The question of Shurik's nationality and its conflicting nature is a centerpiece of this story. He is born an Englishman, yet after his release from the gulag, he finds himself voluntarily living out the remainder of his life in the former Soviet Union. He never attempts to reach the British Embassy, where he could have identified himself and found a way to return to Britain. Instead, he finds the peaceful village, where his friend Kirill was born, and remains within the borders of the country that probably took the most away from him. It was in the gulag that Shurik lost his freedom, his dignity and his humanity. For years, he was identified simply by a number. He was treated cruelly by the prison officials - freezing in the winter, working to near.....
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