The Image of the “Bright Future” in the Ideological Concept of Soviet Mythology: Based on O. Tolstoy’s Tale “The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino”

Abstract

The article examines the symbolism of the mythological and literary images of the Golden
Key, the “magic” door in Carlo’s closet, and the “new theatre”. 
Scientific Novelty. In Ukrainian humanities, there are currently no scholarly publications devoted
to the mythological semantics of the principal attributes in O. Tolstoy’s tale “The Golden Key, or the
Adventures of Buratino”.
Conclusions. The central element around which the plot of the tale is constructed is the image of
the Golden Key. The use of this symbol is most likely borrowed from Indo-European mythology. Unlike
myths in which only a chosen individual or a messenger may possess the keys, in O. Tolstoy’s work the
key belongs to characters who are opposites—Karabas Barabas and Buratino—thus politicizing the
theosophical symbol of spiritual perfection. This pattern is typical of the literature of that period, when
newly emerged Soviet writers attempted to justify the social realities of Stalin’s rule.
Buratino acquires the Golden Key by chance and therefore gains access to the magical theatre without deserving it. The ending of the tale is unexpected: it turns out that the secret door does not lead to a
fairy-tale “land of dreams” but serves merely as an “underground passage” to another theatre located
nearby. This conclusion suggests the absence of any genuine “bright future.” The events depicted in the
tale appear to be carefully staged, making any change doomed to failure, while the city of the Tarabar
King resembles the Matrix from the film of the same name.
As a result, Buratino remains the same wooden puppet. In addition to his cap and paper jacket, he
acquires only one more attribute – a hoarse trumpet, which signifies his artificiality and falseness. This
reveals the features of an anti-ritual, the performance of which produces opposite results. The protagonist is deprived of the possibility of meaningful transformation and therefore cannot become a real boy.