Wspólnota losu podopiecznych na podstawie Dobrej pani Elizy Orzeszkowej

Abstract

In Eliza Orzeszkowa’s works, we can distinguish many animal heroes. One of them is the dog Elf from the novella Dobra pani. His caretaker is Ewelina Krzycka who “ostentatiously consumes”. She belongs – following Thorstein Veblen – to the representatives of the leisure class. In the novella animals perform functions similar to toys – at the beginning they are in the centre of attention, later Krzycka rejects them. Sensibility to pain and humiliation unites and shows that rejection leads to irreversible changes in the hero’s life and increases the need for solidarity. Also animal symbolism is discussed in the article as well as the functions of onims.