Freedom in Confinement
At the beginning of A Gentleman in Moscow, The Count Alexander Rostov, a Russian aristocrat is sentenced to life and imprisoned in his own home. He now lives in a luxurious hotel in the heart of Moscow. He soon becomes crippled with anxiety, utter isolation and lacks purpose. Alexander soon realizes that he can still have a rewarding life full of experience and wonder in the physical limits of the hotel. He regains his sense of usefulness and feels liberated from the idea of confinement. Alexander achieves a new appreciation for life. The author seems to suggest that an individual can have a sense of freedom even in a confined space, so long as they have a purpose and an open mind. Nina, a nine-year-old girl who has just moved into the hotel for about ten months rejuvenates Alexander’s appreciation for space they’re in.
Nina is a curious little girl and is always exploring the hotel. As Alexander joins her in these escapades, he begins to feel less constrained and begins to appreciate the little things once again. When Alexander unsuccessfully attempts suicide, he decides to take a job in the hotel. Since he’s a nobleman, it seems rather odd, but the job gives him access to friends and a new perspective to life. Sixteen years into his imprisonment, Nina comes back to the hotel, now an adult with a daughter, Sofia. She asks Alexander to take care of her while she finds a way to her husband. Nina never returns and Alexander finds immeasurable purpose and joy raising Sofia and being a father. His change of heart and perspective makes him feel freer than he ever felt in his lifetime. In confinement, you can still find freedom, even if it’s not what it used to be.
Adapt or Die
The author also focuses heavily on the political landscape of Russia and the immense effects it has on the characters of this story. Those characters that change their political stand easily get to enjoy the new Russia while those who oppose are met with the brutal force of the Russian communist government. In such an environment, the author highlights the essential need to adapt quickly to the shifting society to survive. At the beginning of the novel, Alexander is a prominent member of the Russian government who thrives as an elite of society. After things change, and he is put under house arrest, he laments at how the new government will not rest until every inch of the old government was eradicated for good. When the wines’ labels in the hotel are removed as a sign of the new government’s strategy to equalize everyone, Alexander loses all hope in the new government and can no longer live in this different world. He, therefore, tries to kill himself but fails to do so. For Alexander to survive, he has to forget his past and adapt to his future. He gets rid of his elite title and takes up a job as a waiter. Although he doesn’t agree with the communist ways, he has to at least conform to live in the new world.
Anna is another character who has to adapt to the new Russia. She is an actress who loves to play as a princess or an elite in society. With this new shift, in culture and government, she falls out of love with critics and fans alike. She loses all her wealth and grace. Anna is quick to reinvent herself and takes up a smaller role in a film as a factory worker who fights for better wages and working environment. She manages to fully adapt to the new world and saves her career. Societies are ever-changing, and the author recognizes this in the novel. He knows how out of place it feels, and he offers only two solutions for his characters: one must adapt or die.
