Genre
A short story
Setting and Context
The story develops within few days in the 1850s. The main plot unfolds on the faraway mountains of the Caucasus, and few scenes take place in Saint-Petersburg.
Narrator and Point of View
It is the third-person type of narration.
Tone and Mood
The tone is occasionally sad and the mood is hopeless.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Hadji-Murat, and antagonist is Shamil.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is the conflict of nations.
Climax
The climax comes with Hadji-Murat’s death.
Foreshadowing
“Judge of the future by the past”. The words foreshadow that Hadji-Murat’s going out to the Russians can’t bring him any good, as relationships between these nations were never friendly, and never can be.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The allusions to the Russian-Caucasian war, to the Emperor Nicholas I, and to the historic figure of Hadji-Murat are presented in the story.
Imagery
The images of the Caucasian nature are depicted in the story.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
The tragedies of the characters’ lives are given in the parallels.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
“…your mouth’s all on one side,’ remarked the high voice of the third soldier” (“the high voice” is metonymy for the person speaking)
“From the mosque came a hum of voices” (“a hum of voices” is synecdoche for the bunch of people)
‘There is someone’ said the mask, stopping short” (“the mask” is metonymy for the person speaking)
Personification
“All was silent again, except for the wind that swaps the branches, now revealing and now hiding the stars” (the wind is personified)
