ward, a clear villain is never fully identified, however, the book uses symbolism to described the omnipresent fall of the U.S.S.R and the state under Stalin's rule. This is represented by the character named Pavel Rusanov, which is emitted into the cancer ward and forced to undergo treatment. Rusanov is both a standard worker for the state, as well as an informer working for the secret police. This unnerves Rusanov, as recently a man he helped arrest over eighteen years ago has now been released, creating fear in Rusanov that the man will seek vengeance for his arrest. Symbolically, Rusanov is the deteriorating political regime put in place under Stalin, while the released man is the people now recovering from the chains …show more content…
In this quote Kostoglotov is questioning the price of living life; moreover, the great amount of value each life is said to hold. He then ponders the idea that life may not be worth such an extortionate price, stating that some have payed too much for life. This central theme in the book could be seen as a somewhat nihilistic approach to the value of living, however, this way of thinking is due to the conditions that Kostoglotov is facing. Kostoglotov, along with others, are being treated in a cancer ward for the entire book, experiencing many harsh and terrifying treatments that the doctors perform of them. This then sets in motion the aforementioned theme of the book, as Kostoglotov soon finds himself questioning if the life he is living is worth the pain of the treatments. For example, the quote states "Can one accept a life of digestion, respiration, muscular and brain activity-and nothing more? 'Become a walking blueprint? Is this not an exorbitant price?", which clearly describes his distain for his treatments. These treatments have trapped Kostoglotov in a hospital bed, doing nothing more than thinking and eating, slowly becoming a shell of the man he once was, all to pay for the ever rising price of living. The authors purpose for this quote in the book is to make an allusion to the fall of the U.S.S.R, more specifically, the effects of the now forgotten ideas of Stalinism. Just as Kostoglotov describes the value of life, the same can be said for the current state of Russia. The people-Kostoglotov-suffered through Stalin's "Great Purge"-cancer-in the vast but yet confining Russia-the cancer