Perspective

"Journey into the Whirlwind" is told from the perspective of the author, Eugenia Semyonovna Ginzburg. She tells her story in first person, relating her experiences in the prison system of the Communist regime under Joseph Stalin. By doing this, she is able to appeal to and connect with the reader on a personal, nearly spiritual level.

By telling her story in her own voice in the first person, Ginzburg places the reader in her place. The reader then experiences everything firsthand, and is able to understand what Ginzburg felt, thought, and saw, all firsthand rather than being filtered through the voice of a narrator. This also allows the reader to see and understand things as Ginzburg has seen and understood them, leading the reader to wonder how someone who suffered so horrific a nightmare under the Communists would ever seek to remain one.

Tone

The tone of Ginzburg's...