Doctor Zhivago

As winter approaches in Varykino, Yuri begins to write poems and notes about his family and his dreams in his diary. Through the long and hard spring and summer, he writes, he believes that he and Tonya have grown closer together. He also suspects that she is pregnant, though she “does not share [his] supposition” (217). The family passes the time by endlessly re-reading the few books they have with them. Yuri reflects on “the Russian childlikeness of Pushkin and Chekhov” (220). Yuri no longer works as a doctor, though he offers his expertise to any neighbors who need his help. The family relies on Samdevyatov, who has emerged as a pillar of the local community while remaining an ardent supporter of the Bolsheviks. Yuri's half-brother Evgraf also seems to be an important part of the family's life, though his status is “still less explicable” than Samdevyatov’s (222). He visits regularly, bringing gifts such as soap. Yuri believes that his brother can help to resolve many difficulties.

At the end of winter, the snow begins to melt. Yuri visits the library in Yuriatin and happens to see Lara, who seems “happy, confident, smiling” (224). This is the first time he has seen her since he confessed his romantic feelings for her. Her presence soothes him, though he does not reveal himself to her. She leaves before he can say anything, though he manages to find her address by looking at the forms she has submitted to request books from the library. A few days later, Yuri visits Lara. She tells him about her housing arrangements and the secret key to her apartment. She admits that she has known that he was nearby for over a year, though she is surprised to see him on her doorstep. They discuss the civil war, and, in Lara's opinion, they are very different in political perspective, even though they share many opinions. When Yuri mentions his meeting with Strelnikov, Lara confirms that the commissar is actually “[her] husband Pasha” (230). She has not laid eyes on her husband since he joined the army many years before, and he does not contact her or their daughter, which Lara believes is for their protection. She believes that his aggressive military style is an attempt to ensure that he returns to his family as a glorious conqueror. She believes that he is currently fighting the Whites in Siberia, leading his army in combat against the Red army led by Yusup, his childhood friend.

Yuri and Lara have an affair, though Yuri is quickly overcome by guilt. While returning on horseback to Varykino, he decides that he cannot continue and that he must tell Tonya what has happened. Lara understands his pain, though his decision upsets her. As he travels back to Varykino, Yuri debates the best time to tell Tonya what he has done. He decides to wait several days, allowing him time to visit Lara again and clarify his position “with depth and sincerity” (234). As he travels along an empty road, however, he is ambushed by soldiers fighting under Liberius. They pressgang him into service as a medic for the Forest Brotherhood.

Krestovozdviznensk is a small town on the very old highway to Siberia. Olga Galuzina is the wife of a shopkeeper in the town, and she is concerned that her son, Terenty, has been conscripted to fight for the White Army. She is “beset by sad thoughts” (238). Vlas, her husband and the owner of the shop, also fights for the Whites and delivers rousing speeches to the new recruits.

At the same time, in a courtyard outside the Galuzina home, Pasha's father Pavel Antipov meets with men who participated in the failed 1905 revolution. These men include Tiverzin, an anarchist named Vdovichenko, and a Bolshevik official named Kostoed-Amursky. Liberius is also present and frequently interrupts Kostoed-Amursky as he tries to issue orders from the central Bolshevik command. Tiverzin is annoyed by Liberius's behavior, but he agrees with Liberius's belief that the commands are foolish. He does not believe that the men who took part in the 1905 revolution are in a trusting enough condition to lead the vanguard of this latest revolution.

An Easter banquet welcomes the new recruits into the White Army. Terenty listens to his father's speech and leans into his friend Goshka, asking to know the meaning of the word “saboteur” (248). In that moment, a grenade detonates at the end of the street. The men panic. Terenty finds himself hiding in a tight, crowded space beneath a grocery shop. Most of the men are very drunk after the banquet. Apparently, Terenty learns, the chaos outside was caused by a recruit named Sanka, who refused to undress for his medical exam. He flipped a desk and jumped out the window, calling on other men to follow suit. No one knows who threw the grenade, says Koska Nekhvalenykh, who is also in the hiding place. Outside, the men can hear Colonel Strese searching for the rebellious recruits. The colonel incorrectly denounces Terenty, Goshka, Koska, and Sanka as political exiles who are now wanted dead or alive. Koska whispers to the others, suggesting that they hide in the forest until the colonel and the White soldiers become more reasonable.