Essay Questions

Do you think Kira is to blame for Andrei's suicide?

Kira blames herself for Andrei's death, believing that her betrayal devastated him to the point where he felt unable to live; however, whilst it might have been a contributing factor to his sense of disillusionment she cannot be blamed for his decision to kill himself. Andrei's state of mind was also greatly affected by the fact that everything he had previously believed in wholeheartedly turned out to be greatly different in reality and the communist movement he has believed in without question showed him ultimately that it imprisoned anyone who valued freedom and opportunity, the opposite of what he had believed it to be. The impact of the solid foundation of his life being in actuality constructed on quicksand disillusioned him to the point of having nothing to believe in anymore which is what prompted him to take his own life.

What does We The Living say about the affect of communism on the individual?

This novel demonstrates that by refusing to treat people as individuals and instead treating them as a "people", communism creates a condition where there is so much hopelessness and so little hope that eventually the hardships that are created have the effect of wearing down the individuality of its citizens and instead making everyone the same despairing, disillusioned person. Qualities like drive, spirit and determination are simply not tolerated and valued like hard work and dedication prove fruitless, thereby reducing everyone to a hopeless and downtrodden condition.