Matt Bird

English 100

9-8-09

Hostility and Hope in Destruction and Devastation

The Soviet Union, following the defeat of Germany in World War II, emerged victorious

yet devastated. The war destroyed vast areas in Russia and many once wealthy areas turned into

landscapes of heaps of rubble. Numerous young men died in battle, leaving a hole in Soviet

social structure. Much work was needed to rebuild Russia, with very little aid from the U.S.

Furthermore, all the men lost in battle only made the recovery process harder and longer for the

Russians. The communist government in Russia did try to cover up these problems, yet the

rampant destruction and poverty was publicized in American media and art. However, only the

bad aspects and misconceptions of Soviet Russia were presented in the media. The Russian

people and the good aspects were left out. The U.S. newspapers and literature depicted the Soviet

Union in a negative way to keep the Americans’ unfair view of Russia hostile. Robert Capa, on

the other hand, wanted to fairly assess the Russian people. He traveled to the Soviet Union to see

if the popular American view of the Soviet people were valid. In John Steinbeck’s book A

Russian Journal, Capa through his pictures give a greater insight on the Russian government and

the people, contrasting with the average doom and gloom reports from the newspapers. The real

Russia, its people, and its potential for wealth and status, which were hidden from the American

public, were revealed in this book and photographs accompanying it.

In an article written in the New York Times by Sulzbehger on June 10, 1945, the

devastating destruction is described, “It is no secret that the Soviet people have suffered -

suffered to a degree which strains their traditional capabilities to withstand hardship and sorrow

beyond softer hands.” Here, the writer is saying the situation of the Russians is so bad that it has
gone beyond their control, and things are pretty hopeless. The article goes on and on about the

destruction, “For miles and miles in the Soviet Union there are only shell holes, wreckage and

black skeletons of homes.” The conditions described in this article are similar to those described

in many of the articles devoted to stating the mess Russia was in. The descriptions in these

articles reflect on American perception that the Soviet Union was helpless.

The picture in Steinbeck’s book on page 58 shows a typical view of western Soviet

Union. Throughout Steinbeck’s journal, many of the pictures show several women and few or no

men. This scene shows women civilians with one or two men in the background. Russia was the

worst sufferer in casualties of the war, leaving far less young men left in the country than before

the war. In the background is a pile of rubble and a ruined building behind it. The scene of

destruction this picture shows contrasts with what the scene was before it was bombed. Hints of

how wealthy the place was before are left throughout the whole image. The building in the

background is hard to tell what it once may have been, but the architecture gives evidence that it

was once a nice building. The street also is unusual in ways. The road is not only paved, it is

made of stone or brick that is smoothly laid out. The street is also complimented with curbs and

wide sidewalks. On the sidewalks are dead trees, implying that the street and sidewalks were

once lined with trees. On the far right of the picture is an intricately designed light pole, showing

to a further extent of how nice this area once was.

The picture also shows one of the problems the Soviet Union ran into in their rebuilding.

A lot of work had to be done with little help. “Every stone and brick of the ruined city must be

lifted and carried with hands, for there are no bulldozers. And while they are rebuilding the

Ukrainians must produce food, for theirs is the great granary of the nation” (Steinbeck 57-58).

The quote describes the painstaking work and amount of work that needs to be done. “The work

ahead of them is overwhelming … everything must be replaced. And it must be done quickly”
(Steinbeck 58). Here, it is stated that there is not only a lot of work but that it needs to be done

soon. However, in the picture, there seems to be no one working. It appears as if the means to get

the rebuilding done is absent. The text and the picture here work together to accurately depict the

immense size of the rebuilding needed to be done yet the lack laborers the Soviet Union had.

Though the viewer is most likely to notice the destruction and the women on the street

right away, a closer look shows the situation is not as bad. The immediate view is a picture of

devastation yet the citizens don’t appear to be in desperation. They may be sitting on the streets

but they are not dressed in rags and have shoes to wear. The lady on the far right side of the

image is carrying a purse, which hints that she might be wealthy. If she were poor, she would not

have a purse, regardless of having money to need one. Additionally, the man across the street is

dressed in a suit. A peasant, on the other hand would not have the need or money to wear one,

implying the man is wealthy.

The second picture, in Steinbeck’s book on page 116, is similar to the first picture,

showing destruction of a very nice area. Destroyed buildings fill the background, and the whole

scene appears deserted. The design of the buildings and the fancy light poles all point to the fact

that this was also a wealthy area. This picture, however, is ironic in a way. The mood in the

photo is hopelessness. However, close observation of the fountain changes the outlook of the

picture. The fountain shows that this place was also once well-off. Similarly, despite the gloomy

mood, noticing the dancing statues atop the middle of the fountain gives a different view of the

meaning of the picture. Camouflaged into the scene are also people walking around. Hard to

notice at first, the citizens add more life to the desolate looking picture. Through these ‘hidden’

aspects, the whole idea of the image is shifted to one of which is happiness and hope of life being

what it should be.

 Both of these pictures represent misconceptions. Capa photographed these pictures

because they seemed to depict destruction and desperation. Anybody who saw these images at

first glance would have gotten the message of gloom and despair, yet closer observation shows

hints of hope and future wealth. Similarly, many people looked at the Russians as enemies and

weak simply because they were under a communist government. The hostility between the two

countries was a result of misunderstanding. Steinbeck in his book wanted to point out the

misconceptions to break down the unnecessary hostility by showing the strength and

perseverance of the people of Russia. Throughout the book, pictures of hope, progress, abundant

harvests, and children having and being educated are shown. Contradicting the many

misconceptions, Steinbeck sums it up by saying, “Some bad ones there are surely, but by far the

greater number are very good” (Steinbeck 212).

The gloomy outlooks by the U.S. media and the American people’s misconceptions and

views did not stop the Russians from rebuilding and being great. Following the paragraph stating

the Soviet Union faced overwhelming work, Steinbeck wrote, “More and more we were realizing

how much the Russian people live on hope, hope that tomorrow will be better than today”

(Steinbeck 58). At the end of the New York Times article describing destruction, the writer early

after the war expresses hope for the Russians by writing, “They want the better things of life and

they want ease, relaxation, and peace in its dual sense. But they are a patient people, with

immense inner reserves of strength, a great faith in their manifest fate and a capacity to wait.” As

history later shows, the strength of the Russians prevailed, and they worked their way back to

being a world superpower.

 Works Cited

Sulzbehger, C. L. “What the Russians Want – and Why.” New York Times 10 June 1945.

Steinbeck, John, and Robert Capa. A Russian Journal. New York: Penguin Classics, 1999.