Features of the revolutionary era in M. Bulgakov’s story “ dog's heart»

M. A. Bulgakov is an outstanding Russian writer, a man of a complex and dramatic fate. Bulgakov is an amazing person who was characterized by strong convictions and unshakable decency. It was extremely difficult for such a person to survive in the revolutionary era. The writer did not want to adapt, to live according to the ideological norms dictated from above.

M. A. Bulgakov satirically depicted the contemporary era in his story “The Heart of a Dog,” which, for obvious reasons, was published in the USSR only in 1987.

At the center of the story is Professor Preobrazhensky and his grandiose experiment on Sharik. All other events in the story are somehow connected with them.

Satire is heard in almost every author’s word, starting from the very moment where the life of Moscow is shown through the eyes of Sharik. Here the dog compares the cook of Count Tolstoy with the cook from the Council of Normal Nutrition. And this comparison is clearly not in favor of the latter. In this very “Normal Nutrition” “the bastards cook cabbage soup from stinking corned beef.” One can feel the author's longing for the passing culture and noble life. In the young Soviet country they steal, lie, and slander. The lover of the typist thinks like this from ball-point thoughts: “I’m now the chairman, and no matter how much I steal, it’s all on female body, on cancer necks, on Abrau-Durso.” Bulgakov emphasizes that, despite the very high cost of the changes that have taken place in the country, nothing has changed for the better in it.

The writer persistently portrays the intelligentsia as the best layer of society. An example of this is the culture of life, the culture of thoughts, the culture of communication of Professor Preobrazhensky. In everything he feels an emphasized aristocracy. This is a “gentleman of mental labor, with a French pointed beard,” he wears a fur coat “on a silver fox,” a black suit of English cloth, and a gold chain. The professor occupies seven rooms, each of which has its own purpose. Preobrazhensky keeps servants who deservedly respect and honor him. The doctor dines in a very cultured manner: both the excellent table setting and the menu itself make one admire his meal.

By contrasting Preobrazhensky with those who are replacing those like him, Bulgakov makes the reader feel the full drama of the era that has come in the country. The house in which the professor lives is being occupied by tenants, apartments are being compacted, and a new building management is being chosen. “God, the Kalabukhovsky house has disappeared!” - the doctor exclaims upon learning about this. It is no coincidence that Preobrazhensky says this. With coming new government a lot has changed in Kalabukhovsky: all the galoshes, coats, and samovar from the doorman disappeared, everyone began to walk in dirty galoshes and felt boots on the marble staircase, the carpet was removed from the front staircase, the flowers were removed from the landings, problems with electricity appeared. The professor easily predicts the further course of events in the country ruled by the Shvonders: “the pipes in the toilets will freeze, then the steam heating boiler will burst, and so on.” But the Kalabukhov House is only a reflection of the general devastation that has occurred in the country. However, Preobrazhensky believes that the main thing is that “the devastation is not in the closets, but in the heads.” He rightly notes that those who call themselves the authorities are two hundred years behind the Europeans in development, and therefore they cannot lead the country to anything good.

Bulgakov more than once draws the reader's attention to the preference in that era of proletarian origin. So Klim Chugunkin, a criminal and a drunkard, is easily saved from severe just punishment by his origin, but Preobrazhensky, the son of a cathedral archpriest, and Bormental, the son of a judicial investigator, cannot hope for the saving power of origin.

A striking sign of revolutionary times is women, in whom it is very difficult to discern women. They are devoid of femininity, wear leather jackets, and behave in a distinctly rude manner. What kind of offspring can they give, how to raise them? The question is rhetorical.

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Showing all these signs of the revolutionary era, Bulgakov emphasizes that a process devoid of morality brings death to people. Professor Preobrazhensky conducts a great experiment, and its depiction in the story is symbolic. For the writer, everything that was called the construction of socialism was nothing more than a large-scale and more than dangerous experience. Bulgakov had an extremely negative attitude towards attempts to create a new society by force. The writer sees only deplorable consequences of such an experiment and warns society about this in his story “Heart of a Dog.”

The great Russian satirist M.A. Bulgakov created a very accurate and realistic image in his semi-fantastic works
the reality that arose in Russia after the revolution. In the novel “Days of the Turbins” and early stories we see
a man caught in the whirlpool of revolutionary changes, in the story “Heart of a Dog” we are transported to Moscow in the 30s, a novel
"The Master and Margarita" describes Moscow in the 30s. The new reality is presented in a grotesque manner, but that is exactly what
allows the author to expose all the absurdities and contradictions that he saw around him in life.

So, the setting of the story “Heart of a Dog” is Moscow, the time is 1924. The basis of the story is internal monologue
Sharik, always hungry, miserable street dog. He is very intelligent, in his own way he evaluates the life of the street, everyday life, morals,
characters of Moscow during the NEP with its numerous shops, teahouses, taverns on Myasnitskaya “with sawdust on the floor,
evil clerks who hate dogs,” “where they played the accordion and smelled of sausages.”

The completely chilled, hungry dog ​​observes the life of the street and draws conclusions: “Janitors, of all the proletarians, are the most
vile scum." The cook is different. For example, the late Vlas from Prechistenka. How many lives I saved.” He sympathizes
to the poor young lady typist, frozen, “running into the gateway in her lover’s fildepers stockings.” “For her and for cinema
not enough, at the service they deducted from her, fed her rotten meat in the canteen, and half of her canteen forty kopecks was taken by the caretaker
stole..." In his thoughts and ideas, Sharik contrasts the poor girl with the image of a triumphant boor - the new owner
life: “I am now the chairman, and no matter how much I steal, it’s all on a woman’s body, on cancerous necks, on Abrau-Durso.” "I'm sorry
sorry for her. And I feel even more sorry for myself,” complains Sharik.

The other pole of the story is Professor Preobrazhensky, who came to Bulgakov’s story from Prechistenka, where
a hereditary intelligentsia settled. A recent Muscovite, Bulgakov knew and loved this area. He himself settled in Obukhov
(Clean) Lane, “Fatal Eggs” and “Heart of a Dog” are written here. People who were close in spirit and culture lived here.
The prototype of Professor Philip Filippovich Preobrazhensky is considered to be Bulgakov’s maternal relative, Professor N.M.
Pokrovsky. But, in essence, it reflected the type of thinking and best features that layer of the Russian intelligentsia who in
Bulgakov’s circle was called “Prechistenskaya”. Bulgakov treated his scientist hero with respect and love,
Professor Preobrazhensky is the embodiment of the outgoing Russian culture, the culture of the spirit, aristocracy. But here's the irony of time:
proud and majestic Philip Philipovich, who spouts ancient aphorisms, the luminary of Moscow genetics,
a brilliant surgeon, engaged in profitable operations to rejuvenate aging ladies and lively elders. The author's sarcasm is merciless in relation to the prosperous Nepmen and former proletarians: they have seized power and money and indulge in debauchery, thinking only about the body, and not about the soul.

So, Preobrazhensky sees Moscow through the eyes of a hereditary intellectual. He is outraged that the stairs had to be removed
carpets, because people in dirty galoshes started walking up these stairs, and you can no longer buy vodka in the store,
because “God knows what they threw in there.” But most importantly, he doesn’t understand why everyone in Moscow is talking about
devastation, and at the same time they only sing revolutionary songs and look at how to make things bad for someone who lives badly for someone who lives
better. He does not like the lack of culture, dirt, destruction, aggressive rudeness, and the complacency of the new masters of life. "This -
mirage, smoke, fiction” - this is how the professor assesses the new Moscow.

In connection with the professor, one of the leading, cross-cutting themes of Bulgakov’s work begins to sound in the story - the theme of the House as
the center of human life. the Bolsheviks destroyed the House as the basis of the family, as the basis of society, there is a furious
struggle for living space square meters. Maybe that’s why in Bulgakov’s stories and plays there is a persistent satirical
figure - chairman of the house committee? He, the pre-house committee, is the true center of the small world, the focus of power and the predatory past
everyday life Such an administrator, confident in his permissiveness, is in the story “Heart of a Dog” Shvonder, a man in
leather jacket, black man. He, accompanied by his “comrades,” comes to Professor Preobrazhensky to confiscate
In order to have extra space, take away two rooms. Conflict with uninvited guests becomes acute: “You are a hater
proletariat! - the woman said proudly. “Yes, I don’t like the proletariat,” Philip Philipovich agreed sadly.”

And finally, the main event of the story occurs: the professor manages to transplant a human pituitary gland into a dog. As a result
the most complex operation, an ugly, primitive non-human creature appeared, completely inheriting the proletarian essence
his “ancestor,” the drunkard Klim Chugunkin. Harmless Sharik turns into a man from the street. The first words spoken by him
the words were swearing, the first distinct word was “bourgeois.” And then - street words: “don’t push!”, “scoundrel,” “get off
footrests" etc. A monstrous homunculus, a man with a canine disposition, the “basis” of which was the lumpen - proletarian Klim
Chugunkin feels like the master of life, he is arrogant, swaggering, and aggressive. The smile of life is that, as soon as you stand on your hind legs,
limbs, Sharikov is ready to oppress, drive into a corner the “father” who gave birth to him - the professor. This is a humanoid creature
demands a residence document from the professor, and Sharikov is sure that the house committee, which “interests
protects."

Whose interests, may I ask?
- It is known whose - labor element.
- Philip Philipovich rolled his eyes.
- Why are you a hard worker?
- Yes, we already know, not a Nepman

Sharikov is becoming more impudent every day. In addition, he finds an ally - theorist Shvonder. it is he, Shvonder, who demands extradition
document to Sharikov, claiming that the document is the most important thing in the world. The formalism and bureaucracy of that time persecuted
our country to this day. The scary thing is that the bureaucratic system does not need the science of a professor. She doesn't care about anyone
you want to appoint a person, naturally, formalizing this accordingly and reflecting it, as expected, in the documents.

Lumpen Sharikov instinctively “smelled” the main credo of the new masters of life, all the Sharikovs: plunder, steal, take away everything
created, as well as main principle of the created “socialist” society - general equalization, called
equality. What this led to is well known.

The last, final chord of Sharikov’s activity is a denunciation-libel against Professor Preobrazhensky. Need to
It should be noted that even then, in the 20s, denunciation became one of the foundations of a socialist society. and the exhausted professor
resurrects the cute dog, unable to stand being in the vicinity of Sharikov. Does this mean that he manages to protect himself from everything?
the worst thing that exists in Moscow?

So, Moscow of the 20s in Bulgakov’s story “Heart of a Dog” is a city of passing Russian culture, a city of passing
Russian culture, a city of aggressive proletarians, lack of culture, dirt and vulgarity.

1. New!

   M.A. Bulgakov had a rather ambiguous, complex relationship with the authorities, like any writer of the Soviet era who did not write works praising this power. On the contrary, it is clear from his works that he blames her for the devastation that has come...

M. A. Bulgakov came to literature already during the years of Soviet power. He was not an emigrant and experienced first-hand all the difficulties and contradictions of Soviet reality in the 1930s. His childhood and youth were connected with Kiev, and the subsequent years of his life with Moscow. To Moscow...

SHARIKOV - the hero of the story by M.A. Bulgakov “Heart of a Dog” (1925). At the heart of this, according to the writer, “monstrous story” is a plot motif that goes back to the romantics (“Frankenstein” by M. Shelley), presented later by H. Wells (“The Island of Doctor Moreau”), by the Russians...

In the story “Heart of a Dog,” M. A. Bulgakov not only describes the unnatural experiment of Professor Preobrazhensky. The writer shows a new type of person who arose not in the laboratory of a talented scientist, but in a new, Soviet reality...

Professor Preobrazhensky still does not abandon the idea of ​​​​making Sharikov a man. He hopes for evolution gradual development. But there is no development and there will not be if the person himself does not strive for it. In fact, the professor's whole life turns into a complete nightmare....

Professor Preobrazhensky surgeon, a luminary of world significance. His literary brethren are Bazarov, Lopukhov, Kirsanov. Just like them, Professor Preobrazhensky is an adherent of philosophy reasonable selfishness, a rationalist who follows Bazarov’s formula:...

The story “Heart of a Dog” was written by Bulgakov in 1925, but due to censorship it was not published during the writer’s lifetime. Although, she was known in literary circles of that time. Bulgakov read “The Heart of a Dog” for the first time at the Nikitsky Subbotniks in the same 1925. The reading took 2 evenings, and the work immediately received admiring reviews from those present.

They noted the courage of the author, the artistry and humor of the story. An agreement has already been concluded with the Moscow Art Theater to stage “Heart of a Dog” on stage. However, after the story was assessed by an OGPU agent who was secretly present at the meetings, it was banned from publication. General public I was able to read “Heart of a Dog” only in 1968. The story was first published in London and only in 1987 became available to residents of the USSR.

Historical background for writing the story

Why was “Heart of a Dog” so harshly criticized by the censors? The story describes the time immediately after the 1917 revolution. This is harsh satirical work, ridiculing the class of “new people” that emerged after the overthrow of tsarism. The bad manners, rudeness, and narrow-mindedness of the ruling class, the proletariat, became the object of the writer’s denunciation and ridicule.

Bulgakov, like many enlightened people of that time, believed that creating a personality by force was a path to nowhere.

Will help you better understand the “Heart of a Dog” summary by chapter. Conventionally, the story can be divided into two parts: the first talks about the dog Sharik, and the second talks about Sharikov, a man created from a dog.

Chapter 1. Introduction

The Moscow life of the stray dog ​​Sharik is described. Let's give a brief summary. “The Heart of a Dog” begins with the dog talking about how, near the dining room, his side was scalded with boiling water: the cook poured hot water and fell on a dog (the reader is not yet informed of its name).

The animal reflects on its fate and says that although it experiences unbearable pain, its spirit is not broken.

Desperate, the dog decided to stay in the gateway to die, he was crying. And then he sees “Mr. Special attention The dog turned his attention to the stranger's eyes. And then, just by appearance, he gives a very accurate portrait of this man: confident, “he won’t kick, but he himself is not afraid of anyone,” a man of mental work. In addition, the stranger smells of hospital and cigar.

The dog smelled the sausage in the man’s pocket and “crawled” after him. Oddly enough, the dog gets a treat and gets a name: Sharik. This is exactly how the stranger began to address him. The dog follows his new friend, who calls him. Finally, they reach the house of Philip Philipovich (we learn the stranger's name from the mouth of the doorman). Sharik's new acquaintance is very polite to the gatekeeper. The dog and Philip Philipovich enter the mezzanine.

Chapter 2. First day in a new apartment

In the second and third chapters, the action of the first part of the story “Heart of a Dog” develops.

The second chapter begins with Sharik's memories of his childhood, how he learned to read and distinguish colors by the names of stores. I remember his first unsuccessful experience, when instead of meat, having mixed it up, the then young dog tasted insulated wire.

The dog and his new acquaintance enter the apartment: Sharik immediately notices the wealth of Philip Philipovich’s house. They are met by a young lady who helps the gentleman take off his outerwear. Then Philip Philipovich notices Sharik’s wound and urgently asks the girl Zina to prepare the operating room. Sharik is against treatment, he dodges, tries to escape, commits a pogrom in the apartment. Zina and Philip Philipovich cannot cope, then another “male personality” comes to their aid. With the help of a “sickening liquid” the dog is pacified - he thinks he is dead.

After some time, Sharik comes to his senses. His sore side was treated and bandaged. The dog hears a conversation between two doctors, where Philip Philipovich knows that only with affection it is possible to change a living being, but in no case with terror, he emphasizes that this applies to animals and people (“red” and “white”) .

Philip Philipovich orders Zina to feed the dog Krakow sausage, and he himself goes to receive visitors, from whose conversations it becomes clear that Philip Philipovich is a professor of medicine. He heals sensitive issues wealthy people who are afraid of publicity.

Sharik dozed off. He woke up only when four young men, all modestly dressed, entered the apartment. It is clear that the professor is not happy with them. It turns out that the young people are the new house management: Shvonder (chairman), Vyazemskaya, Pestrukhin and Sharovkin. They came to notify Philip Philipovich about the possible “densification” of his seven-room apartment. The professor makes a phone call to Pyotr Alexandrovich. From the conversation it follows that this is his very influential patient. Preobrazhensky says that due to the possible reduction of rooms, he will have nowhere to operate. Pyotr Aleksandrovich talks with Shvonder, after which the company of young people, disgraced, leaves.

Chapter 3. The professor’s well-fed life

Let's continue with the summary. “Heart of a Dog” - Chapter 3. It all starts with a rich dinner served to Philip Philipovich and Dr. Bormenthal, his assistant. Something falls from the table to Sharik.

During the afternoon rest, “mournful singing” is heard - a meeting of Bolshevik tenants has begun. Preobrazhensky says that, most likely, the new government will lead this beautiful house into desolation: theft is already evident. Shvonder wears Preobrazhensky's missing galoshes. During a conversation with Bormenthal, the professor utters one of the key phrases that reveals to the reader the story “Heart of a Dog” what the work is about: “Devastation is not in closets, but in heads.” Next, Philip Philipovich reflects on how the uneducated proletariat can accomplish the great things for which it positions itself. He says that nothing will change for the better as long as there is such a dominant class in society, engaged only in choral singing.

Sharik has been living in Preobrazhensky’s apartment for a week now: he eats plenty, the owner pampers him, feeding him during dinners, he is forgiven for his pranks (the torn owl in the professor’s office).

Sharik's favorite place in the house is the kitchen, the kingdom of Daria Petrovna, the cook. The dog considers Preobrazhensky a deity. The only thing that is unpleasant for him to watch is how Philip Philipovich delves into human brains in the evenings.

On that ill-fated day, Sharik was not himself. It happened on Tuesday, when the professor usually does not have an appointment. Philip Philipovich receives a strange phone call, and commotion begins in the house. The professor behaves unnaturally, he is clearly nervous. Gives instructions to close the door and not let anyone in. Sharik is locked in the bathroom - there he is tormented by bad premonitions.

A few hours later the dog is brought into a very bright room, where he recognizes the face of the “priest” as Philip Philipovich. The dog pays attention to the eyes of Bormental and Zina: false, filled with something bad. Sharik is given anesthesia and placed on the operating table.

Chapter 4. Operation

In the fourth chapter, M. Bulgakov puts the climax of the first part. “Heart of a Dog” here undergoes the first of its two semantic peaks - Sharik’s operation.

The dog lies on the operating table, Dr. Bormenthal trims the hair on his stomach, and the professor at this time gives recommendations that all manipulations with internal organs should go away instantly. Preobrazhensky sincerely feels sorry for the animal, but, according to the professor, he has no chance of survival.

After the head and belly of the “ill-fated dog” are shaved, the operation begins: after ripping open the belly, they exchange Sharik’s seminal glands for “some other ones.” Afterwards, the dog almost dies, but a faint life still glimmers in it. Philip Philipovich, penetrating into the depths of the brain, changed the “white lump”. Surprisingly, the dog showed a thread-like pulse. Tired Preobrazhensky does not believe that Sharik will survive.

Chapter 5. Bormenthal's Diary

The summary of the story “Heart of a Dog,” the fifth chapter, is a prologue to the second part of the story. From Dr. Bormenthal's diary we learn that the operation took place on December 23 (Christmas Eve). The gist of it is that Sharik was transplanted with the ovaries and pituitary gland of a 28-year-old man. The purpose of the operation: to trace the effect of the pituitary gland on the human body. Until December 28, periods of improvement alternate with critical moments.

The condition stabilizes on December 29, “suddenly.” Hair loss is noted, further changes occur every day:

• 12/30 barking changes, limbs stretch, and weight gains.
• 31.12 the syllables (“abyr”) are pronounced.
• 01.01 says “Abyrvalg”.
• 02.01 is on hind legs, swears.
• 06.01 the tail disappears, says “beer house”.
• 01/07 takes on a strange appearance, becoming like a man. Rumors begin to spread around the city.
• 01/08 they stated that replacing the pituitary gland did not lead to rejuvenation, but to humanization. Sharik is a short man, rude, swearing, calling everyone “bourgeois.” Preobrazhensky is furious.
• 12.01 Bormental assumes that the replacement of the pituitary gland has led to the revitalization of the brain, so Sharik whistles, speaks, swears and reads. The reader also learns that the person from whom the pituitary gland was taken is Klim Chugunkin, an asocial element, convicted three times.
• January 17 marked the complete humanization of Sharik.

Chapter 6. Polygraph Polygraphovich Sharikov

In the 6th chapter, the reader first gets acquainted in absentia with the person who turned out after Preobrazhensky’s experiment - this is how Bulgakov introduces us to the story. “The Heart of a Dog,” a summary of which is presented in our article, in the sixth chapter experiences the development of the second part of the narrative.

It all starts with the rules that are written on paper by doctors. They say about maintaining good manners when in the house.

Finally, the created man appears before Philip Philipovich: he is “short in stature and unattractive in appearance,” dressed unkemptly, even comically. Their conversation turns into a quarrel. The man behaves arrogantly, speaks unflatteringly about the servants, refuses to observe the rules of decency, and notes of Bolshevism creep into his conversation.

The man asks Philip Philipovich to register him in the apartment, chooses his first name and patronymic (takes it from the calendar). From now on he is Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov. It is obvious to Preobrazhensky that the new manager of the house has a great influence on this person.

Shvonder in the professor's office. Sharikov is registered in the apartment (the ID is written by the professor under the dictation of the house committee). Shvonder considers himself a winner; he calls on Sharikov to register for military service. The polygraph refuses.

Left alone with Bormenthal afterwards, Preobrazhensky admits that he is very tired of this situation. They are interrupted by noise in the apartment. It turned out that a cat had run in, and Sharikov was still hunting for them. Having locked himself with the hated creature in the bathroom, he causes a flood in the apartment by breaking the tap. Because of this, the professor has to cancel appointments with patients.

After eliminating the flood, Preobrazhensky learns that he still needs to pay for the glass Sharikov broke. Polygraph's impudence reaches its limit: not only does he not apologize to the professor for the complete mess, but he also behaves impudently after learning that Preobrazhensky paid money for the glass.

Chapter 7. Attempts at education

Let's continue with the summary. “The Heart of a Dog” in the 7th chapter tells about the attempts of Doctor Bormental and the professor to instill decent manners in Sharikov.

The chapter begins with lunch. Sharikov is taught proper table manners and is denied drinks. However, he still drinks a glass of vodka. Philip Philipovich comes to the conclusion that Klim Chugunkin is visible more and more clearly.

Sharikov is offered to attend an evening performance at the theater. He refuses under the pretext that this is “one counter-revolution.” Sharikov chooses to go to the circus.

It's about reading. The polygraph admits that he is reading the correspondence between Engels and Kautsky, which Shvonder gave him. Sharikov even tries to reflect on what he read. He says that everything should be divided, including Preobrazhensky’s apartment. To this, the professor asks to pay his penalty for the flood caused the day before. After all, 39 patients were refused.

Philip Philipovich calls on Sharikov, instead of “giving advice on a cosmic scale and cosmic stupidity,” to listen and heed what people with a university education teach him.

After lunch, Ivan Arnoldovich and Sharikov leave for the circus, having first made sure that there are no cats in the program.

Left alone, Preobrazhensky reflects on his experiment. He almost decided to return Sharikov to his dog form by replacing the dog’s pituitary gland.

Chapter 8. “The New Man”

For six days after the flood incident, life went on as usual. However, after delivering the documents to Sharikov, he demands that Preobrazhensky give him a room. The professor notes that this is “Shvonder’s work.” In contrast to Sharikov’s words, Philip Philipovich says that he will leave him without food. This pacified Polygraph.

Late in the evening, after a clash with Sharikov, Preobrazhensky and Bormenthal talk for a long time in the office. We are talking about the latest antics of the man they created: how he showed up at the house with two drunken friends and accused Zina of theft.

Ivan Arnoldovich proposes to do the terrible thing: eliminate Sharikov. Preobrazhensky is strongly against it. He may get out of such a story due to his fame, but Bormental will definitely be arrested.

Further, Preobrazhensky admits that in his opinion the experiment was a failure, and not because they succeeded “ new person" - Sharikov. Yes, he agrees that in terms of theory, experiment has no equal, but there is no practical value. And they ended up with a creature with a human heart “the lousiest of all.”

The conversation is interrupted by Daria Petrovna, she brought Sharikov to the doctors. He pestered Zina. Bormental tries to kill him, Philip Philipovich stops the attempt.

Chapter 9. Climax and denouement

Chapter 9 is the culmination and denouement of the story. Let's continue with the summary. "Heart of a Dog" is coming to an end - this is the last chapter.

Everyone is concerned about Sharikov's disappearance. He left home, taking the documents. On the third day the Polygraph appears.

It turns out that, under the patronage of Shvonder, Sharikov received the position of head of the “food department for cleaning the city from stray animals.” Bormenthal forces Polygraph to apologize to Zina and Daria Petrovna.

Two days later, Sharikov brings a woman home, declaring that she will live with him and the wedding will soon take place. After a conversation with Preobrazhensky, she leaves, saying that Polygraph is a scoundrel. He threatens to fire the woman (she works as a typist in his department), but Bormenthal threatens, and Sharikov refuses his plans.

A few days later, Preobrazhensky learns from his patient that Sharikov had filed a denunciation against him.

Upon returning home, Polygraph is invited to the professor's procedural room. Preobrazhensky tells Sharikov to take his personal belongings and move out. Polygraph does not agree, he takes out a revolver. Bormental disarms Sharikov, strangles him and puts him on the couch. Having locked the doors and cut the lock, he returns to the operating room.

Chapter 10. Epilogue of the story

Ten days have passed since the incident. The criminal police, accompanied by Shvonder, appear at Preobrazhensky’s apartment. They intend to search and arrest the professor. The police believe that Sharikov was killed. Preobrazhensky says that there is no Sharikov, there is an operated dog named Sharik. Yes, he spoke, but that does not mean that the dog was a person.

Visitors see a dog with a scar on its forehead. He turns to a representative of the authorities, who loses consciousness. The visitors leave the apartment.

In the last scene we see Sharik lying in the professor’s office and reflecting on how lucky he was to meet such a person as Philip Philipovich.

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 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 (for 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 a job: he catches stray cats. Driven to the extreme by all the antics of the newly minted Polygraph Sharikov ( the last straw there was a denunciation against 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 Moscow society of that time (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 rejuvenation issues human body through animal organ transplantation, 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.

After conducting an experiment on stray dog With a ball and turning him into a man, and even trying 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 with positive side these two doctors, old and young, emphasizing their nobility and feeling self-esteem, Bulgakov sees in their descriptions himself and his relatives, doctors, who in many situations would have acted exactly the same.

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 certain work, three times convicted lumpenproletariat 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 place in Soviet society, especially those in power, pose a real threat to society, especially to intelligent, smart and cultured people, whom they hate fiercely and are trying to destroy them in every possible way. Which, incidentally, happened later, when during Stalin's repressions The flower 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, it 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 Soviet authority on the territory of Russia, trying to create a “new man” through terror and violence, born from a revolutionary explosion and the inculcation 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 fantasticness and improbability of the events described in the story, the author’s use various techniques grotesque and allegory, this work, thanks to the use of descriptions of specific signs of that time (city landscapes, various places actions, 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.