Horse Soup

The horse soup Boris eats at the camp is symbolic of deprivation. This is indeed the only food that Boris is allowed to consume for seven years. In the wake of this experience, Boris is no longer able to eat, and thus lives with constant, insatiable hunger.

Food

The food that Olya eats throughout the short story is symbolic of gluttony. Because Olya is unaccustomed to going without, she eats voraciously and without fear of consequence. The descriptive passages detailing the ways in which she consumes her meals underscore her constant need to consume.

Invisible Food

The invisible food that Boris starts feeding Olya is symbolic of routine. Olya learns to eat the food even though it does not exist. In this way, the author is exposing the ways in which her addiction to consumption has similarly become an empty habit.

Can

The empty can...