Dementia

Seva’s dementia symbolizes her mental and physical decline. Seva not only has difficulty remembering things, but she also is suffering from decreased physical mobility and decline in emotional wellbeing. At several points throughout the novel, Andrei is able to bring Seva moments of joy and happiness, but she eventually dies in physical and emotional pain.

October

October—the political discussion/action group that Andrei joins—symbolizes personal and ideological community. Andrei befriends October not only because he is intrigued by their ideas, but also he is eager to make some social connections to alleviate his loneliness in Moscow. Unfortunately, Andrei eventually destroys these bonds when he accidentally draws the unjust attention of the Russian government to the group.

Academia

In the novel, academia symbolizes the frustrations of personal and professional politics. Andrei is continually frustrated by the ways in academia is often shaped by factors...