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   sullymonster Teacher
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   Shukov has always understood that to have food is to survive, but he understands clearly that this survival is only based partly on the human body's need for calories.  The food, the filling of the ache in the stomach, is tied very closely to the mental well-being of the recipient.  Physical health and mental health are closely tied together.  This becomes apparent when Shukov gives one of his biscuits to Alyoshka.  This gift is done out of comraderie, and not for payback.  It feels good to Shukov to help someone else's hunger, and the fact that he is not eating the biscuit himself is of little matter.  His mental health has still been protected, and his spirit has been fed.

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   Posted by sullymonster on Wednesday February 13, 2008 at 4:11 PM