The Life of Oscar Otter: An Allegory of the Russian Revolution

Chapter 2

 It took Oscar nearly a week to get from his camp back to the village where he grew up. The voyage was relatively boring and there was nothing much for Oscar to do besides sit and think about everything that had been going on. Being removed from the action gave him some time to reflect on the events that had taken place and cool off a little bit. He was still angry, of course, but he wasn't in such a blind rage as before. Now sadness was his primary emotion.

Having lots of time with nothing to do is not good for someone with a damaged heart, and Oscar began thinking again and again about his father's death. 'It's my fault, it's my fault,' he thought over and over again. 'If only I had stayed home to take care of them instead of joining the war. I could have gotten a decent job there, or helped mom with her blankets and we would have been able to pay for dad's treatment.'

When he finally arrived home, it was like a breath of fresh air and a punch in the gut at the same time. Everything looked the same as when he left. The same fields of grain and roots, the same neighbors and the same houses. Even the weather was the same as when he left, sunny and warm despite the crisp December air, like it was mocking him. The only change was the mood.

Octavian Otter had been a constant presence around their neighborhood, long after his injury, everyone knew him. His death was a blow not only to the Otter family, but to everyone else as well. Oscar walking into the village noted that neighbors were scarce, and those that he did see had drawn faces. There wasn't a single animal with a smile on his face, which was so different from when he was a child.

Oscar made his way down the road toward his mother's house and took a moment to compose his thoughts. He hadn't seen his mother in two years. What would she think of him now with all the killing he had done? And wasn't he responsible for his father's death too? Oscar was afraid, but he had no need to be. He knocked on the door and it was immediately swung open to reveal a short lean Otter woman with greying fur and tears flowing down her face.

"Oscar!" she cried, in a relieved voice. She left the door wide open and flung herself into a flabbergasted Oscar's arms. She didn't say anything more for a long time, but the hug said everything that she didn't. All the worry, all the loss, the pain and the love she had for him poured out and Oscar hugged back, conveying his own emotions as well. Somehow, most likely through her mother's intuition, Mrs. Octavia Otter was able to sense her son's turmoil and finally straightened up and looked him in the eye.

"Son-" she said sternly, yet lovingly in the way that only mothers can, "what happened wasn't your fault so much as it was anyone else's."

"But!"

"No son, no buts, I don't blame you and neither does anyone else. You should forgive yourself."

Although it took some time, Oscar and Octavia were able to recover, at least partially, from their sorrows. Slowly, but steadily Oscar was able to forgive himself as he helped his mother arrange the funeral and get back on her feet. They worked tirelessly and that work helped him take his mind off of everything that had been tormenting him. He helped his mother with her blankets and often ran errands into town for her because her joints wouldn't let her move quite as swiftly as they used to. It was on one of these such visits that Oscar saw Marvin Moon for the first time.

Because his mother ran out of fabric early that week, Oscar had to go into town two days earlier than he usually did. He got to town and was going about his business, when he ran into a large crowd of animals assembling in the town square. Just like when he was little, he couldn't resist going towards it and finding out what was happening. As he approached the

crowd he began to hear a voice from the center of it and he began to press through the animals

towards the podium he knew was in the middle.

"Friends! Neighbors! Comrades! Those of you who frequent my meetings have heard me say this many times before, but for those of you who are new I will say it again. I will say it again and again until action is taken!" His voice was deep and gravelly, as was to be expected for a bear and he stood proudly in his black suit gesturing wildly with his paws to accentuate his point. "We have been oppressed for far too long! We work long hard hours in the fields! We give our lives for the Tiger in battle! And what do we get? Poor wages and more work! We must rise up! Overthrow this oppressive government and establish our own which would be fair for all animals!..."

He continued on like that for over an hour, and Oscar stayed for the whole thing, intrigued and excited about the ideas he was hearing..

After that encounter, Oscar changed his schedule so that he went into town to coincide with the days that Mr. Moon spoke. He attended those meetings avidly, his disdain for the Tiger growing with every meeting. Every few meetings, Moon would invite a few of the animals in the crowd to share their own experiences with the Tiger and the poverty he had caused. Oscar felt sympathy with each and every person that spoke. One day he even told his own story, gaining many allies and forming bonds with animals who were willing to care for his mother when he inevitably would have to go back to the army.

The speeches, although they started out as just ideas, quickly grew into something more. Animals, riled up from months and months of talks, decided to take action. Feeling the need for change from the Tiger's dictatorship, they started protesting and boycotting. Oscar never imagined that they would ever be able to achieve anything with that, but soon, because of all the unrest, the Tiger and his troops came back to the capital. The protests continued even when the Tiger was back and his soldiers were called to control the crowds.

Because the Tiger was back from the frontlines, there was no need Oscar to leave home. However he was conscripted to help control the crowds in the riots, which he didn't want to do. Over his two months away from the army, he found a new group of animals that shared his ideas of freedom and equality. So, for the first time in his life, Oscar directly disobeyed an order given to him by the Tiger and his men. Oscar felt liberated. Eventually, he even joined the protests himself, but none of the violent ones of course; the last thing he wanted was to get more blood on his paws. After constant persistence from the animals, the Tiger finally addressed them with news that shocked them all.