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То the question about the image of staff capitain Ribnikov in the short story by A. I. Kouprin
Pereslavtseva Ruslana Stanislavovna, Voronezh State Duma Manager of Information analysis directorate Candidate of Philological Sciences E-mail: [email protected]
То the question about the image of staff capitain Ribnikov in the short story by A. I. Kouprin
Abstract: The «Incomprehensible» (as stated by V. V. Veresaev) Russian-Japanese War 1904-1905 made Russian authors search for new artistic devices to reveal the character and the meaning of the Russian-Japanese War, Russian soldier, and the image of the enemy. А. I. Kouprin, uses semantic codes inherent in the literary type of the «little man» to develop the image of a Japanese spy. By the success of the masquerade, the staff becomes a hostage of his role. Like all his literary prototypes, the genius of espionage ends up as a victim of the traditional conflict between the «little man» and the state.
Keywords: «little man», image of an enemy, Russian-Japanese War 1904-1905
The Russian-Japanese War, determined as «the most important mental event» by N. Y. Gryakalova [1, 29], is still not studied properly, even compared with World War I, which is
characterized as «unknown» in Russian literary study. Modern researchers pay attention to a row of aspects ofwar 19041905. One of these «puzzles» is the image of the enemy.
To D. von der Oye Schimmelpenninck, the Russians think about East «in various ways — as an object of conquest, as a reminder of the Mongol invasion, and as an «incontestable part of their own genealogy» [2, 11].
This ambiguous Russian approach to the East could not but reflected on the complex perception of the image of the enemy. During the Russian-Japanese War 1904-1905 even privates did not see the Japanese as dehumanized rivals. Y. S. Senyavskaya explains it by the fact that «macacas», depicted on crude colored woodcuts, turned out to be representatives of «another civilization», equal to «noble acts» [3, 33].
We explain this approach to the enemy not only by the «nobility» of the rival, but also by the fact that the goals of the war itself were vague and that it was carried out not in Russia, but on a foreign territory. What is more, the east theme seen as an «incontestable part of their own genealogy» tempted the Russians to find something in the Japanese that would make them similar to the Russians. «The absolute majority of the Russians had a very vague idea ofManchuria and Korea as well as about which interests, material and cultural can be touched in these countries. Japan itself and the Japanese were thought about as absolutely unknown values, which could not awake any affection or dyspathy, while the most educated part of the Russian society looked at them with sympathy taking into account their fast transfer from a barbaric state to European civilization, which was often compared to the lift-over in Russia, carried out by Peter the Great (emphasis added — R. P.)», — as a columnist for «The Russian Idea» wrote [4, 181].
V. V. Veresaev shows the Japanese as «little people», that is to say children on the pages of his writings about the Russian-Japanese War: «The Japanese were sitting on the grass. They looked slim and small like boys with sunburned
faces» [5, 246]; «A group of short people were going away from the spring and up to a small wood (not enemies, people. — note by. R. P.) clad in black jackets and little peak caps which looked like children’s...» (emphasis added — R. P.) (in original the author uses Russian diminutive-hypocoristic suffices in description. — note by — R. P.) [5, 245].
The image of a child developed by classical Russian literature of the XIX century as a symbol of spiritual and physical purity, specifies the direction in perception of the Japanese which is very far from the image of «dehumanized» enemy.
The Japanese spy in the short story by А. I. Kouprin «Staff Captain Rybnikov» also exploits Russian literary stereotypes by intendedly playing the role of a «little man».
At the first meeting with the journalist, the author describes the main character as «a fussy, funny and awkward man» [6, 369]. At the moment of their verbal joust, Tshavin-skiy sees Rybnikov as a «small, cornered and movingly miserable one» [6, 389]. The journalist spots how the staff captain beats his breast with a «funny pride». The landlady describes her tenant as «a quiet, poor, simple minded, temperate in eating and polite man», who «never drunk alcohol or smoked, hardly ever went out and never had people round» [6, 366]. Nastya sees him as a «small elderly officer», who looks like a «mikado» [6, 395]. Military officials, «neat staff officers» note his «sheepish smile» and «flattering voice», his «illness, obtuseness, and a complete absence of self-respect» [6, 368]. We see him as an «unhappy, cornered, and reduced to indigence wounded military man» [6, 368]; «he was helpless, timid and naive» [6, 367].
Looking at the «episodes of biography» of a «small man», S. V. Savinkov and А. А. Faustov give an example from V. Dal’s dictionary «I am a subordinate, small, and dependent one» [Op. cit.: 7, 150]. This is one of the examples the author of the dictionary uses to characterize the verb «subordinate». It is important that in the Russian literary tradition «small man» is a dependent person not only because his or her restricted circumstances, but also in their professional activity. Often, this activity directly refers to state or
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military service.
Mind Pushkin’s Samson Virin — an old soldier, who had spent thirty years in «military expeditions». Rybnikov also has a lot in common with Maksim Maksimovich, a character in Lermontov’s «A Hero of Our Time». Rybnikov’s «saffron color face» his «dark yellow» tan corresponds with Maksim Maksimivich’s «tanned face» [6, 379]. Both characters are in the same military rank and a direct attitude to «the Asians» (we think that in this case we can look at the context of the Russian — Japanese war, in the beginning of which the Japanese were referred to as «Asians» by the official press, who claimed to «know them well»).
As his literary prototypes, Rybnikov in his role of a «small man» uses a lot of established phrases such as clichйs, hackneyed phrases, quotations of the public opinion, endless Russian proverbs and sayings, parasitic filler words and periphrases from the published writings about the Russian-Japanese war and newspaper articles.
Rybnikov’s speech has a lot in common with Marmel-adov’s speech with its tendency to philosophizing. In Marmel-adov’s speech clichfis neighbor to high-flown language. We see Ribnikov in his role of a lowlife captain, rude, «untidy», and «not very sober». Dostoevskiy’s character is this in his real life. Marmeladov is a titular counsellor, like other «small people»: Makar Devushkin, Popritshin, Bashmachkin. This rank corresponds to the military rank of staff captain since 1884. A significant place in the staff captain’s speech is given to the «drinking» or «swinish» theme, so typical of Marmeladov.
«Entomological» and «ornithological» codes often work as the «key codes» of a «small man» [7, 178]. The etymology of the main character’s surname is connected to the image of «fish»: «Rybnikov’s surname origins from a nickname Rybnik. It could be a nickname of a fish seller. In Pskovsky subdialects Rybnik ment “a fisherman" Fish thought to be sacred in many cultures and traditions as a mediator between the Heaven and the Earth, as a “bird of the Earth" Later it became a symbol of a deep inner life, hidden under the surface of things and a sign of a rising power of life [8]. Rybnikov characterizes himself as following: «a sheep mug, but a human soul» [6, 381]. Tshavinskiy pays attention not only to his animal appearance, but also to his «thin, bluish, somewhat monkeyish or goatish lips» [6, 374]. Before the visit to the bawdyhouse, the staff captain says «To go means to go the parrot said» [6, 389]. Reasoning about the Russians and the Japanese, he calls the last ones «macacas», «swines», accordingly all these epithets completely refer to him, too.
If ontological traits of an animal that is a potential victim prevail in Ribnikov, then his opponent, Tshavinskiy, who is seen as a «passionate hunter or a volunteer detective», «an big man» («a columnist for an important newspaper in Petersburg», «an aristocrat of the world of newspapers», meets the staff captain «in a big office») has entomological treats of a spider: «Tshavinskiy softly and lovingly, with some enveloping spider manner gropped one’s attention. However, having sated himselfwith the person, he left him» [6, 378].
At the same time, the Japanese spy also is seen as a hunter, a hunter for information about Russian army. It is no coincidence that the journalist sees him as an «exotic» beast with eyes burning with hate, «wise, humanized, cultural and polite beast» [6, 381]. With a «soft, catlike movement», the hero jumps on the windowsill, trying to escape the chase. Describing the night that the main character spends with Nastya, the author refers to Rybnikov as a «he-man». The staff captain resembles «the real type of a hospital, military office or intendant rat. It’s important, that the image of a rat is negative only in the Western mythology: «The Japanese consider rats smart, witty and industrious»; «rat is connected to the cult of Daikoku, one of the seven gods of happiness in Japan»; what is more, «in medieval Japan there were beliefs of were-rats, nedzumi», which is to mean «ninja» [9].
However, in the short story by Kouprin the literary code remains more significant and familiar (!) for the officials, journalists, the landlady and other characters, than the «rat» code.
As well Rybnikov’s literary prototypes, the staff captain uses the «self-defense rhetoric» in a very skillful manner [7, 186]. Very often, he uses this rhetoric when he visits government bodies: «Why on the Earth isn’t he still getting the benefit?! Why isn’t he still getting the daily and travelling allowance? And what about the allowance for the last two months?» [6, 368]. The literary code of a «small man» implies reader’s sympathy and the feeling of social unfairness. Officials recognize this code, so they intendedly make advances, communicate with Rybnikov and, in spite of the disdain, try to help him: «It was nothing else than the human wish to comfort, inform and cheer up a miserable one, that is why they talked to him more frankly (note by — R. P.), then to the other people» [6, 368].
To А. А. Volkov, «Rybnikov’s true inward nature appear in his gestures, movements, glances and mimics. The deeply hidden, secret, glimmering something in his wicked and sharp look comes from the Samurai “insides" Every time, Rybnikov has to damp at once this giving him away manifestation of will and “aggravates" the manners of an army bourbon»; «her, he is «lamenting" the defeat of the Russian fleet, but the columnist sees the flames of implacable and unhuman hate in his red animal eyes» [10].
However, Tshavinsky, even calling staff captain’s line «a caricature» of a Russian military man, nevertheless trusts his literary memory rather than his own vision and hearing. We consider this the reason why А. I. Kouprin chooses the profession of a journalist for the staff captain’s opponent.
It must be said that visual problems in Russian literary characters are the keynote of the writings about the war 19041905. V V Veresaev, N. G. Garin, I. I. Mitropolskiy, L. Nodo, G. Erastov and other researchers point out that the opposition of blindness//ability to see, ignorance//knowledge perform as the identification codes of the Russian and the Japanese in the literary writings about the abovementioned historical event.
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То the question about the image of staff capitain Ribnikov in the short story by A. I. Kouprin
The motive of obstructivity of the visual identification of the Japanese spy by the Russians is brilliantly shown in the short story by А. Kouprin «Staff Captain Rybnikov».
Tshavinsky several times notises Rybnikov’s faults, but he is not sure he is not imagining things. Meanwhile, the staff captain tries to show a wound, revealing silk underwear; makes several slips, for example, uses the word «manuscript» instead of «writing», confuses Chekhov’s patronymic, demonstrates «extremely correct reading, but with the exaggerated pronunciation of every sound, which one can see in a person, showing off their knowledge of a foreign language» [6, 377]. As А. А. Volkov writes «The Japanese person... is not able to complete his character» [10]. However, we consider that the Japanese spy makes these «faults» intendedly to check if the Russians are able to unmask him, if they have enough knowledge for this and teases opponent.
Rybnikov gives himself away by his speech, stressing Russian origins of words, sayings and proverbs.
The journalist «attentivly», «secretly watches» the «staff captain», «slits his yeys» (tries to focus his sight), «strains his eyes», «looks around», «glances», «quickly examines», «took closer look to every gesture and the staff captain’s facial expression, but could not comprehend him.
Consistently, the journalist and the staff captain meet in in a restaurant, where the light is not bright enough to see clearly: «The air was blue and thick with tobacco smoke» [6, 370]. The smoke resembles the condition of an unreal dream or a phantasmagoria (and this is where the comparison of the staff captain to an alien comes from). These motives of instability and unrealism of the events in the literary writings about the Russian-Japanese war are often used to describe the space of the battles and the home front, which is to say the territories, involved into the war.
Tshavinsky tries to unmask the staff captain not only in the room filled with smoke, but also at races, but in vain. «Tsha-vunsky was a little distracted by the game, so he couldn’t watch the staff captain all the time» [6, 383]. While going back from Buff with Rybnikov, it is getting dark: «it was neither light, nor dark» [6, 387]. The j ournalist is trying to see the staff captain in «uncertain, sleepy light of the white night» [6, 389].
The staff captain’s advantage and his weapon is his unusual ability to see things: «glanced» [10; p. 373]., «sharp bright coffee little eyes» [6, 373].
Having failed to unmask the staff captain by seeing him, Tshavinskiy attempts to call the main character and identify him this way: «Once they would find it fun to call Ribnikiv by the names of Japanese generals... It was Tshavinsky who started this rude and unceremonious game» [6, 389]. However, the staff captain stands this attempt to visualize the enemy. Nastya’s effort to visualize him also failes: « — You khow, for God’s sake, you look like a Japanese. And you know who you look like? А mikado. We’ve got a portrait. What a pity, it’s late, otherwise I’d show you (note by — R. P.)» [6, 393].
This Blind Tom game with antitypical meaning of an attempt by the blind (dead) to catch the one who is able to see
(alive) [11], is stipulated by the literature-centered mindset of the Russian intelligentsia.
«Where have I seen him? — flashed a restless thought. — He surprisingly resembles me someone. Who?» [6, 370]; «I could have seen him in a dream» — the journalist is afraid to make a mistake. «What if I have imposed this ridiculous and biased myself? What if I, an inquisitive examiner of hearts, has fooled myself by Gogol’s captain Kopeikin? There are lots of such Mongolian saffron faces among the Orenburg cossacks» [6, 379].
For the journalist, the literary «Kopeikin» code appeared to be more realistic and true than Rybnikov’s «rat» code.
Mind N. Gogol’s novel, a dramatic story about captain Kopeikin that is dedicated to a disabled person — a hero of the Patriotic War. The main character of Kouprin’s novel, a Japanese spy, puts up for show his limp and tells everybody about his “heroic” deeds. As well as Kopeikin he came to Saint Petersburg (here is where Kouprin’s story’s going). Ko-peikin asks a monarch for help because due to brachiotomy and amputation of a leg he wasn’t able to earn his bread and butter. Staff captain Rybnikov “appeared several times in the main headquarters, in the section of wounded, in the police stations, in the commandant’s headquarters, in the directorate of Cossack troops and in the dozens of public offices and administrations. Everybody was aware of the fact the he served in the transportation corps, that he had suffered a head contusion outside Liaoyang and in the battle of Mukden he was wounded in the leg. Oh, damn! Why hasn’t he got any benefit yet?
It’s necessary to draw your attention to the fact that an epistolary style that is indirectly connected with a literary language plays a leading role in the life of the Japanese spy. Practically an introduction of the story and a beginning point of Rybnikov’s “journey” around public offices, streets, railway stations and street cars was a “telegram from Irkutsk”. Epistolary style also serves as the reason of the unmasking of the spy: “Banzai” — the unique word that Nastya knows from Japanese papers [6, 397]. Rybnikov considers the functionaries of military departments he goes to “busy with important and incredibly responsible paper work” [6, 367]. In spite of the author’s irony, these are the bureaucrats who authorize the provision and work of the Russian military men in the army and navy, and practically predict the future act of war.
Invariant of paper work is the work of journalists, who make reality from rumors writing their articles and reports. Some researchers think that Rybnikov came across the journalists by chance. However, as the author points out: “this intrusive, arrogant and cynical company was kind of a sensitive receiver of different city rumors and talks, which very often came earlier to a special office of “Petrograd Glory” that to the ministers’ offices” [6, 375].
In accordance with it, the part of rumors could be true, that might be sent fast to Irkutsk.
Kouprin shows that literary characters can be even more real and alive than their prototypes. The journalist doesn’t
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believe his eyes and ears but believes a literary image. “And what if I am mistaken and this Rybnikov is the real hard drinker? Oh, damn! That’s impossible! And if it’s possible, gosh, I behave myself as a real fool!- is doubting Tshavinskiy [6, 385]. The staff captain, as if he could read the journalist’s thoughts, writes provocatively on the blackboard with a light, clear and incredibly delicate writing: “Though, you’re the 7th, Ivanov, you’re such a fool (emphasis added — R. P.)”. Here Kouprin uses an allusion to “The overcoat” (short story by
N. Gogol), where the main character had a clerkly skill.
At the same time Tshavinskiy seems to have forgotten that in the code of Kopeikin there is an inner bottom — a predatory code while the author remembers it well.
It’s not an occasion that a drunk officer from the cafe chantant and a killer Sanka the Butcher become secular “twins” of Rybnikov, who predict his destiny. Sanka the Butcher also pretends to be an alien, “different” (“Kornei Sapotov, kolpin bourgeois [6, 398]), “drunk”. Rybnikov asks officers to give him a cigarette, Sanka the Butcher “borrows” “a cigarette” from Lionka.
Police spy Lionka, the idol of the bawdy house, is a Tshavinskiy’s twin, according to S. Tashlykov, he is like Tshavinskiy’s “other dyad — rude, physical” (once he caught Rybnikov. “he is disturbing a victim with a crazy animosity”) [12]. But Lionka is not only a twin of Tshavinskiy, he is a police spy that serves to the state as well as those “spotless officers” in the public offices, easily deceived by Rybnikov, who pretends to be a person of little mark. In contrast to the mentioned above, the police spy doesn’t confide the literary code, but his own eyesight, that is not clear and sober (before the arrest of Rybnikov he takes abricotine).
He “discerned” the staff captain without being sure (there were no proves, except Nastya’s evidence) that the captain was a Japanese spy (“he still had some doubt” [10; p.401], Lionka “being a good patriot “decides to arrest the captain.
A. I. Kouprin speaks ironically about the situation when in Russia in the period of war with Japan “real patriots” can be met only among trackers, prostitutes and never among Russian clerisy. „.Tshavinskiy admires a spy’s ability of transforming: “Forget how to think in Japanese, forget his own name and identify himself with another personality (emphasis added — R. P.)”, that is more than any valour [6, 381]. That’s why Tshavinskiy doesn’t mean to blow the whistle on him in case of unmasking the spy. It is well-known that the main conflict of literary works about a “person of little mark” consists in the conflict between “the person of little mark” and “the man of mark” (in this particular case with Lionka), who represents the state. And the result of this discord is the main character’s death.
Taking literary plots which are connected with an image of a “person of little mark”, A. I. Kouprin in a short story “Staff Captain Rybnikov” shows the leading role of literary stereotypes in the consciousness of Russian people that is the reason of their blindness towards the reality as they trust what they read more than what they see. The leading role of literary images causes not only the dehumanization of an image of the enemy, but quite the contrary, his glorification. It’s obvious that with such a seeing of an enemy image, the concept of “patriotism” isn’t made actual in the society of Russian clerisy. As a result a police spy and a prostitute are the ones who defend their country. The fact that Russian people follow literary cliches makes possible for a character the use of an image of a “person of little mark” for espionage. At the same time a literary role becomes kind of a trap for Rybnikov who firstly was keen on “fooling” Russian people and after that he could hardly get rid of that role. The conflict of a “person of little mark” role’s victim with the state machine, according to the laws of the genre, leads to the unmasking (symbolic and probably real death) of the staff captain.
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