Characteristic of Zheltkov: "Garnet bracelet", A. I
Yolkov characteristics and image of the hero in Kuprin's story Garnet bracelet
Plan
1. Introduction
2.General characteristic
3. "Holy, eternal, pure love"
4. Conclusion
The theme of love is one of the leading in world literature. Many poets and writers from different angles illuminated all shades of this great feeling. Unrequited love deserves special attention. What is left for a person to do in this case? AI Kuprin gives his answer to this question in the story "Garnet Bracelet", creating the image of the hopelessly in love with GS Zheltkov.
Zheltkov is a poor middle-aged official with an expressionless appearance; "pale, with a gentle girlish face." He behaves very modestly and politely. When Nikolai Nikolaevich and Vasily Lvovich are visited, Zheltkov is completely lost. It becomes clear that he rarely has to communicate with representatives of high society.
Upon learning that the purpose of the visit was to pursue Vera Nikolaevna, Zheltkov became very nervous. This is a holy topic for him. Zheltkov never expected that it could become a subject of discussion. However, Zheltkov's shyness and modesty instantly disappear at a hint of government intervention. A person tormented by love is sincerely perplexed about what this can give. At the same time, he continues to behave and talk very politely and decently.
Zheltkov's cross - selfless love for Vera Nikolaevna. Accidentally meeting her for the first time, the official fell in love for life. The first unsuccessful attempts in the form of love letters did not in any way affect the feeling of Zheltkov. For eight years now, his admiration for his beloved woman has continued. Many people will consider this kind of love a manic idea simply because this practically does not happen in life. According to the lover himself, this is a divine gift, a reward. Zheltkov understands that he has no chance of reciprocity. He doesn't even dream about it. His only desire is to be able to at least occasionally see the object of his admiration.
Vera Nikolaevna for Zheltkov is a deity in the literal sense. As he himself writes in his last letter: "There is nothing in the world ... more beautiful and tender than you." Everything that the beloved touches becomes sacred for Zheltkov. As the greatest relics, he keeps her handkerchief, a note, the program of an art exhibition. Love completely transforms the poor official, gives meaning to his life.
For insensitive people (like Tuganovsky), his selflessness is incomprehensible and ridiculous. But Prince Shein and Vera Nikolaevna are shocked by the love of Zheltkov. They feel an involuntary respect for him. Zheltkov considers the delivery of the "stupid bracelet" his mistake. He didn't have to be reminded of himself at all. Already during the visit of Prince Shein with Tuganovsky, the lover decides to commit suicide so as not to bother anyone else.
The unearthly love of Zheltkov seems fantastic, especially in our time. Nevertheless, it is an ideal to strive for. Few can boast of complete dedication in the name of a loved one. The image of Zheltkov reminds that "love is born in heaven", and the best recognition is: "Hallowed be thy name."
Introduction
"Garnet Bracelet" is one of the most famous stories of the Russian prose writer Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin. It was published in 1910, but for the domestic reader it still remains a symbol of disinterested sincere love, the kind that girls dream about, and the one that we so often miss. We have previously published a summary of this wonderful work. In the same publication, we will tell you about the main characters, analyze the work and talk about its problems.
The events of the story begin to unfold on the birthday of Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina. They celebrate at the dacha with the closest people. In the midst of the fun, the hero of the occasion receives a gift - a pomegranate bracelet. The sender decided to remain unrecognized and signed a short note with only the initials of the WGM. However, everyone immediately guesses that this is a longtime admirer of Vera, a certain minor official who has been filling her with love letters for many years. The princess's husband and brother quickly figure out the identity of the annoying boyfriend and the next day they go to his house.
In a wretched apartment they are met by a timid official by the name of Zheltkov, he resignedly agrees to take the gift and promises never to appear again in the eyes of the venerable family, provided that he makes the last farewell call to Vera and makes sure that she does not want to know him. Vera Nikolaevna, of course, asks Zheltkov to leave her. The next morning the newspapers will write that a certain official has committed suicide. In a farewell note, he wrote that he had squandered state property.
Main characters: characteristics of key images
Kuprin is a master of portraiture, and through his appearance he draws the character of the characters. The author pays a lot of attention to each hero, devoting a good half of the story to portrait characteristics and memories, which are also revealed by the characters. The main characters of the story are:
- - princess, central female image;
- - her husband, prince, provincial leader of the nobility;
- - a minor official of the control chamber, passionately in love with Vera Nikolaevna;
- Anna Nikolaevna Friesse- the younger sister of Vera;
- Nikolay Nikolaevich Mirza-Bulat-Tuganovsky- brother of Vera and Anna;
- Yakov Mikhailovich Anosov- a general, a military friend of Vera's father, a close friend of the family.
Vera is the ideal representative of high society in appearance, manners, and character.
“Vera went to her mother, a beautiful Englishwoman, with her tall flexible figure, gentle but cold and proud face, beautiful, albeit rather large hands and that charming slope of the shoulders that can be seen on old miniatures”
Princess Vera was married to Vasily Nikolayevich Shein. Their love has long ceased to be passionate and passed into that calm stage of mutual respect and tender friendship. Their union was happy. The couple did not have children, although Vera Nikolaevna passionately wanted a baby, and therefore gave all her unspent feeling to the children of her younger sister.
Vera was regally calm, coldly kind to everyone, but at the same time very funny, open and sincere with loved ones. She was not inherent in such feminine tricks as coquetry and coquetry. Despite her high status, Vera was very prudent, and knowing how badly her husband was doing, she sometimes tried to cheat herself so as not to put him in an uncomfortable position.
Vera Nikolaevna's husband is a talented, pleasant, gallant, noble person. He has an amazing sense of humor and is a brilliant storyteller. Shein maintains a home journal, which records non-fictional stories with pictures about the life of the family and its entourage.
Vasily Lvovich loves his wife, perhaps not as passionately as in the first years of marriage, but who knows how long passion actually lives? The husband deeply respects her opinion, feelings, personality. He is compassionate and merciful to others, even to those who are much lower than him in status (this is evidenced by his meeting with Zheltkov). Shein is noble and endowed with the courage to admit mistakes and his own wrong.
We first meet with Official Zheltkov towards the end of the story. Until this moment, he is present in the work invisibly in the grotesque image of a fool, an eccentric, a fool in love. When the long-awaited meeting finally takes place, we see a meek and shy person in front of us, it is customary to ignore such people and call them “little ones”:
"He was tall, thin, with long fluffy, soft hair."
His speeches, however, are devoid of the muddled whims of a madman. He is fully aware of his words and actions. Despite the seeming cowardice, this man is very courageous, he boldly tells the prince, the lawful wife of Vera Nikolaevna, that he is in love with her and cannot do anything about it. Zheltkov does not fawn at the rank and position in the society of his guests. He obeys, but not to fate, but only to his beloved. And he also knows how to love - selflessly and sincerely.
“It so happened that I am not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people - for me life is only in you. Now I feel that I have crashed into your life with some uncomfortable wedge. If you can, forgive me for that ”
Analysis of the work
Kuprin got the idea of his story from real life. In reality, the story was rather anecdotal. A certain poor fellow telegraph operator by the name of Zheltikov was in love with the wife of one of the Russian generals. Once this eccentric was so brave that he sent his beloved a simple gold chain with a pendant in the form of an Easter egg. Hilarity and more! Everyone laughed at the stupid telegraph operator, but the inquisitive writer's mind decided to look beyond the anecdote, because a real drama can always lurk behind a visible curiosity.
Also in the "Pomegranate Bracelet" Sheins and the guests first make fun of Zheltkov. Vasily Lvovich even has a funny story on this score in his home magazine called “Princess Vera and the Telegraph Operator in Love”. People tend not to think about other people's feelings. The Sheins were not bad, callous, soulless (this proves the metamorphosis in them after meeting Zheltkov), they just did not believe that the love that the official confessed could exist ..
There are many symbolic elements in the work. For example, a garnet bracelet. Garnet is a stone of love, anger and blood. If a person in a fever takes it in his hand (a parallel with the expression “love fever”), then the stone will take on a more intense shade. According to Zheltkov himself, this special type of pomegranate (green pomegranate) endows women with the gift of foresight, and protects men from violent death. Zheltkov, having parted with the amulet bracelet, dies, and Vera unexpectedly predicts his death for herself.
Another symbolic stone - pearls - also appears in the work. Vera receives pearl earrings as a gift from her husband on the morning of her name day. Pearls, despite their beauty and nobility, are an omen of bad news.
Something bad was also trying to predict the weather. On the eve of the fateful day, a terrible storm broke out, but on his birthday everything calmed down, the sun came out and the weather was calm, like a calm before a deafening rumble of thunder and an even stronger storm.
Problems of the story
The key problem of the work in the question "What is true love?" For the "experiment" to be pure, the author cites different types of "love". This is the tender love-friendship of the Sheins, and the calculating, comfortable, love of Anna Friesse for her obscenely rich old husband who blindly adores his soul mate, and the long-forgotten ancient love of General Amosov, and the all-consuming love-worship of Zheltkov for Vera.
The main character herself cannot understand for a long time whether it is love or madness, but looking into his face, even though hidden by the mask of death, she is convinced that it was love. Vasily Lvovich makes the same conclusions when he meets his wife's admirer. And if at first he was in a somewhat belligerent mood, then later he could not be angry with the unfortunate man, because, it seems, a secret was revealed to him, which neither he, nor Vera, nor their friends could comprehend.
People are by nature selfish and even in love, they first of all think about their feelings, masking their own egocentrism from their second half and even themselves. True love, which between a man and a woman meets once every hundred years, puts the beloved first. So Zheltkov calmly lets Vera go, because only in this way will she be happy. The only problem is that he doesn't need life without her. In his world, suicide is quite a natural step.
Princess Sheina understands this. She sincerely mourns Zheltkov, a person whom she practically did not know, but, oh my God, perhaps true love passed by her, which meets once in a hundred years.
“I am infinitely grateful to you only for the fact that you exist. I checked myself - this is not a disease, not a manic idea - this is love, which God wanted to reward me for something ... As I leave, I am delighted to say: "Hallowed be Thy name."
Place in literature: Literature of the XX century → Russian literature of the XX century → Creativity of Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin → The story “Garnet Bracelet” (1910)
"Garnet Bracelet" was created to prove the existence of true, pure love in the modern world. For this, he created a story, some perceive it as an anecdote about a telegraph operator who fell in love, while others - as a touching "Love Song" - touching, pure.
The hero of the story is G.S. Zheltkov. He was an official of the Control Chamber. The writer portrays him as a young man "about thirty-five years old", rather good-looking: tall, rather thin, with long soft hair. Constantly pale, the face is so gentle, as if a girl's, with a childish chin and blue eyes. Zheltkov is endowed with a sense of beauty, namely musical.
Our hero is in love with Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, a woman of "aristocratic" appearance. Zheltkov believes that she is extraordinary, refined. At first, Zheltkov wrote letters of a vulgar and, at the same time, wise character. But after a while, he began to reveal his feelings in a more restrained, delicate manner. Every moment that he sees the princess is dear to him like nothing else.
Zheltkov - he is the chosen one. That selflessness, selflessness of his love is really strong as death. She does not expect a reward, you can give your life for her. All women dream of such "eternal, holy" love.
Vera Nikolaevna can be considered the chosen one, since it was true, selfless love that passed through her life. Unfortunately, unlike women, in the modern world men are completely impoverished both in spirit and in body; But Zheltkov is far from being such. And this is proved by the scene of the date. As he feels well and understands people, he immediately stopped paying attention to threats from Nikolai Nikolaevich.
Then, when this difficult conversation took place, Zheltkov was returned to his own gift - an amazing pomegranate bracelet, a family heirloom, the hero showed a strong will. He decides that the only way out is to leave life, since he does not want to cause any inconvenience to his beloved. For him it was a farewell to life. His last words of gratitude to the princess for the fact that she is his only joy, the only consolation, were a wish for happiness for his beloved.
All this proves that Zheltkov is endowed with Kuprin's nobility. This is not an image of a “little” person, poor in spirit, who was defeated by love. Saying goodbye to life, he turns out to be loving and strong selflessly.
Thus, an official, an "inconspicuous" person of a rather ridiculous surname Zheltkov, for the sake of the happiness of his beloved, gave his life to God. Of course, the fact that he was possessed is true, but what? High feeling! It cannot be considered a "disease". This love is great, the one that fills life with meaning and keeps a person from the degeneration of morals. This is the love that only a select few deserve.
Yes, I foresee suffering, blood and death. And I think that it is difficult for the body to part with the soul, but, Beautiful, praise to you, passionate praise and quiet love. "Hallowed be Thy name" ...
In the sad hour of my death, I pray only to you. Life could be wonderful for me too. Don't grumble, poor heart, don't grumble. In my soul I call upon death, but in my heart I am full of praise to you: "Hallowed be Thy name" ...
A. Kuprin
In the 20th century, in an era of cataclysms, in a period of political and social instability, when a new attitude towards universal human values began to form, love often became the only moral category that survived in a crumbling and dying world. The theme of love has become central in the work of many writers at the beginning of the century. She became one of the central themes in the work of A. I. Kuprin. Love in his works is always disinterested, selfless, it is not touched by "any life comforts, calculations and compromises." But this love is always tragic, deliberately doomed to suffering. Heroes die. But their feelings are stronger than death. Their feelings don't die. Is this why the images of "Olesya", "Duel", "Sulamith", "Garnet Bracelet" remain in the memory for so long?
In the story "Shulamith" (1908), written based on the biblical Song of Songs, Kuprin's ideal of love is presented. He describes such "tender and fiery, devoted and beautiful love, which is one dearer than wealth, glory and wisdom, which is dearer than life itself, because even life it does not value and is not afraid of death." The story "Pomegranate Bracelet" (1911) was intended to prove that such love exists in the modern world, and to refute the opinion expressed in the work by General Anosov, the grandfather of the protagonist: "... love among people took ... vulgar forms and condescended simply to some kind of everyday convenience, to a little entertainment. " And the men are to blame for this, "at twenty, jaded, with chicken bodies and hare souls, incapable of strong desires, heroic deeds, tenderness and adoration before love ..."
Kuprin presented a story that others perceive as an anecdote about a telegraph operator who fell in love, as a touching and sublime Song of Songs about true love.
The hero of the story - GS Zheltkov Pan Ezhiy - is an official of the Control Chamber, a young man of pleasant appearance, "about thirty, thirty-five years old." He is "tall, thin, with long fluffy, soft hair", "very pale, with a gentle girlish face, with blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle." We learn that Zheltkov is musical and endowed with a sense of beauty. The hero's spiritual image is revealed in his letters to Princess Vera Nikolayevna Sheina, in a conversation with her husband on the eve of suicide, but he is most fully characterized by "seven years of hopeless and polite love."
Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, with whom the hero is in love, attracts with her "aristocratic" beauty inherited from her mother, "with her tall flexible figure, gentle but cold and proud face, beautiful, albeit rather large hands and that charming slope of the shoulders that can be seen on old miniatures ". Zheltkov considers her to be extraordinary, sophisticated and musical. He "began to persecute her with his love" two years before marriage. When he first saw the princess in the circus in a box, he said to himself: "I love her because there is nothing like her in the world, there is nothing better, there is no animal, no plant, no star, no man more beautiful ... and more tender. ". He admits that since then he "has not been interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people." For Zheltkov, Vera Nikolaevna "seemed to embody all the beauty of the earth." It is no coincidence that he constantly says about God: "God was pleased to send me, as a tremendous happiness, love to you", "the love with which God was pleased to reward me for something."
At first, Zheltkov's letters to Princess Vera were "vulgar and curiously fervent" in nature, "although they were quite chaste." But over time, he began to reveal his feelings in a more restrained and delicate manner: "I blush at the recollection of my insolence seven years ago, when I dared to write to you, young lady, stupid and wild letters ... Now all that remains in me is reverence, eternal admiration. and slavish devotion. " “For me, the whole life is only in you,” writes Zheltkov to Vera Nikolaevna. In this life, every moment is dear to him when he sees the princess or watches her with excitement at a ball or in a theater. Leaving this life, he burns everything that is most dear to his heart: Vera's handkerchief, which she forgot at a ball in the Noble Assembly, her note with a request "not to bother her with my outpouring of love anymore," the program of an art exhibition that the princess held in her hand, and then forgot on the chair when leaving.
Knowing full well about the inseparability of his feelings, Zheltkov hopes and "even is sure" that someday Vera Nikolaevna will remember him. She herself, unaware of that, painfully wounds him, pushes him to commit suicide, saying in a telephone conversation the phrase: "Oh, if you knew how tired I am of this whole story. Please stop it as soon as possible." Nevertheless, in his farewell letter, the hero "from the depths of his soul" thanks Vera Nikolaevna for the fact that she was his "only joy in life, the only consolation." He wishes her happiness and that "nothing temporary and worldly would disturb" her "beautiful soul."
Yolkov is the chosen one. His love is "disinterested, selfless, not expecting a reward ...". The one about which it is said - "strong as death" ... such a love, "for which to accomplish any feat, to give up life, to go to torment is not labor at all, but one joy ...". In his own words, this love was sent to him by God. He loves, and his feeling "contains the whole meaning of life - the whole universe!" Every woman in the depths of her heart dreams of such a love - "holy, pure, eternal ... unearthly", "one, all-forgiving, ready for anything."
And Vera Nikolaevna is also chosen, because it was her life's path that was "crossed" by true, "modest and selfless" true love. And if "almost every woman in love is capable of the highest heroism", then men in the modern world, unfortunately, have become impoverished in spirit and body; But Zheltkov is not like that. The dating scene reveals many aspects of this person's character. At first he gets lost ("jumped up, ran to the window, fiddling with his hair"), admits that now "the hardest moment has come" in his life, and his whole appearance testifies to an indescribable mental anguish: with Shein and Tuganovsky he speaks with "only jaws" , and his lips are "white ... like a dead man's." But self-control quickly returns to him, Zheltkov again regains the gift of speech and the ability to reason sensibly. As a person with a keen feeling and knowing how to understand people, he immediately rebuffed Nikolai Nikolaevich, stopped paying attention to his stupid threats, in Vasily Lvovich he guessed a smart person, understanding, able to listen to his confession. During this meeting, when a difficult conversation took place with the husband and brother of his beloved and Zheltkov was returned his gift - a wonderful pomegranate bracelet, a family heirloom, which he calls "a modest loyal offering", the hero showed a strong will.
After calling Vera Nikolaevna, he decided that he had only one way out - to leave this life so that he would no longer cause inconvenience to his beloved. This step was the only possible one, because his whole life was centered around his beloved, and now he is denied even the last little thing: to stay in the city, "to see her occasionally, of course, without showing her eyes." Zheltkov understands that life away from Vera Nikolaevna will not bring deliverance from "sweet delirium", because wherever he is, his heart will remain at the feet of his beloved, "every moment of the day" will be filled with Her, the thought of Her, dreams of Her. Having made this difficult decision, Zheltkov finds the strength to explain himself. His excitement is betrayed by his behavior ("he stopped acting like a gentleman") and speech that becomes business-like, categorical and harsh. “That's all,” said Zheltkov, smiling haughtily.
Farewell to Vera Nikolaevna for the hero is a farewell to life. It is no coincidence that Princess Vera, bending over the deceased to lay a rose, notices that "deep importance" is hidden in his closed eyes, and her lips smile "blissfully and serenely, as if he had learned some deep and sweet secret before parting with life. all his human life. " The last words of Zheltkov are words of gratitude for the fact that the princess was his "only joy in life, the only consolation, a single thought", wishes for the happiness of his beloved and the hope that she will fulfill his last request: to perform sonata D major No. 2, op. 2.
All of the above convinces us that the image of Zheltkov, painted by Kuprin with such nobility and enlightened love, is not an image of a "small", pitiful, defeated by love, poor in spirit person. No, leaving life, Zheltkov remains strong and selflessly loving. He reserves the right to choose, defends his human dignity. Even Vera Nikolaevna's husband understood how deep the feeling of this man was, and treated him with respect: "I will say that he loved you and was not crazy at all," Shein reports after meeting with Zheltkov. and saw every movement, every change in his face. And for him there was no life without you. It seemed to me that I was present at the enormous suffering from which people are dying. "
An inconspicuous official, a "little man" with a funny surname Zheltkov, performed a feat of self-sacrifice in the name of the happiness and peace of his beloved woman. Yes, he was possessed, but possessed by a high feeling. It was "not a disease, not a manic idea." It was love - great and poetic, filling life with meaning and content, saving man and humanity itself from moral degeneration. Love that only a select few are capable of. Love "that every woman dreams of ... love that repeats itself only once in a thousand years" ...
The dramatic events that happened to the main characters will leave no one indifferent. Unrequited love took the life of a wonderful man, who could not come to terms with the fact that he could never be with his beloved woman. The image and characteristics of Zheltkov in the story "The Garnet Bracelet" is key. On his example, you can see that true love exists regardless of time and eras.
Yolkov- the main character of the work. Full name is unknown. There is an assumption that his name was George. The man always signed documents with three letters G.S.Zh. Works as an official. For many years he has been unrequitedly in love with Vera Sheina, a married lady.
Image
A young man of 35 years old.
"... he must have been about thirty, thirty-five years old ...".
Thin, emaciated. High growth. Long, soft hair ran down the shoulders. Zheltkov looks painful. Perhaps this is due to an overly pale complexion.
"Very pale, with a gentle girlish face, with blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle ..."
The official wore a light mustache with a reddish tint. Thin, nervous fingers were in constant motion, which betrayed nervousness and imbalance.
Characteristic
Zheltkov was a wonderful person. Well-mannered, tactful, modest. Over the years that he rented an apartment, he became almost a son for the hostess of the living space.
The man did not have his own family... There is only a brother.
Not rich... He lived very modestly, not allowing himself any excesses. The salary of a petty official was not high;
Decent... Noble.
"I immediately guessed in you a noble person ..."
Fair... Sincere. You can always rely on people like him. Will not let you down, will not deceive. Not capable of betrayal.
Loves music... Favorite composer Beethoven.
Love in the life of Zheltkov
Several years ago, Zheltkov fell in love with Vera when he saw her at the opera. At that time, she was not married. He did not have the courage to admit his feelings in words. He wrote letters to her, but Vera asked not to bother her anymore. She really did not like his importunity. Instead of a reciprocal feeling, a wave of irritation arose in the woman. For a while, he was silent, nothing, not reminding of himself, until the time came for the celebration of Vera's name day. At the holiday, she receives an expensive gift, the sender of which was the hopelessly in love Zheltkov. With his gift, he showed that feelings have not cooled down. Only now he understood everything and realized that the letters were stupid and impudent. He repented and asked for forgiveness. Faith became the meaning of life for him. He couldn't breathe without her. She is the only joy that brightens up the gray everyday life. His letter was read by Vera's husband and brother. At the family council, it was decided to stop his love impulses by returning the bracelet and asking him not to bother their family anymore. Vera herself told him about it on the phone. For the poor fellow, this was a heavy blow. He could not bear it, deciding to die forever, choosing for this a terrible way - suicide.