For The Good of The Cause

1. For The Good of The Cause A novel by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

2. Summary The novel is set at the beginning of the school year at a small technical school in a provincial Russian town, around the time of the post-Stalinist “thaw”. During the previous summer, the students and teachers from the technical school got together to work on building a new school complex. During the summer, they only got to finish one of the school buildings and had just begun working on the second. However, once the school year was about to begin, the Town committee decided to use the new building for a new research institute for the town, rather than the school it was supposed to be. The story then focuses on the battle being fought between the teachers and students and the town council for the use of the building.

3. Themes • The main focus of the novel is on moral, rather than political themes. • A major theme of this novel is the clash between right and wrong. • A smaller theme in the novel is a focus on Solzhenitsyn’s opinion that, although Stalin was already long dead at the time of publication, “little Stalin's” perpetuate Stalinism

4. Quotations “It was Knorozov’s boast that he never went back on his word. As it had been once in Moscow with Stalin’s word, so it was still today with Knorozov’s word: It was never changed and never taken back. And although Stalin was long dead, Knorozov was still here. He was a leading proponent of the “strong willed school of leadership”, and he saw in this his greatest virtue. He could not imagine any other way of running things.” -Page 83

5. Quotations (continued) “Grachikov was neither convinced nor crushed by Knorozov’s words, which fell like steel girders, and he felt he was coming to one of those critical moments in his life when his legs were rooted to the spot and he had to stand his ground. Because once again it was a clash or right and wrong.” -page 85

6. Quotations (Continued) “And only when his task was done did he turn to Fydor to say: “That’s the way it has to be, dear Comrade.” “Why does it have to be?” Fydor asked angrily, with a shake of his head. “For the good of the cause, I suppose. Is that it? Well just you wait!” And he clenched his fists. But he could no longer speak. He turned away and strode off quickly towards the road, muttering to himself: “Just wait, you pig! Just wait, you swine!” (page 94)

7. Works Cited • Solzhenitsyn, Alexander. For The Good of The Cause. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1964. • Ericson, Edward E. Solzhenitsyn- The Moral Vision. Grand Rapids, Michigan. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1980.