Our Country Friends

Gary ShteyngartFiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

The Black Pickup Truck

Content Warning: This section contains references to the murder of George Floyd and child abuse, as well as depictions of racism and antisemitism. In addition, the source text uses racist and antisemitic language, which is replicated in this guide only in direct quotes of the source material.

The black pickup truck appears so frequently in Our Country Friends, spotted by each of the characters, that it nearly becomes a character itself. The truck is always on the road, passing by, stopping in the driveway, and observing the little community gathered at the House on the Hill. Its presence unnerves Senderovsky, who sees it more than others, and after it nearly hits his daughter, Nat, he sees it as an overt threat to their safety. The black pickup truck is a manifestation of Senderovsky’s anxiety and paranoia about the conservative nature of the local townspeople around him. It becomes a symbol of the conservative and far-right wave of politics that divides the nation during a particularly contentious time in American history. Senderovsky’s perception of the truck is clear during one of its visits: “A window rolled down and a hand with a phone emerged. Sasha strained his eyes after the passing truck. Was there a sticker on the back? The deconstructed remains of a swastika? Slegs blankes?” (80). The term slegs blankes is Afrikaans for ‘whites only.’ When Senderovsky sees the truck go by and cannot make out the stickers, his mind immediately jumps to the poster that Ed sees at the train station featuring antisemitic iconography and the same racist slogan Senderovsky believes he sees on the truck. Senderovsky and the others do not know who is behind the wheel of the truck until the near end of the novel, and this mystery only exacerbates the anxiety surrounding the truck. Senderovsky is aware of the political atmosphere in the area and the diversity of his little community. The isolation of their estate and the rising political discontent are channeled into the black pickup truck, and its looming presence represents the greater dread felt by the characters.

The Bungalows

The bungalows on the Senderovsky property represent Senderovsky’s passions in his life and his need to make strong connections with people. Each of the five bungalows has a unique identity, developed through decorations that hold personal significance to Senderovsky and the people in his life. The bungalows are a motif that represent Senderovsky’s efforts to overcome the negative effects of his parents and to hold on to the better parts of his life. Ed notes the connections between the bungalows and Senderovsky’s life when he arrives:

The bungalow reserved for Ed mimicked the one he and Masha had enjoyed during their honeymoon on Hawaii’s Big Island, and it came with a feature no other house did—an outdoor shower, its walls rendered in seashells (14).

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This particular bungalow is designed to remind Senderovsky and Masha of their honeymoon and bring them back to that happy time. Other bungalows evoke memories of their younger lives, like the St. Petersburg bungalow that thematizes the city they grew up in and where they first met as children.

Not only do the bungalows’ designs capture happy moments or meaningful passions, like the writer’s bungalow for Senderovsky, but their layout also hints at Senderovsky’s desire always to be able to host friends. The layout is reminiscent of a vacation spot from early in Senderovsky’s life, where he met Masha, and when money begins to run dry, she reminds him of his initial need for a place such as this and the changing nature of his life that should allow him to let it go:

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I know how much you love this place,” Masha said, “but it’s only a placeholder for your memories. For a time when this was the only spot on earth where you had friends and were welcome and loved, and everyone spoke your language. Well, you have friends now, and you speak the language (245).

Senderovsky holds onto the House on the Hill and the bungalows because he designs them to reflect the best parts of his life and recreate a safe space he had before his family immigrated and his relationship with his parents deteriorated. Now, through the pandemic, with the relationships he builds with his friends and family, Masha encourages him to move on, to not let the pressure and stress of its upkeep prevent him from living his life happily with the people he loves. The bungalows represent Senderovsky’s need to protect and recreate the best parts of his life, but they also prevent him from making new ones.

Gunshots

Like the black pickup truck, the gunshots that nearly constantly sound from the areas around the House on the Hill come to represent the anxieties of the Senderovsky and their guests. The source of the gunshots is never revealed but throughout Our Country Friends, they grow more frequent and draw closer. These gunshots are a symbol representing the encroaching turmoil and danger of the world outside of the House on the Hill. When the pandemic starts, the group is removed from the worst of the pandemic, but as the pandemic lengthens and the protests surrounding the murder of George Floyd grow, the conservative support for the police and right-wing politics becomes more apparent. The gunshots therefore represent the outside world drawing closer to the group. As the political state of the nation worsens, Masha makes a connection between it and the gunshots: “She knew Senderovsky always topped off his gas tank for a run across the border, but the border was closed. Hunting season or no, the shots would continue to ring out over the distant hills, growing ever less distant” (249). Not only does Masha think of her family needing to flee across the border into Canada because of possible political persecution and danger, but she also notes the changing nature of the gunshots. As the gunshots represent the outside world growing closer, it is no coincidence that they are most notable upon the arrival of the Actor after he disappeared. He comes back from the outside world, bringing COVID-19 into the small community, infecting Karen and then Vinod, leading to Vinod’s death. The gunshots act as a warning to this coming danger. They are the sounds of the outside world, and they are the signifiers of the coming calamity of Vinod’s decline.