# Survival and Agency in Yashka

> Theme guide for Yashka by Maria Bochkareva.

Despite being a semi-literate peasant woman, Bochkareva actively shapes her own destiny—escaping abusive relationships, seeking work, enlisting in the army, and petitioning the Tsar—demonstrating fierce determination to control her life.

## Where it surfaces

- [Part I: Youth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yashka_se/chapters/part-i-youth): Maria escapes abusive situations and makes choices to preserve her life, such as fleeing her husband and the brothel.
- [My Childhood of Toil](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yashka_se/chapters/i-my-childhood-of-toil): Despite being a child, Maria makes decisions to run away and later to remain at work, showing early signs of agency in dire circumstances.
- [III: A Little Happiness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yashka_se/chapters/iii-a-little-happiness): Maria repeatedly takes initiative to find work, escapes a brothel by force, and later supports herself through ice cream sales and caring for the poor.
- [IV: The Road to Exile](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yashka_se/chapters/iv-the-road-to-exile): Maria navigates the exile system, makes difficult choices to protect Yasha, and takes action to secure their survival, even at great personal cost.
- [V: Escape from Exile](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yashka_se/chapters/v-escape-from-exile): Maria takes control of her life by managing the household, planting a garden, and ultimately escaping to enlist in the army.
- [XVIII: Caught in a Bolshevik Deathtrap](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yashka_se/chapters/xviii-caught-in-a-bolshevik-deathtrap): Bochkareva uses her wits and disguise to navigate through Bolshevik lines, demonstrating agency in the face of mortal danger.
- [XIX: Saved by a Miracle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yashka_se/chapters/xix-saved-by-a-miracle): Maria's survival hinges on her past acts of bravery and the intervention of those she helped, demonstrating agency in the face of death.
- [XX: I Set Out on a Mission](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yashka_se/chapters/xx-i-set-out-on-a-mission): Maria navigates Red Guard searches, detention, and poverty, using her wits and the help of sympathetic soldiers to continue her mission.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yashka_se/themes/survival_and_agency
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/yashka_se/themes