59 pages • 1-hour read
I Was Anastasia: A Novel
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Symbols & Motifs
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of animal death, graphic violence, and death.
The Jeweled Undergarments
The jewels that the Romanov sisters sew into their undergarments, including their corsets, are part of the historical record. They hoped that if they managed to escape imprisonment, they would have valuables to pay for travel and expenses. While this act has a strategic value, it also carries symbolic weight: By reinforcing their clothing with the riches that remain with them, the sisters remind themselves, and others, of their birth status as royalty. Their jewel-lined corsets, petticoats, and other garments become a reminder of their identity that has been threatened by the opposition. At the same time, Alexandra’s act of clinging to her jewels while the Russian people are starving from food shortages reflects the injustice and social inequality that Kerensky pointed to in his justification for killing the elephant.
Accounts of the executions at Ipatiev House report that the Romanov girls’ jewel-lined bodices acted as unintended armor and resisted bullets, which forced the soldiers to resort to stabbing them with their bayonets. In this respect, the jewel-lined corsets become a tragic emblem of their innocence. Anastasia is 17, and Alexey is only around 14 at the time of the murders. They are children who have personally done nothing wrong—their only crime was that they were born into privilege. Still, they are murdered in a cruel, gruesome fashion. In the end, neither their wealth nor status protects the family; if not stripped from their bodies as a final indignity, the jewels they clung to, like Anastasia’s diamond earrings, are presumably buried with them.
The Photo Album
For Anastasia, the photo album is a symbol of her happy childhood and a tangible connection to her family. The album itself is described as “small and square with a brown leather cover,” and is “filled with pictures of [her] family, [their] trips, and images of daily life at the Alexander Palace” (191). As one of her prized possessions, she takes it with her when the family is removed from their home. However, when Gleb is sent away from Tobolsk, Anastasia gives the photo album to Botkin, asking him to give it to Gleb as a symbol of their friendship. She hopes the album will serve as a reminder of happier times and wishes that they may one day reunite.
Later, when Tanya and Anna become friends, Tanya is convinced that Anna is indeed Anastasia and gives her the photo album, believing she is returning it to its rightful owner. Within, Anna finds “thirty stiff cardboard pages […], each page covered front and back with black-and-white photographs. […] Each is filled with small moments of a private life” (233), capturing lives and times that have been lost. If Anna were indeed Anastasia, this would be a profound moment of reconnection, restoring her family to her by fortifying her memories. However, for a woman posing as Anastasia, the insights of this album are priceless; they allow her to supposedly remember small but important details that could help persuade others of the truth of her claim. Anna, notably, never submits this photo album to the court as evidence of her identity. Her motives for this are not explained, but she might have been nervous about inviting scrutiny. On the other hand, it could also reflect her desire to preserve privacy for the lost Romanov family. In either case, the photo album becomes a symbol of narrative possession: Anna holds onto this artifact to hold onto the family of which she claims to be a part.
Anna’s Scars
Anna’s scars serve multiple symbolic functions. For one, they act as a motif that creates suspense around her claim that she is Anastasia. Her scars are like the wounds that Anastasia would have sustained from being shot and then stabbed with a bayonet by the Bolshevik soldiers. The scar at Anna’s temple is particularly significant in this regard, and Yakov’s blow to Anastasia’s head during his attack offers another point of alignment between the two women.
Secondly, Anna’s scars are a symbol of her trauma and her secrets. The physical wounds represent the damage she sustained from the exploding grenade at the munitions factory, but the scars are also evidence of her psychological trauma: She lost her fiancé, her child, and her home. Anna’s reluctance to allow other people to see these scars can be read in different ways. In one respect, the scars symbolize her vulnerability, and she does not want other people to see evidence of her wounds and think of her as broken or pitiable. On another level, it also reveals that she resents her supporters’ sympathy; many of her so-called friends are touched by the tragedy of her circumstances. Even those who do not believe her claim, like the remaining Romanov family, express pity for Anna, referring to her as an “invalid.” Anna’s refusal to accept their offer of financial support suggests that she is likewise refusing their pity; she wants to be acknowledged on her own terms.
Anna’s decision to conceal her scars also stems from her fear of exposure. She does not want to betray the stretch marks that are evidence of pregnancy since Anastasia did not have a child. This very concealment is symbolic of her larger obfuscation about her origins and circumstances.
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