Interpretations of the Social Environment and the Protagonist in Modern Uzbek Short Stories

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐔𝐳𝐛𝐞𝐤 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 (𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐮𝐪𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐡𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐲𝐳𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐯) 𝐄𝐬𝐡𝐩𝐮’𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐯𝐚 𝐌𝐨𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐚 𝐎’𝐭𝐤𝐢𝐫𝐣𝐨𝐧 𝐤𝐢𝐳𝐢, 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 (𝐔𝐳𝐛𝐞𝐤 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞), 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐳𝐛𝐞𝐤 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲, 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐔𝐳𝐛𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐳𝐨 𝐔𝐥𝐮𝐠𝐛𝐞𝐤 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐔𝐥𝐮𝐠𝐛𝐞𝐤 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐯, 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐁𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓 This article analyzes the evolution of the relationship between the environment and the protagonist in Uzbek short stories published between 1990 and 2020. Focusing on A. Fayzullayev’s The Boy in the Wilds, the study explores the transition from realism to modernism in contemporary Uzbek fiction. It concludes that the conflict within the protagonist’s personality is expressed through subjective perception and an existential crisis.. 𝐊𝐞𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: modernism, social environment, new hero, existential crisis, subjectivism. 𝐈. 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 Literature reflects the historical and spiritual transformations of society by portraying the changing image of the modern individual. Uzbek short stories written between the 1990s and the 2020s reveal significant shifts in the relationship between the individual and the social environment. The heroes of the 1990s sought national identity and freedom after the collapse of Soviet ideology, while the protagonists of the 2000s struggled with social hardship and adaptation to new economic realities. By the 2020s, literary heroes increasingly embodied existential loneliness and intellectual questioning in a globalized world. The emergence of modernist thinking transformed the understanding of the hero and the environment in literature. Unlike classical realism, which interpreted the environment as an objective force shaping character, modernism presented it as a subjective and chaotic space reflecting spiritual crisis and alienation. This study examines the evolution of the environment–protagonist relationship in Uzbek storytelling through selected works by Alisher Fayzullayev and Luqman Borikhan. 𝐈𝐈. 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐃𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘 The study employs a comparative literary and hermeneutic approach to analyze the transformation of the hero–environment relationship in Uzbek prose from 1990 to 2020. The research draws on concepts of realism and modernism, focusing on narrative structure, characterization, symbolism, and psychological representation. Primary attention is given to Alisher Fayzullayev’s A Child in the Country and Luqman Borikhan’s Barefoot. The analysis examines how social environments are represented through the protagonists’ subjective perceptions and how existential conflict replaces traditional social conflict. The study also incorporates theoretical perspectives on modernism articulated by Uzbek literary critic Ozod Sharafiddinov. 𝐈𝐈𝐈. 𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐒 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨 The prose of the independence period moved away from the idealized heroes of socialist realism toward depictions of ordinary individuals facing domestic and social difficulties. In Fayzullayev’s A Child in the Country, the narrative centers on the life of an ordinary Uzbek family and presents reality without embellishment. The story portrays family conflicts, poverty, fear, and emotional suffering through the perspective of a child, creating sincerity and emotional authenticity. The grandfather’s alcoholism, the burdened lives of women, and the imperfect family structure represent a decisive departure from socialist realism’s optimistic and idealized worldview. Fayzullayev emphasizes human vulnerability and emotional truth rather than heroic social achievement. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 In Luqman Borikhan’s Barefoot, the environment appears as a morally degraded social system that exploits innocence and weakness. Luqman Borikhan portrays the protagonist as a pure-hearted young man victimized by corrupt law enforcement officers. The theft of the hero’s boots symbolizes the destruction of personal dignity and the vulnerability of the individual within a corrupt society. The protagonist’s suffering reflects the collapse of social morality and demonstrates how the environment shapes human identity through humiliation and alienation. Rather than presenting a triumphant resolution, the story exposes victimhood and existential despair. 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 Modernist prose fundamentally alters the relationship between the hero and the environment. Instead of depicting society objectively, modernist narratives reveal the environment through fragmented consciousness, associative memory, and subjective perception. Conflict shifts from external social struggle to internal existential crisis. The hero becomes alienated not only from society but also from personal identity. This transformation demonstrates the movement from descriptive realism to symbolic and analytical modernism, where literature focuses on psychological fragmentation and metaphysical uncertainty rather than collective social ideals. 𝐈𝐕. 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐒 The analysis demonstrates that Uzbek storytelling between 1990 and 2020 underwent a significant transformation in its representation of the hero and the social environment. The “searching” hero of the 1990s evolved into the socially oppressed hero of the 2000s and later into the intellectually questioning and existentially isolated individual of the 2020s. The selected stories reveal that: 1. Realist traditions increasingly gave way to modernist and psychological approaches. 2. The environment shifted from being an objective social structure to a subjective and alienating force. 3. Literary conflict moved from external social confrontation to internal spiritual crisis. 4. Contemporary Uzbek prose emphasizes ordinary individuals, emotional authenticity, and existential suffering rather than heroic idealization. 𝐕. 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 The study concludes that the relationship between the protagonist and the environment in Uzbek short stories has evolved significantly during the independence period. Contemporary prose reflects the growing complexity of modern life and the fragmentation of personal identity. In the analyzed works, the environment functions not merely as a social background but as a force shaping psychological and existential conflict. Through the transition from realism to modernism, Uzbek literature has developed new artistic approaches that emphasize subjective perception, symbolic representation, and the spiritual struggles of ordinary individuals. These developments demonstrate the harmony between contemporary Uzbek prose and broader global literary processes. 𝐕𝐈. 𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 [1] Ozod Sharafiddinov. Critical views on modernism and literary psychology. [2] Alisher Fayzullayev. A Child in the Country. [3] Luqman Borikhan. Barefoot. [4] Comparative Literature studies on realism and modernism in Uzbek prose.