dividuality. So the hapless housewife being pursued by a glacier of applesauce, the scathing black masses in Chapaev and the Herculean task of repairing the cement factory all attempt to deny individuality.
The dehumanizing element in Soviet ideology finds its ultimate expression in the cult of the machine. Again, the author's tone makes a parody of the concept. While most authors use analogies to convey the supremacy of machines over humans, Olesha has the new Soviet man. Makarov describes the concept with an agonizing bluntness: "You won't recognize me. I've turned into a machine. If I haven't already turned, then I want to turn (46)." Makarov shows almost no emotion. One never gets an insight into his character. At one point, he admonishes Andrei Babichev for showing pity by bringing home Kavalerov.
Volodia Makarov also represents the Soviet ideal of existence in groups. In the soccer match, Makarov is competing against the German Getzke, representing individualism. Makarov is concerned only with victory for his team. Getzke, on the other hand, is an exhibitionist, concerned solely with his performance and the fans' reaction. Symbolically, Getzke scores in the first half, but Makarov comes back to end the game in a tie, representing the decline of individualism and the rise of collectivism.
The conflict in Envy arises from the collapse of the old world and the rise of the new Soviet world. Interestingly, Olesha uses the 19th and 20th centuries as the dividing line, rather than pre- and post-revolution. This is pr
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