Images of “the new era”, its enthusiasts, and superfluous people in A. P. Platonov’s oeuvre: case study of the antagonistic characters of the novel “The Juvenile Sea”

A detailed analysis of antagonistic characters in “The Juvenile Sea” by A. P. Platonov is made. This short novel is a hymn to humanity’s eternally young spirit, its endeavours and aspirations – so the writer views such historical and political phenomena as “socialism”, “bolshevism”, “communism” as no more than starting points of great achievements of the spirit and uses them as synonymous concepts in the text of his short novel. The objective of this paper is to define the meaning of the opposition and peculiarity of the characters from each group. The analysis reveals the complex nature of the opposition of the characters, which is partly ideological and partly based on differences in their outlooks, philosophy of life, and self-consciousness. The intricacy of the characters from each antagonistic group is also noted. Building a new life, Platonov’s сommunist heroes combine altruism and romantic keenness on the common goal with ideological intolerance and cruelty towards dissentients. The image of the country’s post-revolutionary anti-hero (represented in the story by the figure of Umrischev) is not confined to his opportunist ideological status and is clearly related to the literary concepts of the superfluous man and the little man. The artistic space dedicated to the anti-hero is so significant that its special importance to the author can be suggested. Umrischev’s life story is studied in this paper as a string of life disasters – a series of defeats of the “superfluous man’s” attempts to deceive his destiny and doom. The below indicated traits of the antagonistic personages make the conflict between the groups of characters particularly intense and insoluble, showing Platonov’s dramatic vision of the post-revolutionary Russia.