What is the theme in My First Goose by Isaac Babel?

Ignorance and Knowledge is the main theme of the book. The physically small narrator of "My First Goose" possesses a law school education; he reads, writes, and wears glasses. Representing knowledge and culture, he is set in opposition to the Cossacks, who cannot read or write. Yet in this story Cossacks possess the greater power. Though the narrator knows Leninist politics, the very reason for the war, it is he who must prove his worth to those fighting for it. This theme relates to the complex political moment during which the story is set.