The works of Mikhail Afanasevich Bulgakov compel us to scrupulously analyze the plot of stories and the ideas embedded therein. The latter, distinguished by their specificity and versatility, have remained in the minds of the people for quite some time. They are in no hurry to waste their potential for discussion.
The story “Dog Heart” is a famous work of the master, written in 1925, but missed into print sixty years later. The ban was provoked precisely by the sharp content of the manuscript describing the life and life of the Soviet period of the 20s.
The plot of the "monstrous story"
Before us is the corpse of a young man who until recently was alive and bore the name of Klim Chugunkin. Professor Preobrazhensky, feeling the need for experiments, takes out the most important gland of internal secretion - the pituitary gland, as well as the sex glands, and decides to transplant these fragments to the yard dog Sharik, who should eventually become a "man." It is no wonder that such a fantasy was rightly described by the author himself as a “monstrous story”.
Regarding the name of the story itself, we can say that the word "canine" here means "extremely evil." A good and affectionate dog turns into a disgusting, evil and ill-mannered likeness of a person, personifying all the low vices of the genus. This is one of the major problems with Canine Heart.
Characterization of the characters in the story
Famous at home and abroad, the talented professor of medicine Philip Filippovich Preobrazhensky is the main protagonist of the story. His work and aspirations are aimed at anti-aging operations. In the afternoon, patients come to him, and before going to bed, a hardworking professor gains new knowledge by studying medical tomes.
This man, brightly sympathetic to pre-revolutionary beliefs, symbolizes high education and undoubted upbringing. However, the professor does not refuse pleasure to amuse his stomach with delicious dishes or to raise his pride in high circles of society.
Dog Sharik is a very clever and good-natured four-legged creature, which could very well become a friend of the Hoffmann cat Murr, if it had not been transformed into a person. The ball fairly approached the definition of people, seeing the soul in their eyes.
Sharik ignored the uniform, as the wisest of people. Professor Preobrazhensky made a great impression on the dog in their first meeting, which provoked great changes in the fate of the heroes. It is worth noting that the organs transplanted to Sharik were taken from a person three times convicted, who loves drinking and fighting.
What are the problems in the story "Dog Heart"
The first problem is that the professor “wanted the best,” but it turned out differently. An experiment conceived for good purposes gave frightening and disgusting results. The very appearance of a humanoid creature expressed a low and vicious nature. His forehead sat rather low, saying that one should not expect rational behavior from him. The “human” qualities of the donor overpowered the “canine” features of the recipient.
The evolution of the dog, which can be characterized by degradation, gives the creator a lot of trouble. Preobrazhensky understands that the newly created Polygraph Poligrafovich needs a cultural ennoblement, seeing how he conducts dialogues with others, how dissolute and angry.
Attempts to change Sharikov’s natural mentality become the second insoluble task for the professor. A man with a dog’s heart completely denies theater and books, good tone and humility, passionately rushing into vices, merrymaking and limitless egoism. This problem of the “Dog’s heart” is superimposed on the first, more and more inflating the unbearable rejection of the negative element by a decent environment.
In an ironic grotesque the problem of the relationship between the intelligentsia and the common people after the revolution is reflected in The Dog’s Heart. Scum should also have a mentor. Walking through hatred and envy, Sharikov finds such a teacher in the person of the chairman of the house committee of Shvonder. Bulgakov vividly describes through the prism of deeds and aspirations of the "subhuman" the attitude towards such people.
The marginal hates the person who works with his head, and when he comes to power, eagerly throws himself at wealth, destroys the beautiful and does not know mercy at all, especially to those who were previously surrounded by him. What problems does Dog Heart consider? Including the interaction of various sectors of society.
How to deal with a monster?
Having found in his creation, on which he had great hopes, an enemy and a scammer, the professor saw only one way - to return everything to its place. A wise saying goes: nature does not tolerate violence over itself. Preobrazhensky understood his mistakes and heeded the voice of reason, saying that such experiments do not lead to good. Let the return to its original state be the fair ending of the story, the main purpose of which was to sarcastically ridicule the existing orders and grotesque attempts to correct the essence of the individual.
Prerequisites for writing a story
It is clear that the revolutionary events of 1917 excited everyone who is not alien to the history of the great Russian state. M.A. Bulgakov, gracefully deployed on the pages of the acclaimed story "Dog Heart", had his own opinion. Great feelings about the momentous revolution, which brought, like any revolution, huge human losses, gave enormous potential for thinking people. An insightful look from the side more clearly sees the shortcomings of government. But only those who wish the best for others are happy to hear criticism.
Brief summary
- Sharikov, thanks to his own agility, envious mind and denial of everything intellectual, rises from the bottom of the social ladder to unprecedented heights that promise him the right to do unpunished evil.
- The immoral intentions of the once good dog are denied by people who wished him good, and are encouraged by cunning and greedy “friends” who can betray when you are no longer needed.
- Professor Preobrazhensky, who, as it were , has the right to fatherhood, decides to return everything to its place. “I gave birth to you, I’ll kill you,” the doctor could have uttered, raising a monster, personifying cunning and envious depravity.
- The problems of the “Heart of a Dog” by Bulgakov are still relevant, not to mention the fact that they existed at the dawn of mankind.