The general consensus around Russia is that it's a cold and desolate place. While there's a rich culture, there's often a need to focus on the weather, of which can be an unforgiving landscape that swallows those unprepared whole. For Boris Pasternak, it's also a place to find hope. In "Doctor Zhivago," he explores the life of a doctor who is surrounded by misery during the time of war. He deals with the revolutionaries who wish to present a new and more idealistic world. They quote the literary giants of the past, looking for direction on the way forward. Even if the titular Zhivago cannot lead, he's doing more than enough to keep the cause alive. The question eventually comes whether he could find something for himself to live for. That's what leads to one of the most bittersweet romances of the 20th century, portraying a world of hope and sacrifice, while also acknowledging that not everything is fair. This is a story that will make hearts flutter, but also make them sink. It's a profound journey unlike any other in the literary world.
The most striking detail in Pasternak's prose is the humanity by which he gives his characters. Despite the outside world's perception of Russian literature, the author continues the trend of hearty characters who have rich personalities that ultimately care for each other. There's a willingness to push past uncertainty in a hope that tomorrow will be better. It's the drive for Dr. Zhivago, who is an essential member of the crew, who tends to wounds and sees his colleagues at their worst. He has no choice but to face death while hoping for a better outcome. He's driven because he believes their sacrifices could lead to a better living. All they need to do is defeat their insurmountable foe.
The story also focuses on life after the revolution, finding a romance forming that brings a sensuous joy out of Zhivago, finding him able to see the gifts of being alive more clearly. However, they come with various setbacks that keep the romance from following a conventional framework. Instead, it's a story of dreamlike whimsy buried inside the desolation of winter, of a world where isolation sometimes is required to get to the days that truly matter. It's a story that understands the larger interior drive for people who fall in love to pursue that feeling no matter what irrationality stands in their way. Even so, it's a tale that recognizes that time passes on, the world changes, and so do ideologies. It can be beautiful, but also tragic.
Pasternak perfectly fits alongside the best of Russian literature by reflecting on the swirling mix of intellectual debate with greater emotions that are attempting to break through and give characters away to impulse. The results are powerful, provocative ideas that push the story beyond its clinical structure into something more dreamlike and aspirational, finding hope in something greater than institutional safety. It's also about finding that passion within oneself and needing to experience it before everything is too late. This is one of the cornerstones of bittersweet romances that challenges the nature of where love can be found. Dr. Zhivago has the ability to revive an injured friend, but who will be willing to cure what ails him?
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