The last two lines of The Hills of Georgia by Pushkin read:

              For thus my heart must burn and love – because it’s true

                        That not to love – it knows no way.

In essence, this last line says that without love in your heart, one does not fully exist. This reminded me of Olenin’s desire to allow love into his heart, to become less egocentric, and love others as he loves himself. In talking with Olenin and the others, the person at the beginning of Chapter 1 labeled “the man who is leaving”, says, “‘You think that to be loved is as great a happiness as to love, and if a man once attains it, it will be enough to last him for the whole of his life’” (4). To me, this articulates that being loved by someone, as the beautiful girl does Olenin, is not considered happiness unless that love is reciprocated, which Olenin does not. One of the reasons he leaves for the army is because he is not satisfied with the self-absorbed life he leads and trusts that a new environment will bring him the mental clarity to accept love into his heart, and moreover, reciprocate this love to others. The man who is leaving continues, ‘But why couldn’t one love, too?’…‘Why shouldn’t one be the one who loves?’” (4). This reinstates the idea of providing others love rather than simply accepting their love to you. It seems that Olenin wants to fall in love, expressing that “…within me there’s a desire to love, and nothing could be stronger than that desire!” (5).

Ivan Bunin’s Caucasus also ties into this desire for love and happiness. The adulterous couple sneaks away, the woman leaving her husband at home and unaware of her affair. This narrative reminded me of Olenin’s story in a couple of ways. The way the narrator describes location is key to both narratives. In Caucasus, Moscow is described as rainy, gloomy, and with an unfulfilled and unhappy tone, but the hopeful final destination, the south, is described as warm and beautiful in a much more upbeat tone. The couple hopes for happiness and peace in their new life, as Olenin does in his new life at the Caucasus. Both the adulterous couple and Olenin are leaving a life of mistakes and unfulfillment to discover a more liberated and gratified version of themselves.