Personal Revelations

There were two passages that I thought were particularly interesting as I read Inside Out. The first passage occurred on page 53, when Bernstein talks about his belief in the Soviet Union. He talks about the deaths and terror happening in there, and how he paid little attention to it. Bernstein says, "The Soviet Union had been under constant attack since being formed; it was natural that there would be spies and saboteurs, agents of a vengeful capitalism. It was my first example of what horror can be perpetrated in the name of security and how easy then to apologize for it. The example was lost on me.” I really liked this section because it shows Bernstein’s high hopes for the Soviet Union, and despite what was happening he was able to overlook it because of his beliefs and hopes. He says that he did not question it or even try to read further into what was happening. I also liked how he says the example was lost on him, acknowledging that he was overlooking some crucial information because of his faith.

The other passage that I found very telling was page 82-83 when he had his first real war experience. Bernstein talks about how it was exhilarating to finally be in the war. Despite what he knew was going on, and that at any moment men around him or he himself could die, he was exhilarated to be a part of it. It was not until he was personally made a part of that same war that he had a change of heart. Bernstein says, “My feelings about war had suddenly and abruptly changed. They had stopped being political or social or idealistic. They had become personal. “ Bernstein seems to have had a revelation, although he even admits that some of those feelings would return because they were such a part of him. Bernstein seems to take things for granted until he experiences them for himself.

Bernstein only seems to learn through personal experience. He is writing about war, but still he is somehow able to romanticize it until he becomes personally involved. The same seems to be true of his political and social beliefs. As seen with the passage above, he overlooks so many important facts because of his beliefs and romantic ideals. Towards the beginning of the book on page 12, he even says, “what was happening to them (jail, blacklist, exile) was not going to happen to me.” Again, until he personally experiences it, he is unable to truly see the issues at hand.