MEMORY, MORAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND HUMAN DIGNITY IN OʻLMAS UMARBEKOV’S SHORT STORIES

Abstract

This article investigates the relationship between memory, moral responsibility, and human dignity in four short stories by Oʻlmas Umarbekov: Boboyongʻoq, Qiyomat qarz, Mehr, and Husn. Using qualitative close reading and an intratextual comparative approach, the study examines how remembered experience acquires force in present decisions. Particular attention is paid to material reminders, entrusted possessions, acts of care, and retrospective narration. The analysis proposes a distinction between memory as recollected information and memory as an ongoing demand upon conduct. A comparative matrix identifies the different temporal and ethical structures of the selected narratives. The central argument is that remembrance becomes ethically significant when a character must decide how to respond to a relationship that remains consequential despite loss, absence, or social change. At the same time, the article distinguishes respect for commitment from an uncritical celebration of self-sacrifice. It concludes that a temporal approach to moral characterization can clarify both the persistence of responsibility and the limits of narrative consolation.