The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin and Pretender to the Throne: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin" presents a satirical exploration of Soviet society through the lens of its main characters, primarily focusing on Ivan Chonkin, an awkward and unassuming soldier assigned to guard a military plane in the village of Krasnoye. Chonkin’s journey is marked by absurdity, as he becomes an unwitting pawn in the machinations of the state, drawing attention and intrigue despite his simple desires for a normal life. His love interest, Nyura Belyashova, is a postmistress who, much like Chonkin, grapples with feelings of loneliness and bewilderment in a society that often dehumanizes its citizens.
Supporting characters include Ivan Golubev, a pragmatic collective farm manager, and Captain Milyaga, a cowardly local NKVD officer who finds himself ensnared in his own incompetence. The narrative also features figures like Kuzma Gladishev, a pseudo-scientist emblematic of the era's nonsensical adherence to Party loyalty, and Lieutenant Filippov, who shows a glimmer of conscience amidst his bureaucratic duties. Other notable characters include the harsh prosecutor Pavel Evpraksein, who embodies the brutal justice system, and Boris Ermolkin, a sycophantic newspaper editor too afraid of truth to uphold journalistic integrity. Collectively, these characters illustrate the absurdities and moral dilemmas faced by individuals within a repressive regime, reflecting the broader themes of alienation and the struggle for dignity in a dehumanizing environment.
The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin and Pretender to the Throne: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Vladimir Voinovich
First published: Zhizn i neobychainye priklyucheniya soldata Ivana Chonkina, 1975 (English translation, 1977) and Pretendent na prestol, 1979 (English translation, 1981)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Krasnoye, Russia
Plot: Satire
Time: Summer, 1941
Ivan Chonkin (ee-VAN CHON-keen), a simple Russian soldier sent to the village of Krasnoye to guard a small military plane. Short and puny, bowlegged and lop-eared, he is ill-suited for any role outside of his world, from which he is snatched away and thrust into a situation that almost costs him his life. Instead of living a normal life he desires, he becomes the center of attention and the unwitting opponent of an entire state apparatus. He remains oblivious to all the commotion.
Nyura Belyashova (NYEW-rah bee-LYAH-shoh-vah), the postmistress and Chonkin's lover. A simple, unmarried woman, she is a perfect partner for Chonkin. Only slightly better educated and on the receiving end of cruel jokes, she is unwanted and unloved by anyone else except for her cow and pig. Chonkin's love seem to be Nyura's compensation for years of emptiness and loneliness.
Ivan Golubev (EE-van goh-LEWB-yehv), a local manager of the collective farm. Although he has more common sense than other functionaries, he still plods through his routine as long as his sense of propriety is not disturbed.
Captain Milyaga (mee-LYAH-gah), the head of the local NKVD (the precursor to the KGB). Milyaga is merciless in peaceful times but cowardly when the going gets tough. Caught in a bizarre turn of events, he becomes a victim of his incompetence and lack of common sense, and he is coldly disposed of by equally incompetent and nonsensical comrades.
Kuzma Gladishev (kew-ZMAH gla-DEE-shehv), a pseudo-scientist raising hybrid potato-tomato plants. By pursuing a nonsensical project, he embodies the type of scientist during Stalin's reign whose work was based primarily on loyalty to the Party. He comes across as ludicrous and worthless.
Ivan Chonkin, who continues to be the center of attention and of frantic attempts by officials to deal with him. In the end, he fades into the oblivion from which he came, leaving Nyura and everybody else as bewildered as when he came on the scene.
Nyura Belyashova, who, like Chonkin, is unable to understand why people are not allowed to enjoy their happiness. She expresses her bewilderment during her efforts to save her lover. Their plight marks the depth of dehumanization to which Soviet citizens often were subjected.
Ivan Golubev, who refuses to allow harvesting in the rain and is accused of sabotage. He is brave enough to resign from the Communist Party, thus proving that even under dangerous circumstances a person can preserve his dignity and defy his fellow citizens' prevailing submissive attitude.
Lieutenant Filippov (fee-LEE-pohv), Milyaga's replacement. Though expected to be of the same mold, he displays some conscience and humanness. Although he believes that he is only executing orders from above, he suggests that Chonkin be freed because he has committed no crime. He is still bothered by Chonkin's confession, albeit made under duress. He is at times ashamed of his work but, after all, somebody has to do it. His ambivalence brings on a persecution mania. He decides to help Nyura in her efforts to free Chonkin, but before he can do so, he is arrested as an enemy agent.
Pavel Evpraksein (PAHV-yehl yehv-PRAK-sin), a prosecutor at Chonkin's trial, a farcical example of Soviet justice. Cold-blooded and cruel toward “the enemies of the state,” he sees himself as a murderer when drunk. He believes that humans are like wolves to their fellows and cannot get along without punishment, that everyone is guilty of something sooner or later, and that if the Party accuses a person of wrongdoing, he or she should admit guilt. After procuring Chonkin's death sentence, Evpraksein commits suicide, leaving a note saying, “Please consider my life invalid.”
Boris Ermolkin (uhr-MOHL-keen), the editor of the local newspaper, lacking in integrity but not in sycophancy, and with a false understanding of his profession. Afraid of the truth, he hides behind professional idiosyncrasies, making sure that Stalin's name is mentioned in each article at least twelve times. He would kill his three-and-a-half-year-old son if the Party so ordered. Not held in high esteem even by his comrades, he dies after being kicked in the head by a horse.