An object in a human development to maturity : "The big green tent" by Ludmila Ulitskaya

The article concerns very typical issues of Ludmila Ulitskaya’s prose, namely childhood and maturity as well as relationship between human and things (objects). In the novel entitled The Big Green Tent the process of moral development is described. It involves, among other things, sudden events of crucial and initiatory character, which have the features of special ritual. During rituals the heroes are submitted to physical and mental resilience tests. There are some objects inherent to heroes’ initiation. In the novel they go beyond the inanimate matter, which is passive and submitted to human will. They are personified, have their own history and what is most important they are the driving force, the initiators of turning points which affect heroes’ future. Those objects are: a camera, skates and a knife. Revealing the objects’ "agency" is one of main aims of the article. Agency of above mentioned objects manifests itself by the way they influence heroes’ behavior, interfere in their future and play significant role in heroes’ development to maturity