Demonization

Description

Written in 1924, the novel poignantly and deeply portrays the chaos that gripped the country, the citizen’s sense of loss and alienation, and the fear for the future as it teeters on the brink of collapse. This chaos is perpetrated by a group of individuals who tamper with and destroy everything for a purpose known only to “the Devil”! The protagonist, the secretary of a matchbox warehouse, who had banished the notion of “the vicissitudes of time” from his mind and instead cultivated the unwavering belief that he would continue his work in the warehouse until the end of life on Earth, finds himself facing a predicament rarely seen except in totalitarian regimes or in Moscow during the transition from one system to another in the early 1920s. At this juncture, Korotkov finds himself dismissed from his job on flimsy pretexts. The character who expels him—whom the author ironically calls “Kelsonir”—is a very strange figure, part human and part demon. He occupies the institution and begins to tamper with it and its employees. When Korotkov tries to understand what is happening, his troubles begin with the theft of his personal documents, culminating in the discovery that “Kelsonir” and his group run the entire country. Furthermore, this Kelsonir is not human like us; he is capable of transforming into anything the reader could imagine: a white rooster, a clock, a dragon, and he might even disappear into the earth, leaving behind a pungent smell of sulfur. He and his group are able to pursue Korotkov and drive him to madness. The story ends with the defiant Korotkov cornered on the roof of one of Moscow’s tallest buildings. He chooses to throw himself off the cliff, shouting, “Death rather than dishonor!” But as he surrenders his body to the air, he feels himself flying upwards toward the sun. He continues his flight until he feels the luminous golden mass strike his head, and then he ceases to feel anything.