How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"You see, the sovereign has signed a manifesto so that everything will be turned a new way, nobody's offended, the muzhiks get the land, and everybody's equal to the nobility." (2.7.23)
When we first hear rumblings about Russia going Communist, it sounds kind of wacky. But as the book goes on, it stops sounding that wacky. It turns out that it's totally possible to live in a country where all the land belongs to everyone. That doesn't mean that everything's suddenly going to be fair, though.
Quote #5
In the winter the place frowned with gloomy haughtiness. Here lived serious, self-respecting, and well-paid people of the liberal professions. (2.11.2)
When he's criticizing Russian society, Pasternak isn't ready to let the middle class off the hook. For him, people who are lawyers, doctors, and professors tend to be gloomy and proud, almost as if they're trying to appear like part of the upper class.
Quote #6
[Kologrivov] hid fugitives from the law, hired lawyers to defend the accused in political trials, and, as the joke went, overthrew himself as a proprietor by subsidizing revolution and organizing strikes at his own factory. (3.6.2)
In a strange twist of fate, the rich factory owner Kologrivov becomes a hard left-winger and supports the workers in any way he can, even though he's their boss. He even helps to organize strikes at his own factories. That sort of thing would be beyond unthinkable in today's world… or would it?