Speak, Memory Society & Class Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Section.Paragraph)

Quote #10

I think bourgeois fathers—wing-collar workers in pencil-striped pants, dignified, office-tied fathers, so different from young American veterans of today or from a happy, jobless Russian-born expatriate of fifteen years ago—will not understand my attitude toward our child. (15.2.2)

Here's Vladimir from the other side of class: having fallen into the poorest émigré class, he now sees life and parenting with some difficulty. We get the feeling that even though being poor is harder than being rich, he's happy to be able to spend plenty of time caring for his little son. His father, rich and politically active, couldn't necessarily afford the same kind of time.