Point of View

"Breaking Stalin's Nose" by Eugene Velchin is recounted in the first-person perspective of ten-year-old Sasha Zaichik. This perspective provides insight into the impact that fear and adult-sized problems can have on innocent children.

Writing the story from Sasha's point of view, allows the reader to understand the thoughts and reactions that a youngster has about living under an oppressive sociopolitical system - in this case Communism. Sasha's character arc begins with a youngster who is enthralled with Communism to a disappointed and disillusioned young man who begins to see the cracks in the system. The story is successful in showing the dangers and failures of a repressive political system and the misery that it inflicts on the masses and on the individual alike.

The author, Eugene Velchin, is quite familiar with the setting of the story. He was born and educated in Russia. But he decided...