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Chapter 2
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Heart of a Dog, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Revolution and Regression
Social Class and Hierarchy
Science, Nature, and Morality
Dignity, Loyalty, and Respect
Summary
Analysis
At dinner, there is an extravagant spread of fish, cheese, and caviar; several different kinds of liquor; and a sizzling lobster plate for Philip Philippovich and Dr. Bormenthal (the doctor Sharik bit). Philip and Bormenthal drink vodka but complain about its quality. Then, they toss Sharik a bit of food. Before they start on their lobster, Philip lectures Dr. Bormenthal about the importance of eating well, which means not talking about Bolshevism or reading government newspapers over dinner. (This depresses his patients and ruins their appetite.) Zina brings Sharik a fish filet and piece of roast beef. He stuffs himself and falls asleep.
Philip and Bormenthal clearly enjoy the finer things in life: their lavish feast represents their aristocratic background and the supposedly refined, superior sensibilities it’s given them. But Bulgakov exaggerates their indulgence and anti-communism to the point of parody, suggesting that attitudes like theirs are why the working classes revolted against the aristocracy’s excesses. Meanwhile, Sharik seems to have advanced from one class to another. After rummaging for food in the trash, Sharik now gets to dine like an aristocrat, too.
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Sharik awakens to hear Zina tell Philip that the building committee is calling another meeting. Philip Philippovich complains that they’ll ruin the plumbing and heating, but Dr. Bormenthal is more optimistic. Philip Philippovich laments that when the newcomers came, someone stole everyone’s galoshes, so now everybody uses galoshes inside and gets the marble stairs muddy. So the building had to remove the fancy carpet and shut one of the entrances. He asks why the proletarians can’t just leave their boots downstairs—Dr. Bormenthal comments that they don’t have any, but Philip Philippovich energetically insists that they do, since they stole his!
The changes in Philip’s building under new management are a metaphor for the changes in Russia under the Bolsheviks. It's not only that everyone got equal goods and services; it’s also that many people—at least, people like Philip—got worse ones. Philip isn’t ashamed of his elitism: he frankly believes that the masses simply don’t understand or respect the basic rules of civilized life, and he doesn’t think they will learn. So he’d prefer not to mix with them whatsoever.
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Dr. Bormenthal says that things are falling into a “general rack and ruin,” but Philip says the problem isn’t general: it’s “in the heads” of specific people, who have risen into social positions they’re not ready to occupy. Sharik dozes off and dreams about Philip’s owl and moustache. Meanwhile, Philip continues ranting. He complains about the police and the music outside. Bormenthal jokes that he’s being “counterrevolutionary,” and Philip replies that this word could mean anything. He promises that he's just offering sound advice, based in experience.
Philip Philippovich puts down his napkin, then pays Dr. Bormenthal 40 rubles and sends him home for the evening. Philip is going to the ballet—he tells Bormenthal that his secret to living well is never attending political meetings, sticking to his own work, and never meddling in anyone else’s. He reminds Bormenthal to keep looking for “a suitable death” to bring in for their experiments. Meanwhile, the men will focus on helping the dog heal.
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Sharik is surprised that Philip cares about him—he wonders if he might be dreaming, but quickly realizes that he isn’t. When the apartment’s heater turns on, Sharik feels deeply grateful to his new owner. He starts admiring himself in the mirror and decides that he must be a beautiful “canine prince,” because Philip is too refined a man to adopt just any old street dog.
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Over the next week, Sharik eats voraciously and chews up some expensive decorations, most notably the stuffed owl. Zina suggests whipping him, but Philip refuses and sticks Sharik’s nose in the torn-up owl instead. He sends Zina to re-taxidermy the owl and buy Sharik a leash and collar. Sharik initially hates the collar and wants to break free, but when Zina starts taking him on walks, he realizes that all the other dogs are jealous of him.
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Next, Sharik starts visiting the kitchen. The cook, Darya Petrovna, initially kicks him out. But she soon takes a liking to him and starts letting him watch her cook. One evening, Sharik lays on the still-warm stove and watches a man with Darya in her room. She comments that the man is acting like he’d gotten the rejuvenation treatment, but he brags that he didn’t need it. Later that night, Philip sits at his desk, dissecting human brains with a small knife, while Sharik lazes on the carpet and thinks about dinner.
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