This story was completed by Lyudmila Ulitskaya in 1994. Like many other works, its duration is by no means a modernity, but a post-war period. Events take place at the end of the 46th year, when the people have not yet fully recovered from the military upheavals.
Scene
Moscow alleys, hard life after the end of a military disaster - it is with this description that the story “The daughter of Bukhara” begins. The student can begin the analysis of the work with a description of the scene. In the archaic life of Moscow after the war, there was no such thing as personal life - the very concept of family secret was absent. Any patch on the underpants was the property of everyone. Visibility and audibility constantly accompanied anyone who lived in this environment. Every minute, neighborly life invaded everyday life. The opportunity to survive was provided only by the fact that a scandal on the one hand was balanced by the sounds of drunken harmony on the other.
In the depths of the huge house, which was divided inside by numerous partitions of the sheds, there was a fairly decent outbuilding, built in pre-revolutionary times. A modest garden adjoined to it. Here lived the old doctor. Analysis of the “Daughters of Bukhara” introduces us to one of the main characters of this story. Once, on a May day, when everyone who was supposed to return from the front had already returned a long time ago, an Opel-Cadet car drove into the courtyard. The yard guys had not yet had time to properly examine the outlandish car, when a major got out of the car. He has regular and beautiful features, as if he had just stepped off a poster.
The appearance of the oriental beauty
He walks around the car and opens the door to his companion. A woman of unusual oriental beauty slowly leaves from there. She has shiny and strong hair that covers her small head. Over the poor buildings, joyful old lady screams are heard - the son of the doctor returned. By describing the unkind atmosphere that reigned then in the house, we continue our analysis. “Daughter of Bukhara” - this name was given to the work for a reason. “Bukhara” was called the eastern beauty by the inhabitants of the courtyard.
However, some aristocracy was forgiven to the inhabitants of the outbuilding. After all, there was not a single old woman who did not know the doctor. Moreover, all services were free. All five generations in the family had an unusual feature - each man left behind only one son. And, knowing this fact, the family looked at the daughter-in-law from the east with anticipation.
Contrasts in the scenes
Post-war Moscow is full of half-starved and impoverished residents, and as soon as the main characters appear, there is a sharp contrast between the environment and the characters. With the image of Bukhara, associations arise about magic, the mysterious East, and colorfulness - this is how the heroine Lyudmila Ulitskaya describes it. The analysis of the “Daughters of Bukhara” must also contain this description in order to show the antithesis in the story.
Bukhara begins to zealously do household chores, which offends the nanny Pasha. The old doctor persuaded her to return. Ali gives birth to a weak child - a girl who was named Lyudmila. And after six months, everyone realized that the child has developmental abnormalities, Down syndrome. The mother continues to care for the child with love, and the father regrets the misfortune. The girl likes to mess around in the mud, breed it with water. The husband begins to constantly linger at work, does not want to spend time with his family. He becomes the lover of his own nurse and decides to abandon Bukhara.
What ends the story
Bukhara begins to work as a nurse, and the child forgets his father, who only transfers money by mail. The girl’s childhood is calm and happy. She learns to cut paper figures and flowers, proudly showing off her crafts to her nanny Pasha and mother. But Bukhara fell ill, her beauty began to fade. Together with her daughter, she visited her homeland, brought special grass that could extend her life span - Bukhara knew that he was short-lived.
The analysis of the “Daughters of Bukhara” cannot convey the whole touchingness of this story, which will appeal to every reader. She tries to adapt Darling to life as best as possible - takes her to a special school, teaches to speak. The daughter begins to work in a workshop for gluing envelopes. Bukhara decides to marry her daughter and then die. She meets Berman, whose son is sick, as is Mila. They marry children, and five days later Bukhara dies.
Contrast in the story
The analysis of the story “The daughter of Bukhara” should also include a description of the main idea of ​​the work. The mother does everything in her power to save the child. The work is devoted to such a phenomenon as the maternal feat. The father, however, abandons his daughter and “buries” her alive. The creation of the story is based on a literary device called the antithesis - this is a rhetorical contrast, stylistic contrast between images, states, concepts.
In preparing the analysis of the work “The daughter of Bukhara,” the student is advised to write additional examples of the antithesis from the story. For example, at the very beginning of the text, the unusual beauty of Bukhara is described, and the major himself seemed to have “left the poster”. But it also tells about the ugly reality - poverty, drunkenness, wood-burning warehouses. The heroes of the story are opposed to the surroundings. But at the same time they are opposed to each other.
Characteristic husband
We continue the analysis of the story “The daughter of Bukhara” by Lyudmila Ulitskaya with a description of the feelings that caused the appearance of an inferior child in Bukhara and her husband. Bukhara gives birth to a child with a deviation due to anxiety, fear and insecurity. Moreover, the story also uses the antithesis technique. Her husband is trying to deny reality, to push away evil premonitions from himself. He believes that "the only joy is an early death, because few live to adulthood." Dmitry cannot cope with reality, accept things as they are. He abandons his wife and child, actually burying his daughter alive - this is how Ulitskaya describes the betrayal of “The daughter of Bukhara”. The analysis of this work should also contain a description of the relationship of the spouse to family grief.
Bukhara's attitude to the child
The attitude of the mother is opposed to the position of the mother. She does not let her daughter out of her hands, tries to arrange her, does not notice her inferiority. The consequence of the denial of reality for the spouse becomes constant horror, a daily sense of despair. But for Bukhara, the incident does not require any explanation. For her, this is a mystery that cannot be unraveled. In the analysis of “Daughters of Bukhara” by Ulitskaya, the student can add that such a secret in the story is a person. It is impossible to unravel it, to comprehend the will of heaven.
Characteristic Mila
Mila’s favorite element is liquid earth. She is constantly engaged in some business, sculpts, builds, creates something. In the analysis of the work “The daughter of Bukhara”, this symbol must be mentioned. In his play, the child neglects the sand, as it symbolizes instability. Mila loves to play with water and land - it is from these elements that the World was created. The Lord God used mud as the primary matter to create man, animals - that is why it is the daughter of Bukhara who uses it in his game. The analysis of the story must be supplemented by the fact that in this way the author tried to give the girl the image of God, the creator. Mila sculpts a new life. The dirt from which life originates symbolizes a new reference point in the evolution of the cycle, it contains the secret of the universe.
Relations of Bukhara and others
The “daughter of Bukhara” by Ulitskaya, the analysis of which is now being examined, demonstrates the differences in the attitude of those around to Bukhara, as well as the most eastern beauty to those around. Pasha treats her negatively, other residents also show hostility, rejection, and also suspicion. They speak of her like this: "Golovenka is Asian ... one word, Bukhara." However, the girl is not burdened by a foreign culture, she tries to be friendly to everyone. She also affectionately refers to Pasha, calling her “nurse”.