World of Heroes (dossier on the main characters). Characteristics of the characters “Heart of a Dog” Who were the balls in the heart of a dog
Mikhail Bulgakov's story “The Heart of a Dog,” written in 1925 in Moscow, is a filigree example of sharp satirical fiction of that time. In it, the author reflected his ideas and beliefs about whether a person needs to interfere with the laws of evolution and what this can lead to. The topic touched upon by Bulgakov remains relevant in modern real life and will never cease to disturb the minds of all progressive humanity.
After its publication, the story caused a lot of speculation and controversial judgments, because it was distinguished by the bright and memorable characters of the main characters, an extraordinary plot in which fantasy was closely intertwined with reality, as well as an undisguised, sharp criticism of Soviet power. This work was very popular among dissidents in the 60s, and after its reissue in the 90s it was generally recognized as prophetic. In the story “Heart of a Dog,” the tragedy of the Russian people is clearly visible, which is divided into two warring camps (red and white) and in this confrontation only one must win. In his story, Bulgakov reveals to readers the essence of the new victors - proletarian revolutionaries, and shows that they cannot create anything good and worthy.
History of creation
This story is the final part of a previously written cycle of satirical stories by Mikhail Bulgakov of the 20s, such as “The Diaboliad” and “Fatal Eggs”. Bulgakov began writing the story “Heart of a Dog” in January 1925 and finished it in March of the same year; it was originally intended for publication in the Nedra magazine, but was not censored. And all of its contents were known to Moscow literature lovers, because Bulgakov read it in March 1925 at the Nikitsky Subbotnik (literary circle), later it was copied by hand (the so-called “samizdat”) and thus distributed to the masses. In the USSR, the story “Heart of a Dog” was first published in 1987 (6th issue of the Znamya magazine).
Analysis of the work
Story line
The basis for the development of the plot in the story is the story of the unsuccessful experiment of Professor Preobrazhensky, who decided to turn the homeless mongrel Sharik into a human. To do this, he transplants the pituitary gland of an alcoholic, parasite and rowdy Klim Chugunkin, the operation is successful and a completely “new man” is born - Poligraph Poligrafovich Sharikov, who, according to the author’s idea, is a collective image of the new Soviet proletarian. The “new man” is distinguished by a rude, arrogant and deceitful character, a boorish manner of behavior, a very unpleasant, repulsive appearance, and the intelligent and well-mannered professor often has conflicts with him. Sharikov, in order to register in the professor’s apartment (to which he believes he has every right), enlists the support of a like-minded and ideological teacher, the chairman of the Shvonder house committee, and even finds himself a job: he catches stray cats. Driven to the extreme by all the antics of the newly minted Polygraph Sharikov (the last straw was the denunciation of Preobrazhensky himself), the professor decides to return everything as it was and turns Sharikov back into a dog.
Main characters
The main characters of the story “Heart of a Dog” are typical representatives of Moscow society of that time (the thirties of the twentieth century).
One of the main characters at the center of the story is Professor Preobrazhensky, a world-famous scientist, a respected person in society who adheres to democratic views. He deals with the issues of rejuvenating the human body through animal organ transplants, and strives to help people without causing them any harm. The professor is depicted as a respectable and self-confident person, having a certain weight in society and accustomed to living in luxury and prosperity (he has a large house with servants, among his clients are former nobles and representatives of the highest revolutionary leadership).
Being a cultured person and possessing an independent and critical mind, Preobrazhensky openly opposes Soviet power, calling the Bolsheviks who came to power “idlers” and “idlers”; he is firmly convinced that it is necessary to fight devastation not with terror and violence, but with culture, and believes that the only way to communicate with living beings is through affection.
Having conducted an experiment on the stray dog Sharik and turned him into a human, and even tried to instill in him basic cultural and moral skills, Professor Preobrazhensky undergoes a complete fiasco. He admits that his “new man” turned out to be completely useless, does not lend himself to education and learns only bad things (Sharikov’s main conclusion after studying Soviet propaganda literature is that everything needs to be divided, and doing this by the method of robbery and violence). The scientist understands that one cannot interfere with the laws of nature, because such experiments do not lead to anything good.
The professor's young assistant, Dr. Bormenthal, is a very decent and devoted person to his teacher (the professor at one time took part in the fate of a poor and hungry student, and he responded with devotion and gratitude). When Sharikov reached the limit, having written a denunciation of the professor and having stolen a pistol, he wanted to use it, it was Bormental who showed fortitude and toughness of character, deciding to turn him back into a dog, while the professor was still hesitating.
Describing these two doctors, old and young, from the positive side, emphasizing their nobility and self-esteem, Bulgakov sees in their descriptions himself and his relatives, doctors, who in many situations would have acted in exactly the same way.
The absolute opposites of these two positive heroes are people of modern times: the former dog Sharik himself, who became Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov, the chairman of the house committee Shvonder and other “tenants”.
Shvonder is a typical example of a member of the new society who fully and completely supports Soviet power. Hating the professor as a class enemy of the revolution and planning to get part of the professor’s living space, he uses Sharikov for this, telling him about the rights to the apartment, giving him documents and pushing him to write a denunciation against Preobrazhensky. Himself, being a narrow-minded and uneducated person, Shvonder gives in and hesitates in conversations with the professor, and this makes him hate him even more and makes every effort to annoy him as much as possible.
Sharikov, whose donor was a bright average representative of the Soviet thirties of the last century, an alcoholic without a specific job, three times convicted lumpen-proletariat Klim Chugunkin, twenty-five years old, is distinguished by his absurd and arrogant character. Like all ordinary people, he wants to become one of the people, but he doesn’t want to learn anything or put any effort into it. He likes to be an ignorant slob, fight, swear, spit on the floor and constantly run into scandals. However, without learning anything good, he absorbs the bad like a sponge: he quickly learns to write denunciations, finds a job he “likes” - killing cats, the eternal enemies of the canine race. Moreover, by showing how mercilessly he deals with stray cats, the author makes it clear that Sharikov will do the same with any person who comes between him and his goal.
The gradually increasing aggression, impudence and impunity of Sharikov are specially shown by the author so that the reader understands how terrible and dangerous this “Sharikovism”, emerging in the 20s of the last century, as a new social phenomenon of the post-revolutionary time, is. Such Sharikovs, found all over the Soviet society, especially those in power, pose a real threat to society, especially to intelligent, intelligent and cultured people, whom they hate fiercely and try to destroy in every possible way. Which, by the way, happened later, when during Stalin’s repressions the color of the Russian intelligentsia and military elite was destroyed, as Bulgakov predicted.
Features of compositional construction
The story “The Heart of a Dog” combines several literary genres; in accordance with the plot of the storyline, it can be classified as a fantastic adventure in the image and likeness of “The Island of Dr. Moreau” by H.G. Wells, which also describes an experiment on breeding a human-animal hybrid. From this side, the story can be attributed to the science fiction genre that was actively developing at that time, the prominent representatives of which were Alexei Tolstoy and Alexander Belyaev. However, under the surface layer of science-adventure fiction, in fact, there turns out to be a sharp satirical parody, allegorically showing the monstrosity and failure of that large-scale experiment called “socialism”, which was carried out by the Soviet government on the territory of Russia, trying to use terror and violence to create a “new man”, born from revolutionary explosion and propagation of Marxist ideology. Bulgakov very clearly demonstrated what will come of this in his story.
The composition of the story consists of such traditional parts as the beginning - the professor sees a stray dog and decides to bring him home, the climax (several points can be highlighted here) - the operation, the visit of the house committee members to the professor, Sharikov writing a denunciation against Preobrazhensky, his threats with the use of weapons, the professor's decision to turn Sharikov back into a dog, the denouement - the reverse operation, Shvonder's visit to the professor with the police, the final part - the establishment of peace and tranquility in the professor's apartment: the scientist goes about his business, the dog Sharik is quite happy with his dog's life.
Despite all the fantastic and incredible nature of the events described in the story, the author’s use of various techniques of grotesque and allegory, this work, thanks to the use of descriptions of specific signs of that time (city landscapes, various locales, life and appearance of the characters), is distinguished by its unique verisimilitude.
The events taking place in the story are described on the eve of Christmas and it is not for nothing that the professor is called Preobrazhensky, and his experiment is a real “anti-Christmas”, a kind of “anti-creation”. In a story based on allegory and fantastic fiction, the author wanted to show not only the importance of the scientist’s responsibility for his experiment, but also the inability to see the consequences of his actions, the huge difference between the natural development of evolution and revolutionary intervention in the course of life. The story shows the author's clear vision of the changes that took place in Russia after the revolution and the beginning of the construction of a new socialist system; all these changes for Bulgakov were nothing more than an experiment on people, large-scale, dangerous and having catastrophic consequences.
In the history of Russian literature, there are three authors whose texts need to be read between the lines: Veresaev, Chekhov and Bulgakov. It's an amazing coincidence that they were all doctors. Which is reflected in creativity. Chekhov has many works about representatives of this profession. Mikhail Afanasyevich is not far behind: “Notes of a Young Doctor”, “Fatal Eggs”. And, of course, a story about the unique experiment of Dr. Preobrazhensky - “Heart of a Dog”.
The science-fiction plot tells the story of how Professor Philip Philipovich performs an operation to transplant the pituitary gland and ovaries of the rowdy, drunkard Klim Chugunkin, who was killed in a tavern fight, into a dog.
The image of Professor Preobrazhensky
The doctor's surname is telling, like most heroes of classic novels. Transformation is the goal of his activity. At the same time, the structure of the surname recalls a certain nobility. And even noble origin, which the hero did not possess. He is the son of a clergyman, like the author of the work himself. This is not the only thing they have in common.
This is a wise, educated, middle-aged man. Philip Philipovich is a luminary of world medicine. He strives to do his job as well as possible; he sees this as the meaning of every person’s life. Division of labor is an important component of society, in his opinion. The hero is a true creator, moral, highly moral. He is harsh in his judgments. He hates the proletariat and other fruits of the revolution, which again brings him closer to the writer. Although the prototype of the professor is considered to be Mikhail Afanasyevich’s uncle, Doctor N.M. Pokrovsky, who lived and worked in the capital.
Calm, reasonable, somewhat cold. He slaughters guinea pigs without mercy. Has no fear of death. It is enough to listen to the words when he talks about “suitable death” to feel a slight chill of horror.
At the same time, the hero is kind. He is against any form of violence. To the surprise of his household, who do not understand how he could lure Sharik, Philip Philipovich says that only affection can achieve something from a living creature. It sounds like a daring but wise idea that any terror will not succeed: neither red, nor white, nor brown. And here the author predicts the defeat of fascism in the form of brown terror.
The professor devoted his life to medicine. Not only good monetary incentives stimulated him to work: daily practice, scientific discoveries, bold experiments. He sought to help people gain health and youth. The doctor has been doing experiments on rejuvenation for a long time. And I have already achieved certain results, many grateful patients have appeared.
The doctor's idealism is shattered when Poligraph Poligrafovich grows up in the house. People like him understand only the language of power. Liberalism, humanism, good manners, politeness are weaknesses for them. He is like Sharik himself, who was beaten and scalded with boiling water more than once. But he grabbed the legs, bit only those who were afraid of him, showed weakness, and was harmless to him.
Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov
This hero absorbed two images at once, reborn into a new personality. Born through the transplantation of a human pituitary gland and seminal glands into a dog, a homunculus.
Donor - Klim Chugunkin was a young man with neither education nor goals in life. His existence was filled with taverns, playing the balalaika, alcohol, vulgarity, and breaking the law. The hero has several criminal records.
Sharik himself is a yard dog. All he saw was beatings, humiliation, hunger, bullying. He was hurt and mutilated. All I heard was obscene language, screams and various sounds of the streets of Moscow. To feed himself, he looked for food in “trash bins” and garbage dumps. But even here there were those who felt sorry for the garbage, like the cook of the “normal food” canteen who scalded his side with boiling water. To survive, Sharik even learned to read. I started with the name of the pavilion “Glavryba”, but read it backwards. Bormenthal's version is erroneous; the reason is not the crossing of the dog's optic nerves. And the fact is that at the beginning of the inscription there was a policeman and you always had to run up from the end, fearing cruelty and beatings.
What could happen when combining two disadvantaged and embittered creatures? Sharikov is an evil, petty, obscene, drunkard, disgusting type. His first words are swearing, obscene. This is the entire vocabulary of Klim and the dog for two. A person who is ready to serve anyone who feeds him, like a homeless dog. But he is happily ready to betray for a bigger jackpot, like a criminal. Feeling neither love nor pity for anyone, even for orphaned animals like himself.
Dr. Bormental
A young and talented assistant professor of “world renown.” A well-mannered, intelligent, extremely decent person. Quite emotional, with a heart for science. He sincerely loves the professor as a teacher, mentor, and loved one.
Attractive in appearance. Sharik in his thoughts called him “the bitten handsome man” or simply “chipped”, since he bit him on the leg. It is known that Daria Petrovna (the cook) was in love with him, and even secretly stole a photo from the album.
The young man is kind and patient. He only loses his temper when Preobrazhensky is insulted.
Shvonder and his entourage
At its core, this is not a person, but a public figure, an average proletarian. The new head of the house committee, elected by the housing association at a general meeting. As a typical representative of this social stratum, he sincerely hates class enemies. One of them is Professor Preobrazhensky, who occupies seven rooms. Tries to use Sharikov as a weapon.
For the head of the house committee, it is not the person who is important, but the identification paper: “A document is the most important thing in the world.” It doesn’t matter to him which way Polygraph Poligrafovich came into the world, or what he is, as long as he is registered and registered with the military.
Shvonder is surrounded by a peculiar retinue. The same typical, average proletarians. The image of Vyazemskaya, the head of the cultural department of the house, stands out from them. She has no name, personality traits, or even gender. Nothing personal, just public. Vyazemskaya can be compared with the image of Commissar Polyakova, the mother of Iskra, in B. Vasiliev’s story “Tomorrow there was a war.” She also had no gender, age, personal life, name, but only the proud title of “commissar”.
Conclusion
There is no rich polyphony of images in “Heart of a Dog”. There are main characters whose portrait and personality are described in great detail. And minor characters, devoid of individuality, typical of their class.
Ball- the main character of M. A. Bulgakov’s fantastic story “The Heart of a Dog”, a stray dog who was picked up and sheltered by Professor Preobrazhensky. This is an eternally hungry, frozen, homeless dog that wanders in the gateways in search of food. At the beginning of the story, we learn that a cruel cook scalded his side, and now he is afraid to ask anyone for food, lies against the cold wall and waits for the end. But suddenly the smell of sausage comes from somewhere and he, unable to bear it, follows her. A mysterious gentleman walked along the sidewalk, who not only treated him to sausage, but also invited him to his home. Since then, Sharik began a completely different life.
The professor took good care of him, cured his sore side, brought him into proper shape and fed him several times a day. Soon Sharik began to turn away even from the roast beef. The rest of the residents of the professor's large apartment also treated Sharik well. In return, he was ready to faithfully serve his master and savior. Sharik himself was a smart dog. He knew how to distinguish letters on street signs, knew exactly where the Glavryba store was in Moscow, where the meat counters were. Soon something strange happened to him. Professor Preobrazhensky decided to conduct an amazing experiment on human organ transplantation.
The experiment was a success, but after that Sharik gradually began to take on a human form and behave like the previous owner of the transplanted organs - the thief and repeat offender Klim Grigorievich Chugunkin, who died in a fight. So Sharik turned from a kind and smart dog into an ill-mannered boor, an alcoholic and a rowdy named Poligraph Poligrafovich Sharikov.
“Heart of a Dog” characteristic of Preobrazhensky
Preobrazhensky Philip Philipovich- the central character of M. A. Bulgakov’s fantastic story “The Heart of a Dog”, a luminary of medicine of world significance, an experimental surgeon who has achieved remarkable results in the field of rejuvenation. The professor lives and works in Moscow on Prechistenka. He has a seven-room apartment, where he conducts his experiments. Housekeepers Zina, Daria Petrovna and temporarily his assistant Bormental live with him. It was Philip Philipovich who decided to conduct a unique experiment on a stray dog to transplant a human pituitary gland and testes.
He used the stray dog Sharik as a test subject. The results of his experiment exceeded expectations, as Sharik began to take on a human appearance. However, as a result of this physical and psychological humanization, Sharik turned into a terrible rude man, a drunkard and a lawbreaker. The professor connected this with the fact that he transplanted the organs of Klim Chugunkin, a rowdy, recidivist thief, alcoholic and hooligan, into the dog. Over time, rumors about a dog that turned into a man leaked to the light and an official document was issued to Preobrazhensky’s creation in the name of Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov. Moreover, the chairman of the house committee, Shvonder, forced Philip Fillipovich to register Sharikov in the apartment as a full-fledged inhabitant.
Sharikov acts as the complete opposite of the professor, which leads to an insoluble conflict. When Preobrazhensky asked him to leave the apartment, the matter ended with threats with a revolver. Without hesitating a moment longer, the professor decided to correct his mistake and, having put Sharikov to sleep, performed a second operation, which returned the dog’s kind heart and former appearance.
“Heart of a Dog” characteristic of Sharikov
Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov- the main negative character of the story “Heart of a Dog”, the man into whom the dog Sharik turned after the operation of Professor Preobrazhensky. At the beginning of the story, it was a kind and harmless dog that the professor picked up. After an experimental operation to implant human organs, he gradually took on a human form and behaved like a human, albeit an immoral one. His moral qualities left much to be desired, since the transplanted organs belonged to the deceased repeat offender Klim Chugunkin. Soon the newly converted dog was given the name Poligraf Poligrafovich Sharikov and given a passport.
Sharikov became a real problem for the professor. He was rowdy, harassed neighbors, pestered servants, used foul language, got into fights, stole and drank a lot. As a result, it became clear that he inherited all these habits from the previous owner of the transplanted pituitary gland. Immediately after receiving his passport, he got a job as the head of the department for clearing Moscow of stray animals. Sharikov's cynicism and callousness forced the professor to carry out another operation to turn him back into a dog. Fortunately, he still had Sharikov’s pituitary gland, so at the end of the story Sharikov again became a kind and affectionate dog, without boorish habits.
“Heart of a Dog” characteristic of Bormenthal
Bormental Ivan Arnoldovich- one of the main characters of M. A. Bulgakov’s story “The Heart of a Dog”, assistant and assistant to Professor Preobrazhensky. This young doctor is fundamentally honest and noble by nature. He is completely devoted to his teacher and is always ready to help. He cannot be called weak-willed, since at the right moment he knows how to show strength of character. Preobrazhensky accepted Bormental as an assistant when he was still a student at the department. Immediately after graduation, the capable student became an assistant professor.
In a conflict situation that arose between Sharikov and Preobrazhensky, he takes the professor’s side and tries in every possible way to protect him and other characters. Sharikov was once just a stray dog that was picked up and sheltered by a professor. For the purpose of the experiment, the human pituitary gland and testes were transplanted into him. Over time, the dog not only became more human, but also began to behave like a person, like the previous owner of the transplanted organs - the thief and repeat offender Klim Chugunkin. When rumors about the new resident reached the house committee, Sharik was given documents in the name of Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov and was registered in the professor’s apartment.
Bormenthal carefully monitored the behavior of this impudent and ill-mannered creature, not even disdaining physical violence. He had to temporarily move in with the professor to help deal with Sharikov, whom he almost strangled in his rage. Then the professor had to perform a second operation to turn Sharikov back into a dog.
"Heart of a Dog" characteristic Shvonder
Shvonder- a minor character in the story “Heart of a Dog”, a proletarian, the new head of the house committee. He played an important role in introducing Sharikov into society. Despite this, the author does not give him a detailed description. This is not a person, but a public face, a generalized image of the proletariat. All that is known about his appearance is that he had a thick head of curly hair. He does not like class enemies, to which he classifies Professor Prebrazhensky and demonstrates this in every possible way.
For Shvonder, the most important thing in the world is a “document,” that is, a piece of paper. Having learned that Philip Philipovich has an unregistered person living in his apartment, he immediately obliges him to register him and issue a passport in the name of Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov. He doesn’t care where this man came from and the fact that Sharikov is just a dog transformed as a result of an experiment. Shvonder bows to power and believes in the power of laws, regulations and documents. He doesn’t even care that the professor has made a real revolution in science and medicine. For him, Sharikov is just another unit of society, an apartment tenant who needs to be registered.
Subject of the work
At one time, M. Bulgakov’s satirical story caused a lot of talk. In “Heart of a Dog” the heroes of the work are bright and memorable; The plot is fantasy mixed with reality and subtext, in which sharp criticism of the Soviet regime is openly read. Therefore, the work was very popular in the 60s among dissidents, and in the 90s, after its official publication, it was even recognized as prophetic.
The theme of the tragedy of the Russian people is clearly visible in this work; in “Heart of a Dog” the main characters enter into an irreconcilable conflict with each other and will never understand each other. And, although the proletarians won in this confrontation, Bulgakov in the novel reveals to us the whole essence of the revolutionaries and their type of new man in the person of Sharikov, leading us to the idea that they will not create or do anything good.
There are only three main characters in “Heart of a Dog,” and the narrative is mainly told from Bormenthal’s diary and through the dog’s monologue.
Characteristics of the main characters
Sharikov
A character who appeared as a result of an operation from the mongrel Sharik. A transplant of the pituitary gland and gonads of the drunkard and rowdy Klim Chugunkin turned a sweet and friendly dog into Poligraf Poligrafych, a parasite and a hooligan.
Sharikov embodies all the negative traits of the new society: he spits on the floor, throws cigarette butts, does not know how to use the restroom and constantly swears. But this is not even the worst thing - Sharikov quickly learned to write denunciations and found a calling in killing his eternal enemies, cats. And while he deals only with cats, the author makes it clear that he will do the same with people who stand in his way.
Bulgakov saw this base power of the people and a threat to the entire society in the rudeness and narrow-mindedness with which the new revolutionary government resolves issues.
Professor Preobrazhensky
An experimenter who uses innovative developments in solving the problem of rejuvenation through organ transplantation. He is a famous world scientist, a respected surgeon, whose “speaking” surname gives him the right to experiment with nature.
I was used to living in grand style - servants, a house of seven rooms, luxurious dinners. His patients are former nobles and high revolutionary officials who patronize him.
Preobrazhensky is a respectable, successful and self-confident person. The professor, an opponent of any terror and Soviet power, calls them “idlers and idlers.” He considers affection the only way to communicate with living beings and denies the new government precisely for its radical methods and violence. His opinion: if people are accustomed to culture, then the devastation will disappear.
The rejuvenation operation yielded an unexpected result - the dog turned into a human. But the man turned out to be completely useless, uneducable and absorbing the worst. Philip Philipovich concludes that nature is not a field for experiments and he interfered with its laws in vain.
Dr. Bormental
Ivan Arnoldovich is completely and completely devoted to his teacher. At one time, Preobrazhensky took an active part in the fate of a half-starved student - he enrolled him in the department, and then took him on as an assistant.
The young doctor tried in every possible way to develop Sharikov culturally, and then completely moved in with the professor, as it became more and more difficult to cope with the new person.
The apotheosis was the denunciation that Sharikov wrote against the professor. At the climax, when Sharikov took out a revolver and was ready to use it, it was Bromenthal who showed firmness and toughness, while Preobrazhensky hesitated, not daring to kill his creation.
The positive characterization of the heroes of “Heart of a Dog” emphasizes how important honor and self-dignity are for the author. Bulgakov described himself and his doctor-relatives in many of the same traits as both doctors, and in many ways would have acted the same way as them.
Shvonder
The newly elected chairman of the house committee, who hates the professor as a class enemy. This is a schematic hero, without deep reasoning.
Shvonder completely bows to the new revolutionary government and its laws, and in Sharikov he sees not a person, but a new useful unit of society - he can buy textbooks and magazines, participate in meetings.
Sh. can be called Sharikov’s ideological mentor; he tells him about his rights in Preobrazhensky’s apartment and teaches him how to write denunciations. The chairman of the house committee, due to his narrow-mindedness and lack of education, always hesitates and gives in in conversations with the professor, but this makes him hate him even more.
Other heroes
The list of characters in the story would not be complete without two au pairs - Zina and Daria Petrovna. They recognize the superiority of the professor, and, like Bormenthal, are completely devoted to him and agree to commit a crime for the sake of their beloved master. They proved this at the time of the repeated operation to transform Sharikov into a dog, when they were on the side of the doctors and accurately followed all their instructions.
You have become acquainted with the characteristics of the heroes of Bulgakov’s “Heart of a Dog,” a fantastic satire that anticipated the collapse of Soviet power immediately after its emergence - the author, back in 1925, showed the whole essence of those revolutionaries and what they were capable of.
Work test
Subject of the work
At one time, M. Bulgakov’s satirical story caused a lot of talk. In “Heart of a Dog” the heroes of the work are bright and memorable; The plot is fantasy mixed with reality and subtext, in which sharp criticism of the Soviet regime is openly read. Therefore, the work was very popular in the 60s among dissidents, and in the 90s, after its official publication, it was even recognized as prophetic.
The theme of the tragedy of the Russian people is clearly visible in this work; in “Heart of a Dog” the main characters enter into an irreconcilable conflict with each other and will never understand each other. And, although the proletarians won in this confrontation, Bulgakov in the novel reveals to us the whole essence of the revolutionaries and their type of new man in the person of Sharikov, leading us to the idea that they will not create or do anything good.
There are only three main characters in “Heart of a Dog,” and the narrative is mainly told from Bormenthal’s diary and through the dog’s monologue.
Characteristics of the main characters
Sharikov
A character who appeared as a result of an operation from the mongrel Sharik. A transplant of the pituitary gland and gonads of the drunkard and rowdy Klim Chugunkin turned a sweet and friendly dog into Poligraf Poligrafych, a parasite and a hooligan.
Sharikov embodies all the negative traits of the new society: he spits on the floor, throws cigarette butts, does not know how to use the restroom and constantly swears. But this is not even the worst thing - Sharikov quickly learned to write denunciations and found a calling in killing his eternal enemies, cats. And while he deals only with cats, the author makes it clear that he will do the same with people who stand in his way.
Bulgakov saw this base power of the people and a threat to the entire society in the rudeness and narrow-mindedness with which the new revolutionary government resolves issues.
Professor Preobrazhensky
An experimenter who uses innovative developments in solving the problem of rejuvenation through organ transplantation. He is a famous world scientist, a respected surgeon, whose “speaking” surname gives him the right to experiment with nature.
I was used to living in grand style - servants, a house of seven rooms, luxurious dinners. His patients are former nobles and high revolutionary officials who patronize him.
Preobrazhensky is a respectable, successful and self-confident person. The professor, an opponent of any terror and Soviet power, calls them “idlers and idlers.” He considers affection the only way to communicate with living beings and denies the new government precisely for its radical methods and violence. His opinion: if people are accustomed to culture, then the devastation will disappear.
The rejuvenation operation yielded an unexpected result - the dog turned into a human. But the man turned out to be completely useless, uneducable and absorbing the worst. Philip Philipovich concludes that nature is not a field for experiments and he interfered with its laws in vain.
Dr. Bormental
Ivan Arnoldovich is completely and completely devoted to his teacher. At one time, Preobrazhensky took an active part in the fate of a half-starved student - he enrolled him in the department, and then took him on as an assistant.
The young doctor tried in every possible way to develop Sharikov culturally, and then completely moved in with the professor, as it became more and more difficult to cope with the new person.
The apotheosis was the denunciation that Sharikov wrote against the professor. At the climax, when Sharikov took out a revolver and was ready to use it, it was Bromenthal who showed firmness and toughness, while Preobrazhensky hesitated, not daring to kill his creation.
The positive characterization of the heroes of “Heart of a Dog” emphasizes how important honor and self-dignity are for the author. Bulgakov described himself and his doctor-relatives in many of the same traits as both doctors, and in many ways would have acted the same way as them.
Shvonder
The newly elected chairman of the house committee, who hates the professor as a class enemy. This is a schematic hero, without deep reasoning.
Shvonder completely bows to the new revolutionary government and its laws, and in Sharikov he sees not a person, but a new useful unit of society - he can buy textbooks and magazines, participate in meetings.
Sh. can be called Sharikov’s ideological mentor; he tells him about his rights in Preobrazhensky’s apartment and teaches him how to write denunciations. The chairman of the house committee, due to his narrow-mindedness and lack of education, always hesitates and gives in in conversations with the professor, but this makes him hate him even more.
Other heroes
The list of characters in the story would not be complete without two au pairs - Zina and Daria Petrovna. They recognize the superiority of the professor, and, like Bormenthal, are completely devoted to him and agree to commit a crime for the sake of their beloved master. They proved this at the time of the repeated operation to transform Sharikov into a dog, when they were on the side of the doctors and accurately followed all their instructions.
You have become acquainted with the characteristics of the heroes of Bulgakov’s “Heart of a Dog,” a fantastic satire that anticipated the collapse of Soviet power immediately after its emergence - the author, back in 1925, showed the whole essence of those revolutionaries and what they were capable of.
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