Cheerful meetings
Yuri, when captured in the camp of partisans, becomes more and more sad. The reasons for this are clear enough – he does not know what happens with his family, besides all this revolutions does not seem for him sensible, and he does not conceal his attitude. Liberius Averkievich, the one who keeps Yuri by force, says once to him: “And yet, you know, if you cam to our meetings, if you kept in touch with our splendid, our magnificent people, you wouldn’t feel half so low. You wouldn’t suffer from this melancholia”. The very idea of this is comical and ironic, and Liberius acts as if he does not understand, though he understands everything perfectly, which produces even an effect of mocking.
A true Christian
The ironic tendency of religion in the novel is not very pronounced, but still we can feel it in the description of the Orthodox Church as part of the Russian establishment of the beginning of the century. This time coincides with the beginning of the history of Yuri Zhivago. In the funeral scene, the interaction of the two plans gives a slight touch of irony. And much more irony is felt in Shura Shlesinger's description: “She was a theosophist, but she was also an expert on the ritual of the Orthodox Church, and even when she toute transportée is a state of utter ecstasy, could not refrain from prompting the officiating clergy”.
A strange Doctor
Yuri Zhivago proved to be an excellent doctor, but not the one who treats: the one who diagnoses. He with little effort can tell what is wrong with somebody’s health, but takes no steps towards helping this person by treating the sickness. This trait of his is mirrored in his attitude towards everything around him; he understands all the situation, and the threats that might happen with him or his close, but again he does nothing to prevent what happens, and does nothing to change.
