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Sorry for being late. Time got away from me, and I have had a lot going on. But here you may discuss Part 2 of the book. Be aware that if you have not finished the reading spoilers may be posted here.

Oh no! I never realized no one posted to this topic. Well, I guess I'll get us started.

Who exactly is the Kruger that Antonina apparently resembles so greatly? I made the (somewhat questionable) decision to read another book between Parts 1 and 2, so I can't tell if this is a new plot twist or something alluded to earlier.

Her grandfather, I believe. Mother's father?

Oh, I get that. I just meant that I don't know why Kruger is significant. I can tell that some people suspect Kruger of being a part of the Whites, but I'm not sure if there's some other fact about him that makes Yuri nervous about being recognized.

Rachel wrote: "Oh, I get that. I just meant that I don't know why Kruger is significant. I can tell that some people suspect Kruger of being a part of the Whites, but I'm not sure if there's some other fact abo..."

Ohhh, yes, sorry. Yes, exactly so. Krueger is in jail, at that point, I believe. They don't want to be jailed or shot as non-Bolsheviks. The Civil War is under way. So, they're trying to disguise that they are related to the jailed Krueger.

Awesome, thanks! I tried Google, but I kept getting class discussion guides instead. :)

Rachel wrote: "Awesome, thanks! I tried Google, but I kept getting class discussion guides instead. :)"

heh ... yw :)

So, a couple of thoughts:

1. I can only imagine how awkward the scene between Mikulitsyn and the Zhivagos must have been. "Hey, if you don't mind, can you provide us with land, shelter, a few starters for some crops, and keep this a secret? All for people you've never met? Kthxbye." Talk about awkward.

2. "But decidedly all mothers are mothers of great people, and it is not their fault that life later disappoints them." - Book Nine. I though that this was very poignant. I remember that, after the shooting of a U.S. congresswoman, my mother said to pray for the victims of the shooting, as well as the shooter's parents. Which makes sense, right, because who wants their child to grow up to be a murderer? I mean, we can argue about nature vs. nurture, and sure there are sketchy people who raise their children to be sketchy. But how many parents actually want their children to be bad people, or do bad things?

On point #1 - lol, that made me laugh. But you nailed it exactly! What's interesting is, in the David Lean movie, they played it completely differently! They played it as though Mikulitsyn was absolutely delighted to see them. And Tonia's father was the one who used to own/run the place, instead of Tonia's maternal grandfather, and Mikulitsyn was so very delighted to see him again.

On point #2 - I can't recall which part of the book that is (returned my copy to the library already), but I do remember noticing that quote. I agree, very poignant. You mom sounds like an interesting woman.

I really liked Yuri's thoughts about art in Book Nine. In particular, I agree with the idea that art is some assertion about life that is the soul and essence of a composition (whether literature, theater, sculpture, etc.) But, I get the feeling that I've heard this theory before. Has anyone else? I'm not really into the fine arts scene.

A quick note about Yuri's thoughts about dreams: there is research that suggests that everyone and everything you see in a dream is someone or something you've seen in real life, even though you may not necessarily remember it.

Here's a thought about Book 2, Part 10: Galuzina realized that she's a fairly intelligent woman, but, given the circumstances of her life, she can't do anything to better herself. Which is really sad. How many people have realized that they have a gift for something, only to know that for whatever reason, they can't develop and use that gift?

Another spot-on analogy: In Book 2, Part 11, Pasternak analogizes Yuri's "insecure imprisonment" to many situations in our life, when we feel trapped in a particular circumstance despite the fact that we could remove ourselves from the situation. For example, I don't actually have to work, but I like being able to afford necessities and frivolities so I "have" to work.

This analogy actually reminds me of the first habit in Steven Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Successful People. In the discussion, Covey talks about how all too often, we forget that we can control both our actions and our reactions. We can choose what to do based on what's important to us, we can choose to be proactive about what we're doing, and we can choose how to respond to events. We don't and shouldn't act like we can only act in response to others' thoughts, words, and actions. And yet, so often we feel trapped, just like Yuri.

Speaking of choices, this book was partially interesting because I went into it with a bad taste in my mouth-- from watching the movie I felt like it was going to glorify his infatuation and affair with a woman who was not his wife, and then we were supposed to understand that the circumstances of war and separation excused those behaviors.

By the end I know Zhivago was still the hero but was portrayed as faulted and human. I liked how the poems at the end bring in Mary Magdalene's story into the situation. At first I thought perhaps she was supposed to refer to Lara and Christ was supposed to refer to Zhivago but I doubt it was as direct as that in Pasternak's ideas. It probably had to do more with the cultural movements of that time as a whole.

By the way, I watched this lecture by Robert Bird on Boris Pasternak's poetry. Even though I didn't understand all of it I definitely appreciated some of the prose and poetry of Dr. Zhivago in a greater way after watching it: