City Of Thieves Fear Essay

Fear is believing that one is in a dangerous or life-threatening situation. There are many different reactions to the feeling of fear. David Benioff’s novel, City of Thieves, demonstrates the theme of fear through Lev and his experiences in wartime Russia. In the beginning, Lev deals with many emotional hurdles that are thrown his way. He is controlled by his fears. As the story develops, Lev is forced to handle his problems by the situations he is placed in. He begins to overcome his fears with the help of his friend, Kolya. By the end of the book, Lev conquers his fears and decides that he needs to be strong, even when things become difficult to handle.
In the beginning of the book, Lev is faced with many emotional challenges. As these

fears are introduced, he must search for a way to handle them. He finds this difficult due to the fact that he is controlled by fear. First, Lev is taken by the Russians and becomes a prisoner due to the fact that he was alone. They throw him into a cold, dark and silent cell. He decides that he is unable to keep himself together as he is dealing with this situation. Benioff writes, “So many great Russians endured long stretches in prison. That night I learned I would never be a great Russian. A few hours alone in a cell, suffering no torture other than that the darkness and the silence and the absolute cold, a few hours of that and I was already half broken” (Benioff 20). This event connects to Lev being controlled by his fears. He is faced with a character versus self conflict as he is stuck in his thoughts. He is unable to handle the fear of the darkness and isolation. He admits to having fears about where he is being kept and the outcome of being taken into the prison. He does not believe that he will last long as a prisoner. This is an emotional hurdle that he must overcome, but he is unable to keep a level-head when placed in this situation. Lev must overcome his fears as the challenges get more challenging and life-threatening.
Next, Lev must challenge himself to overcome his fears.

He becomes less fearful as the story continues developing. Kolya and Lev attempt of fulfil the request of the colonel. The two must search for a dozen eggs and return them to the colonel for a wedding cake. As they journey on, they come across a couple who says that they have eggs in the apartment they own. Lev is forced to attack as the couple is discovered as cannibals. He is fearful, but he must take action anyway. Lev thinks, “The knife was in my hand before I realized I wanted it – something moved behind me and I wheeled and slashed, crying out, unable to form any words, throat constricted” (Benioff 59). Lev attempts to fight back against the cannibals even though he is afraid of being harmed or harming others. He must defend Kolya and himself. Through this action, he is attempting to overcome his fears. This connects to the literary device of irony. The reader expects Lev to flee the fight when the challenge arises. He does not attempt to escape, this is proof that he is overcoming his fears. As the story develops further, Lev begins to learn that he must defend what he loves. He must be able to stay and fight for those he cares about even when he finds it difficult to

do.
In the end, Lev is able to conquer his fears. He decides that he needs to be strong even when his fears may be overwhelming. He is not letting them control him anymore. Lev’s love interest, Vika, must part with him as she has other responsibilities and people she must defend before the war is ended. Also, Kolya, Lev’s friend, has been shot and is slowly bleeding to death right in front of him. Lev is not afraid for his own future or how he is feeling about the situation. He thinks of Kolya instead of himself. Benioff describes, “I wanted to say something, to make some stupid joke to distract him. I should have said something, I wish that I had, even though I still can’t think of the right words. If I told him that I loved him, would he have winked and said, ‘No wonder your hand’s on my ass?’” (Benioff 251). The quote relates to Lev and his fears because it proves that he is not afraid in his friend’s dying moments. He attempts to think of a joke to cheer him up as his time runs out. Finally, Vika and Lev are reunited. Their relationship is a symbol of Lev’s fears. Lev had a large fear of interacting with females and showing a romantic interest in them. Their relationship is a symbol due to the fact that he has spoken to her and shared a romantic and intimate moment with her before parting. This shows that he has overcome his fear of interacting with women and was able to overcome his fears of defending himself and others that he cares about.