Paul is a self-conscious and selfless revolutionary fighter. He always puts the interests of the party and the motherland first. In the war years of blood and fire, Paul and his brothers galloped on the battlefield together, fighting bloody battles with foreign armed meddlers and white bandit troops to defend the Soviet regime, showing their dedication to the revolutionary cause and not being afraid of sacrifice. In those difficult years of healing the wounds of war and restoring the national economy, he devoted himself to peaceful labor with all his enthusiasm. Although he used to be an iron horse with blood, he didn't take credit and didn't consider personal fame and fortune. He just wants to do more for the party and the people. The party asked him to build the railway, and he went; The party wanted him to be a league cadre, but he went and was killed. He can even sacrifice love for the revolution. He loved Ada, but influenced by the gadfly, he wanted to "devote himself completely to the revolutionary cause", so he left without saying goodbye in the form of gadfly. After paralysis and blindness, all he needs in life is to continue working for the party. As he said, "all my life and energy have been dedicated to the most magnificent cause in the world-the struggle for the liberation of mankind."

Paul is a staunch revolutionary fighter who has withstood severe tests in all aspects of his life. In the face of the enemy's torture, he is firm and indomitable; On the battlefield of bullets, he went forward bravely; In the struggle against diseases that devoured life, he discouraged death many times and created a miracle of "coming back to life". In particular, he struggled to climb the palace of art from the time of his death, showing the highest realm that a revolutionary soldier's iron will can reach.

Paul is also a hero who sees greatness from the ordinary. There is nothing earth-shattering in his resume. He always starts with the most common things. Faced with the heavy blow of the disease, he also had the idea of suicide. It was in his heroic passion to fight the disease that he contained the danger of "Left" infantilism. Paul finally realized that his behavior of not caring for his body could not be called heroic behavior, but willfulness and irresponsibility. Therefore, Paul is great and ordinary. He is an iron warrior who gradually matured in the fire of revolution, and he is a true and affectionate example.

Paul is also a typical autobiographical image based on the author himself. The author describes Paul according to his own life experience and real feelings. So Paul's touching story is not an artistic fiction, but basically a true story, which is more touching because it is true. However, the author opposes to regard this novel as the author's autobiography completely, because "this is a novel, not a biography". He concentrated the thoughts and personality characteristics of many similar figures in his contemporaries on Paul in a typical way. He said: "In this book, I am not writing about Paul Kochakin alone, but about millions of men and women who are searching for gold and fighting for their own happiness!" Paul's image is both autobiographical and sketchy. He is the most outstanding and typical representative of the socialist young generation.