That's a good question. I see him as heroic in that he didn't behave in a cowardly way, nor did he did base his behavior on pure self-interest. He was effectively trapped — he must have understood that he would never be truly free, that he would always be hunted even if he got away — so he went down fighting.
Also, I found this interesting in regard to his family: Wasn't there a brief passage suggesting that Hadji's son was not all that? I don't remember what it was — I'll have to find it — but there was something that suggested he wasn't made of the same stuff as his father, which added interest to Hadji's determination to rescue him.
Indeed, Yusuf, thin, pale, ragged, and stinking, still handsome though in face and figure, and with the same fiery black eyes as Patimat, his grandmother, was standing at the gate of the outer courtyard waiting to be summoned.
Yusuf did not feel about Shamil as his father did. He did not know all that had happened in the past, or if he knew, it was only at second-hand, and he could not understand why his father was so doggedly opposed to Shamil. Yusuf only wanted to go on living the easy, rakish life that he, as son of the naib, had led in Khunzakh, and he could see no point in being at odds with Shamil. In defiant opposition to his father he greatly admired Shamil and regarded him with the fervent veneration that was generally felt for him in the mountains. He experienced a particular feeling of awe and reverence for the Imam now as he entered the guest-room. He stopped at the door and was fixed by Shamil's screwed up eyes. He stood for a few moments, then went up to Shamil and kissed his large white hand with long fingers.
That's a good question. I see him as heroic in that he didn't behave in a cowardly way, nor did he did base his behavior on pure self-interest. He was effectively trapped — he must have understood that he would never be truly free, that he would always be hunted even if he got away — so he went down fighting.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I found this interesting in regard to his family: Wasn't there a brief passage suggesting that Hadji's son was not all that? I don't remember what it was — I'll have to find it — but there was something that suggested he wasn't made of the same stuff as his father, which added interest to Hadji's determination to rescue him.
ReplyDeleteHere, I found the passage I was thinking of:
ReplyDelete'Fetch me the son of Hadji Murad.'
'He is here,' said Jemel-Edin.
Indeed, Yusuf, thin, pale, ragged, and stinking, still handsome though in face and figure, and with the same fiery black eyes as Patimat, his grandmother, was standing at the gate of the outer courtyard waiting to be summoned.
Yusuf did not feel about Shamil as his father did. He did not know all that had happened in the past, or if he knew, it was only at second-hand, and he could not understand why his father was so doggedly opposed to Shamil. Yusuf only wanted to go on living the easy, rakish life that he, as son of the naib, had led in Khunzakh, and he could see no point in being at odds with Shamil. In defiant opposition to his father he greatly admired Shamil and regarded him with the fervent veneration that was generally felt for him in the mountains. He experienced a particular feeling of awe and reverence for the Imam now as he entered the guest-room. He stopped at the door and was fixed by Shamil's screwed up eyes. He stood for a few moments, then went up to Shamil and kissed his large white hand with long fingers.
'You are the son of Hadji Murad?'
'Yes, Imam.'
'You know what he has done?'
'I know, Imam, and am sorry for it.'