Red

Red, as a color, is an important symbol in the novel. It is not only the color chiefly associated with Communism, but is described as the bitterest color by Zabi, who tastes red pomegranate rind juice. Her observation is salient, for it describes Communism to its core – bitter and foul. In 1981, while in New York, Leo watches the sunset from Brighton Beach, of which only a small part of the sky turns red and quickly disappears. This is a deeply moving and symbolic moment which represents the beginning of the end for the Soviet world, for within ten years, the Soviet Union will shatter, Communism will fall apart, and Russia will become a quasi-democracy. The small patch of red in the sky also represents the ultimately small place Communism has in history, as well as Leo’s life. Just as Communism will mostly fade from the...