- Seraphima’s unwillingness to renounce God and say that he does not exist in front of her peers shows her tenacity to her faith in opposition to totalitarianism and communism, solidifying her identity as an Orthodox Christian. (51:25)
- Rita’s guilt after she tells the headmistress that Seraphima believes in God and the housekeeper’s response is that forgiveness is the most important part of any wrongdoing. (55:00)
Enthymeme thesis: In the film, Seraphima’s Extraordinary Adventure, the Orthodox Christian ideals of forgiveness and steadfastness solidify Seraphima and Rita’s identity in the face of adversity and ridicule and their ability to resist the greater force of totalitarian culture, therefore expressing the totalitarian ideology rooted in atheistic and anti-religious framework inflicted on all to further their psychological hold on people.
Summary: In this paper I am looking to explore the Christian ideals that are so prominent within those that reject or resist totalitarianism at its core. My first scene will be able to describe the firm nature of Seraphima’s faith in God and ultimately allows her to resist the totalitarian culture imposed upon her. I would like to cite Solzhenitsyn’s arguments on the “danger” of those with such strong faith in resisting the ideologies of the Soviet Union. Secondly, I would like to delve into Rita’s growth with her faith via forgiveness and how that allowed her to overcome the totalitarian psychology inflicted on her in my second scene. I would like to cite Rod Dreher’s piece Live Not by Lies to further bring home the idea that religion is a crucial aspect in resistance against totalitarianism and allows one to hold on to their identity.
Non-fiction sources: Gulag, Live Not by Lies, and Socialist Phenomenon