Pavel cares most in life about working hard, and doing what he can for his country. He is severely depressed when he realizes he is paralyzed and will be an invalid. On page 433, he states, “Man’s most precious possession is life itself… and one should make haste to use every moment of life, for after all an illness or accident may suddenly cut it short.”(Ostravsky) He values his work as the single most important part of his life. He works endlessly to find a way to support his country, while being told countless times that he is to stop working. He even considered ending his life, but decided against it as he had not employed every last option. He always manages to find a way, even in his complete blindness with only the ability to move his right hand, he wrote a manuscript. Should the credit for his perseverance be given to himself, or to the Soviet society that he holds so dearly?
I feel that Pavel should receive the credit for the advancements he made for the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union pushed everyone to work hard, but Pavel pushed himself past that point almost to the point of no return. Work was Pavel’s chance to succeed. He was never able to succeed in school or sports or anything of the sort. He worked for everything he has ever had and took pride in what he did have. I feel personally that the Soviet Union does not deserve the credit, that Pavel deserves.