"Duck Hunt"

Characters

The work features nine characters. All of them are somehow connected by the plot with the main character - Viktor Zilov .

Viktor Zilov is the protagonist, he is described as a tall, strong man of thirty years old, his gestures, speech, and gait reveal him as a self-confident person, but in his eyes and communication with him, boredom is visible, the cause of which cannot be determined at first glance.
Galina is Zilov’s wife, a young girl, twenty years old. She is shown as fragile and graceful, but working as a teacher and living with the main character made her more exhausted.
Vera has been Zilov’s lover for several years, a beautiful woman, always in shape and with an elegant hairstyle.
Sayapin is the main character's best friend, colleague and former classmate.
Kuzakov is a friend of Zilov.
Irina is the main character’s new passion, a young attractive student.
Valeria is Sayapin's wife, she is about twenty years old, a young and energetic woman with a lively character, wears short hair and is always dressed in fashion.
Kushak Vadim Andreevich, the boss of Sayapin and Zilov, during working hours creates the impression of a respectable man, strict and attentive, but behind the walls of the institution he is fussy and unsure of himself.
Waiter Dima is a friend and former classmate of Sayapin and Zilov, collected, responsible, but sometimes looks comical because of this.

Act one

The first chapter begins in Zilov's apartment in the morning. A phone call wakes him up, but there is silence on the other end; with repeated calls, the result is the same, this irritates the main character. He dials Dima’s number himself and finds out that the long-awaited event, a duck hunt, is destined to happen. Judging by the hero’s state of health, it becomes clear that the day before he had a bad rest at the establishment and said a lot of unnecessary things.

The next surprise that morning was a knock on the door, behind which stood a boy with a spruce mourning wreath. Zilov understands that it was his friends who decided to play a joke, but he sits down on the sofa and imagines what would happen if he really died. What follows is a series of memories.

First memory

Zilov with Sayapin and Kushakov spend time in the Forget-Me-Not cafe and discuss the hero getting a new apartment, planning a housewarming party. They are joined by Vera, who begins to flirt with the boss and asks for a party. It becomes clear that she will have to be called.

That same evening, a company gathers in a new, not yet furnished apartment, and during the course of the evening the viewer becomes clear about the real attitude of the minor characters towards the hero. Sayapin is jealous of his friend , and his boss does not respect or value him as an employee. There is also a scene of dialogue with Galina, who admits that she wants a child, but Zilov does not support this zeal and she is offended.

Memory two

The main character is sitting at work with his friend Sayapin and discussing the boss’s demand to submit a report on the modernization of production and the introduction of new technologies. The comrades decide, instead of a real report, to slip in a plan that has been lying in the closet covered with dust for several years. At this time , Zilov is brought a letter from his father , in which he asks him to come and visit him. This message angers the hero, because his father addresses him with the same thing every year and he refuses to go.

By chance, a young student intern Irina looks into the office, who immediately takes a liking to Zilov and he invites her on a date. There is a call from Galina, who asks to come home and tells the news: she is pregnant. Despite the importance of the event, the protagonist refuses to go home, citing work, says that he will arrive in the evening, Galina is offended by her husband.

Act two

This ends the first part of the work. The viewer is given the opportunity to think about what he saw and form his own impression of the character. Already at this moment it can be said that Zilov can hardly be called the “hero” of the work.

Memory three

The character returns home in the morning, where his wife meets him and she makes a scandal for him. The husband is trying to justify himself by hook or by crook, making up a story about an urgent business trip, but Galina does not believe a single word, she knows that he was seen in the city in the evening. The offended man tries to put pressure on his wife in a conversation, wailing that the main thing in a relationship is trust, after which Galina says that she had an abortion. Zilov tries to play off his indignation, but he fails and the scene turns into a farce.

Memory four

At work, it turns out that friends falsified the report and Kushakov bursts into the office, arranging a dressing down. Sayapin is in the process of receiving an apartment from the plant and asks Zilov to take the blame, to which he agrees. The boss threatens problems, at this moment Valeria appears in the office and softens the situation, taking Kushakov to football.

The main character receives a telegram telling him about the death of his father, he asks his wife to bring him money for the trip to the Forget-Me-Not cafe. Galina brings money and her husband quickly sends her home; he has an appointment with Irina. The wife leaves, but is worried about her husband, who is about to leave without his things and brings them to the cafe, where she finds him with his young mistress. The cheater has to admit to the student that he is married.

Memory five

The fifth memory takes us to the couple’s apartment, where Galina packs her things and goes to visit her parents. The husband does not interfere and, as soon as the door closes behind her, he calls Irina, inviting her to his home. At this moment, the wife returns to say that she is not going to her parents, but to her childhood friend, who still has romantic feelings for her. This news infuriates Zilov, and he tries not to let her in, but Galina manages to close the door behind her.

The man stands at the door and for the first time in the entire play, he sincerely repents and tells his wife that he loves her. He does not know that his wife has left a long time ago, and Ira is standing behind the door, who believes that Zilov is confessing his love to her.

Vampilov’s play “Duck Hunt”: analysis of the work

The play “Duck Hunt”, created in 1967, which we will analyze, turned out to be the most mysterious of all Vampilov’s works; its stage fate turned out to be, unlike other plays that were staged a lot and brought success to directors and actors, also unusual: for the first time staged only in 1975, it has still not received a stage adaptation adequate to the dramatic material, and V. Melnikov’s overall excellent film “Vacation in September” with the brilliant Oleg Dahl is still not quite Vampilov...

Viktor Zilov, the main character of “Duck Hunt,” embodied the character traits of both an entire generation and an entire era, which would later be called the “era of stagnation.” This thirty-year-old, physically strong, man who has everything in life - a job, an apartment, a wife, friends, women who love him - lives, floating with the flow, he is not interested in anything, he lives as if in a dream. Outwardly it seems that he is active and active, but in fact he simply exists, without “living with his soul” everything that happens to him. Therefore, he brings misfortune to his wife and Irina, a young girl in love with him, so he constantly drinks and makes scandals - he is tired of living like this, but he is not able to change his life.

The worst thing in the analyzed play is that Zilov lives among people who do not notice the emptiness and meaninglessness of their existence, on the contrary, they are happy with everything, it seems to them that everything is fine with them, and they do not understand what, in fact, Zilov lacks . The relationships of people who “don’t give a damn”, who “don’t give a damn” about everything, cannot satisfy Zilov; he suffers from the fact that his life has turned out this way, but he has an outlet in his soul - duck hunting. All year he lives in anticipation of the time when he can give up everything and go to a place where he can be himself, where a person’s soul finds peace: “Oh! It’s like being in a church and even cleaner than a church...” But he’s not a good shooter, because he can’t indifferently see flying ducks: “But they’re not in the picture. They are still alive." “They are alive for the one who smears. And whoever gets caught, they are already dead,” his “friend” Dima, who is a “giant” on the hunt, tells Zilov - and Zilov frivolously agrees with him.

The ending of Vampilov’s play “Duck Hunt” does not answer the question about the further fate of the hero, who, after attempting suicide and either crying or laughing (“Whether he cried or laughed, we won’t be able to tell from his face”) calls the same Dima says, “Yes, it’s all gone... I’m completely calm... Yes, I want to go hunting... I’m ready...”. If Zilov calmed down, became “like everyone else,” then this means that he finally came to terms with the vulgarity and lack of spirituality of existence, which everyone around him had long ago come to terms with. If not?.. But he is “completely calm”, and now he has moved into the category of those “who fall”...

Source: Gladyshev V.V. Brief reference book on literature. — M.: FLINTA, 2014

Third act

The third act brings us to the climax. In this part, we will be brought back from a series of memories to the present and the hero will be faced with the most difficult decision of his life.

Memory six

The action takes place in the same Forget-Me-Not cafe, where the protagonist gathers all his friends. The next day he and Dima must go hunting. By the time Sayapin, Kushak, Kuzakov and Irina arrive, Zilov is pretty drunk. He begins to insult everyone who comes to his hand, expresses everything that has been accumulating, remembering minor grievances.

The guests don’t want to listen to all this and go home, and in the end they called Dima a lackey. The last insult turned out to be unnecessary, Dima “expressed himself” briefly - he poisoned Zilov and knocked him out. Because he was lying under the table “like a corpse,” the idea came to play a prank on him the next morning by delivering a funeral wreath home.

Present tense

The hero again imagines the scene of his funeral, but this time his friends mourn for him. She dials Dima’s number and says that the hunt is cancelled, then calls her other friends one by one and invites them to her wake.

Having written a suicide note, Zilov prepares to shoot himself, but the phone ringing gives his comrades time to get into the apartment and prevent suicide.

This turn of events does not suit Zilov, he drives his comrades away, threatening him with a gun, once again expresses a portion of nasty things to everyone and finally puts them out at the entrance. For some time the hero lies on the bed with a gun in his arms and cries through laughter or laughs through tears. Next comes a call to the waiter Dima and says that he is ready to go hunting.

Option 2

“Duck Hunt” was written by Vampilov in 1970. Now this time is called the “era of stagnation.” Already in the stage directions you can find a description of an ordinary standard apartment, with the same type of furniture.

The main character, a young engineer Viktor Zilov, leads a useless and uninteresting life. From the first lines it is clear that he is already tired. Suddenly he receives a gift with a wreath with the inscription “to the untimely burnt out at work...”. It seems that this is a stupid joke, but a little later the reader understands what the author meant. Zilov drinks, constantly swears, lies, and thereby buried himself alive.

Describing Victor's room, the author adds an interesting detail. This is a big plush cat. A soft toy is a symbol of unrealized hopes for family happiness and a smooth life. He's not interested in anything. He even accepts his wife’s proposal to have a child with outright indifference. He has a wife Galina and a mistress Vera. He deceives both of them, entangled in lies himself. Having invited his boss to a housewarming party, he invites him to hit on Vera.

The images of the main characters are masterfully written by Vampilov. Vera is an unhappy lover who has lost faith in real men. She misses the usual female happiness, family and children, while calling all men Aliks. Often she tries to look ruder and more immoral than she really is. One of the friends tells Zilov that “she is not who she says she is.”

In the housewarming episode, the author uses an interesting technique. All heroes give gifts to their owners. This helps the reader understand the image of each. Galina, the wife of the main character, makes it clear that she does not love him at all.

It becomes clear to everyone that Victor does not love his wife, his mistress, or his job. The Sayapins gave him hunting equipment. This is also an image. Duck hunting is the only thing that Zilov loves. This is something real that remains in his life.

In relations with his parents, Zilov also turns out to be worthless. Having received a letter from his father asking him to come, he ignores her. He believes that his father sends letters to his relatives only to attract attention. Victor doesn't even remember exactly how old his father is. The old man dies without waiting for his son.

The hero's family is also crumbling before our eyes. A pregnant wife, tired of her husband's lies, gets rid of the child and leaves him. At work, he is threatened with dismissal for sloppiness.

He fails to build a relationship either with his new girlfriend, Irina, or with his friend Dima, who works as a waiter and is going hunting with him. He insults Dima, calling him a lackey.

As a result, Zilov tries to commit suicide, but again unsuccessfully. His friends save him. In the final scene, the hero lies on the bed and cries. And perhaps he laughs, turning to the wall. The author gives the viewer and reader the opportunity to imagine this scene for themselves. Victor comes to his senses and agrees to go hunting. What will happen next is not clear. The author leaves the question open.

Loss of spiritual values, that’s what the author is talking about. Lack of meaning in life is a typical feature of the seventies generation. Few people believed in the idea of building communism, promised to people in the party program. Understanding one’s own uselessness and awareness of creative impotence ruined more than one human life during that period.

Duck hunting is a symbol, a dream. Which is unlikely to come true. Many people of that time were never able to find and realize themselves, each dreaming of their own “duck hunt”.

Interesting facts from the history of publication

The play was written in Soviet times, when works of such controversial content might not even see the light of day. The history of its creation is connected with this (many facts can be found, for example, in Wikipedia):

to read “Duck Hunt ” on paper in 1970, three years after it was written. The play was first published in the anthology "Angara", although it was originally planned to publish it in the magazine "New World". The official answer was: “No plays are published in Novy Mir,” which seems dubious to some.
The work was bypassed by censorship. The editor-in-chief picked the moment when the Angara censor went on vacation and published the play without his knowledge.
Because of the play, a denunciation was made against Alexander Vampilov for slander, since it turned out that in the Irkutsk region there is a Bureau of Technical Information, as in the play, in which employees Zilov, Sayapin and Kushak also worked.

After the death of A. Vampilov, the editor-in-chief of “Angara” wanted to publish a book with his works, but the Siberian-Eastern Publishing House refused to print it if “Duck Hunt” was included in the one-volume edition. Then the manuscript was transferred to the publishing house “Iskusstvo” (Moscow), where it was published along with the disgraced play.

Analysis of work 2

In 1967, the work of A.V. was written. Vampilov “Duck hunting. Three years later, Angara published it on its pages.” Initially, they wanted to publish duck hunting in the New World magazine. But the editors did not come to an agreement. Therefore, publication was refused. The reason given was that the plays were not published in the magazine.

The work shows the fate of ordinary people. Everything in events is typical. A period of stagnation is described. This is evidenced by both the typical city apartment and the furnishings, consisting of ordinary furniture. The main character of the work, Viktor Zilov, lives in this apartment.

The author talks about him that he is a physically strong man. He is thirty years old. However, despite his physical health, Victor feels tired of life. Moreover, fatigue sits deep in him. There is much he himself does not realize. The everyday disorder testifies to his torment and mental instability.

In addition, the author describes the hero as a person who has no values. The day before he made a scandal and doesn’t remember why. I even offended someone. However, he doesn't care much about this. He tells his friend Dima that those who are offended will survive.

One day, completely unexpectedly, Zilov is brought a funeral wreath with a ribbon. Funeral words are written on the ribbon. The words that the Unforgettable Zilov Viktor Aleksandrovich died untimely at work. The wreath was presented by “inconsolable friends.” At first glance, it seems that they were playing a bad joke on him. However, subsequent events help the reader understand that the main character seems to have buried himself alive. He drinks and makes trouble. In a word, he does everything to disgust his friends and relatives.

There is part of the interior in Zilov's room. Throughout the story, the author pays attention to her more than once. It has great artistic value. It is a toy. Namely, a large plush cat with a bow around its neck. Faith gave Zilov the cat. Vera was his mistress, but Zilov planned to break up with her. Victor even admits to one of his friends that he is tired of her. Zilov loved women. I met with one, then with the other. He could offend and offend anyone, anytime, anywhere. And he didn’t care who was in front of him, a man, a woman, a friend, or a stranger.

The cat symbolizes unfulfilled hopes. Zilov and his wife Galina could be happy. Arrange a cozy life. Give birth and raise children. The wife, no matter what, still wanted to have a child. Although she understood perfectly well that her husband did not need a child at all.

At the end of the play, Zilov tries to commit suicide. But he is saved by his classmates and colleagues Kuzakov and Zayapin. And Dima, despite the insult caused by his friend, invites Victor to duck hunting. At first Zilov refuses. After his comrades leave, he throws himself on the bed. He had a hysterical fit. He begins to either cry or laugh. However, having gradually calmed down, he still agrees to his friend’s proposal.

The author in his work raises the problem of the devaluation of friendly, family and other human relationships. And, most likely, nothing awaits Zilova ahead. Perhaps he will even die. If he continues in the same spirit. If you don’t change your attitude towards life: towards your loved ones, friends and yourself.

“Duck Hunt” is written in the literary genre of a play. The play consists of three acts. Each action is dedicated to a certain stage in the life of the main character.

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Briefly about the meaning of the play

There is an opinion that the author put his confession into the work. It is difficult to give an unambiguously positive or negative characterization to the main character, because, despite all his immoral behavior, he realizes that somewhere he was wrong in his life, and repents of it. This is shown in scenes with a declaration of love and a suicide attempt, but at the same time, throughout the entire work he made no attempts to turn his life in the right direction. For a deeper understanding and analysis of the work, you can read its full version for free online.