Michael Bulgakov

dog's heart

Woo-oo-oo-oo-oo-hoo-hoo-hoo! Oh look at me, I'm dying! A blizzard in the gateway roars my departure, and I howl with it. I'm lost, I'm lost! A scoundrel in a dirty cap, a cook in the dining room for normal meals for employees of the Central Council of the National Economy, splashed boiling water and scalded my left side. What a reptile, and also a proletarian! Oh my God, how it hurts! Boiling water ate to the bone. Now I'm howling, howling, howling, but can you help with howling?

What did I do to him? How? Will I really devour the Council of the National Economy if I rummage through the rubbish heap? Greedy creature. Do you ever look at his face: after all, he is wider across himself! A thief with a copper muzzle. Ah, people, people! At noon, the cap treated me with boiling water, and now it was dark, about four o'clock at about noon, judging by the smell of onions from the Prechistenskaya fire brigade. Firefighters eat porridge for dinner, as you know. But this is the last thing, like mushrooms. Familiar dogs from Prechistenka, however, told that at Neglinny in the restaurant "Bar" they were eating the usual dish - mushrooms sauce pican for three rubles seventy-five kopecks a portion. This is an amateur business - it's like licking a galosh ... Oo-o-o-o ...

The side hurts unbearably, and the distance of my career is clearly visible to me: tomorrow ulcers will appear, and, one wonders, how will I treat them? In the summer you can hit the road to Sokolniki, there is a special very good grass, and, besides, you will get drunk on sausage heads for free, citizens will scribble greasy paper, you will get drunk. And if it weren’t for some grimza that sings in a circle in the moonlight - “dear Aida”, so that the heart falls, it would be great. Now where are you going? Didn't they hit you with a boot? Billy. Did you get a brick in the ribs? It's enough to eat. I have experienced everything, I am reconciled with my fate, and if I cry now, it is only from physical pain and from hunger, because my spirit has not yet died away ... The spirit of a dog is tenacious.

But my body is broken, beaten, people abused it enough. After all, the main thing is that: as he hit it with boiling water, it ate under the wool, and therefore there is no protection for the left side. I can very easily get pneumonia, and if I get it, I, citizens, will die of hunger. With pneumonia, one is supposed to lie on the front door under the stairs, and who, instead of me, a lying single dog, will run through the weed boxes in search of food? A lung will catch, I will crawl on my stomach, I will weaken, and any specialist will knock me to death with a stick. And the janitors with badges will grab me by the legs and throw me onto a cart...

Janitors are the most vile scum of all the proletarians. Human cleansing is the lowest category. The cook comes across different. For example, the late Vlas from Prechistenka. How many lives he saved! Because the most important thing during an illness is to intercept the cous. And so, it used to be, say the old dogs, Vlas waved a bone, and on it was an eighth of meat. God rest him for being a real person, the lordly cook of Counts Tolstoy, and not from the Council of Normal Nutrition. What they get up there in a normal diet, the dog's mind is incomprehensible! After all, they, the bastards, cook cabbage soup from stinking corned beef, and those poor fellows don’t know anything! Run, eat, lap!

Some typist gets four and a half chervonets in the ninth category, well, really, her lover will give her phildepers stockings. Why, how much bullying she must endure for this phildepers! A typist will come running, because for four and a half chervonets you won’t go to the Bar! She does not have enough for the cinema, and the cinema for women is the only consolation in life. Trembling, grimacing, but bursting. Just think - forty kopecks from two dishes, and they, both of these dishes, are not even worth a five-kopeck piece, because the head of the economy stole the remaining twenty-five kopecks. Does she really need such a table? The top of her right lung is not in order, and she has a woman's disease, she was deducted from her in the service, she was fed rotten meat in the canteen, there she is, there she is !! Runs into the gateway in lover's stockings. The legs are cold, it blows in the stomach, because the hair on her is like mine, and she wears cold pants, so, lacy appearance. Rip for a lover. Put on some flannel, try it. He will yell:

- How ugly you are! I'm tired of my Matryona, I've been tormented with flannel pants, now my time has come. I am now the chairman, and no matter how much I steal - everything, everything for the female body, for cancer necks, for Abrau-Durso! Because I was hungry enough in my youth, it will be with me, and the afterlife does not exist.

I pity her, I'm sorry. But I feel even more sorry for myself. Not out of selfishness I say, oh no, but because we really are in unequal conditions. At least she's warm at home, well, but me, and me! Where will I go? Beaten, scalded, spat on, where will I go? U-u-u-u!..

- Cut, cut, cut! Sharik, oh Sharik! What are you whining about, poor thing? BUT? Who hurt you?.. Uh...

Witch - a dry blizzard rattled the gates and drove the young lady on the ear with a broomstick. She fluffed her skirt up to her knees, exposed cream-colored stockings and a narrow strip of badly laundered lace underwear, strangled the words and swept the dog away.

“Oh my god... what a weather... wow... and my stomach hurts. It's corned beef, it's corned beef! And when will it all end?

Bending her head, the young lady rushed to the attack, broke through the gate, and in the street she began to turn, tear, scatter, then screwed with a snow propeller, and she disappeared.

And the dog remained in the gateway and, suffering from a mutilated side, pressed himself against the cold massive wall, suffocated and firmly decided that he would not go anywhere else from here, and would die here, in the gateway. Despair overwhelmed him. His heart was so bitter and painful, so lonely and frightening, that small dog tears, like pimples, crawled out of his eyes and immediately dried up. The damaged side stuck out in frozen lumps, and between them ominous red stains from the var looked. How senseless, stupid, cruel cooks! "Ball" she called him! What the hell is Sharik like? Sharik means round, well-fed, stupid, eats oatmeal, the son of noble parents, and he is shaggy, lanky and torn, a fried hat, a homeless dog. However, thank you for your kind words.

The door across the street to the brightly lit store slammed and a citizen emerged. It is a citizen, and not a comrade, and even more likely, a master. Closer - clearer - sir. Do you think I judge by the coat? Nonsense. Coats are now worn by many of the proletarians. True, the collars are not the same, there is nothing to say about this, but still one can confuse them from a distance. But in the eyes - here you can’t confuse it either near or from a distance! Oh, the eyes are a big thing! Like a barometer. Everything is visible - who has a great dryness in his soul, who for no reason can poke the toe of his boot into the ribs, and who himself is afraid of everyone. Here is the last lackey, and it is pleasant to poke at the ankle. Afraid - get it! If you're afraid, then you're standing... Rrr... gau-gau.

The gentleman confidently crossed the street in a blizzard and moved into the gateway. Yes, yes, you can see it all. This rotten corned beef will not eat, and if it is served to him somewhere, he will raise such a scandal, write to the newspapers - I, Philip Philippovich, have been fed!

Here he is getting closer, closer. This one eats plentifully and does not steal. This one will not kick with his foot, but he himself is not afraid of anyone, and is not afraid because he is always full. He is a gentleman of mental labor, with a cultivated pointed beard and gray mustaches, fluffy and dashing, like those of French knights, but the smell of a blizzard flies from him bad, - a hospital and a cigar.

What the hell, one wonders, carried him to the cooperative of the central farm? Here he is nearby ... What is he looking for? Uuuu... What could he buy in a crappy shop, is Okhotny Ryad not enough for him? What's happened?! Kol-ba-su. Sir, if you saw what this sausage is made of, you would not come close to the store. Give it to me!

The dog mustered the rest of his strength and crept out of the doorway onto the pavement in a frenzy. The blizzard clapped a gun overhead, tossed up the huge letters of the linen poster "Is rejuvenation possible?".

Naturally, perhaps. The smell rejuvenated me, lifted me from my belly, with burning waves cramped my empty stomach for two days, the smell that defeated the hospital, the heavenly smell of chopped mare with garlic and pepper. I feel, I know, in the right pocket of his fur coat he has a sausage. He is above me. Oh my lord! Look at me I'm dying. Our slavish soul, vile share!

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 times. real life and will never cease to disturb the minds of all progressive mankind.

After publication, the story caused a lot of talk and ambiguous opinions, 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 undisguised, sharp criticism of the Soviet regime. This work was very popular among dissidents in the 60s, and after being republished 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 only one must win in this confrontation. In his story, Bulgakov reveals to readers the essence of the new victors - the proletarian revolutionaries, and shows that they cannot create anything good and worthy.

History of creation

This story is the final part of Mikhail Bulgakov's previously written cycle of satirical stories of the 1920s, 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 journal Nedra, but did not pass the censorship. And all such content was known to Moscow lovers of literature, because Bulgakov read it in March 1925 at the Nikitsky Subbotnik (literary circle), later it was rewritten 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 an unsuccessful experiment by Professor Preobrazhensky, who decided to turn the homeless mongrel Sharik into a man. To do this, he transplants the pituitary gland of an alcoholic, parasite and rowdy Klim Chugunkin to him, the operation is successful and absolutely “ new person"- Polygraph 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 demeanor, a very unpleasant, repulsive appearance, and an intelligent and educated professor often has conflicts with him. Sharikov, in order to register in the professor's apartment (which, he believes, he has every right to), enlists the support of a like-minded and ideological teacher, the chairman of the Shvonder house committee, and even finds a job for himself: he is engaged in catching stray cats. Driven to the extreme by all the tricks 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 the Moscow society of that time (the thirties of the twentieth century).

One of the main characters in the center of the story is Professor Preobrazhensky, a well-known scientist of world renown, a respected person in society who adheres to democratic views. He deals with the issues of rejuvenation of the human body through the transplantation of animal organs, and seeks to help people, while not causing them any harm. The professor is depicted as a solid and self-confident person who has a certain weight in society and is 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 mindset, Preobrazhensky openly opposes Soviet power, calling the Bolsheviks who came to power "blathers" and "loafers", 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.

After conducting an experiment on a stray dog ​​Sharik and turning him into a man, and even trying to instill in him elementary 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 working through Soviet propaganda literature is that everything must be divided, and this should be done by the method of robbery and violence). The scientist understands that it is impossible to 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 answers him with devotion and gratitude). When Sharikov reached the limit, writing a denunciation of the professor and stealing a pistol, he wanted to use it, it was Bormental who showed firmness of spirit 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 description himself and his relatives-doctors, who in many situations would have done exactly the same.

The absolute opposites of these two positive characters are the people of the new time: the former dog Sharik himself, who became Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov, the chairman of the house committee Shvonder and other “residential comrades”.

Shvonder is a typical example of a member of the new society, who fully and completely supports the Soviet government. 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, making documents for him and pushing him to write a denunciation of Preobrazhensky. Himself, being a narrow-minded and uneducated person, Shvonder gives in and shivers in conversations with the professor, and from this he hates 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 definite job, a lumpen-proletariat Klim Chugunkin, convicted three times, twenty-five years old, is distinguished by an absurd and arrogant character. Like all ordinary people, he wants to break out into people, but he doesn’t want to learn something or make any effort for this. 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 for himself - to kill cats, the eternal enemies of the canine family. Moreover, showing how ruthlessly he deals with stray cats, the author makes it clear that Sharikov will do exactly the same with any person who comes between him and his goal.

The gradually increasing aggression, arrogance and impunity of Sharikov is specially shown by the author in order for the reader to understand how terrible and dangerous this “Sharikovism”, which was emerging in the 20s of the last century, as a new social phenomenon of the post-revolutionary period. Such Sharikovs, who are found all the time in 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 them in every possible way. Which, incidentally, happened later, when during the Stalinist repressions the color of the Russian intelligentsia and the military elite was destroyed, as Bulgakov predicted.

Features of compositional construction

The story "The Heart of a Dog" combines several literary genres at once, in accordance with the plot of the storyline, it can be attributed to a fantastic adventure in the image and likeness of H. G. Wells's "The Island of Dr. Moreau", which also describes an experiment to breed a hybrid of a person and an animal. From this side, the story can be attributed to the genre of science fiction 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 is a sharp satirical parody, allegorically showing the enormity and failure of that large-scale experiment called "socialism" that was carried out by Soviet authority on the territory of Russia, trying to create a "new man" by terror and violence, born out of a revolutionary explosion and the imposition of Marxist ideology. What will come of this, Bulgakov just very clearly demonstrated in his story.

The composition of the story consists of such traditional parts as the plot - the professor sees a homeless dog and decides to bring him home, the culmination (several points can be distinguished here at once) - the operation, the visit of the Domkomovites to the professor, Sharikov’s writing a denunciation of Preobrazhensky, his threats with the use of weapons, the professor's decision to turn Sharikov back into a dog, the denouement - a 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 satisfied with his dog life.

Despite all the fantasticness and improbability 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 (urban landscapes, various places of action, life and appearance of characters), is distinguished by unique credibility.

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 responsibility of a scientist 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 a clear author's 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.

Title of the work: dog's heart

Year of writing: 1925

Genre: story

Main characters: Professor Preobrazhensky, doctor Bormental, Evgraf Sharikov - former dog Ball

Plot

A medical scientist conducts a bold experiment: he transplants the endocrine glands of Klim Chugunkin, a criminal and a loafer, into a dog picked up on the street, in order to determine their functions. The dog does not die, but begins to gradually turn into a person.

A few weeks later, this is already a mature person with a disgusting character and terrible habits. He harasses the professor by constantly getting into some unpleasant situations: he breaks the glass, breaks the tap, strangles the neighbor's cats, is rude, gets drunk and makes friends with inveterate villains.

But Sharikov finds support in the person of Shvonder, who hates the professor, and he helps him get a job as head of the cleaning department (they kill stray cats).

A few days later, Sharikov wrote a denunciation of the professor to the GPU. This turned out to be the last straw in the patience of the doctors, and after a desperate resistance and a fight, they again perform an organ transplant operation. And soon the unpleasant person again turns into an affectionate and obedient dog.

Conclusion (my opinion)

Each scientist is responsible for the results of his work. Sometimes, in pursuit of a scientific sensation, he does not think what catastrophic consequences a bold scientific experiment will lead to.

Bulgakov's legendary work "Heart of a Dog" is studied at literature lessons in grade 9. Its fantastic content reflects quite real historical events. In The Heart of a Dog, analysis according to plan involves a detailed analysis of all the artistic aspects of the work. It is this information that is presented in our article, including the analysis of the work, criticism, problems, compositional structure and history of creation.

Brief analysis

Year of writing The story was written in 1925.

History of creation- the work is created quickly - in three months, diverges in samizdat, however, it was published at home only in 1986 during perestroika.

Topic- rejection of violent intervention in history, political changes in society, the theme of human nature, its nature.

Composition- a ring composition based on the image of the main character.

genre- socio-philosophical satirical story.

Direction- satire, fantasy (as a way of presenting a literary text).

History of creation

Bulgakov's work was written in 1925. In just three months, a brilliant work was born, which later gained a legendary future and nationwide fame.

It was being prepared for publication in the Nedra magazine. After reading the text, the editor-in-chief, of course, refused to publish such a book openly hostile to the existing political system. In 1926, the author's apartment was searched and the manuscript of The Heart of a Dog was confiscated. The original title of the book was “Dog's Happiness. A monstrous story”, she later received modern name, which is associated with lines from the book of A. V. Laifert.

The very idea of ​​the plot, according to researchers of Mikhail Bulgakov's work, was borrowed by the author from the science fiction writer G. Wells. Bulgakov's plot becomes an almost veiled parody of government circles and their policies. The writer twice read his story, for the first time - at the literary meeting "Nikitinsky Subbotniks". After the next performance, the audience was delighted, with the exception of a few communist writers. During the life of the author, his work was not published, largely due to the disgraced content, but there was another reason. “Heart of a Dog” was first published abroad, which automatically “sentenced” the text to persecution at home. Therefore, only in 1986, 60 years later, it appeared on the pages of the Zvezda magazine. Despite the disgrace, Bulgakov hoped to publish the text during his lifetime, it was rewritten, copied, passed on by the writer's friends and acquaintances, admiring the boldness and originality of the images.

Topic

The writer raises problem the ideology and politics of Bolshevism, the lack of education of those who got to power, the impossibility of forcibly changing the order in history. The results of the revolution are deplorable, it, like the operation of Professor Preobrazhensky, led to completely unexpected consequences, revealed the most terrible diseases of society.

Topic human nature, nature, characters are also affected by the author. It gives a semi-transparent hint that the person feels too powerful, but unable to control the fruits of their actions.

Briefly about issues works: violent change social order and the way of life will inevitably lead to disastrous results, the “experiment” will be unsuccessful.

Idea Bulgakov's story is quite transparent: any artificial intervention in nature, society, history, politics, and other areas will not lead to positive changes. The author adheres to a healthy conservatism.

Main thought The story says the following: an uneducated, immature “people” like the “Sharikovs” cannot be given power, they are morally immature, such an experiment will turn into a disaster for society and history. The conclusion about the artistic goals of the author from the standpoint of the political system and politics of the 20-30s will be too narrow, so both ideas have the right to life.

The meaning of the name works is that not all people have normal, spiritually “healthy” hearts from birth. There are people on earth who live the life of Sharikov, they have dog (bad, evil) hearts from birth.

Composition

The story has a circular composition, which can be traced by following the content of the work.

The story begins with a description of a dog that soon becomes a man; ends where it began: Sharikov is operated on and again takes on the appearance of a contented animal.

A feature of the composition is Bormenthal's diary entries about the results of the experiment, about the patient's rebirth, about his achievements and degradation. Thus, the history of Sharikov's "life" was documented by the professor's assistant. bright key point composition is Sharikov's acquaintance with Shvonder, who has a decisive influence on the formation of the personality of a newly-made citizen.

There are two main characters in the center of the story: Professor Preobrazhensky and Polygraph Sharikov, they play a plot-forming role. In the plot of the work, the author’s technique is interesting, when life is shown through the eyes of the dog Sharik, his “dog-like” thoughts about the weather, about people and his own life are a reflection of the little that is needed for a calm existence. The culmination of the story is the rebirth of the Polygraph, his moral and spiritual decay, the highest manifestation of which was the plan to kill the professor. In the denouement - Bormetal and Philip Filippovich return the subject to his original view than correct their mistake. This moment is very symbolic, as it determines what the story teaches: some things can be corrected if you admit your mistake.

main characters

genre

The genre “Heart of a Dog” is usually referred to as a story. In fact, it is a social or political satire. The interweaving of sharp satire with philosophical reflections on the future after the revolution gives the right to call the work a socio-philosophical satirical story with elements of fantasy.

What is the book Heart of a Dog about? The ironic story of Bulgakov tells of a failed experiment by Professor Preobrazhensky. What is it? In search of an answer to the question of how to "rejuvenate" humanity. Does the hero manage to find the desired answer? No. But he comes to a result that has a higher level of significance for society than the intended experiment.

Kievan Bulgakov decided to become a singer of Moscow, its houses and streets. This is how Moscow chronicles were born. The story was written in Prechistinskiye lanes by order of the Nedra magazine, which is well acquainted with the writer's work. The chronology of writing the work fits into three months of 1925.

As a doctor, Mikhail Alexandrovich continued the dynasty of his family, describing in detail in the book the operation to “rejuvenate” a person. Moreover, the well-known doctor in Moscow N.M. Pokrovsky, the uncle of the author of the story, became the prototype of Professor Preobrazhensky.

The first reading of the typewritten material took place at a meeting of the Nikitsky Subbotniks, which immediately became known to the country's leadership. In May 1926, the Bulgakovs were searched, the result of which was not long in coming: the manuscript was confiscated. The writer's plan to publish his work did not come true. The Soviet reader saw the book only in 1987.

Main problems

The book has not in vain disturbed the vigilant guardians of thought. Bulgakov managed to gracefully and subtly, but still quite clearly reflect the burning issues - the challenges of the new time. The problems in the story "Heart of a Dog" that the author touches on do not leave readers indifferent. The writer discusses the ethics of science, the moral responsibility of a scientist for his experiments, the possibility of disastrous consequences of scientific adventurism and ignorance. A technical breakthrough could turn into a moral decline.

The problem of scientific progress is acutely felt at the moment of its impotence before the transformation of the consciousness of the new man. The professor coped with his body, but he could not control his spirit, so Preobrazhensky had to part with his ambitions and correct his mistake - to stop competing with the universe and return the dog's heart to the owner. Artificial people could not justify their proud title and become full members of society. In addition, endless rejuvenation could jeopardize the very idea of ​​​​progress, because if new generations do not naturally replace the old ones, then the development of the world will stop.

Are attempts to change the country's mentality for the better really fruitless? The Soviet government tried to eradicate the prejudices of the past centuries - this is the process behind the metaphor for the creation of Sharikov. Here he is, the proletarian, the new Soviet citizen, his creation is possible. However, its creators face the problem of education: they cannot appease their creation and teach it to be cultured, educated and moral with a full set of revolutionary consciousness, class hatred and blind faith in the correctness and infallibility of the party. Why? This is impossible: either a pipe or a jug.

Human defenselessness in the whirlwind of events related to the construction of a socialist society, hatred of violence and hypocrisy, the absence and suppression of the remaining human dignity in all its manifestations - all these are slaps in the face with which the author branded his era, and all because it does not put individuality in a penny . Collectivization affected not only the village, but also the souls. It became more and more difficult to remain a person, because the public presented more and more rights to her. General equalization and equalization did not make people happier, but turned them into ranks of meaningless biorobots, where the most gray and mediocre of them set the tone. Rudeness and stupidity have become the norm in society, they have replaced revolutionary consciousness, and in the image of Sharikov we see a sentence for a new type of Soviet person. From the dominion of the Shvonders and their ilk arise the problems of trampling on intelligence and intelligentsia, the power of dark instincts in the life of an individual, total gross interference in the natural course of things ...

Some of the questions posed in the work remain unanswered to this day.

What is the meaning of the book?

People have long been looking for answers to the questions: What is a person? What is its public purpose? What role does everyone play in creating the environment that would be “comfortable” for those living on planet Earth? What are the "paths" to this "comfortable community"? Is it possible to reach a consensus between people of different social origins, holding opposite views on certain issues of being, occupying alternative "steps" in the intellectual and cultural development? And, of course, it is important to understand the simple truth, which is that society develops due to unexpected discoveries in this or that branch of science. But can these "discoveries" always be called progressive? Bulgakov answers all these questions with his characteristic irony.

A person is a person, and the development of a person implies independence, which is denied to a Soviet citizen. The social destiny of people is to masterfully do their job and not interfere with others. However, the "conscious" heroes of Bulgakov only chant slogans, but do not work for the benefit of their embodiment in reality. Each of us, in the name of comfort, must be tolerant of dissent and not prevent people from confessing it. And again in the USSR, everything is exactly the opposite, but the opposite is true: Preobrazhensky's talent is forced to fight to defend his right to help patients, and his point of view is brazenly condemned and persecuted by some nonentities. They can live in peace if everyone minds their own business, but there is no equality in nature and cannot be, because from birth we are all different from each other. It is impossible to maintain it artificially, since Shvonder cannot start operating brilliantly, and the professor cannot play the balalaika. Imposed, not real equality will only harm people, prevent them from adequately assessing their place in the world and occupying it with dignity.

Humanity needs discoveries, this is understandable. But you should not reinvent the wheel - try to reproduce a person artificially, for example. If natural way is still possible, why does he need an analogue, and even so laborious? People are facing many other, more significant threats, to which it is worth turning the full power of scientific intellect.

Main Topics

The story is multifaceted. The author touches on important topics that are characteristic not only of the era of the early twentieth century, but are also "eternal": good and evil, science and morality, morality, the fate of man, attitudes towards animals, building a new state, homeland, sincere human relations. I would especially like to highlight the theme of the responsibility of the creator for his creation. The struggle of ambition and adherence to principles in the professor ended with the victory of humanism over pride. He resigned himself to his error, admitted defeat, and used his experience to correct his mistakes. This is exactly what every creator should do.

Also relevant in the work is the theme of individual freedom and those boundaries that society, like the state, cannot cross. Bulgakov insists that a full-fledged person is one who has free will and beliefs. Only he can develop the idea of ​​socialism without caricatured forms and offshoots that deform the idea. The crowd is blind and always driven by primitive stimuli. But a person is capable of self-control and self-development, she must be given the freedom to work and live for the good of society, and not set her against it with futile attempts at forcible merging.

Satire and humor

The book opens with a stray dog's monologue addressed to "citizens" and giving precise characteristics to Muscovites and the city itself. The population through the "eyes" of the dog is heterogeneous (which is true!): citizens - comrades - gentlemen. "Citizens" buy goods in the cooperative of Tsentrokhoz, and "gentlemen" - in Okhotny Ryad. Why do rich people need a rotten horse? You can get this "poison" only in Mosselprom.

You can “recognize” a person by their eyes: who has “dryness in the soul”, who is aggressive, and who is a lackey. The last one is the most disgusting. If you are afraid, then you should be “punched”. The most vile "scum" - janitors: rowing "human cleaning".

But the cook is an important object. Nutrition is a serious indicator of the state of society. So, the lordly cook of Counts Tolstoy is a real person, and the cooks from the Council of Normal Nutrition do things that even a dog is indecent. If I became the chairman, then I actively steal. Ham, tangerines, wine - these are the “former Eliseev brothers”. The doorman is worse than cats. He lets a stray dog ​​pass, currying favor with the professor.

The education system "assumes" Muscovites "educated" and "uneducated". Why learn to read? "Meat smells like a mile away." But if you have at least some brains, you will learn to read and write without courses, like, for example, a stray dog. The beginning of Sharkov's education was an electrician's shop, where a tramp "tasted" insulated wire.

The techniques of irony, humor and satire are often used in combination with tropes: comparisons, metaphors and personifications. A special satirical technique can be considered the way of the initial presentation of the characters according to the preliminary descriptive characteristics: “mysterious gentleman”, “rich eccentric” - Professor Preobrazhensky”; "handsome-bitten", "bitten" - Dr. Bormental; "someone", "fruit" - a visitor. Sharikov's inability to communicate with residents, to formulate his demands, gives rise to humorous situations and questions.

If we talk about the state of the press, then through the mouth of Fedor Fedorovich, the writer talks about the case when, as a result of reading Soviet newspapers before dinner, patients lost weight. An interesting assessment by the professor of the existing system through the “hanger” and “galoshes rack”: until 1917, the doors of the front doors were not closed, as dirty shoes and outerwear left below. After March, all galoshes disappeared.

Main idea

In his book M.A. Bulgakov warned that violence is a crime. All life on earth has the right to exist. This is an unwritten law of nature that must be followed in order to prevent a point of no return. It is necessary to preserve the purity of the soul and thoughts for life, so as not to indulge internal aggression, not to splash it out. That is why the professor's forcible intervention in the natural course of things is condemned by the writer, and therefore leads to such monstrous consequences.

The civil war hardened society, made it marginal, boorish and vulgar at its core. Here they are, the fruits of violent interference in the life of the country. All of Russia in the 1920s is a rude and ignorant Sharikov, who does not at all strive for work. His tasks are less lofty and more selfish. Bulgakov warned his contemporaries against such a development of events, ridiculing the vices of a new type of people and showing their failure.

Main characters and their characteristics

1. The central figure of the book is Professor Preobrazhensky. He wears gold-rimmed glasses. Lives in a rich apartment, consisting of seven rooms. He is alone. He devotes all his time to work. Philip Philipovich conducts a reception at home, sometimes he operates here. Patients call him a "magician", "sorcerer". “Creates”, often accompanying his actions with singing excerpts from operas. Loves the theatre. I am convinced that every person should strive to become a specialist in their field. The professor is a great speaker. His judgments line up in a clear logical chain. He says about himself that he is a man of observation, facts. Leading a discussion, he gets carried away, gets excited, sometimes turns to shouting if the problem touches him to the quick. The attitude towards the new system is manifested in his statements about terror, paralyzing nervous system man, about the newspapers, about the devastation in the country. Carefully treats animals: "hungry, poor fellow." In relation to living beings, he preaches only kindness and the impossibility of any violence. The suggestion of humane truths is the only way to influence all living things. An interesting detail in the interior of the professor's apartment is a huge owl sitting on the wall, a symbol of wisdom, so necessary not only for a world-famous scientist, but for every person. At the end of the "experiment" finds the courage to admit that the experiment rejuvenation failed.
2. Young, handsome Ivan Arnoldovich Bormenthal, assistant professor, who fell in love with him, sheltered him as a promising young man. Philipp Philippovich hoped that a talented scientist would emerge from the doctor in the future. During the operation, literally everything flickers in the hands of Ivan Arnoldovich. The doctor is not just scrupulous about his duties. The doctor's diary, as a strict medical report-observation of the patient's condition, reflects the whole gamut of his feelings and experiences for the result of the "experiment".
3. Shvonder is the chairman of the house committee. All his actions resemble the convulsions of a puppet controlled by someone invisible. The speech is confused, the same words are repeated, which sometimes causes a condescending smile from readers. Shvonder doesn't even have a name. He sees his task in fulfilling the will of the new government, without thinking whether it is good or bad. For the sake of achieving his goal, he is capable of any step. Vengeful, he distorts the facts, slanders many people.
4. Sharikov is a creature, something, the result of an “experiment”. A sloping and low forehead indicates the level of its development. Uses all swear words in his vocabulary. An attempt to teach him good manners, to instill a taste for beauty was not crowned with success: he drinks, steals, mocks women, cynically insults people, strangles cats, "performs bestial deeds." As they say, nature rests on it, because you cannot go against it.

The main motives of Bulgakov's work

The versatility of Bulgakov's work is amazing. You seem to be traveling through the works, meeting familiar motifs. Love, greed, totalitarianism, morality are just parts of one whole, “wandering” from book to book and creating a single thread.

• In "Notes on Cuffs" and in "Heart of a Dog" sounds faith in human kindness. This motif is also central in The Master and Margarita.
• In the story "Diaboliad" the fate is clearly traced little man, an ordinary cog in the bureaucratic machine. This motif is typical for other works of the author. The system suppresses the best qualities in people, and the scary thing is that over time this becomes the norm for the people. In the novel The Master and Margarita, writers whose works did not correspond to the ruling ideology were kept in the "psychiatric hospital". Professor Preobrazhensky told about his observations, when he gave the patients to read the newspaper Pravda before dinner, they lost weight. It was impossible to find anything that would help broaden one's horizons and allow one to look at events from opposite angles in the periodical press.
• Selfishness is what guides most of the negative characters in Bulgakov's books. For example, Sharikov from "Heart of a Dog". And how many troubles could have been avoided, provided that the "red ray" would be used for its intended purpose, and not for selfish purposes (the story "Fatal Eggs")? The basis of these works are experiments that run counter to nature. It is noteworthy that Bulgakov identified the experiment with building socialism in the Soviet Union, which is dangerous for society as a whole.
• The main motive of the writer's work is the motive of his native home. The comfort in the apartment of Philipp Philippovich ("a lamp under a silk shade") resembles the atmosphere of the Turbins' house. Home is a family, homeland, Russia, about which the writer's heart ached. With all his work, he wished well-being and prosperity to his homeland.

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