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.
The change of perspective is an interesting thing to note. I also noticed something similar to the change from the first to the second chapters of the book. Sharik’s perspective changes from italicized to normal text which I found weird. Considering that all the characters aside from Sharik talk in a normal font I wonder if this is to show the “civilization” of Sharik. However I think we can all agree that Sharik isn’t one of “civilized” nature.
What I find interesting is how the surgery/transplantation is written about so calmly, yet the concept of it is so off-putting. The transition from dog to man by a medical procedure is very interesting, and it goes against what humans consider normal. The examination room also marks the change of the point of view in writing, which is indicative of a change in character.
One stylistic aspect of this passage I love is its use of professional medical and scientific terminology. It seems to me to try and act as a mask for the absurdity of what is going on, and place it in the realm of the acceptable. This analysis may be a stretch, but I wonder if this word choice is meant to symbolize the use of propaganda in the Soviet Union. Propagandistic language, like this medical language, was used to smooth over reality into something orderly and acceptable.
Eva, I find this suggestion fascinating and astute. The “normalcy” of the medical language also, perhaps, suggests the way in which the new society is being consciously and intentionally engineered. In general, I would say that the Russian language changed very dramatically during the few years following the Russian Revolution, and it is fascinating (in the original texts, of course) to see the ways in which various writers of the time tried to capture, and sometime critique or satirize, these linguistic changes. So I think that you are definitely onto something with your comment!
I find it interesting that the operating room was given such significance and struggle prior to the surgery. With mirroring of actual housing concerns in the soviet union, it’s interesting to me that the operating room was kept from the encroachment of more boarders by operating on the important and upper class in the new society, thus the means of this dreaded surgery on Sharik were sustained through what we are left to assume are morally good surgeries on the Soviet Unions’ higher ups. The contrast is quite stark, where the good is used to “finance” the evil.