Goodnight!: Analysis of Major Characters
"Goodnight!: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the complex lives of several key figures within a narrative shaped by the socio-political climate of Soviet Russia. Central to the analysis is Andrei Donatovich Sinyavsky, a writer whose dedication to non-conformist literature leads him to be imprisoned for his beliefs. His father, Donat Evgenievich Sinyavsky, emerges as a revolutionary figure marked by compassion and idealism, who grapples with the consequences of his anti-Soviet activity. The narrative also highlights Maria Vasilievna, his resilient wife, who embodies the strength of women facing adversity, and Efim Bobko, an orphan whose tragic story reflects the harsh realities of collectivization.
Hélène, a French diplomat's daughter, represents the intersection of innocence and ideological conflict as she navigates life in the Soviet Union, ultimately aiding Sinyavsky in his literary endeavors. Seryozha, Sinyavsky's childhood friend, showcases the duality of artistic talent and moral ambiguity, while Viktor Aleksandrovich Pakhomov, a KGB interrogator, exemplifies the chilling effectiveness of state power in manipulating truth and extracting confessions. Together, these characters illustrate the profound impact of political oppression on personal relationships and individual identities, inviting readers to reflect on the complexities of human experience under authoritarian regimes.
Goodnight!: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Andrei Sinyavsky
First published: Spokoinoi nochi, 1984, in France (English translation, 1989)
Genre: Novel
Locale: The Soviet Union
Plot: Autobiographical
Time: The 1940's through 1971
Andrei Donatovich Sinyavsky (ahn-DRAY doh-NAHtoh-vihch sih-NYAV-skee), a writer later known under the pseudonym Abram Tertz. Brought up by a revolutionary father, Sinyavsky studied Russian literature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His dedication to phantasmagoric literature flew in the face of the officially accepted Socialist Realism. Sinyavsky eventually had his work smuggled out of the country and published in the West under the pseudonym Abram Tertz. He is eventually arrested and imprisoned. After his release, he discovers that people have changed; they no longer live under the fear that was prevalent during Joseph Stalin's time.
Donat Evgenievich Sinyavsky (DOH-naht yehv-GEHnih-yeh-vihch), the younger Sinyavsky's father. A love of hunting and disdain for the petty details of everyday life (both remnants of his aristocratic heritage) combine with a strong will and fervent idealism to form this sincere atypical revolutionary. The elder Sinyavsky maintains genuine human compassion for individuals throughout the collectivization and maintains revolutionary idealism despite imprisonment. He participated in political agitation during the revolution, organized famine relief in the 1920's, and eventually was imprisoned for anti-Soviet activity (a completely groundless charge). As a result of his imprisonment in 1951, he later becomes convinced that the authorities have tapped his brain in such a way that they can monitor his thoughts and conversations even at great distances. This belief causes him to fear talking about anything important except when he is convinced that no one is listening.
Maria Vasilievna (vah-SIH-lyehv-nah), the elder Sinyavsky's wife. An archetypal Russian woman with strength that arises from necessity, she patiently bears her husband's imprisonment, rears their son alone, and brings food and comfort to her incarcerated spouse.
Efim Bobko (yeh-FIHM BOB-koh), an orphan. He is grimly serious, nonintellectual, and slowly methodical in saving money. The son of farmers dispossessed during the collectivization, Efim, with his parents' blessing, escapes from the train taking his family into exile and ends up in Moscow. There he tells the elder Sinyavsky that he is merely lost and cannot remember where his home is. Sinyavsky arranges for Efim to live in an orphanage and provides him with a semblance of a home while trying in vain to find Efim's family. Efim grows up in the orphanage, eventually serves in the war, and dies some time afterward from shock and starvation.
Hélène, the daughter of a French diplomat who arranges for her to study in a Soviet university. Her undeceitful nature, coupled with modesty, charms everyone whom she meets. With a keen mastery of Russian, she maintains an idealistic worldview while successfully completing the obligatory courses on Marxism-Leninism. Soviet authorities try to subvert her by coercing Sinyavsky into proposing to her. Sinyavsky reveals the plan to Hélène, and together they orchestrate a quarrel to ensure her safety. Later, she becomes the courier for taking Sinyavsky's manuscripts to the West.
Seryozha (sehr-YOH-zhah), Sinyavsky's childhood friend and hero. A prodigy of artistic talent, he is capable of expressing himself in pointed verse and has a heartfelt appreciation for art. Women in his life quickly discern the cowardly streak in him that leads him to denounce friends and compatriots to the authorities. This untrustworthiness leads Hélène and Sinyavsky to dissemble before him to convince the authorities that they have quarreled.
Viktor Aleksandrovich Pakhomov (ah-lehk-SAN-drohvihch pah-KHOH-mov), a lieutenant colonel and interrogator for the Komitet Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti (KGB). Pakhomov skillfully utilizes a mixture of humanitarian pleas, threats, lies, suggestions, and logic to bring Sinyavsky to the point of capitulation without having to resort to physical violence.