So different from the book

Rating: Null/10 (3 November 2004)

At age 15 I relished on the romance between Lara and Pavel Antipov. We were all a bit idealistic in the 60 's and me too. I loved the herodom of Pasja (Pavel Antipov) whilst I abhorred the character of Zhivago, which I considered unmanly. In some commentaries a wrong image is cast on the romance between Lara and Zhivago vs a vs the romance between Lara and Pasja. After reading Pasternaks book recently, I got to know, that the writers intention was very different. Shortly before Antipov commits suicide, Zhivago has a penetrative conversation with Lara at his home in Varykino. Lara vehemently defends her husbands attitude. After his captivity by the Germans, he turns to the Communists, without joining their ranks. As a high placed military, he is instructed to punish disobedient subjects, burning down villages, etc. Lara sees these acts as one of a hero, of a person who only will come back to his wife and daughter Katya, after having received the laurels of honour and courage. At this Zhivago exclaims:"But then you must still love this man tremendously!". Lara admits and answers:"If the course of life may be reversed, I would leave everything behind, you too, Zhivago, and crawl on my knees back to Pasja. Then she explains why she was so much attracted to her childhood lover (who is slightly younger than she): her quest for pureness, unaffectedness, and she found it all in shy, but passionately loving Pasja. Later, when Pasja commits suicide, his motive is not the discovery of Lara and Zhivago's love, but Pasja's fear to be executed on false accusations. I hope my commentary sheds a light on the beautiful relationship between Lara and Pasja.