The Heart of a Dog: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Heart of a Dog" is a satirical novella by Mikhail Bulgakov that explores themes of transformation, identity, and the clash between social classes through its major characters. At the center is Professor Philip Philippovich Preobrazhensky, a wealthy and esteemed doctor who conducts controversial experiments in rejuvenation, including the transplantation of human organs into a stray dog named Sharik. Sharik, initially a simple street dog, undergoes a transformation into Sharikov, a grotesque humanoid with an unruly and vulgar demeanor, reflecting the chaotic changes within society.
Supporting characters include Dr. Ivan Bormenthal, who assists Preobrazhensky and grows resentful of Sharikov's behavior, and Darya Petrovna, the household cook, who initially resents Sharikov but finds his antics troublesome yet compelling. Zinaida, the shy maid, is overwhelmed by Sharikov's disruptive presence, while members of the house committee, like Shvonder, embody the bureaucratic attitudes of the new Soviet regime, aiding Sharikov's rise. Through these characters, the novella critiques the social upheaval following the Russian Revolution, highlighting the absurdity of identity and the consequences of ambition and privilege.
The Heart of a Dog: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Mikhail Bulgakov
First published: Sobache serdtse, 1968; revised, 1969 (English translation, 1968)
Genre: Novella
Locale: Moscow
Plot: Satire
Time: The early 1920's
Professor Philip Philippovich Preobrazhensky (fih-LIHpoh-vihch preh-oh-brah-ZHEHN-skee), a sixty-year-old doctor with a pointed goatee and fluffy gray mustache. He examines his privileged patients and conducts research in rejuvenation in his luxurious Moscow residence. A connoisseur with a love for opera, cigars, and other luxuries, he disdains the recently empowered proletariat and repeatedly exerts his influence to protect his apartment from the Kalabukhov house management committee, which wishes him to give up two of his seven rooms. As part of his research, he brings a stray dog into his apartment and cares for it, preparing it for an operation in which a human cadaver's pituitary gland and testes are transplanted into the canine's body. After the animal begins to take on the characteristics of a human being, the doctor's patience is sorely tested by its unruly behavior.
Polygraph Polygraphovich Sharikov (SHAH-rih-kov), called Sharik (SHAH-rihk), a pathetic stray dog at the onset of the story. At the mercy of Moscow weather and the generosity of the city's inhabitants, the perennially embattled two-year-old mutt has managed to decipher store signs in his search for food. As a beneficiary of Professor Preobrazhensky's kindness, Sharik is pleased to become part of the household but horrified to find himself dragged into the examination room. Within a month of his operation (during which he receives the body parts of Klim Grigorievich Chugunkin, a twenty-five-year-old barfly and thief), he becomes a short, small-headed, continually hungry cigarette smoker able to dress himself and converse. Ill-mannered as well, he briefly disappears from the apartment after being discovered in the female servants' room. With his rough clothing, low forehead, shaggy eyebrows, and passionate hatred of cats, he registers as a citizen and obtains the position of director of the subsection for purging Moscow of stray animals (especially cats) of the Moscow Communal Property Administration. After returning to the apartment, he again offends his hosts by trying to coerce his typist, Vasnetsova, into moving in with him. A violent battle in the examination room precedes his apparent reversion, under mysterious circumstances, to his former state.
Dr. Ivan Arnoldovich Bormenthal (AHR-nol-doh-vihch bohr-MEHN-tahl), a charismatic and devoted supporter of his mentor, the professor. After assisting in the first operation on Sharik, he moves into the apartment. Sharing a room with Sharikov, he develops an intense feeling of animosity toward the uncouth upstart.
Darya Petrovna Ivanova (peh-TROV-nah ee-VAH-nohvah), the cook, who sports a powdered nose and fair hair drawn back over her ears. After expelling Sharik from her kitchen, she succumbs to the dog's ingratiating manner. She nevertheless considers Sharikov to be a plague on the household. Formerly married, she is romantically involved with a fireman and may be infatuated with Bormenthal.
Zinaida (Zina) Prokofievna Bunina (zih-nah-EE-dah prohKOH-fyehv-nah BEW-nih-nah), the maid and doctor's assistant, a pretty young woman with a shy disposition. She is especially overwhelmed by Sharikov's wild behavior.
Shvonder (SHVON-dehr), Vyazemskaya (VYAH-zehm-skahyah), Petrushkin (peh-TREWSH-kihn), and Sharovkyan (shahROV-kyan), members of the house committee. The chairman, Shvonder, a dark man with a shock of thick, curly hair, supplies Sharikov with a volume of Friedrich Engels' correspondence and helps him secure his job. Vyazemskaya, a woman, is the director of the Cultural Department.
Fyodor (FYOH-dohr), the doorman, who helps to contend with the disruptions within the Kalabukhov house and earns gratuities through his efforts.