Comrade Bilhardov

Comrade Bilhardov

1. What he says

   • "The Soviet Comrade Gudafterov...really late at night (14)."
     • Because he says this often, compounded with his accent, the kids make fun of him. He says this as a greeting all the time, no matter what time of day it is.
       • http://www.orangesmile.com/travelguide/luanda/index.htm
   • "Kildren, Granma Nhete...the elders" (105-106)
     • Bilhardov talks to the kids, but doesn't really care about them. All he really cares about is Granma Agnette.
   • “ ‘Family live… very dust” (25).
     • Bilhardov tells the elders about back home, and it really shows about how much he misses home.

2. What he thinks

   • "He wants a take out. Tell him this isn't Senhor Tuarles' bar." (24)
     • Bilhardov thinks that he visits the house so often and is relatively well acquainted with everyone, he can get favors from them. Obviously, that's not the case, disregarding outlandish favors.
   • "Bilhardov, your frend....end of verk." (165)
     • Bilhardov doesn't really want to blow up Bishop's Beach. During his time there, he's valued both the narrator's family as well as all of Bishop's Beach more than he really should.
     • He also says in the letter, that, despite what he thinks, that he really liked Granma Agnette. He genuinely wanted to bring her back to Russia despite what Agnette thought as well as him caring about her.
   • "Ten years...Granma Catarina said." (24).
     • Bilhardov, after being acquainted with the family for so long, thinks he can get away with broken Angolan portuguese. Although Catarina is the thought of Agnette's and the narrator's, it really shows us what they're thinking, and they're disgusted with him.
       • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Avenidalenin.jpg

3. His effect on others

   • "Then I'm going to accept...nobody will regret my absence." (26-27).
     • Gudafterov has proposed to Granma Agnette to come back to Russia. But she doesn't really want to go. In fact, she really puts it off as a false threat so she can put the children to sleep. It's almost as if she disregards the idea, and thinks of it as a joke!
   • "After lunch, Comrade Gudafterov...'b.o.dorov'" (105).
     • His unruly armpit smell affects others by not wanting to really be around him at certain times of the day, when his stench is intolerable to be around. So, the family has decided to only bring him in at the end of the day, after he showers.
       • https://www.123rf.com/photo_44019841_st-basil-s-cathedral-moscow-russia-winter-view-.html
   • "Granma, they're going to...for a slow flame." (107).
     • Gudafterov has said so many words badly that the kids have attained a liking to some of them. The narrator, in this case, likes dexplode over explode because of how it sounds - but mostly because Bilhardov said it wrong.

4. How he acts

   • "You [Bilhardov] have flowers...flowers there." (65).
     • Bilhardov brought flowers for Agnette and likes her -- but the problem is that she doesn’t like him back. Bilhardov acts in a way that shows he's grateful for him, doing all these unnecessary things and showing her that he likes her. However, his feelings don't really rub off onto Granma Agnette.
   • “Bilhardov cover dinamite...after fireverk.” (166).
     • By the end of the book, Bilhardov acts out of compassion for the town's residents. After all of the terrible things the Soviets do to those on Bishop's Beach, Bilhardov wants to make up for his actions.
   • "You don't haf light again? Bilhardov fix cable." (25)
     • Bilhardov likes Agnette so much that she's the only person in town that has light. Conveniently, her house is very close to the mausoleum, so Bilhardov runs a cable in from the mausoleum.

5. How he looks

   • “To find….b.o.dorov!” (139).
     • Gudafterov’s body odor is very, very noticeable when Gudafterov visits. Pi mentions this after he leaves, but the joke is an after effect of much of the encounters with Gudafterov. Granma Agnette tells him to visit in the evening so he doesn’t smell, because he showers right before he visits. Even the children join in on the mocking of his armpit smell (106).
   • “Comrade Gudafterov made… looked aquamarine” (27).
     • Gudafterov's eyes are as blue as the sea for a reason. The best color to describe is eyes is aquamarine!
   • The Soviet...family thing (25).
     • Bilhardov is very old, he has wrinkled skin, yellowed (or maybe some other colour) teeth and the children don’t really regard him as beautiful. All else we have is that his eyes were as blue as the sea.

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