The Case of Sergeant Grischa

Browse all of the Salem on Literature series

The Case of Sergeant Grischa (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)

At a glance:

Characters Discussed

Sergeant Grischa Iljitsch Paprotkin (GREE-shah ee-LEECH pah-PROHT- kihn), a Russian soldier held as a prisoner by the Germans in 1917. Though not ill-treated by his captors, he wishes to return to his family, and so contrives an escape. During his lonely wanderings, he begins to lose his humanity, but he recovers it when he becomes the lover of Babka, a woman leading a band of refugees who take him into their midst. Sergeant Grischa assumes the identity of Sergeant Pavlovitsch Bjuscheff, a Russian deserter, so that he can avoid punishment as an escaped...

[The entire page is 719 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

Lookup any word on eNotes with our dictionary. Highlight the word and press SHIFT + D for a definition, or SHIFT + T for a synonym.