Zinaida Yakovlevna Povalyayeva

 Zinaida Yakovlevna Povalyayeva

“They flew out on a plane. Zina spent one year living on false papers. But she couldn't resist the desire to see her mother again- and her mother was under surveillance. At her new interrogation she managed to convince them she had escaped in a coal car. And they never did find out about her husband's participation.”- (page 256–257)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described in the Gulag Archipelago stories of individuals that had successfully escaped gulag after escape attempts. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how the individuals that successfully escaped gulag did not speak of their stories and lived in hiding from the Soviet Bolshevik socialists. We learned about Kuzikov-Skachinsky who successfully escaped from gulag and lived free for seventeen years before being recaptured by the Soviet Bolsheviks. These stories describe the courage of individuals to persevere despite the opposition of Soviet socialists.

Zinaida was sent to gulag because she had decided to stay in her school teaching during the nazi socialist occupation instead of fleeing like the Soviet Bolshevik bureaucrats. She was not sent to gulag immediately but was able to marry. Zinaida was able to marry prior to being sent to gulag. In gulag she established communication with her husband and was able to flee. Zinaida's husband was a pilot and was able to escape with his wife. Zinaida lived for a whole year living in freedom.

Zinaida decided to visit her mother although she knew that her mother was being surveilled. The Soviet Bolshevik socialists had placed surveillance on Zinaida's mother in order to confirm the whereabouts of Zinaida. Zinaida decided to visit her mother despite the surveillance and was recaptured to gulag. Zinaida did not give the complete story to the Soviet Bolsheviks instead saying that she had escaped in a coal car. Zinaida did not speak about her husband's involvement in flying her to freedom.

This story is interesting because Zinaida was taken to gulag because she had been courageous and stayed in her profession teaching in Moscow, most likely, during the attacks of the nazi socialists. The soviet cowards were envious of industrious individuals who did not fear the nazi socialists and kept working in their professions staying in Moscow. The righteous industrious workers persevered with courage instead of fleeing like the Soviet coward bureaucrats. Zinaida was able to flee gulag by establishing communication with her husband and was flown to freedom. When caught by Soviet Bolshevik socialists, she never told them about her husband's involvement in flying her to freedom. This story tells us that there are men and women that are courageous and loyal despite adversity, opposition, and envy.