Freedom

The Charm School takes place in Soviet Russia during the Cold War. Under Communism, freedom was something the average Russian citizen, whether city-dweller or farmer, did not enjoy. Those individuals involved with the government and the military, however, were fairly unencumbered in their daily lives. People who represented the Soviet regime did not undergo the same hardships as the general population. Those living under communism were stripped of their rights in order to fulfill the government's totalitarian agenda. Everything and everyone belonged to the State and as such, millions of Russians found themselves poor, displaced and oppressed. Religious freedom was nearly unheard of. Nevertheless, people continued to worship even when they knew it could prove perilous to their personal safety. The result of this oppression was that the Russian people became numb and nearly lethargic. At one point, Sam Hollis notices that the people in Moscow appear to...