The Endless Steppe

In the spring, thousands of German prisoners of war arrive in the village and are treated with contempt. In May, the war with Germany ends. Just weeks before, the news of Roosevelt’s death struck the Rudomins with fear and grief. After the joy of the war ending, the news of the Holocaust—including the complete decimation of Esther’s extended family—arrives. To Esther’s sorrow, not even her photo albums remain in Vilna.

The Rudomins receive a letter from Samuel explaining that he will go directly to Poland rather than back to Siberia. Raya is excited, but she is shocked when Esther expresses hesitation. Esther‘s feelings are “a tangle of confusion” (228); she is afraid of the unknown of going back to Poland, and she is pulled by the familiarity of her life in Siberia. Both Raya and Samuel, however, are intent on returning to Poland.

Samuel returns to Vilna ahead of his family; he writes them the emotional description of finding their house occupied by someone else and of visiting the sites where family members were massacred.

Raya permits Esther to buy new clothes—leather boots and a quilted jacket—if she can earn the money herself. Esther becomes focused on this goal as a way to face “the dark journey back from exile” (233).

A group of Polish deportees are called back to the village square, where they are told that they will be transported back to Poland in March. Esther is caught up in the excitement and in her goal of earning money for new clothes; “feelings are untidy” (236), however, and she still feels fearful of change. She has come to love her school, her friends, and even the steppe itself.

Esther’s literature teacher announces a declamation contest, scheduled for March. Esther signs up, again selecting Tatyana’s dream. The contest further fuels her obsession for new boots, and as she works and knits, Shurik spends time with her and reads to her. Shurik plans to become a soldier, something Esther “never did understand” (237).

Esther is “heartbroken” when the declamation contest is scheduled three days after her departure. Esther buys her longed-for boots and jacket, and on March 15, 1946, she departs for Poland. Before leaving, she says goodbye to her friends and “to the unique beauty of the steppe” (239).

Along the journey, the train car passengers are joyful. At one stop, Esther takes time to admire the Ural Mountains and is almost left behind. Thankfully, a boy grabs her and throws her back on the train. At the next stop, Esther is relieved to discover that he was also able to jump back on.

When the train finally arrives in Poland, the joyful mood shifts. Esther is “frightened” and “bewildered” when Polish people shout at them and call them “dirty Jews.” When they reach their destination—the city of Lodz—the passengers are “appalled” by the devastation they see.

Amazingly, Esther sees her father through the train car window and calls out to him. After a few long moments, the train car is finally opened, and the family is reunited. Seeing her outfit, Samuel tells Esther not to worry—“the first thing we will do is get you some new clothes” (243). Esther takes her father’s hand, realizing that “the years out there on the steppe had come to an end, our exile was over” (243).