Closely Watched Trains: Analysis of Major Characters
"Closely Watched Trains" is a poignant narrative set against the backdrop of World War II, exploring the lives of characters at a small railway station in Czechoslovakia. The story centers on Miloš Hrma, a young and inexperienced apprentice train dispatcher grappling with his identity and masculinity, particularly after a failed sexual encounter that leads him to contemplate suicide. As he navigates his personal insecurities, he becomes involved in a plot to sabotage a Nazi ammunition train, which ignites his journey toward self-discovery and assertiveness.
Key figures include Ladislav Hubika, the charming senior dispatcher, who embodies nonconformity and is embroiled in scandalous behavior, and Lánsk, the stationmaster, who outwardly adheres to Nazi protocols while internally resisting them. Virginia Svatá, the telegraphist, and Masha, Miloš's girlfriend, provide contrasting perspectives on love and loyalty, while Viktoria Freie, a member of the Czech resistance, plays a crucial role in Miloš's awakening. The narrative also features other characters who represent various facets of society under occupation, including collaborators and those mourning their pasts, enriching the story's exploration of moral ambiguity and human resilience. Through these interconnected lives, "Closely Watched Trains" paints a vivid picture of individual struggles and collective resistance during a tumultuous period in history.
Closely Watched Trains: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Bohumil Hrabal
First published: Ostre sledovane vlaky, 1965 (English translation, 1968)
Genre: Novel
Locale: A railroad station in German-occupied Czechoslovakia
Plot: Impressionism
Time: Winter, 1945, during World War II
Miloš Hrma (MEE-lohsh HUHR-mah), the narrator, an apprentice train dispatcher. Inexperienced and innocent at the age of twenty-two, Miloš views the bizarre and brutal events around him with morally noncommittal curiosity. Following his first sexual encounter, which is a failure, he attempts suicide. Although rescued, he remains preoccupied by doubts regarding his manhood until drawn into a plot to blow up a Nazi ammunition train. In acting deliberately, he finds the answer to his persistent question, “Am I a man?”
Ladislav Hubika, (hew-BIHCH-keh), the senior dispatcher. Hubika, whose name means “nice lips,” draws Miloš' envy and admiration with his success with women. He is under investigation for imprinting all the station's rubber stamps on the bare buttocks of the female telegraphist late one night. A fearless nonconformist, he is a key figure in the plot to blow up the munitions train.
Lánsk, the stationmaster. Lánsk takes great pride in his Venetian armchair, Persian carpet, and marble clock. Hot-tempered and exacting as a boss and as a husband, he dissipates his rages by bellowing into a heating vent. Although careful to conform outwardly to Nazi rule, he symbolically protests the brutal takeover of neighboring Poland by killing all of his Nuremberg pigeons (a German breed) and replacing them with Polish silver-points.
Virginia Svatá, the station telegraphist. An attractive, fun-loving young woman, Virginia willingly participates in Hubika's lascivious escapade and refuses to incriminate him during the investigation.
Masha, a conductor, Miloš' girlfriend. Young and exuberant, Masha easily forms a mutual attachment to Miloš while they are painting a fence together. Blaming her own inexperience for their sexual fiasco, she sticks by Miloš after his suicide attempt, making a date with him shortly before the sabotage is to be carried out.
Viktoria Freie, a member of the Czech resistance. The name of this well-endowed beauty means “victorious freedom” and is probably a code name. Viktoria not only delivers the bomb that is to be used in the sabotage but also provides Miloš with an unforgettable sexual initiation that dispels his self-doubt and inspires him to act courageously.
Councillor Zednicek, the head of a commission to determine whether a criminal charge should be lodged against Hubika for his indiscretion. Zednicek has a son in the German army and is himself an opportunistic collaborator with the Nazis.
Slušn (SLEWSH-nee), the traffic chief who arrives at the station with Councillor Zednicek. He enjoys exercising his authority and intimidating the subordinate employees of the railroad.
Mrs. Lánsk, the stationmaster's wife. Although her tender care of her geese and other animals seems contradicted by the ease with which she slaughters them, she is still respected by Miloš, who seeks her tutelage in lovemaking.
Countess Kinská, an equestrienne whose family castle stands as a reminder of Czech aristocracy. She stops at the station on her rides and converses with Lánsk while Hubika weaves erotic fantasies about her.
Miloš' father, a train engineer who retired early. He collects and salvages all kinds of scrap.
Miloš' grandfather, a circus hypnotist, killed in an attempt to turn back German tanks by means of hypnosis.
Miloš' great-grandfather, a veteran who was wounded at the age of eighteen during a student uprising. He flaunted his disability pension by drinking rum in front of people hard at work and finally died from one of the many beatings he provoked.
Miloš' mother, a nurturing maternal figure who polishes the buttons on Miloš'uniform and watches for him from behind a window curtain.
Great-Aunt Beatrice, a nurse who takes care of dying burn victims and is well acquainted with death.