Heart of a Dog

Professor Philipovich is a medical researcher who uses his knowledge and abilities to transform a dog, Sharik, into a man, Sharikov, whom he ultimately regrets and despises. Philipovich is a complex character who has been interpreted in a variety of ways by scholars. Philipovich can be understood in part as an autobiographical representation of Bulgakov himself. Like Bulgakov, Philipovich is a medical doctor from a bourgeois family who has a passion for theater. Philipovich also shares Bulgakov’s skepticism about reforms in Soviet society and is critical of the Soviet government, represented in the novella by the House Committee.

Philipovich can also be understood as a tragic hero in the Faustian model. Like the character Doctor Faust, he has an idealistic, egotistical, and aspirational view of how the application of knowledge can improve the world. However, in deploying this knowledge, he ends up creating chaos and destruction as his innovation, Sharikov, escapes his control. This chaos results in the erosion of his health and well-being as he becomes increasingly hunched and grayed over the course of the work. Bulgakov makes this Faustian connection explicit, describing Philipovich as “looking like a graying Faust” (112). Once Philipovich reverses Sharikov’s procedure, his own health returns. 

Philipovich can also be understood as a mystical, quasi-religious figure, like a prophet or sorcerer. His surname, Preobrazhensky, literally translates to “transfiguration” with a spiritual connotation, pointing to the transfiguration of the dog into a man. Elsewhere, Philipovich is described as “thunder[ing] like an ancient prophet” while “his hair shone like a silver halo” (44). Similarly, Sharik sees him as “the wizard, the magician, the sorcerer” (47). This perspective expands Philipovich’s machinations from the realm of science and imbues them with a magical or supernatural aspect, in keeping with the folkloric quality of the work.

While the three above interpretations of Philipovich situate him as the protagonist of the novella, scholars—such as author and translator of Russian literature, Ellendea Proffer, A. Colin Wright, author of Mikhail Bulgakov: Life and Interpretations (1978), Diana L. Burgin, author of “Bulgakov’s Early Tragedy of the Scientist-Creator” (1978)—have argued that Philipovich is better understood as an antagonist who acts out of hubris to transform and then control life, society, and its expressions out of a reactionary sense of entitlement and ownership. While Philipovich has some humanist impulses, as seen in his repeated exhortations that “kindness [is] the only possible method when dealing with a living creature. You’ll get nowhere with an animal if you use terror” (20), he nevertheless operates on Sharikov without his consent, denying him his agency and humanity. 

Bulgakov depicts the professor as a glutton who eats and drinks lavishly in his large apartment, even while others go hungry on rations and squeeze into subdivided spaces. He’s a snob who “hates” the proletariat and has few friends, suggesting a latent misanthropy. This snobbery directly impacts his relationship with Sharikov as he denies being Sharikov’s parent and resents the public accusation that Sharikov is his “illegitimate” son. He even adopts the censoriousness of which he is critical, as shown in his decision to burn Sharikov’s book. Collectively, these elements position Philipovich as a deeply flawed figure acting as much out of his own sense of self-importance as out of any greater desire to improve knowledge for the good of mankind.

Doctor Bormenthal, Philipovich’s assistant, serves two roles in the narrative, as Sharikov’s foil and Philipovich’s interlocutor. Like Sharik the dog at the beginning of The Heart of a Dog, Bormenthal admires Philipovich, his “master.” Philipovich took Bormenthal “under his wing” when he was “a half-starved student,” much like how Philipovich takes in Sharik and treats his injuries (118). In return, Bormenthal has “boundless” respect for Philipovich. When Sharikov becomes increasingly rebellious and challenges Philipovich’s authority, the tension between the loyal lackey, Bormenthal, and Sharikov steadily increases and becomes more violent. Bormenthal physically threatens Sharikov after Sharikov attempts to take advantage of the cook, Darya. He later advises Philipovich to kill his creation, even going so far as to offer to do the job himself. He is rebuffed by Philipovich, but his desire to harm Sharikov, his rival for Philipovich’s love and affection, and a disrespectful affront to his master’s dignity, is increasingly evident in the work.

Bormenthal also serves as Philipovich’s assistant and interlocutor. Like Philipovich, Bormenthal comes from an educated, bourgeois background and has medical training. This context provides a framework for Philipovich to explain his thinking and process to Bormenthal, giving insight into the character of Philipovich. At points, their relationship is one of co-parents sharing the duties of caring for Sharikov—such as when Bormenthal takes Sharikov to the circus, or they join together in urging Sharikov to tuck in his napkin at the dinner table. This parental aspect of Bormenthal’s relationship to Sharikov gives his request that Philipovich kill the “creature” a filicidal aspect.