Hills vs. Lysistrata

Hills, a short story by Vasily Belov, points out how men go off to war and women stay home. This is where they die and are buried. The general message is very similar to that of Lysistrata, an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes. In Lysistrata, it is pointed out how women are just as able, or even more adept, at running society. Although written in two different times and in two different genres, a universal theme is presented: that women are just as apt as men, yet do not receive any credit for their contributions.

The theme of Hills is that women are forgotten after death, while men have monuments to commemorate their death and to serve as eternal reminders of their lives. This message can be found around the world, just as this attitude will not likely change soon. The theme of Lysistrata is that women are more capable than men in handling political and international affairs. Although the themes slightly differ, they both demonstrate the "underratedness," or lack of respect for the female gender throughout history. It is for this reason that the story will stand the test of time until attitudes or policies toward women change.

In Hills, I do not think the story was presented in the best possible way to deliver Belov's message. He writes a good deal about the man before he comes to the graveyard. It is finally at the graveyard that Belov presents the theme of his story. The man looks for his grandmother's grave, but there is "not a sign of her grave." Her grave is "overgrown with grass and docks," since she just as all women have virtually been forgotten in death. On the contrary, though, the man's father has a monument on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd where there is a Hall of Fame with his name on it. The theme is presented quite clearly, even though there is a lengthy exposition.

If Hills raises a question to women's rights, then Lysistrata answers it.