we the living summary

She takes a train to a border town, using a faked travel permit, and then, dressed all in white, makes her way toward the border. One day, her cousin, Victor tells her that he likes her and that they should get married. [1] It has since sold more than three million copies.[2]. At the beginning of the story, Kira returns to Petrograd with her family, after a prolonged exile due to the assault of the Bolshevik revolutionaries. The store he opened brought no profit and – as bourgeoisies – they had to pay a higher rent. It is love at first sight for Kira, and she throws herself at Leo, who initially takes her to be a prostitute. [2], Rand believed that We the Living was not widely reviewed, but Rand scholar Michael S. Berliner says "it was the most reviewed of any of her works", with approximately 125 different reviews being published in more than 200 publications. Rand observes in the foreword that We the Living was the closest she would ever come to writing an autobiography. Kira is an independent woman and she decides to keep her spirits up and do whatever she wants despite the pressure. In the first edition,[10] Kira said to Andrei, "I loathe your ideals. However, it soon closes because there are few people with any money to spend on anything other than food. Kira's family eventually manages to find living quarters, and Kira's father gets a license to open a textile shop, an establishment that is but a shadow of his old firm. Kira’s father, Alexander, owned a textile factory before the Soviets seized it. When he confesses his love to Kira, she is dismayed but also desperate, so she feigns love for Andrei and agrees to become his mistress. At the beginning of the story, Kira returns to Petrograd with her family, after a prolonged exile due to the assault of the Bolshevik revolutionaries. Their daughter, Irina, is an art student. The story takes place from 1922 to 1925, in post-revolutionary Russia. Leo's father was a counter-revolutionary and he's sought by the Communist police at the time he meets Kira. After Leo's departure, Kira makes a final attempt to cross the border. When they get to the city, they go to the home of Galina's sister and her family. This volume contains Rand's original UNrevised text. Leo, in contrast, sinks slowly into indifference and depression. She was still friends with Andrei, made it up with her family and was genuinely happy. Kira leaves her parents' apartment and moves into Leo's. An independent spirit with a will to match, she rejects any attempt by her family or the nascent Soviet state to cast her into a mold. After Leo's departure, Kira makes a final attempt to cross the border. This version, approved by Rand and her estate, was re-released as We the Living in 1986. Andrei is a communist and a member of the secret police but he likes Kira very much and he finds her a job. Kira Argounova, the protagonist of the story, is the younger daughter of a bourgeois family. Kira Argounova arrives at Petrograd in 1922 on the "threshold of a box car" because there were not enough seats in the passenger cars. After several weeks, German authorities, who were allied with the Italian government, insisted that the film be pulled from distribution because of its anti-Fascist themes. She makes her way some additional distance and dies alone in the snow. In the first edition,[10] Kira said to Andrei, "I loathe your ideals. After a couple of meetings, when they share their deep contempt for the state of their lives, the two plan to escape the country together. She is eighteen years old and is accompanied by her mother, Galina, her father Alexander, and her twenty-eight-year-old sister, Lydia. I want a woman like you. Kira's father had been the owner of a textile factory, which was seized and nationalized. [32], The play was not published during Rand's lifetime. [19][20] In The New York Times, reviewer Harold Strauss said Rand had "a good deal of narrative skill", but the novel was "slavishly warped to the dictates of propaganda" against the Soviets. Brett's decision was not without controversy within Macmillan. Kira and Leo are shown to be united by their desperate lives and their beliefs that run counter to what is being thrust on them by the state. "[16] Robert Mayhew cautioned that "We should not conclude too quickly that these passages are strong evidence of an earlier Nietzschean phase in Ayn Rand's development, because such language can be strictly metaphorical (even if the result of an early interest in Nietzsche)". However, the girl got used to do as she wished, so she got a labor book and entered the Institute. He contracts tuberculosis and is prescribed treatment in a sanatorium. [17] Susan Love Brown countered that "Mayhew becomes an apologist for Rand's denials of change and smooths over the fact that Rand herself saw the error of her ways and corrected them. Rand observes in the foreword that We the Living was the closest she would ever come to writing an autobiography. Prior to their release, the films were nearly censored by Mussolini's government, but they were permitted because the story itself was set in Soviet Russia and was directly critical of that regime. An overcrowded train took them back to Petrograd whose face was covered with the numerous scars of the civil war. Copyright © 1999 - 2020 GradeSaver LLC. [23] Ethel Lockwood recommended it as a realistic look at the impact of Soviet policies, but warned it was not for the "squeamish" or those unaccustomed to "the continental viewpoint toward sex relationships". They have a younger child... (read more from the Part One: Chapters I through III Summary). Leo loses his job and he can not find another one. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Plot Summary of “We The Living” by Ayn Rand. [22] In his syndicated "A Book a Day" column, Bruce Catton called it "a tragic story" about the harmful impact of revolution on the middle class. Rand finished writing the novel in 1934, but it was rejected by several publishers before being released by Macmillan Publishing in 1936. Canadian writer Barbara Branden said that "Some of her readers were disturbed when they discovered this and similar changes",[15] but insisted that "unlike Nietzsche, she rejected as unforgivably immoral any suggestion that the superior man had the right to use physical force as a means to his end. Life is excruciatingly difficult in these times. After the election, what does Kira say that prompts a man beside her to take her by the wrist and threaten her? [27], Rand scholar Mimi Reisel Gladstein compared it to two of her later novels, saying, "While it does not have the power of The Fountainhead or the majestic sweep of Atlas Shrugged, We the Living is still a compelling story about interesting characters. Eighteen months after its release, the novel was out of print. They arrange to meet again the following month, and it's on their next meeting that Leo tells Kira he's leaving the country by boat, bound for Germany. We the Living study guide contains a biography of Ayn Rand, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. [34], The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=We_the_Living&oldid=982914419, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 1959, revised edition, Random House, hardback, 1960, revised edition, New American Library, paperback, 1996, 60th Anniversary edition, New American Library, 2011, 75th Anniversary edition, Signet, paperback, This page was last edited on 11 October 2020, at 04:06. Kira, perhaps the only genuine mourner at his state funeral, wonders if she has killed him. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. You can help us out by revising, improving and updating Like “I want to drink. We the Living was published in an Italian translation in 1937. Andrei, who is concerned that corruption is damaging the communist state, starts investigating Leo's store. When she announced her decision to become an engineer, her words were met with Galina and Lydia’s – her mother and sister – irritation and Alexander Dimitrievitch’s – her father – surprise. Soon the state decides to expel any college students of a bourgeois background, and Kira is also fired from her job. [27], Rand scholar Mimi Reisel Gladstein compared it to two of her later novels, saying, "While it does not have the power of The Fountainhead or the majestic sweep of Atlas Shrugged, We the Living is still a compelling story about interesting characters. Wolf, Julia . Kira is devastated and she decides to go abroad no matter what. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. The films were successful, and the public easily realized that they were as much against fascism as communism. They are both students and Leo teaches, but they are both soon expelled because of their family backgrounds. The story takes place from 1922 to 1925, in post-revolutionary Russia. [17] Susan Love Brown countered that "Mayhew becomes an apologist for Rand's denials of change and smooths over the fact that Rand herself saw the error of her ways and corrected them. We the Living by Ayn Rand. However, soon after that, Andrei committed suicide. With some effort, Kira manages to obtain her Labor Book, which permits her to study and work. He coughs a lot and he goes to the doctor who tells him that he must seek immediate treatment for tuberculosis otherwise he will die. These did considerably better than the American release, remaining in print into the 1940s. Summary: We the Living portrays the impact of the Russian Revolution on three people who demand the right to live their own lives. Kira is offended and she runs away from Victor. In her Foreword to the revised edition, Rand declared that "In brief, all the changes are merely editorial line changes. Directed by Goffredo Alessandrini. She can not tell him about Leo and he thinks that she loves him very much. [1][4], The initial American publication of We the Living was not a commercial success. Without Rand's permission, it was adapted in 1942 as an Italian film, released in two parts, titled Noi Vivi (We the Living) and Addio Kira (Goodbye Kira). Her husband, Vasili, has refused to become part of the revolution and the family is barely getting by. Unlike Kira, her father seemed to fail in everything he tried. The first edition was issued on April 7, 1936. The novel was first completed in 1934, under the working title Airtight. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. They end up talking and she finds out that his name was Leo Kovalensky and that he was the son of a former admiral and counter revolutionary. These did considerably better than the American release, remaining in print into the 1940s. Leo makes some new friends and he succeeds in making a lot of money. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis … She lies and she tells Andrei that her family is in desperate need of money and that she loves him. She is eighteen years old and is accompanied by her mother, Galina, her father Alexander, and her twenty-eight-year-old sister, Lydia.

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