The story begins with a depiction of a wasp hovering over a wasp’s nest. The nest itself, which is described as paper-like, symbolizes a microcosm of the Soviet laborer’s creation of paper: the wasps have to scrape off and chew up the wood, putting in labor to make this paper-like product. This natural process is paralleled (but improved upon) in the labor that the Soviet laborers do to create paper products. The laborers create their products in a much more efficient and large-scale way, with the aid of science and technology. Thus, the presence of the nest at the beginning of our story shows how the remarkable Soviet workers have harnessed the power of both machinery and human labor to accomplish enormous feats, with nature as the basis. The nest also symbolizes industry, which features strongly throughout the rest of the book. Much as a community of wasps working together can use raw, natural materials to build a complex structure, a community of Soviet workers can work together to form the backbone of Soviet industry.

The branch elevates and positions the wasp nest front and center, serving to emphasize its centrality in the image and place it firmly in the natural world. The branch also extends far off the page and gives the space depth which further emphasizes the importance of the wasp nest.