How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph), (Chapter.Figure)
Quote #4
Scarlet bursts out as I unwrap the package. The scarf of a Young Pioneer! The triangle of simple red cloth that every Pioneer must wear, but how beautiful it is and how long I have wished for it. Tomorrow, when I become a Pioneer, I will wear it for the first time. (4.10)
The Pioneer scarf that Sasha's father gives him symbolizes to Sasha everything that is warm and fuzzy about the Communist system. It also becomes a symbol of his admiration for his dad, and his connection to him (for more on this, go check out the "Symbols" section). So, when he rejects the Pioneers at the end of the book he is rejecting some aspects of his father. And it's no wonder. He's not such a stand-up guy, it turns out.
Quote #5
I turn to the window, where a giant statue of Stalin gleams under searchlights. The statue is made from the steel of fighter planes and stands taller than any building. You can see it from every window in Moscow. (5.3)
Joseph Stalin was thought of as larger than life. Here, that's pretty literal, since his statue towers over everything else in Moscow. Also, the "steel of fighter planes" that is used to build the statue associates Stalin with strength and power. He's literally made of the machinery of war. If that's not intimidating, we don't know what is.
Quote #6
Maybe I don't need a room. Not everybody has one. Marfa Ivanovna doesn't have a room. She lives in a cubbyhole next to the toilet. Semenov sleeps behind the curtain in the corridor, and nobody's complaining. (7.3)
Ah, here's yet another glimpse into the cracks that lie behind the veneer of perfect Communism. Even Harry Potter had a cubby underneath the stairs all to himself, but poor Marfa is stuck sleeping next to the toilet. Sasha finds it comforting that "nobody's complaining," but really? Who would they complain to, and what do you think might happen if they did? (Hint: nothing good.)