To understand the features of the works of the Russian writer I. Bunin allows their brief content. “Chang Dreams” is a story written by the author in 1916. It differs from many other writings of the writer in that the narrative is conducted as if on behalf of a dog that recalls its past. The whole story is essentially a motley picture of the dreams of this dog, from which the reader learns about his past life, and most importantly, gets an idea of ​​what his master, who was once the captain of the ship, used to be.
Introduction
With a brief description of the housing situation of the heroes of the work, a brief summary begins. “Chang Dreams” is a story written by the magnificent literary language, which the author was so famous for. At the beginning of the book, he shows the wretched life that the dog and his master lead. They live in a miserable little room with a low ceiling and cold walls. The former captain has a poor bed, the look of which contrasts sharply with what the dog saw before: a comfortable soft bed with drawers. The dog’s first dream relates to his childhood: he remembers how his first owner sold it to the captain for just a penny. Then he recalls his first sea voyage, during which he felt very ill and therefore did not see either the cities or the land, past which the ship had sailed.
Second dream
A detailed description of the animal’s memories includes a further summary. “Chang Dreams” is a work based on the principle of contrasting the dreams of a dog and the miserable reality in which he now finds himself. The author draws attention to the fact that the captain sank heavily, drinks a lot and gives his dog a drink. Under the influence of alcohol, the dog again has a wonderful dream: he enjoyed a magnificent morning off the coast of Arabia and listened to the conversations of his master, who told him about his love for his wife and daughter. This moment is very important for understanding the subsequent events, because this particular episode shows that the family was the meaning of life for the captain and that his feelings were so strong that he himself was even afraid of his affection. However, he felt happy, and the dog was happy with him.
Heroes' everyday life
To understand the characters and the fate of the heroes of the story helps its summary. “Chang Dreams” is a story about the unhappy love of the captain and the life of his dog, who surprisingly sensitively perceives everything that happens to the owner. The writer creates a sharp contrast between the dog’s dreams and the rude life that she is forced to lead. Both go to taverns and taverns, drink, looking at the drunkards. At the same time, the captain is almost always silent, when meeting with friends he begins to say that a person’s life has no meaning. This attitude to his fate is explained by the dog’s new dream: he sees the captain showing him photographs of his wife and daughter and at the same time tells him that his wife does not love him. And the reader understands that unhappy love has caused everything that happened.
Change in fate
The real master of psychological analysis is Bunin. “Chang Dreams” (a summary of the work is the subject of this review) is a story that conveys events through the mind and worldview of the dog. He led a familiar everyday life with the captain, but one day he found him dead. It was a terrible blow for the hero: he even lost his sense of reality and woke up only after some time on the church porch. Bunin was able to convey amazingly subtle animal experiences. “Chang's Dreams” (a short summary of the story should include a description of the changes that occurred with the hero after the death of the former captain) - a work of deep psychological. The author emphasizes that the hero survived this loss as a living person. However, he was not abandoned, since he was taken to him by a friend of his second owner, who was an artist. With its new owner, the dog has found, if not happiness, then at least peace.
Ideological meaning
The summary of the story “Chang Chang's Dreams” helps to understand the meaning of the work in question. Bunin emphasized the description of the state of his hero after the death of the captain: he described that the dog retained memories of his former master, and he remembered him strong, powerful and beautiful. The author paid special attention to the fact that Chang himself anticipates his death. It is significant that this happened at the artist’s apartment, in a setting that was philosophical.
Thus, in its own way, the story “Chang Chang's Dreams” is a very subtle psychological work. A very short content, in principle, reflects the main ideological meaning that the writer put into his work. This is a sense of the temporality of life and a foreboding of eternity. This idea was clearly voiced in the finale of the story, when Chang seemed to summarize his existence.