"After all, the Tsar of All the Russias — even if there'd been a revolution — never opened his own milk bottle. Konechno, nyet. Of course not. That was my job, me, Leonka, the kitchen boy. Sure, and my morning duties included getting the samovar going and greeting the nuns who brought us additional foodstuffs."
Here we can see the very beginning of Leonid explaining himself and his position in the story. THis quote introduces us to the idea that he works for the family and seems to perform many activities, quite a few of which could be deemed unnecessary. This quote also provides a historical background for the events that are taking place in the book and why they happened. The Romanovs are still acting like high and mighty nobility despite the fact that they are stuck in imprisonment. The fact that they won't even open their own milk bottles simply because they come from the royal family exudes an air of privileges and snobbishness. This entire idea led to the Bolshevik Revolution where many poorer people revolted against the intolerable luxuries of the ruling class, thus leading to the predicament that defines the entire novel.
"My name is Mikhail Semyonov. I live in Lake Forest village, Illinois state, the United States of America. I am ninety-four years old. I was born in Russia before the revolution. I was born in Tula province and my name then was not Mikhail or even Misha, as I am known here in America. No, my real name-the one given to me at birth-was Leonid Sednyov, and I was known as Leonka. Please forgive my years of lies, but now I tell you the truth."
This quote is a dramatic opening to a fascinating novel and works as a hook that firmly grasps the attention of the reader and pulls them in to continue their journey through the pages of the book. It starts off simply, with elementary names and places such as Lake Forest and Illinois, places that are neither too foreign nor too mysterious. However, as he mentions Russia and the revolution, the premise of the novel starts to become increasingly intriguing and appealing to the reader. This also acts as an explanation for the background of the book and what is taking place. The following lines are even more eye-opening. Misha's name is not even Misha. By purposefully creating this scene of obscurity in the readers mind, their instinct is to clear the murkiness, but the only way they can do that is by reading on. Reading on to find the truth. A powerful ending line that presents to the reader what is sought after time and time again. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
"Over the many years since the Russian Revolution, Misha had come to realize that on a single night in 1918 he had witnessed far too much for an entire lifetime, particularly in the tortured silence he had so sternly observed in the ensuing decades."
This quote provides a broad, overarching review of the context of the narrator and what he is trying to do in the creation of this book. The Kitchen Boy is created because Misha feels the overwhelming guilt to tell the truth about what took place in his past. This quote explains that overwhelming guilt. Misha had experienced something so tragic and shocking that he had to bury it within himself, keeping quiet over the ensuing years and not telling a soul. Additionally, the quote is a great way to intrigue the reader. What event could have been so stunning that it would create such a great pain and burden on a man? The answer to their question lies in the pages ahead and the reader drives forward to find it.
"I was as surprised to catch him out of bed as he was to be discovered, for Aleksei Nikloaevich was not only out of bed, he was standing on his own and holding a small wooden box. We'd all been told that he couldn't walk, that if he went anywhere he either had to be carried or taken in the rolling chair, yet . . .
'You won't tell anyone that I'm up, will you, Leonka?' he pleaded. 'Especially Mama — she would be very angry.' "
After analyzing this quote, Leonid's character and personality can be revealed. In this segment, he is in an intimate exchange with one of the younger children of the Romanov family. After spending so much time with the family in captivity and helping them out is various ways, whether through household chores and food supplies or the passage of secret notes, it seems obvious that the young boy would develop an affinity for the family and vice versa. This scene is a clear example of that affinity. He is doing something with Aleksei Nikloaevich that seems like an action that a friend would do for another friend; not tattling to his mother. By emphasizing this bond with the family and especially the younger children, the quote allows the reader to grasp the idea of why their murder was so potentially devastating and how it could've led to the guilt that kept him silent for years and years to come.
