Eugenia Semyonova Ginzburg: Journey into the Whirlwind

 Word Count: 522

From Journey into the Whirlwind by Eugenia Semyonova Ginzburg

Eugenia’s story is set in the time right before the Stalin Show Trials and we can see the influence of these prominent ideas in the story. The Stalin Show Trials consisted of Stalin accusing former prominent party leaders in Russia of treason and many of those leaders actually helped him do it. At the time, these trials were not seen as a show or false in any way and they were not made because the point was to get rid of other potential leaders so Stalin was the only one who could lead. In fact it even happens in the prison with the prison governor being thrown into his own prison. Eugenia comments on this idea before the public knows this saying, “But if all these people have betrayed one man, isn't it easier to suppose that he has betrayed them” (309). Eugenia is a proud communist however, she seems to be very perceptive since she recognizes this. 

We also see the influence of community in the story and how their situation has an effect on that community. Since Eugenia was in contact with only her cell mates she was affected by the gossip and the worry they faced. When she was called out of the cell she says, “one would have supposed that my first thought would be of my trial, the sentence that awaited me, whether I was to live or die. But no- I was only worried about whether my cellmates would think I had been called out to inform on them” (315). The prisoners' situations also affected their relationships with each other. Even those on “friendly terms” would see their cellmates as potential spies when they didn’t know what was going on. 

In the prison, most of the battle Eugenia fought was internal. Her view of others, especially those in charge, was affected. She says, 

The worst physical sufferings, it seemed to me, would have been easier to bear than the sense of 

outrage and degradation. The only way to overcome it was to tell myself at every hour of the day 

that those who did these things were not human beings. After all, I would not have felt insulted if a 

monkey or a pig had scrabbled in my hair, looking for “substantive evidence of my crimes” (306).

She found the only way to deal with her anger was to tell herself that these people were not people at all. This mentality can often be dangerous especially in times of war because it leads to inhumane actions on the basis that these people are not humans. She experienced so much fear in prison especially when the torturing began and when she believed she had 48 hours to live. When the torturing began, she wanted to tough it out first but eventually it was too horrible to listen to. In her ‘last’ 48 hours, Eugenia cited only remembering her thoughts clearly but not anything happening around her. She began to reflect on her life and how it would end. The mental toll of prison was great but the community she had in the prison helped her through it.

*If you are interested in this topic, you should read “Darkness at Noon” by Arthur Koestler. This is a fiction book based on the Stalin Show Trials and the idea of the party members helping Stalin accuse them of treason and signing their own death warrant.