Hannah Bartoshesky

pg. 9 — the vixen
A female fox, the first of many animals we encounter in Aitmatov's novel. The vixen is introduced running along the tracks, scavenging for food, fighting for its survival inspite of its fear of the train. The vixen is initially compared to the deceased Kazangap and again humanized in a later when compared to a railman's feelings about technology. The animals often seem to symbolize a more raw and basic mode of life. 

pg. 9 — the steppe  (“Sary-Ozeki, the middle lands of the yellow steppes” pg.12)
The Sary-Ozeki is a fictional desert located in the Eurasian steppe, likely in South-Eastern Kazakhstan (corresponding to the actual town of Sary-Ozeki). The steppe is a vast region of open grassland extending across the country, with a harsh climate with very low precipitation and extreme seasonal temperature changes. In the book, this harsh climate seems to wear people down mentally as well as physically; as a result, very few newcomers live on the steppe for long.

pg. 9 — the railway
The trains criss-crossing the Sary-Ozeki are a source of significant imagery throughout the book, often mentioned as moving "from East to West and from West to East", representing the contrast between man and technology, the technological progress of the present and the traditions of the past, and the tensions between the East and West among other interpretations.

pg. 12 — Burannyi-Yedigei
The protagonist of the novel. He is a railway worker on the Sarozek who was once a soldier in the second World War and before that, a fisherman on the Aral Sea. He takes on the duty of burying his friend Kazangap, trekking across the steppe to deliver the body to a traditional burial ground. A strong character, seen to be reliable and wise from his years, though now a relic of the traditional mode of Kyrgyz life.

pg. 12 — Ukubala
Yedigei’s wife. Described as old and weathered by years on the steppe with greying hair, no teeth, etc., but a woman of strong character. Yedigei  respects her.  

pg. 13 — Kazangap
Yedigei's friend and co-worker from the railway; Kazangap was the oldest man in Buranly-Burranyi and originally encouraged Yedigei to move there. Yedigei respects him greatly for his wisdom and mode of living life well and in alignment with Kyrgyz culture. His death and subsequent funeral are the main plot of the novel.

pg. 14 — Ospan
The man in charge of the railway junction.

pg.14 — Shaimerden 
The duty man at the railway junction; he is younger than Yedigei, and does not appear to "respect" death as much, talking about it bluntly and without sensitivity.

pg. 15 — Sabitzhan, Kazangap’s son
He lives in the a city and is well educated, but in reality is a shallow and self-important "office-boy." He returns to the Sary-Ozeki for his father's funeral, but seems to view it as a burden rather than the honorable duty of a son. He additionally rejects the more elaborate traditional funeral that Yedigei has planed. Yedigei questions how a great man's son could turn out this way. 

pg. 15 — Aizada, Kazangap’s daughter
She is married to a drunkard and has six children that she struggles to control. She laments this fate and blames her father and her upbringing at the funeral; while she is at least painted as respectful of the funeral process, she is still ungrateful and shames herself with this public display. Yedigei considers her a failure as well.

pg. 18 — Burannyi-Karanar, Yedigei’s camel
A bactrian camel gifted to Yedigei from Kazangap. It is a powerful and almost untamed camel stud; it is described as a vital and handsome camel who naturally runs free across the steppe.

pg. 24 — Kumbel’
The junction station where Aizada lives; East of the Boranly-Burannyi train junction where Yedigei and other railway workers live.

pg. 25 — Kzyl-Orda
Where Yedigei's daughters live; a town to the West of Boranly-Burannyi.

pg. 26 — The Cosmodrome Sary-Ozek I
A fictional cosmodrome in the fictional Sary-Ozeki; within sight of the railroad tracks where Yedigei works. Symbolic of the fast pace of technological growth and the Soviet Union's expanding influence.

pg. 27 — The Parity Space Station and the American-Soviet space programme
As befits the name, this cooperation between the worlds most powerful nations is intended to be entirely equal -- with equal Soviet and American representation in every role. This fictional cooperation helps Aitmatov to make a larger commentary about the influence of both these powerful nations, rather than just critiquing the Soviet Union where much of the books story takes place. 

pg. 29 — Ana-Beiit, the Naiman tribe’s cemetery
A sacred and traditional burial ground. The funeral procession ventures across the Sarozek some sixty kilometers to bury Kazangap here, only to find that their entrance is barred and that the cemetary will be leveled for further development of the cosmodrome. The cemetary thus acts as yet another example of the conflict between modernity's evolving technology and tradition.