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“Heart of a Dog” summary by chapter

Chapter 1

The action takes place in Moscow in the winter of 1924/25. In a snow-covered gateway, a homeless dog Sharik, who was offended by the canteen cook, is suffering from pain and hunger. He scalded the poor fellow's side, and now the dog was afraid to ask anyone for food, although he knew that people come across different people. He lay against the cold wall and meekly waited in the wings. Suddenly, from around the corner, there was a whiff of Krakow sausage. With the last of his strength, he stood up and crawled out onto the sidewalk. From this smell he seemed to perk up and become bolder. Sharik approached the mysterious gentleman, who treated him to a piece of sausage. The dog was ready to thank his savior endlessly. He followed him and demonstrated his devotion in every possible way. For this, the gentleman gave him a second piece of sausage. Soon they reached a decent house and entered it. To Sharik's surprise, the doorman named Fedor let him in too. Turning to Sharik’s benefactor, Philip Philipovich, he said that new residents, representatives of the house committee, had moved into one of the apartments and would draw up a new plan for settlement.

Chapter 2

Sharik was an unusually smart dog. He knew how to read and thought that every dog ​​could do it. He read mainly by colors. For example, he knew for sure that under a blue-green sign with the inscription MSPO they were selling meat. But after, guided by colors, he ended up in an electrical appliance store, Sharik decided to learn the letters. I quickly remembered the “a” and “b” in the word “fish”, or rather “Glavryba” on Mokhovaya. This is how he learned to navigate the city streets.

The benefactor led him to his apartment, where the door was opened for them by a young and very pretty girl in a white apron. Sharik was struck by the decoration of the apartment, especially the electric lamp under the ceiling and the long mirror in the hallway. After examining the wound on his side, the mysterious gentleman decided to take him to the examination room. The dog immediately did not like this dazzling room. He tried to run and even grabbed some man in a robe, but it was all in vain. Something sickening was brought to his nose, causing him to immediately fall onto his side.

When he woke up, the wound did not hurt at all and was bandaged. He listened to the conversation between the professor and the man he had bitten. Philip Phillipovich said something about animals and how nothing can be achieved by terror, no matter what stage of development they are at. Then he sent Zina to get another portion of sausage for Sharik. When the dog recovered, he followed with unsteady steps to the room of his benefactor, to whom various patients soon began to come one after another. The dog realized that this was not a simple room, but a place where people came with various diseases.

This continued until late in the evening. The last to arrive were 4 guests, different from the previous ones. These were young representatives of the house management: Shvonder, Pestrukhin, Sharovkin and Vyazemskaya. They wanted to take away two rooms from Philip Philipovich. Then the professor called some influential person and demanded assistance. After this conversation, the new chairman of the house committee, Shvonder, retreated from his claims and left with his group. Sharik liked this and he respected the professor for his ability to put down impudent people.

Chapter 3

Immediately after the guests left, a luxurious dinner awaited Sharik. Having eaten his fill of a large piece of sturgeon and roast beef, he could no longer look at the food, which had never happened to him before. Philip Philipovich talked about old times and new orders. The dog, meanwhile, was dozing blissfully, but the thought still haunted him that it was all a dream. He was afraid of waking up one day and finding himself again in the cold and without food. But nothing terrible happened. Every day he became prettier and healthier; in the mirror he saw a well-fed dog happy with life. He ate as much as he wanted, did what he wanted, and they never scolded him for anything; they even bought a beautiful collar for the neighbors’ dogs to make them jealous.

But one terrible day, Sharik immediately sensed something was wrong. After the doctor’s call, everyone began to fuss, Bormental arrived with a briefcase filled with something, Philip Philipovich was worried, Sharik was forbidden to eat and drink, and was locked in the bathroom. In a word, terrible turmoil. Soon Zina dragged him into the examination room, where, from the false eyes of Bormental, whom he had previously grabbed, he realized that something terrible was about to happen. A rag with a nasty smell was again brought to Sharik’s nose, after which he lost consciousness.

Chapter 4

The ball lay spread out on a narrow operating table. A clump of hair was cut off from his head and stomach. First, Professor Preobrazhensky removed his testes and inserted some others that were drooping. Then he opened Sharik's skull and performed a brain appendage transplant. When Bormenthal felt that the dog’s pulse was rapidly falling, becoming thread-like, he gave some kind of injection to the heart area. After the operation, neither the doctor nor the professor hoped to see Sharik alive.

Chapter 5

Despite the complexity of the operation, the dog came to his senses. From the professor’s diary it was clear that an experimental operation to transplant the pituitary gland was carried out in order to determine the effect of such a procedure on the rejuvenation of the human body. Yes, the dog was recovering, but he was behaving rather strangely. The hair fell out of his body in clumps, his pulse and temperature changed, and he began to resemble a person. Soon Bormenthal noticed that instead of the usual barking, Sharik was trying to pronounce some word from the letters “a-b-y-r”. They concluded that it was a “fish”.

On January 1, the professor wrote in his diary that the dog could already laugh and bark happily, and sometimes said “abyr-valg,” which apparently meant “Glavryba.” Gradually he stood on two legs and walked like a man. So far he was able to hold out in this position for half an hour. Also, he began to swear at his mother.

On January 5, his tail fell off and he pronounced the word “beerhouse.” From that moment on, he began to often resort to obscene speech. Meanwhile, rumors about a strange creature were circulating around the city. One newspaper published a myth about a miracle. The professor realized his mistake. Now he knew that a pituitary gland transplant does not lead to rejuvenation, but to humanization. Bormenthal recommended taking up the education of Sharik and the development of his personality. But Preobrazhensky already knew that the dog behaved like a person whose pituitary gland was transplanted to him. It was the organ of the late Klim Chugunkin, a conditionally convicted repeat thief, alcoholic, rowdy and hooligan.

Chapter 6

As a result, Sharik turned into an ordinary man of short stature, began to wear patent leather boots, a poison-blue tie, made an acquaintance with comrade Shvonder and shocked Preobrazhensky and Bormental day by day. The behavior of the new creature was impudent and boorish. He could spit on the floor, scare Zina in the dark, come drunk, fall asleep on the floor in the kitchen, etc.

When the professor tried to talk to him, the situation only got worse. The creature demanded a passport in the name of Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov. Shvonder demanded that a new tenant be registered in the apartment. Preobrazhensky initially objected. After all, Sharikov could not be a full-fledged person from the point of view of science. But they still had to register it, since formally the law was on their side.

The dog’s habits made themselves felt when a cat sneaked into the apartment unnoticed. Sharikov rushed after him into the bathroom like crazy. The safety latched. So he found himself trapped. The cat managed to escape out the window, and the professor canceled all the patients in order to save him together with Bormenthal and Zina. It turned out that while chasing the cat, he turned off all the taps, causing water to flood the entire floor. When the door was opened, everyone began to clean up the water, but Sharikov used obscene words, for which he was kicked out by the professor. Neighbors complained that he broke their windows and ran after the cooks.

Chapter 7

During lunch, the professor tried to teach Sharikov proper manners, but all in vain. He, like Klim Chugunkin, had a craving for alcohol and bad manners. He did not like to read books or go to the theater, but only to the circus. After another skirmish, Bormenthal went with him to the circus so that temporary peace could reign in the house. At this time, the professor was thinking about some kind of plan. He walked into the office and spent a long time looking at a glass jar containing a dog’s pituitary gland.

Chapter 8

Soon they brought Sharikov's documents. Since then, he began to behave even more cheekily, demanding a room in the apartment. When the professor threatened that he would no longer feed him, he calmed down for a while. One evening, with two unknown men, Sharikov robbed the professor, stealing from him a couple of ducats, a commemorative cane, a malachite ashtray and a hat. Until recently he did not admit to what he had done. By evening he felt bad and everyone was treating him like he was a little boy. The professor and Bormenthal were deciding what to do with him next. Bormenthal was even ready to strangle the insolent man, but the professor promised to fix everything himself.

The next day Sharikov disappeared with the documents. The house committee said that they had not seen him. Then they decided to contact the police, but this was not necessary. Poligraf Poligrafovich himself showed up and announced that he had been hired for the position of head of the department for cleaning the city from stray animals. Bormenthal forced him to apologize to Zina and Daria Petrovna, and also to not make noise in the apartment and show respect to the professor.

A couple of days later a lady in cream stockings came. It turned out that this is Sharikov’s fiancee, he intends to marry her, and demands his share in the apartment. The professor told her about Sharikov’s origins, which greatly upset her. After all, he was lying to her all this time. The insolent man's wedding was upset.

Chapter 9

One of his patients came to the doctor in a police uniform. He brought a denunciation drawn up by Sharikov, Shvonder and Pestrukhin. The matter was not set in motion, but the professor realized that he could not delay any longer. When Sharikov returned, the professor told him to pack his things and get out, to which Sharikov responded in his usual boorish manner and even took out a revolver. By this he further convinced Preobrazhensky that it was time to act. With Bormenthal's help, the head of the cleaning department was soon lying on the couch. The professor canceled all his appointments, turned off the bell and asked not to disturb him. The doctor and the professor performed the operation.

Epilogue

A few days later, the police showed up at the professor’s apartment, followed by representatives of the house committee, led by Shvonder. Everyone unanimously accused Philip Philipovich of killing Sharikov, to which the professor and Bormenthal showed them their dog. Although the dog looked strange, walked on two legs, was bald in places, and covered in patches of fur in places, it was quite obvious that it was a dog. The professor called it an atavism and added that it is impossible to make a man out of a beast. After all this nightmare, Sharik again sat happily at the feet of his owner, did not remember anything and only sometimes suffered from a headache.

The main character, Professor Preobrazhensky, picks up a hungry dog ​​on the street, whom he names Sharik. After some time, together with his assistant Bormenthal, he performs an operation on the dog - a pituitary gland transplant from the recently deceased alcoholic Klim Chugunkin. At the same time, proletarians and a new house headed by Shvonder move into the professor’s house, even trying to take 2 rooms from Philip Philipich, but he enlists the support of his patient, the big boss. After the operation, Sharik quickly turns into a person, albeit a very bad one, similar to Chugunkin. Shvonder begins to help Sharik, and knocks out documents for him in the name of Sharikov Poligraf Poligrafych, and also gets him a job as a boss in a cat-catching organization. Sharikov begins to become impudent, either stealing, drinking, or trying to rape the servant Zina. Preobrazhensky and Bormenthal decide to carry out the reverse operation. When a few days later Shvonder and the police came to look for Sharikov, they were shown a half-dog, half-man. And after some time, Sharikov finally turned back into a dog.

Summary (in detail by chapter)

Chapter 1

The action takes place in Moscow in the winter of 1924/25. In a snow-covered gateway, a homeless dog Sharik, who was offended by the canteen cook, is suffering from pain and hunger. He scalded the poor fellow's side, and now the dog was afraid to ask anyone for food, although he knew that people come across different people. He lay against the cold wall and meekly waited in the wings. Suddenly, from around the corner, there was a whiff of Krakow sausage. With the last of his strength, he stood up and crawled out onto the sidewalk. From this smell he seemed to perk up and become bolder. Sharik approached the mysterious gentleman, who treated him to a piece of sausage. The dog was ready to thank his savior endlessly. He followed him and demonstrated his devotion in every possible way. For this, the gentleman gave him a second piece of sausage. Soon they reached a decent house and entered it. To Sharik's surprise, the doorman named Fedor let him in too. Turning to Sharik’s benefactor, Philip Philipovich, he said that new residents, representatives of the house committee, had moved into one of the apartments and would draw up a new plan for moving in.

Chapter 2

Sharik was an unusually smart dog. He knew how to read and thought that every dog ​​could do it. He read mainly by colors. For example, he knew for sure that under a blue-green sign with the inscription MSPO they were selling meat. But after, guided by colors, he ended up in an electrical appliance store, Sharik decided to learn the letters. I quickly remembered the “a” and “b” in the word “fish”, or rather “Glavryba” on Mokhovaya. This is how he learned to navigate the city streets.

The benefactor led him to his apartment, where the door was opened for them by a young and very pretty girl in a white apron. Sharik was struck by the decoration of the apartment, especially the electric lamp under the ceiling and the long mirror in the hallway. After examining the wound on his side, the mysterious gentleman decided to take him to the examination room. The dog immediately did not like this dazzling room. He tried to run and even grabbed some man in a robe, but it was all in vain. Something sickening was brought to his nose, causing him to immediately fall onto his side.

When he woke up, the wound did not hurt at all and was bandaged. He listened to the conversation between the professor and the man he had bitten. Philip Phillipovich said something about animals and how nothing can be achieved by terror, no matter what stage of development they are at. Then he sent Zina to get another portion of sausage for Sharik. When the dog recovered, he followed with unsteady steps to the room of his benefactor, to whom various patients soon began to come one after another. The dog realized that this was not a simple room, but a place where people came with various diseases.

This continued until late in the evening. The last to arrive were 4 guests, different from the previous ones. These were young representatives of the house management: Shvonder, Pestrukhin, Sharovkin and Vyazemskaya. They wanted to take away two rooms from Philip Philipovich. Then the professor called some influential person and demanded assistance. After this conversation, the new chairman of the house committee, Shvonder, retreated from his claims and left with his group. Sharik liked this and he respected the professor for his ability to put down impudent people.

Chapter 3

Immediately after the guests left, a luxurious dinner awaited Sharik. Having eaten his fill of a large piece of sturgeon and roast beef, he could no longer look at the food, which had never happened to him before. Philip Philipovich talked about old times and new orders. The dog, meanwhile, was dozing blissfully, but the thought still haunted him that it was all a dream. He was afraid of waking up one day and finding himself again in the cold and without food. But nothing terrible happened. Every day he became prettier and healthier; in the mirror he saw a well-fed dog happy with life. He ate as much as he wanted, did what he wanted, and they never scolded him for anything; they even bought a beautiful collar for the neighbors’ dogs to make them jealous.

But one terrible day, Sharik immediately sensed something was wrong. After the doctor’s call, everyone began to fuss, Bormental arrived with a briefcase filled with something, Philip Philipovich was worried, Sharik was forbidden to eat and drink, and was locked in the bathroom. In a word, terrible turmoil. Soon Zina dragged him into the examination room, where, from the false eyes of Bormental, whom he had previously grabbed, he realized that something terrible was about to happen. A rag with a nasty smell was again brought to Sharik’s nose, after which he lost consciousness.

Chapter 4

The ball lay spread out on a narrow operating table. A clump of hair was cut off from his head and stomach. First, Professor Preobrazhensky removed his testes and inserted some others that were drooping. Then he opened Sharik's skull and performed a brain appendage transplant. When Bormenthal felt that the dog’s pulse was rapidly falling, becoming thread-like, he gave some kind of injection to the heart area. After the operation, neither the doctor nor the professor hoped to see Sharik alive.

Chapter 5

Despite the complexity of the operation, the dog came to his senses. From the professor’s diary it was clear that an experimental operation to transplant the pituitary gland was carried out in order to determine the effect of such a procedure on the rejuvenation of the human body. Yes, the dog was recovering, but he was behaving rather strangely. The hair fell out of his body in clumps, his pulse and temperature changed, and he began to resemble a person. Soon Bormenthal noticed that instead of the usual barking, Sharik was trying to pronounce some word from the letters “a-b-y-r”. They concluded that it was a “fish”.

On January 1, the professor wrote in his diary that the dog could already laugh and bark happily, and sometimes said “abyr-valg,” which apparently meant “Glavryba.” Gradually he stood on two legs and walked like a man. So far he was able to hold out in this position for half an hour. Also, he began to swear at his mother.

On January 5, his tail fell off and he pronounced the word “beerhouse.” From that moment on, he began to often resort to obscene speech. Meanwhile, rumors about a strange creature were circulating around the city. One newspaper published a myth about a miracle. The professor realized his mistake. Now he knew that a pituitary gland transplant does not lead to rejuvenation, but to humanization. Bormenthal recommended taking up the education of Sharik and the development of his personality. But Preobrazhensky already knew that the dog behaved like a person whose pituitary gland was transplanted to him. It was the organ of the late Klim Chugunkin, a conditionally convicted repeat thief, alcoholic, rowdy and hooligan.

Chapter 6

As a result, Sharik turned into an ordinary man of short stature, began to wear patent leather boots, a poison-blue tie, made an acquaintance with comrade Shvonder and shocked Preobrazhensky and Bormental day by day. The behavior of the new creature was impudent and boorish. He could spit on the floor, scare Zina in the dark, come drunk, fall asleep on the floor in the kitchen, etc.

When the professor tried to talk to him, the situation only got worse. The creature demanded a passport in the name of Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov. Shvonder demanded that a new tenant be registered in the apartment. Preobrazhensky initially objected. After all, Sharikov could not be a full-fledged person from the point of view of science. But they still had to register it, since formally the law was on their side.

The dog’s habits made themselves felt when a cat sneaked into the apartment unnoticed. Sharikov rushed after him into the bathroom like crazy. The safety latched. So he found himself trapped. The cat managed to escape out the window, and the professor canceled all the patients in order to save him together with Bormenthal and Zina. It turned out that while chasing the cat, he turned off all the taps, causing water to flood the entire floor. When the door was opened, everyone began to clean up the water, but Sharikov used obscene words, for which he was kicked out by the professor. Neighbors complained that he broke their windows and ran after the cooks.

Chapter 7

During lunch, the professor tried to teach Sharikov proper manners, but all in vain. He, like Klim Chugunkin, had a craving for alcohol and bad manners. He did not like to read books or go to the theater, but only to the circus. After another skirmish, Bormenthal went with him to the circus so that temporary peace could reign in the house. At this time, the professor was thinking about some kind of plan. He walked into the office and spent a long time looking at a glass jar containing a dog’s pituitary gland.

Chapter 8

Soon they brought Sharikov's documents. Since then, he began to behave even more cheekily, demanding a room in the apartment. When the professor threatened that he would no longer feed him, he calmed down for a while. One evening, with two unknown men, Sharikov robbed the professor, stealing from him a couple of ducats, a commemorative cane, a malachite ashtray and a hat. Until recently he did not admit to what he had done. By evening he felt bad and everyone was treating him like he was a little boy. The professor and Bormenthal were deciding what to do with him next. Bormenthal was even ready to strangle the insolent man, but the professor promised to fix everything himself.

The next day Sharikov disappeared with the documents. The house committee said that they had not seen him. Then they decided to contact the police, but this was not necessary. Poligraf Poligrafovich himself showed up and announced that he had been hired for the position of head of the department for cleaning the city from stray animals. Bormenthal forced him to apologize to Zina and Daria Petrovna, and also to not make noise in the apartment and show respect to the professor.

A couple of days later a lady in cream stockings came. It turned out that this is Sharikov’s fiancee, he intends to marry her, and demands his share in the apartment. The professor told her about Sharikov’s origins, which greatly upset her. After all, he was lying to her all this time. The insolent man's wedding was upset.

Chapter 9

One of his patients came to the doctor in a police uniform. He brought a denunciation drawn up by Sharikov, Shvonder and Pestrukhin. The matter was not set in motion, but the professor realized that he could not delay any longer. When Sharikov returned, the professor told him to pack his things and get out, to which Sharikov responded in his usual boorish manner and even took out a revolver. By this he further convinced Preobrazhensky that it was time to act. With Bormenthal's help, the head of the cleaning department was soon lying on the couch. The professor canceled all his appointments, turned off the bell and asked not to disturb him. The doctor and the professor performed the operation.

Epilogue

A few days later, the police showed up at the professor’s apartment, followed by representatives of the house committee, led by Shvonder. Everyone unanimously accused Philip Philipovich of killing Sharikov, to which the professor and Bormenthal showed them their dog. Although the dog looked strange, walked on two legs, was bald in places, and covered in patches of fur in places, it was quite obvious that it was a dog. The professor called it an atavism and added that it is impossible to make a man out of a beast. After all this nightmare, Sharik again sat happily at the feet of his owner, did not remember anything and only sometimes suffered from a headache.

Woo-hoo-hoo-goo-goo-goo! Oh look at me, I'm dying. The blizzard in the gateway howls at me, and I howl with it. I'm lost, I'm lost. A scoundrel in a dirty cap - a cook in the canteen for normal meals for employees of the Central Council of the National Economy - splashed boiling water and scalded my left side. What a reptile, and also a proletarian. Lord, my God - how painful it is! It was eaten to the bones by boiling water. Now I’m howling, howling, but howling can I help?

How did I bother him? Will I really eat the council of the national economy if I rummage through the trash? Greedy creature! Just look at his face someday: he’s wider across himself. Thief with a copper face. Ah, people, people. At noon the cap treated me to boiling water, and now it’s dark, about four o’clock in the afternoon, judging by the smell of onions from the Prechistensky fire brigade. Firemen eat porridge for dinner, as you know. But this is the last thing, like mushrooms. Familiar dogs from Prechistenka, however, told me that in the Neglinny restaurant "bar" they eat the usual dish - mushrooms, pican sauce for 3 rubles. 75 k. portion. This is an amateur job, it’s like licking a galosh... Oooh-ooh-ooh...

My side hurts unbearably, and the distance of my career is visible to me quite clearly: tomorrow ulcers will appear and, one wonders, how will I treat them? In the summer you can go to Sokolniki, there is a special, very good grass there, and besides, you will get drunk on free sausage heads, the citizens will throw greasy paper on them, you will get hydrated. And if it weren’t for some grimza that sings in the meadow under the moon - “dear Aida” - so that your heart falls, it would be great. Now where will you go? Did they hit you with a boot? They beat me. Did you get hit in the ribs with a brick? There is enough food. I have experienced everything, I am at peace with my fate, and if I cry now, it is only from physical pain and cold, because my spirit has not yet died out... The dog’s spirit is tenacious.

But my body is broken, beaten, people have abused it enough. After all, the main thing is that when he hit it with boiling water, it was eaten under the fur, and, therefore, there is no protection for the left side. I can very easily get pneumonia, and if I get it, I, citizens, will die of hunger. With pneumonia, one is supposed to lie on the front door under the stairs, but who, instead of me, a lying single dog, will run through the trash bins in search of food? It will grab my lung, I will crawl on my stomach, I will become weak, and any specialist will beat me to death with a stick. And the wipers with plaques will grab me by the legs and throw me onto the cart...

Janitors are the most vile scum of all proletarians. Human cleaning is the lowest category. The cook is different. For example, the late Vlas from Prechistenka. How many lives did he save? Because the most important thing during illness is to intercept the bite. And so, it happened, the old dogs say, Vlas would wave a bone, and on it there would be an eighth of meat on it. God bless him for being a real person, the lordly cook of Count Tolstoy, and not from the Council for Normal Nutrition. What they do there in a normal diet is incomprehensible to a dog’s mind. After all, they, the bastards, cook cabbage soup from stinking corned beef, and those poor fellows don’t know anything. They run, eat, lap.

Some typist receives four and a half chervonets according to their category, well, however, her lover will give her fildepers stockings. Why, how much abuse does she have to endure for this phildepers? After all, he does not expose her in any ordinary way, but exposes her to French love. With... these French, just between you and me. Although they eat it richly, and all with red wine. Yes... The typist will come running, because you can’t go to a bar for 4.5 chervonets. She doesn’t even have enough for cinema, and cinema is the only consolation in life for a woman. He trembles, winces, and eats... Just think: 40 kopecks from two dishes, and both of these dishes are not worth five altyn, because the caretaker stole the remaining 25 kopecks. Does she really need such a table? The top of her right lung is also out of order and she has a female disease on French soil, she was deducted from service, fed rotten meat in the dining room, here she is, here she is... Runs into the gateway in lover's stockings. Her feet are cold, there is a draft in her stomach, because the fur on her is like mine, and she wears cold pants, just a lace appearance. Rubbish for a lover. Put her on flannel, try it, he’ll shout: how ungraceful you are! I'm tired of my matryona, I'm tired of flannel pants, now my time has come. I am now the chairman, and no matter how much I steal, it’s all on the female body, on cancerous cervixes, on Abrau-Durso. Because I was hungry enough when I was young, it will be enough for me, but there is no afterlife.

I feel sorry for her, I feel sorry for her! But I feel even more sorry for myself. I’m not saying this out of selfishness, oh no, but because we really are not on an equal footing. At least she’s warm at home, but for me, but for me... Where am I going to go? Woo-oo-oo-oo!..

- Kut, kut, kut! Sharik, and Sharik... Why are you whining, poor thing? Who hurt you? Uh...

The witch, a dry blizzard, rattled the gates and hit the young lady on the ear with a broom. She fluffed up her skirt to her knees, exposed her cream stockings and a narrow strip of poorly washed lace underwear, strangled her words and covered up the dog.

My God... What is the weather... Wow... And my stomach hurts. It's corned beef! And when will this all end?

Bowing her head, the young lady rushed into the attack, broke through the gate, and on the street she began to twist, twist, and scatter, then she was screwed in with a snow screw, and she disappeared.

And the dog remained in the gateway and, suffering from a disfigured side, pressed himself against the cold wall, suffocated and firmly decided that he would not go anywhere else from here, and then he would die in the gateway. Despair overwhelmed him. His soul was so painful and bitter, so lonely and scary, that small dog tears, like pimples, crawled out of his eyes and immediately dried up. The damaged side stuck out in matted, frozen lumps, and between them were red, ominous spots of scald. How senseless, stupid, and cruel the cooks are. - “Sharik” she called him... What the hell is “Sharik”? Sharik means round, well-fed, stupid, eats oatmeal, the son of noble parents, but he is shaggy, lanky and ragged, a lean little guy, a homeless dog. However, thank you for your kind words.

The door across the street in a brightly lit store slammed and a citizen emerged. It is a citizen, and not a comrade, and even, most likely, a master. Closer - clearer - sir. Do you think I judge by my coat? Nonsense. Nowadays, many proletarians wear coats. True, the collars are not the same, there is nothing to say about this, but still from a distance they can be confused. But by the eyes, you can’t confuse them both up close and from a distance. Oh, eyes are a significant thing. Like a barometer. You can see who has a great dryness in their soul, who can poke the toe of a boot into their ribs for no reason, and who is afraid of everyone. It’s the last lackey who feels good when he’s tugging on the ankle. If you're afraid, get it. If you’re afraid, that means you’re standing... Rrrr... Gow-gow...

The gentleman confidently crossed the street in the blizzard and moved into the gateway. Yes, yes, this one can see everything. This rotten corned beef will not eat, and if it is served to him somewhere, he will raise such a scandal and write in the newspapers: they fed me, Philip Philipovich.

Here he is getting closer and closer. This one eats abundantly and does not steal, this one will not kick, but he himself is not afraid of anyone, and he is not afraid because he is always full. He is a gentleman of mental labor, with a French pointed beard and a gray, fluffy and dashing mustache, like those of French knights, but the smell he gives off in the snowstorm is foul, like a hospital. And a cigar.

What the hell, one might ask, brought him to the Tsentrokhoz cooperative? Here he is nearby... What are you waiting for? Oooh... What could he buy in a crappy store, isn't there enough of a willing row for him? What's happened? Sausage. Sir, if you had seen what this sausage is made from, you would not have come near the store. Give it to me.

The dog gathered the rest of his strength and crawled madly out of the gateway onto the sidewalk. The blizzard flapped the gun overhead, throwing up the huge letters of the linen poster “Is rejuvenation possible?”

Naturally, perhaps. The smell rejuvenated me, lifted me from my belly, and with burning waves it filled my empty stomach for two days, a smell that conquered the hospital, the heavenly smell of chopped mare with garlic and pepper. I feel, I know - he has sausage in the right pocket of his fur coat. He's above me. Oh my lord! Look at me. I'm dying. Our soul is a slave, a vile lot!

The dog crawled like a snake on its belly, shedding tears. Pay attention to the chef's work. But you won’t give it for anything. Oh, I know rich people very well! But in essence - why do you need it? What do you need a rotten horse for? Nowhere else will you get such poison as in Mosselprom. And you had breakfast today, you, a figure of world significance, thanks to the male sex glands. Oooh... What in the world is this being done? Apparently, it’s still too early to die, and despair is truly a sin. To lick his hands, there is nothing else left to do.

The mysterious gentleman leaned towards the dog, flashed his golden eye rims and pulled out a white oblong package from his right pocket. Without taking off his brown gloves, he unwound the paper, which was immediately taken over by the snowstorm, and broke off a piece of sausage called “special Krakow.” And this piece for the dog. Oh, selfless person! Woohoo!

Sharik again. Baptized. Yes, call it what you want. For such an exceptional act of yours.

The dog instantly tore off the peel, bit into the Krakow one with a sob and devoured it in no time. At the same time, he choked on sausage and snow to the point of tears, because from greed he almost swallowed the string. Again, again, I lick your hand. I kiss my pants, my benefactor!

“It will be for now...” The gentleman spoke so abruptly, as if he was commanding. He leaned over to Sharikov, looked inquisitively into his eyes and unexpectedly ran his gloved hand intimately and affectionately over Sharikov’s stomach.

“Aha,” he said meaningfully, “there’s no collar, that’s great, it’s you that I need.” Follow me. - He snapped his fingers.

- Fuck-fuck!

Should I follow you? Yes, to the ends of the world. Kick me with your felt boots, I won’t say a word.

Lanterns shone throughout Prechistenka. His side hurt unbearably, but Sharik at times forgot about it, absorbed in one thought - how not to lose the wonderful vision in the fur coat in the commotion and somehow express his love and devotion to him. And seven times throughout Prechistenka to Obukhov Lane he expressed it. He kissed his shoe by a dead alley, clearing the way, and with a wild howl he scared some lady so much that she sat down on a curbstone, and howled twice to maintain self-pity.

Some kind of bastard, Siberian-looking stray cat emerged from behind a drainpipe and, despite the blizzard, smelled the Krakow one. The ball of light did not see the thought that the rich eccentric, picking up wounded dogs in the gateway, would take this thief with him, and would have to share the Mosselprom product. Therefore, he clanged his teeth at the cat so much that with a hiss similar to the hiss of a leaky hose, he climbed up the pipe to the second floor. - F-r-r-r... Ga..U! Out! Mosselprom doesn't have enough money for all the rubbish wandering around the prechistenka street.

The gentleman appreciated the devotion and, right at the fire brigade, at the window from which the pleasant grumbling of a French horn could be heard, rewarded the dog with a second smaller piece, five spools worth.

Eh, weirdo. Luring me. Do not worry! I won't go anywhere myself. I will follow you wherever you order.

- Fuck-fuck-fuck! Here!

In Obukhov? Do me a favor. We know this lane very well.

Fuck-fuck! Here? With pleasure... Eh, no, excuse me. No. There's a doorman here. And there is nothing worse than this in the world. Many times more dangerous than a janitor. Absolutely hateful breed. Nasty cats. Flayer in braid.

- Don’t be afraid, go.

— I wish you good health, Philip Philipovich.

- Hello, Fedor.

This is personality. My God, who did you inflict on me, my dog’s lot! What kind of person is this who can lead dogs from the street past the doormen into the house of a housing association? Look, this scoundrel - not a sound, not a movement! True, his eyes are cloudy, but, in general, he is indifferent under the band with gold braid. As if that's how it's supposed to be. Respects, gentlemen, how much he respects! Well, sir, I’m with him and behind him. What, touched? Take a bite. I wish I could tug at the proletarian calloused foot. For all your brother's bullying. How many times have you disfigured my face with a brush, huh?

- Go, go.

We understand, we understand, don’t worry. Where you go, we go. You just show the path, and I won’t lag behind, despite my desperate side.

From the stairs down:

— There were no letters to me, Fedor?

From below to the stairs respectfully:

- No way, Philip Philipovich (intimately, in an undertone, after him), - and the tenants were moved into the third apartment.

The important canine benefactor turned abruptly on the step and, leaning over the railing, asked in horror:

His eyes widened and his mustache stood on end.

The doorman from below raised his head, put his hand to his lips and confirmed:

- That's right, four of them.

- My God! I imagine what will happen in the apartment now. So what are they?

- Nothing, sir.

- And Fyodor Pavlovich?

“We went for screens and bricks.” Partitions will be installed.

- The devil knows what it is!

“They will move into all the apartments, Philip Philipovich, except yours.” Now there was a meeting, a new partnership was chosen, and the old ones were killed.

- What is being done? Ay-yay-yay... Fuck-fuck.

I'm going, sir, I'll keep up. Bok, if you please, is making itself felt. Let me lick the boot.

The doorman's braid disappeared below. On the marble platform there was a whiff of warmth from the pipes, they turned it again and there it was - the mezzanine.

dog's heart

As if he had turned grayer lately. The crime matured and fell like a stone, as it usually does. With a sucking bad heart, Poligraf Poligrafovich returned in the truck. Philip Philipovich's voice invited him into the examination room. The surprised Sharikov came and with vague fear looked into the muzzles on the faces of Bormental, and then of Philip Philipovich. A cloud walked around the assistant, and his left hand with the cigarette trembled slightly on the shiny arm of the obstetric chair. Philip Philipovich said with a very ominous calm: “Now take your things, trousers, coat, everything you need, and get out of the apartment.” - How come? – Sharikov was sincerely surprised. “Get out of the apartment today,” Philip Philipovich repeated monotonously, squinting at his nails. Some evil spirit possessed Poligraf Poligrafovich, obviously, death was already watching over him and fate stood behind him. He himself threw himself into the arms of the inevitable and barked angrily and abruptly: “What is this, really?” Why can't I find any justice for you? I am sitting here on sixteen arshins and will continue to sit! “Get out of the apartment,” Philip Philipovich whispered strangledly. Sharikov himself invited his death. He raised his left hand and showed Philip Philipovich a bitten pine cone with an unbearable cat smell. And then with his right hand, towards the dangerous Bormental, he took a revolver out of his pocket. Bormental's cigarette fell like a shooting star, and a few seconds later Philip Philipovich, jumping on broken glass, rushed in horror from the closet to the couch. On it, prostrate and wheezing, lay the head of the purification department, and the surgeon Bormental was placed on his chest and suffocated him with a small white pillow. A few minutes later, Dr. Bormenthal, not looking his best, walked into the front door and pasted a note next to the bell button: “There is no appointment today due to the professor’s illness. They ask us not to bother you with calls.” With a shiny penknife, he cut the bell wire, in the mirror he examined his scratched, bloody face and his tattered, jumping hands. Then he appeared at the kitchen door and said to a wary Zina and Daria Petrovna: “The professor asks you not to leave the apartment.” “Okay,” Zina and Daria Petrovna answered timidly. “Let me lock the back door and take the key,” Bormental spoke, hiding behind the door in the shadows and covering his face with his palm. – This is temporary, not out of distrust of you. But someone will come, and you won’t be able to stand it and open it, but we can’t be disturbed, we’re busy. “Okay,” the women answered and immediately became pale. Bormenthal locked the back door, took the key, locked the front door, locked the door from the corridor to the hall, and his steps disappeared at the observation room. Silence covered the apartment, creeping into all corners. Twilight came, bad, wary, in a word - darkness. True, later the neighbors across the yard said that it was as if all the lights at Preobrazhensky’s were burning in the observation room windows facing the yard that evening, and they even allegedly saw the white cap of the professor himself... It is difficult to verify this. True, Zina, when it was all over, chatted that in the office, by the fireplace, after Bormental and the professor left the examination room, Ivan Arnoldovich scared her to death. Allegedly, he was squatting in the office and burning in the fireplace with his own hand a notebook with a blue cover from the pack in which the medical histories of the professor’s patients were recorded. It was as if the doctor’s face was completely green and everything, well, everything was scratched to smithereens. And Philip Philipovich didn’t look like himself that evening. And one more thing... However, maybe the innocent girl from the Prechistensky apartment is lying... You can vouch for one thing. There was complete and terrible silence in the apartment that evening. End of the story Epilogue One night, ten days after the battle, a sharp bell rang in the observation room in Professor Preobrazhensky’s apartment on Obukhov Lane. Zina was mortally frightened by voices outside the door: “The criminal police and the investigator.” Kindly open. Footsteps ran, knocked, and began to enter, and a crowd of people found themselves in the reception room sparkling with lights with newly glazed cabinets. Two in police uniform, one in a black coat with a briefcase, the gloating and pale chairman Shvonder, a young woman, the doorman Fyodor, Zina, Daria Petrovna and the half-dressed Bormental, bashfully covering his throat without a tie. The door from the office let Philip Philipovich through. He came out in the well-known azure robe, and everyone could immediately see that Philip Philipovich had gained a lot of weight in the last week. The former imperious and energetic Philip Philipovich, full of dignity, appeared before the overnight guests and apologized for being in a dressing gown. “Don’t be shy, professor,” the man in civilian clothes responded very embarrassedly. Then he hesitated and spoke: “Very unpleasant... We have a search warrant in your apartment and...” the man glanced sideways at Philip Philipovich’s mustache and finished: “and an arrest, depending on the results.” Philip Philipovich narrowed his eyes and asked: “And on what charge, dare I ask, and to whom?” The man scratched his cheek and began to read from a piece of paper from his briefcase: “Accusing Preobrazhensky, Bormental, Zinaida Bunina and Daria Ivanova of murdering the head of the cleaning department, M. K. X. Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov. Zina's sobs covered the end of his words. There was a movement. “I don’t understand anything,” answered Philip Philipovich, raising his shoulders royally, “what kind of Sharikov is this?” Oh, it’s my fault, this dog of mine... whom I operated on? - Sorry, professor, not a dog, but when he was already a man. That's the problem. - So he said? – asked Philip Philipovich. – This does not mean being human! However, it doesn't matter. Sharik still exists, and no one has definitely killed him. “Professor,” the black man spoke in great surprise and raised his eyebrows, “then we’ll have to present it.” It's been ten days since I disappeared, and the data, excuse me, is very bad. “Doctor Bormental, please present Sharik to the investigator,” Philip Philipovich ordered, taking possession of the warrant. Dr. Bormenthal, smiling wryly, left. When he returned and whistled, a dog of strange quality jumped out of the office door behind him. He was bald in spots, and fur grew on him in spots. He came out like a learned circus performer, on his hind legs, then sank down on all fours and looked around. Deathly silence froze in the waiting room like jelly. The nightmarish-looking dog, with a purple scar on his forehead, rose again to his hind legs and, smiling, sat down in a chair. The second policeman suddenly crossed himself with a sweeping cross and, retreating, immediately crushed both of Zina’s legs. The man in black, without closing his mouth, said the following: “How, excuse me?.. He served in the cleaning service...” “I didn’t appoint him there,” answered Philip Philipovich, “Mr. Shvonder gave him a recommendation, if I’m not mistaken.” . “I don’t understand anything,” the black man said confusedly and turned to the first policeman: “Is this him?” “He,” the policeman answered silently, “he is definitely him.” “He’s the same,” Fyodor’s voice was heard, “only, the bastard, he’s grown up again.” - He said that?.. Cough... Cough... - And now he still speaks, but only less and less, so take advantage of the opportunity, otherwise he will soon become completely silent. - But why? – the black man quietly inquired. Philip Philipovich shrugged his shoulders. – Science does not yet know a way to turn animals into people. So I tried, but it was unsuccessful, as you can see. I talked and began to return to a primitive state. Atavism! – Do not use indecent words! – the dog suddenly barked from his chair and stood up. The black man suddenly turned pale, dropped his briefcase and began to fall on his side, the policeman caught him from the side, and Fyodor from behind. There was a commotion, and three phrases were heard most clearly in it: Philip Philipovich: “Valerians! It's fainting." Doctor Bormental: “I will throw Shvonder down the stairs with my own hands if he appears in Professor Preobrazhensky’s apartment again!” And Shvonder: “Please put these words into the protocol!” The gray harmonies of the trumpets warmed. The curtains hid the thick Prechistenka night with its lonely star. The supreme being, an important canine philanthropist, was sitting in a chair, and the dog Sharik, slumped, lay on the carpet next to the leather sofa. Due to the March fog, the dog suffered from headaches in the mornings, which tormented him with a ring along the head seam. But from the warmth they went away in the evening. And now it felt lighter, lighter, and the thoughts in the dog’s head flowed coherently and warmly. “I’m so lucky, so lucky,” he thought, dozing off, “simply indescribably lucky. I established myself in this apartment. I am absolutely sure that my origin is unclean. There is a diver here. My grandmother was a slut. The kingdom of heaven to her, old lady. Established. True, for some reason they cut my head all over, but it will heal before the wedding. We have nothing to look at.” In the distance, bottles clinked dully. The one who was bitten was cleaning the examination room cabinets. The gray-haired wizard sat and sang: “To the sacred banks of the Nile...” The dog saw terrible things. The important man plunged his hands in slippery gloves into the vessel and took out the brains. A persistent man persistently sought something in them, cut, examined, squinted and sang: - “To the banks of the sacred Nile...” January - March 1925 Moscow Notes 1 My word of honor (from the French parole d "honneur). 2 Later (German). 3 Good (German). 4 Caution (German).! https://lbuckshee.com/ Bakshi buckshee forum. Sports, cars, finance, real estate. Healthy lifestyle. http://petimer .ru/ Online store, website Online clothing store Online shoe store Online store http://worksites.ru/ Development of online stores. Creation of corporate websites. Integration, Hosting. http://filosoff.org/ Philosophy, philosophers of the world, philosophical movements Biography http://dostoevskiyfyodor.ru/ website http://petimer.com/ Enjoy reading!

“Heart of a Dog” was written in early 1925. It was supposed to be published in the Nedra almanac, but censorship prohibited publication. The story was completed in March, and Bulgakov read it at the literary meeting of the Nikitsky Subbotniks. The Moscow public became interested in the work. It was distributed in samizdat. It was first published in London and Frankfurt in 1968, in the magazine “Znamya” No. 6 in 1987.

In the 20s Medical experiments on rejuvenating the human body were very popular. Bulgakov, as a doctor, was familiar with these natural science experiments. The prototype of Professor Preobrazhensky was Bulgakov’s uncle, N.M. Pokrovsky, a gynecologist. He lived on Prechistenka, where the events of the story unfold.

Genre features

The satirical story “Heart of a Dog” combines various genre elements. The plot of the story is reminiscent of fantastic adventure literature in the tradition of H. Wells. The subtitle of the story “A Monstrous Story” indicates the parodic flavor of the fantastic plot.

The science-adventure genre is an outer cover for satirical subtext and topical metaphor.

The story is close to dystopias due to its social satire. This is a warning about the consequences of a historical experiment that must be stopped, everything must be returned to normal.

Issues

The most important problem of the story is social: it is the comprehension of the events of the revolution, which made it possible for the Sharik and Shvonders to rule the world. Another problem is awareness of the limits of human capabilities. Preobrazhensky, imagining himself to be a god (he is literally worshiped by his family), goes against nature, turning a dog into a man. Realizing that “any woman can give birth to Spinoza at any time,” Preobrazhensky repents of his experiment, which saves his life. He understands the fallacy of eugenics - the science of improving the human race.

The problem of the danger of invasion into human nature and social processes is raised.

Plot and composition

The science-fiction plot describes how Professor Philip Philipovich Preobrazhensky decides to experiment with transplanting the pituitary gland and ovaries of the “semi-proletarian” Klim Chugunkin into a dog. As a result of this experiment, the monstrous Polygraph Poligrafovich Sharikov appeared, the embodiment and quintessence of the victorious proletariat class. Sharikov's existence caused many problems for Philip Philipovich's family, and, in the end, endangered the normal life and freedom of the professor. Then Preobrazhensky decided on a reverse experiment, transplanting the dog’s pituitary gland into Sharikov.

The ending of the story is open: this time Preobrazhensky was able to prove to the new proletarian authorities that he was not involved in the “murder” of Poligraf Poligrafovich, but how long will his far from peaceful life last?

The story consists of 9 parts and an epilogue. The first part is written on behalf of the dog Sharik, who suffers from the cold and a wound on his scalded side in the harsh St. Petersburg winter. In the second part, the dog becomes an observer of everything that happens in Preobrazhensky’s apartment: the reception of patients in the “obscene apartment”, the professor’s opposition to the new house management headed by Shvonder, the fearless admission of Philip Philipovich that he does not love the proletariat. For the dog, Preobrazhensky turns into a semblance of a deity.

The third part tells about the ordinary life of Philip Philipovich: breakfast, conversations about politics and devastation. This part is polyphonic, it contains the voices of both the professor, and the “chopped one” (Bormental’s assistant from the point of view of Sharik who pulled him), and Sharik himself, talking about his lucky ticket and about Preobrazhensky as a magician from a dog’s fairy tale.

In the fourth part, Sharik meets the rest of the inhabitants of the house: the cook Daria and the servant Zina, whom the men treat very gallantly, and Sharik mentally calls Zina Zinka, and quarrels with Daria Petrovna, she calls him a homeless pickpocket and threatens him with a poker. In the middle of the fourth part, Sharik's narrative is interrupted because he undergoes surgery.

The operation is described in detail, Philip Philipovich is terrible, he is called a robber, like a murderer who cuts, snatches, destroys. At the end of the operation, he is compared to a well-fed vampire. This is the author’s point of view, it is a continuation of Sharik’s thoughts.

The fifth, central and climactic chapter is the diary of Dr. Bormenthal. It begins in a strictly scientific style, which gradually turns into a colloquial style, with emotionally charged words. The case history ends with Bormenthal’s conclusion that “we have a new organism before us, and we need to observe it first.”

The following chapters 6-9 are the story of Sharikov’s short life. He experiences the world by destroying it and living the probable fate of the murdered Klim Chugunkin. Already in Chapter 7, the professor has the idea of ​​​​deciding on a new operation. Sharikov's behavior becomes unbearable: hooliganism, drunkenness, theft, harassment of women. The last straw was Shvonder’s denunciation from Sharikov’s words against all the inhabitants of the apartment.

The epilogue, describing the events 10 days after Bormental's fight with Sharikov, shows Sharikov almost turning into a dog again. The next episode is the reasoning of the dog Sharik in March (about 2 months have passed) about how lucky he was.

Metaphorical subtext

The professor has a telling surname. He transforms the dog into a “new person”. This happens between December 23 and January 7, between Catholic and Orthodox Christmas. It turns out that the transformation takes place in some kind of temporary void between the same date in different styles. A polygrapher (who writes a lot) is the embodiment of the devil, a “massive” person.

Apartment on Prechistenka (from the definition of the Mother of God) of 7 rooms (7 days of creation). She is the embodiment of divine order amidst the surrounding chaos and destruction. A star looks out of the apartment window from the darkness (chaos), observing the monstrous transformation. The professor is called a deity and a priest. He officiates.

Heroes of the story

Professor Preobrazhensky– scientist, a figure of world significance. At the same time, he is a successful doctor. But his merits do not prevent the new government from frightening the professor with a seal, registering Sharikov and threatening to arrest him. The professor has an inappropriate background - his father is a cathedral archpriest.

Preobrazhensky is quick-tempered, but kind. He sheltered Bormenthal at the department when he was a half-starved student. He is a noble man and is not going to abandon his colleague in the event of a disaster.

Doctor Ivan Arnoldovich Bormental- son of a forensic investigator from Vilna. He is the first student of the Preobrazhensky school, loving his teacher and devoted to him.

Ball appears as a completely rational, reasoning creature. He even jokes: “A collar is like a briefcase.” But Sharik is the very creature in whose mind the crazy idea of ​​rising “from rags to riches” appears: “I am a master’s dog, an intelligent creature.” However, he hardly sins against the truth. Unlike Sharikov, he is grateful to Preobrazhensky. And the professor operates with a firm hand, mercilessly kills Sharik, and having killed, he regrets: “It’s a pity for the dog, he was affectionate, but cunning.”

U Sharikova nothing remains of Sharik except hatred of cats and love of the kitchen. His portrait was first described in detail by Bormenthal in his diary: he is a short man with a small head. Subsequently, the reader learns that the hero’s appearance is unattractive, his hair is coarse, his forehead is low, his face is unshaven.

His jacket and striped trousers are torn and dirty, a poisonous heavenly tie and patent leather boots with white leggings complete the costume. Sharikov is dressed in accordance with his own concepts of chic. Like Klim Chugunkin, whose pituitary gland was transplanted to him, Sharikov plays the balalaika professionally. From Klim he got his love for vodka.

Sharikov chooses his first and patronymic according to the calendar, and takes the “hereditary” surname.

The main character trait of Sharikov is arrogance and ingratitude. He behaves like a savage, and about normal behavior he says: “You torture yourself, like under the tsarist regime.”

Sharikov receives a “proletarian education” from Shvonder. Bormenthal calls Sharikov a man with a dog’s heart, but Preobrazhensky corrects him: Sharikov has a human heart, but the worst possible person.

Sharikov even makes a career in his own sense: he takes the position of head of the department for cleaning Moscow from stray animals and is going to sign with the typist.

Stylistic features

The story is full of aphorisms expressed by different characters: “Don’t read Soviet newspapers before lunch,” “Devastation is not in the closets, but in the heads,” “You can’t hurt anyone!” You can influence a person or an animal only by suggestion” (Preobrazhensky), “Happiness is not in galoshes”, “And what is will? So, smoke, mirage, fiction, nonsense of these ill-fated democrats..." (Sharik), "The document is the most important thing in the world" (Shvonder), "I am not a master, the gentlemen are all in Paris" (Sharikov).

For Professor Preobrazhensky, there are certain symbols of normal life, which in themselves do not ensure this life, but testify to it: a shoe rack in the front door, carpets on the stairs, steam heating, electricity.

Society of the 20s is characterized in the story with the help of irony, parody, and grotesque.