theme that dates back to Ivan the Terrible, the first “Czar of all Russia,” a
savage and canny expansionist who set the tone for the next five centuries
of Russian rule. Today, the tradition is alive and well: Vladimir Putin has
been described as a “Good Czar” and a “Strong Man for Russia,” just as
“Iron Joe” Stalin was in the 1930s. This is considered a good thing,
especially if you believe your country—as many Russians do—to be a
glorious but underappreciated stepchild of the First World surrounded by
enemies. It is one of the principal reasons Putin enjoys such wide
popularity, even in the neglected hinterlands of Primorye, and why Stalin
is still admired by millions of Russians. The Russian State, in other
words, is masculine and paternalistic. But the State, in addition to being
secretive, xenophobic, and heavily armed, is also fallible, shortsighted,
and prone to betrayal. In fact, over the past century, broken faith has
become something of a national characteristic. It is no coincidence that,
in Russia, the divorce rate is one of the highest in the world, and single
mothers (both literal and practical) are nearly as common as children.
Fathers get drunk, have affairs, take off, die young, or simply give up—
for all kinds of reasons. When this happens, and there is no extended
family to rely on, there are only a couple of options left, besides an
orphanage: struggle on with the mother, or brave a risky existence on the
street. The taiga offers a combination of the two.
After the logging company closed down and the State abandoned them,
the working people of the Bikin valley fell into the tough but bountiful
arms of Mother Taiga, but they did so in a way that was technically
illegal and often dangerous. More often than not, homemade vodka and
homemade bullets went hand in hand. A corollary to this brand of
betrayal and abandonment is an intensified, overdetermined relationship
between mothers and their children, particularly between mothers and
only (surviving) sons (Joseph Stalin being but one example). The same
held true for Mother Taiga and her desperate boys.
ron
(Ron)
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