Escaping Fate
The two main characters are both trying to escape fate. That they both can take up the challenge of trying to alter those destinies suggests that such a thing is actually possible. The two are trapped inside a train heading in one direction with no possibility of escape while it is in movement. This circumstance contrasts with their decision to use the train to escape. Hélène is running from a romance that has lost its luster and left her alienated and isolated in a foreign country. Aliocha is trying to escape the clutches of mandatory conscription into the Russian military. The tension derives not from a burgeoning romance between the two but from whether their individual attempts to escape their respective fates can come to fruition.
Consequences of Impulsivity
Both the characters make decisions early on to act on impulse. These impulsive acts made with an absolute minimum of logical consideration wind up having longer-term consequences which must also, nevertheless, be confronted in the short term. Aliocha has let his somewhat paranoid imagination create a future for himself which is anything but certain. Even so, he makes the decision to try to run away from his uncertain military responsibilities which only serves to intensify the necessity for a successful escape since he can expect to be hunted down as a deserter even before starting his first day of service at his post. This impulsive decision by Aliocha is then the stimulation for Hélène’s impulsive decision to assist the young man in his attempts to evade Russian soldiers also on the train. The consequential significance of these impulses is given broader context and dramatic conflict because the final destination of the train is not westward toward Europe but instead toward the frigid isolated outposts of eastern Russia far away from the big cities where it is easier to escape detection among the crowds.
Communication and Interdependence
Also adding to the dramatic tension of the story is that the two main characters do not speak each other’s language yet must find ways to communicate in order to successfully carry out Aliocha’s plan to run away from his military commitment. Hélène speaks only French and Aliocha speaks onlyRussian yet they find ways to effectively communicate with the other in order to pursue their common interest. This international dependence upon each other is juxtaposed against the rigidity of Russian rule and pursuit of dependence upon no other nation but itself. The train’s seemingly endless journey across the vast expanse of Russia’s ever-changing and diverse geography further underlines the dead end that Russia’s approach to international relations represents.
