Heart of a Dog is an anti-communist and highly satirical novel by Mikhail Bulgakov. When you’re writing about elements from the story for your assignment that relate to communism or other matters, finding quotes can help since the story is, at its heart, a propaganda piece.

For example, there’s the quote showcasing Bulgakov’s criticism of his opponent’s brutality by writing

Nobody should be whipped. Remember that, once and for all. Neither man nor animal can be influenced by anything but suggestion.

Considering what actually happens in Russia after this point in the early twentieth century, Bulgakov’s satire seems almost to predict the future, but of course, he had plenty of reason to criticize the Bolshevik’s for using violence as a tool in his own time as well.

Then there’s the quote:

People who think you can use terror are quite wrong. No, no, terror is useless, whatever its color—white, red, or even brown! Terror completely paralyzes the nervous system.

In your paper, you can use quotes like this one to write about Bulgakov’s direct references to the politics of his day. The colors here can refer to different political parties, such as red for the Bolshevik’s and white for the social democratic party during the political struggle that ensued.

There are many examples of irony and clever phrasing in the book as well, if you want to focus on that topic. For example, there’s the line “One can find time for everything if one is never in a hurry.”