Loyalty and compassion
The novel is set during the Second World War, during the Siege of Leningrad. The siege was the longest siege in history and it affected the population of the city in ways that can’t be explained. Many died because of starvation and crimes like murder, stealing, and even cannibalism became extremely common. Every person in the city was preoccupied by their own survival and everything else did not matter. Keeping this in mind, it is somehow surprising to see that some characters still manifested loyalty and compassion in such times. Kolya and Lev are among the characters that are the most loyal. Kolya for example gave up his food willingly to the young boy in the chicken coop even though he knew that he was risking starving himself. Also, Kolya took care of Lev, helping him and being more loyal to him that Lev’s friends were to him. Kolya proved that even though in certain times the situation may be tough, we can still chose to be compassionate to one another.
Life in the city
The novel presents an accurate description of the way life used to be in the city of Leningrad during the Second World War. The narrator describes with great accuracy the way life ended up being towards the end of the siege, when the citizens in Leningrad struggled to get enough wood to make fires to warm themselves or get enough food. In fact, food became so scarce that many found themselves in the situation to have to eat dirt or resort to cannibalism to survive. Thus, one of the major themes in the novel is providing an accurate description of the way life was during the Siege of Leningrad and to present the ways in which the people survived.
Masculinity
Another major theme in the novel is the theme of masculinity, namely discussing the characteristics separating a man from a boy. Lev considers that it is his duty as a man to stay behind in the city and fight even though his family decided to flee. Kolya considers that it is his duty as a man to conquer women and to help them when they are in need. Because of this, he does not hesitate to help the three women they found in a warehouse outside Leningrad. Masculinity is also close linked with the idea of sexuality and from this perspective, Lev still has to mature to became a true man.
