Author Archives: Shandiin Largo

Personhood in “The Life and Adventures of Shed Number XII”

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The contemplation of personhood within this text is so interesting! The shed in this story becomes more than a storage place, but an animate being whose feelings and actions are relayed to us. The level of personal awareness in Number XII is amazing. Pelevin writes:

The Night after the painting (when he had been given his Roman numeral, his name–the other sheds around him all had ordinary numbers), he held up his tar-papered roof to the moon as he dried. “Where am I?” he thought. “Who am I?” (48)

These questions guide the story, as Number XII tries to find more meaning in his life than just being a storage unit. The distinction of the shed’s name, color, and use from the other storage spaces emphasizes the shed’s individuality. When Number XII talked with the garage, Number 13 and 14, he realized that they were pessimistic and squandered Number XII’s thoughts and aspirations. Number XII also saw difference in how he was used: to store bicycles and other hardware, where the others housed food and other agricultural products. I think it is another interesting point that Number XII dreams of being a bicycle, to rush along deserted highways into the sunset– to be in constant motion. This contrasts from his companions, who believe it is a ridiculous dream and want nothing more than to stay sedentary–without motion. Number XII’s fight to retain his individuality is intensified when the other sheds constantly criticize and talk among themselves.  This is further complicated when the bicycles are replaced with a barrel of pickled cucumbers that are wheeled through Number XII’s doors. Slowly, Number XII’s mind is transformed by the stench of fermenting cucumbers, in which he is changed to be more like Number 13 and 14. Once again, Number XII provides insight to his personal thoughts, stating:

On the one hand, he felt himself the equal of Numbers 13 and 14, and yet on the other hand, buried somewhere deep inside him, there remained a sense of terrible injustice about what had happened to him. But his new existence’s center was located in the barrel, which emitted the constant gurgling and crackling sounds that had replaced the imagined whooshing of tires over concrete ( 54).

I think the questions and thoughts that Number XII’s story conjures is an important one. One may be drawn to self-reflection; are we true to our goals, or are we shaped by our environment?

Importance of Setting in “Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears”

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Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears is a great movie that encapsulates the core of Soviet ideals, where Moscow stands unchanged in its prominent morals of hard work, necessary suffering, and resilience. As we have discussed in class, Moscow has been around for centuries, enduring years of war and feuding to stand as it does today. In this way, Moscow serves as a representation for Russian identity, where Moscow symbolizes endurance and tradition. As the title of the movie suggests, Moscow is embodied to be strong and resilient in the face of hardship. This also includes the song “Aleksandra” by Sergei Nikitin. The lyrics, “All things took time to get settled in, Moscow took more than a day to build, Moscow did not believe in tears, but it believed in love” further emphasizes the importance of the setting of the movie.  

In addition to this, Moscow’s symbolism also extends to the characters in the movie. I noticed that there is a sort of tension between Muscovite and foreigner. I noticed this in association with the good fortune of the characters.  For example, Sergei and Rudolph have relatively negative lives compared to Katya and Antonina. Rudolph’s stray from traditional Russian ideas stems from his fascination with television and western media. For Sergei, he simply has had no former ties to Moscow until he was signed to a famous team. Additionally, these characters are marked with their non-traditional Russian names. Their relatively bad experiences are also contrasted with the successful career of Katya and the happy marriage of Antonina and Nikolai. 

Katya’s character embodies the symbolism of Moscow, particularly in her hard work. Returning to Sergei Nikitin’s song, the lyrics: “The hope of the city’s not in vain, all will be dressed in verdant green, and Moscow, will find an edge of land, that’s perfect for a tree” also encapsulates Katya’s life. Although Katya experienced hardship with her failed university exam, her failed relationship with Rudolph, and her struggle to excel in her profession, she was resilient in the end. She found her ideal soviet man in Gosha, found success in her career, and raised her daughter. Her story represents the power of grit, especially in a city that believes in love and hope.   

Epilogue

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Anna Akhmatova’s last poem in her selected works, “Epilogue,” is very powerful in its resounding solemn and heartfelt remembrance for her experiences. Particularly,  with the secret police and other terrors of the Stalin era, as well as serving as a remembrance for the people who lived through it alongside her.

In the first lines of the poem, Akhmatova describes the response of the body to fear. This is her way of delving into her self- awareness. She notes that suffering begins to show on the face, “how faces droop, how terror looks out from under the eyelids, how suffering carves on cheeks…how curls ash-blonde and black turn silver overnight”(287). This physical change caused by the collective pain notes the immortality of people. This also shows the inevitability of death and the passing of time. She also notes the tension of that time, which is present in her description of smiles on submissive lips and the presence of fear in a dry laugh. She highlights the feeling of empty existence in this time in her life, along with those who experienced this with her. She continues her awareness of her physical body to a psychological one, where she immerses herself in her memories. This alludes back to the beginning of the collection, with this  poem serving as a type of requiem.

I also think that Akhmatova uses imagery to her advantage, where she subtly alludes to important details of Stalinist rule. Her conclusion to the poem, ending with “let the melting snow stream, like tears from my bronze eyelids, let the prison dove call in the distance and the boats go quietly on the Neva” (288), juxtaposes her desire to keep the memories of the time and the people alive. Additionally, her description of bronze eyelids evoke warmth and a tinge of hope, which greatly opposes the cold and bitter steel, which alludes to Stalin. Her way of expressing her persistence in keeping these places untouched by her presence shows her disdain in staining them with her memories. These contrasting ideas of  wanting her experiences to be eternal and not wanting to disturb the presence of the places she mentioned  illuminates the tension she feels for her memories. Overall, her poem encapsulates emotions that are haunting and beautiful.

The Examination Room

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This work is definitely satirical, as much of the details after the operation on Sharik are absurd. I think a reason for the exaggerated calmness of the following events is in part by the perspective that the story is told. I would like to draw attention to the following passage on page 56:

December 23. At 8:15 P.M.– first operation in Europe according to Prof. Preobrazhensky: Sharik’s testes removed under chloroform anesthesia and replaced by graft of human testes with epididymis and seminal cords, obtained from a man of twenty-eight who died four hours and four minutes before the operation and preserved in sterile physiological fluid according to Prof. Preobrazhensky. Directly following, pituitary gland, or hypophysis, removed after trepanning of skull and replaced by a human one taken from above man.

The significance of this passage lies in its perspective. Bulgakov begins his story with a stray dog who is wandering the streets with a bad burn on his left side. The dog contemplates his death before he is discovered and cared for by Philip Philippovich.Later, it is realized that Philippovich took care of the dog, who has been named Sharik, to experiment on him. As told in the perspective of the dog, Zina leads Sharik to the examination room and drugged. This marks the transition of the storytelling from Sharik’s narration to a third person perspective. I think this should be especially noted in light of the following events after the operation. Sharik begins to grow human feet and starts to talk like a person, as well as standing and walking around. All these happenings occur with excitement instead of fear and disgust by Preobrazhensky and Bormenthal.

Osip Mandelstam’s “The Age”

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I think this poem portrays a man’s response to the passing of time with nostalgia and grief in coping with growing older and inevitably insignificant. In the poem, the narrator refers to his age as a beast that has experience in both the older and new centuries. The poem reads:

 “A creature, as long as life persists/ Must bear its backbone and exist/ And a wave rolls and plays / Down invisible vertebrae/ Like a child’s soft cartilage/ The era of the infant earth / Life’s brainpan has been offered up / Like a sacrificial lamb”(56).

I think these lines of the poem may serve as a criticism of society in the 20th century. These lines show that the most recent century is born without any knowledge from the past, making it as pure as “a child’s soft cartilage.” 

The poem also address blood springs from the throat of earthly things (56). The blood of life is not as fruitful as how the beast remembered the older century. For me, I feel that there is an air of nostalgia that Mandelstam addresses. If time continues to pass, and if age expands with the passing of years, there is a natural wave of human emotion like grief and longing. There is also a heightened sense of fragility and weakness involved with the “building blood from earthly things.”(56).

As the poem continues in its descriptions of the beast and temporality, Mandelstam brings about an air of renewal and hope.  He writes, “And once again the buds will swell/ And nature will explode in green/ But your spinal cord is snapped / My wonderful but sorry age” (56). He emphasizes the rebirth of a new century while also acknowledging that the body will not be able to keep up with the changes brought by a new age. Nonetheless, he remains in awe of life’s eternal change. I believe that he is also saying that life is beautiful and ruthless. Although life has created humans, there is still the presence of apathy and indifference for death.  

A Hero of Our Time: The Portrayal of Chechen People

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In Maxim Maximych’s retelling of the former lietenant’s story, his explanations of the tense yet intimate relationship between the Chechen people and the travelers/foreigners is mentioned.  Specifically, I noticed the relationship between the portrayal of Chechen people in light of Maximych’s retelling of his story of the former lieutenant’s adventures and his interactions with Chechen characters. In the beginning of this text, there was definitely a distant, cold connection highlighted by certain comments about the Chechen people. For instance, the Chechen wedding customs were retold in the perspective of an observer rather than in the perspective of a companion. This distinction shows that the Chechen people, as well as other indigenous groups, are categorized as “other.” This “otherness” is what I found most intriguing about this text. I addition to the cold remarks about the character of Chechen people, they are referred to by different names such as Circassians and Asiatics. This further removes them from familiarity with both the Maximych and the lieutenant.

However, this cold view of the Chechen people is melted away with the introduction of Bela. Bela serves as a breakaway from the “other people” perspective. In light of her beauty, she is adored by Kazbich and other foreigners, most notably Pechorin. Pechorin wins her favor by giving her expensive gifts and respecting her wishes, as well as caring for her. Her death by the hands of Kazbich highlights the emotional attachment that Maximych, the lieutenant, and Pechorin feel after her death.  In this way, the observer outlook of the Chechen people is washed away to be replaced by a more emotional and humanistic depiction.

 

Intentionality in Russian Folk Dancing

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In response to the video on Russian folk dancing, I find that intentionality is significant in both  performances. With the distinct attention to details, these performances highlight different aspects of Russian culture and ideology. Specifically, I’d like to draw attention to the ways in which the separation of genders, clothing, and choreography are used to reinforce their purpose in portraying aspects of Russian life.

First, I’d like to focus on the lighthearted, energetic, and uplifting tone of both performances. With the accompaniment of interchanging musical arrangements and dances, there is a heightened sense of precision and  correlation enjoyed by the spectator. In this level of  attention for detail, the choreography and costume design highlight the aesthetic reciprocality and symmetry of such performances by male and female performers. The overall intent  to provide entertainment and joy for the spectator is accomplished in this way.

Additionally,  both performances begin with the separation of genders to illuminate the progression of love, which in itself, brings about an air of lightheartedness and energy. The collective and individual dances of the performers build upon the theme of love by alluding to  courtship. This is most evident when a male or female performer goes among the other sex  and dances elaborately– gaining their attention before returning to their group. As the performances continue, the separation of men and women is broken and replaced with female and male performers linking arms and dancing together to show collective unity– which could be further interpreted as the fulfillment of love.

As for clothing, the use of bright, elaborately designed garments further accentuates the tones of lightheartedness,  providing visual entertainment for the spectator. The use of color also differentiates the genders, as women wear similarly colored dresses with few variations, as is the same for men.

Lastly, in the last minutes of the performance by the second dance group, the eye for perfection is most notable in the flawlessness of the choreography of both female and male groups. This impeccability further adds to the visual spectacle of the performance. In these ways,  Russian folk dances have purpose in showing varying levels of Russian ideology and culture.

Shapeshifting in “The Frog Tsarevna” and “Tsarevich Ivan and Grey Wolf”

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After reading the Russian fairy tales, “The Frog Tsarevna” and “Tsarevich Ivan and Grey Wolf,” I noticed the presence and significance of shapeshifting in both texts. The problems encountered by Tsarevich Ivan are relieved by  supernatural beings, which heightens the social idea that Russian rulers as mystic and holy. Additionally, the text shows that these encounters with shapeshifters evokes a level of mysticism, ultimately reinforcing supernatural significance in Russian culture and fulfilling the plot of the story. Most notably, I focused on the relationship between Tsarevich Ivan and the supernatural–especially through his contact and interaction with shapeshifters– in overcoming the trials Ivan faces.

I thought about the role of shapeshifters in signifying divine intervention, in which Vasilisa the Wise and Clever and Grey Wolf reinforce the material and mystic power of Tsarevich Ivan and his family by helping him overcome his dilemmas using their supernatural powers. In this way, the presence of shapeshifting within both texts is essential in evoking an aura of a somewhat divine status and angelic undertone for the family of Tsarevich Ivan.

Additionally, aside from these texts serving  to teach a lesson, the connection of the supernatural world to the material world acknowledges the Russian ideal that both these connections are imperitave to living a life of respect for nature and spiritual power.