“And what is history? It is the setting in motion of centuries of work at the gradual unriddling of death and its eventual overcoming.”

Yuri grows up surrounded by high-minded discussions of politics, philosophy, and history. As his uncle and Ivan debate the nature of history, Yuri plays in the garden. Later, as an adult, he dislikes politics, but he cannot escape the machinations of history. The question “what is history” (24) becomes an essential part of Yuri's life as—no matter how little he is interested in the academic nature of the question—he is swept up in great historical events which separate him from the people that he loves.

“Lara looked at them as a big girl looks at little boys.”

Komarovsky has taken away Lara's innocence. Now, she cannot relate to boys her own age, as they have not experienced the trauma she has experienced. The alienating effect of this trauma will remain with Lara for the rest of her life. Even after she marries Pasha, she will never be able to be truly close to him as he will always seem like a little boy to her.

“Her impotent indignation gave her no peace.”

Lara is a proud person whose financial situation forces her to compromise her ideals. Whether she is liaising with Komarovsky to support her mother or incurring large debts to save her brother, Lara is not able to achieve the independence she craves. Her indignation is impotent because she knows that she cannot refuse to help her family, meaning that she will compromise her ideals for their benefit no matter how much pain it brings her.