Compare a theme developed through the use of the Quest motif in City of Thieves by David Benioff with that in The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.

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The Theme of Violence in the Quest for Authority and Power
David Benioff’s story titled ” City of Thieves” has several themes among them violence, which is used in the quest for power and authority. In his story, Benioff narrates the story of a young Jew, who is arrested unjustly and charged for treason. The young Jew called Lev Beniov is depicted as the victim of circumstances and is treated unfairly as he awaits execution. With another cellmate Kolya, Lev is given an alternative to execution although under some conditions. They are required to collect one dozen of eggs for one of the Colonel s daughter who has a wedding. The two are given the condition that they must find twelve eggs within two days or face death sentence (Benioff, 33). Violence, as a major theme here, is used to oppress some people by soldiers who represent authority with the focus to maintain power and authority over the subjects.
Suffering and violence are evident themes of Benioff s story that he illustrates through the life and experiences of Lev, the young narrator who is in his mid-30s. The story opens with a sentence showing that Lev just realized that misery of his dull life. His grandfather of a Russian origin is shown to have suffered in the hands of soldiers, a trend that persisted during Lev s father s era (Benioff 51). The emphasis on the misery and suffering expressed when the narrator says that he never wanted to reveal his life whatsoever. Literal scrutiny of …