Christian Motives in Ch. T. Aitmatov’s Novel The Scaffold

Abstract

In the following article, we identify the Christian motifs in the novel Plakha ( The Scaffold ) by Ch. T. Aitmatov, describe them and offer our interpretations. The novelty of our analysis stems from the fact that Ch. T. Aitmatov’s body of work is still underresearched, particularly the religious components of this novel. Within our study, we employ the historical-literary, comparative, and motif analysis. We summarize the worldview of Avdii Kallistratov as a system and show that his image and life journey as someone who experiences choice, solitude, fate, recognition of his predestination and mission resemble the image and earthly life of Jesus Christ. His Old Testament name, his origins, the course of his life, and the crucifixion as the ultimate outcome are all important. According to the author, the mankind has reached the critical mark; the end of the world, the Apocalypse is advancing. We conclude that The Scaffold is a literary warning about the coming end of times, which is being drawn closer by the evils of modern humans. Only the tragic and heroic feats of people like Avdii can possibly slow this process down. At the same time the Christian doctrine is not the only correct one: the second half of the novel is based on pantheistic views, demonstrating the syncretism of the author’s worldview.