Sources A and B reflect some of the ways in which Stalin's purges effected Soviet society. Source A is an extract from Natasha's Dance by Orlando Figes, and this extract demonstrates that it was difficult to express yourself without your intentions being questioned. Prokofiev's working life became difficult because he was accused of being a formalist (one who was regarded as preferring their art as an art form rather than it being understood by society as a whole), and he had to change his work so that he wouldn't give the wrong message and be accused of anything else.
Source B, an extract from Hope Against Hope by N Mandelstam, who along with her family were exiled in 1934, demonstrates how Stalin's terror at the time infiltrated the society in such a way that it was difficult to imagine the end of it. It is stated that it was essential to smile because if you didn't, it showed that you were discontented or nervous. The effect of this on society is that people could be accused of doing the wrong thing on a very superficial basis, and that it was necessary to make sure you seemed in line at all times, rather than letting your emotions show, because they could be interpreted the wrong way and cause people to be suspicious. This must have made life very difficult for the people of the USSR, since they would have to maintain a certain behavior at all times, so that people wouldn't realize just how horrified you were.
What the information in these two sources signifies about Stalin's purges and their effect on society is that they made life very difficult for the people, who had to hide their opinions, their horrified reactions, and their emotions in general so that they would not be accused of being anti-Stalin and against his motives, otherwise it would just make their lives worse and there would be consequences further down the road. I get this feeling because in source B it states "Even from your children you had to hide how horror-struck you were; otherwise they might let something slip at school." This is bad because the people couldn't even express their feelings without it seeming like they had something to hide. The purges made Soviet society a very emotionless one, because although people were terrified on the inside, they weren't allowed to show it and had to keep all of their feelings bottled up. Imagine a society where you couldn't express your views without consequences or even express basic emotions and here you have it.
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