Doctor Zhivago: A Tragic Hero

Doctor Zhivago is independently minded novel of fiction that is told through the real history of the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the Civil War. This unique point in history sets the stage for a story founded in epic romance, tragedy as well as history. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, many Russian people were first to live through the misfortunes of the time. Most of all the novel Doctor Zhivago tells the emotional trials of love amplified by the state of revolution. Because of its unfavorable perspective of life in Russia the book wasn’t allowed to be published in the USSR originally. This lead to the book being smuggled into Milan and then published there in Italy in 1957. This Nobel Prize winning novel’s struggle to even been published reflects the underlying theme of the story, the struggle …show more content…
From the start of the novel Yuri is compelled by his desire to do right and live a life that is both just and helpful to the people around him. His fatal flaw comes from his inability to control his own life and desires. These raw emotions coupled with the revolution of the nation set his story up for tragedy from the start. When we are first introduced to Yuri we are at his mother’s funeral and quickly are told the story of his father’s alcoholism induced suicide. Because of this Yuri is set to be raised by his uncle, who is still part of the intellectual class and later marries a childhood friend. This marriage is not based on love, but instead on mutual affection and respect. Tonya, Yuri’s wife, is a very kind women and stood by Yuri since their introduction as children. Even before her passing, Tonya’s mother, Anna Ivanovna, tells the couple that they are made for each other. Sadly this most sibling like love does not end in a comfort based marriage. From the start of the novel we are also introduced to the story of Lara, a women in which Yuri becomes hopelessly infatuated