How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph), (Chapter.Figure)
Quote #1
My Dad is a hero and a Communist and, more than anything, I want to be like him. I can never be like Comrade Stalin, of course. He's our great Leader and Teacher. (1.1)
Right from the get-go, we find out who Sasha looks up to the most. His dad. Plus, we get a two-fer: Sasha also seriously worships Joseph Stalin. You can tell by the Attention-Getting Capital Letters (so you know it must be important). Poor Dad—he is great, but not quite as heroic as Stalin in Sasha's view.
Quote #2
My greatest dream has always been to join the Young Soviet Pioneers—the most important step in becoming a real Communist like my dad. (1.4)
Since this is one of the first things we discover about Sasha, we know it's super important to him. He worships his dad, and wants to follow in his footsteps. He also links the Young Soviet Pioneers with his dad, which makes the red scarf a symbol for both.
Quote #3
When I imagine Comrade Stalin reading my letter, I get so excited that I can't sit still. I rise up and march like a Pioneer around the room. (1.6)
This is a creepy image that gives us a sense of the level of control Joseph Stalin had over his citizens. Here, he seems like the ultimate puppet master: Sasha is such a brainwashed fanboy that he can't help but mechanically march around when he even so much as thinks of the guy.
Quote #4
Everyone in the kitchen stops talking when my dad comes in. They look like they are afraid, but I know they are just respectful. (4.1)
Here's the naive side of Sasha. He's blinded by how he worships his father, and doesn't see that people are actually terrified of him (it's not respect).
Quote #5
I see myself reflected in his glasses; scarlet burns at my throat. (4.18)
This image is succinct, but powerful. The reflection in his dad's glasses points to how he wants to be like his dad, and the scarlet scarf that symbolizes the Pioneers, his father, and obedience "burns" his throat. That doesn't have very positive connotations, so it's a Big Clue that this isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Quote #6
That is the way our Nina Petrovna is. She's nice and fair, but when necessary, she's firm. In my opinion, she's the best teacher in our school.
Score another one for naive Sasha. We find out in about two seconds that Nina Petrovna is anything but "nice and fair." And "firm" is certainly the understatement of the year. If by "firm," Sasha means "cold, hard, and cruel," then we're all on the same page.
Quote #7
The float rolls by the marble mausoleum from where Stalin, our great Leader and Teacher, watches the parade with his generals. He waves at me, his eyes twinkling kindly. "This is what we are fighting for, comrades. This Young Pioneer is our Communist future." (15.6)
Sasha has quite the imagination! If Stalin's eyes ever "twinkl[ed] kindly," we'll eat our computer monitor. This scene is another example of how Sasha's admiration for his heroes blinds him to the truth of things. And we really don't like the feel we get from that "marble mausoleum" lurking in the background.
Quote #8
Sergei Ivanych is a dedicated Communist and I'm always in agreement with his speeches, but this time he's gone too far. (19.2)
Well, even blind admiration has its limits. Good for Sasha—he's starting to use his noodle and make up his own mind about things. While the principal is ranting and raving about how "conspirators, spies, murderers, and provocateurs" (19.1) have stormed the school for the express purpose of (wait for it!) chipping the nose off of a statue (so, apparently these terrorists aren't very ambitious or lack imagination), Sasha knows (nose?) that it was all just a stupid accident.
Quote #9
"My dad was never a snitch."
"What do you think your dad's job was?" [the senior lieutenant] says, surprised. (28.12-13)
This is a rude awakening for Sasha. He's idolized his dad as a great hero of the nation, and he is now discovering that he basically "tells on" people for a living. What a let down.
Quote #10
"Frankly, Zaichik, I used to have great respect for your dad. Two years ago, when he submitted a report on the anti-Communist activity of a certain foreign national, who happened to be his wife—I'm talking about your mother here—he acted as a true Communist, willing to make a personal sacrifice for the good of the common cause." (28.15)
And the hits just keep coming from the Senior Lieutenant of the State Security. He reveals that Sasha's "hero" dad actually sold his mom down the river and she didn't die in a hospital of an unnamed illness after all. What are some clues in the book that give us a sense of how Sasha's dad might have felt about this action?