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"our people - we will be numbered." Features of the composition of the comedy “Our People – Let’s Be Numbered” and its stage fate

23.04.2019

Analysis of the comedy by A.N. Ostrovsky's "Our people - we will be numbered!"

The plot of the play is based on the widespread in the last century in merchant environment case of fraud. The rich merchant Samson Silych Bolshov borrowed from other merchants a large sum money and, not wanting to return it, declared bankruptcy. And he transferred all his property to the name of the clerk Lazar Elizarych Podkhalyuzin, to whom, for his peace of mind, he gave his daughter Lipochka, Olympiada Samsonovna, in marriage. The debtor Bolshov is sent to prison (debt hole), but Samson Silych is sure that his daughter and son-in-law will help him get out of there.

Bolshov is a swindler, a deceiver. He deceives others, and he himself does not notice that he is also deceived. This play is full of deception. Merchants here cannot live a day without being deceived. Deception is what has become main theme Ostrovsky's plays. Bolshov, when deceiving, does not feel any remorse, because everyone does this. Bolshov is ready to deceive everyone, but shows trust in Podkhalyuzin. The main thing for Bolshov is that no one contradicts him. Podkhalyuzin takes advantage of this weakness of the owner, and therefore gains trust in him.

Lipochka also looks for benefits in everything. She marries Podkhalyuzin only because he has money.

In developing the theme, I think the main characters are Bolshov and Podkhalyuzin. They live by deception. Bolshov does not expect to screw up. He no longer sees anything around him except fraud. Podkhalyuzin skillfully uses this. This is the essence of comedy. People deceive others and themselves without noticing it.

Comedy demonstrates the writer’s skill in depicting the character of the hero in the way he speaks, in a special tone of speech. Ostrovsky incorporates every line into the live flow of dialogue. Mastery of language greatly contributed to the success of Ostrovsky's first comedy.

Ostrovsky beret life situations, relevant at all times. He writes in ordinary language and describes everything simply, making him easy to read.

Few writers describe life situations so skillfully, making you think about them. Thanks to Ostrovsky's talent, we love his plays so much because they open our lives to us. And we try to avoid the mistakes that certain characters made in plays.

The comedy "Our People - Let's Be Numbered" has its own clearly defined composition. At the beginning of the comedy, we do not see any exposition: the author does not tell us a brief background of what will be discussed in the work.

Comedy composition

The immediate beginning of the comedy is the plot: the reader sees a young girl Lipochka, who madly wants to become married woman, and not without protest agrees to the candidacy proposed by his father - clerk Podkhalyuzin. Every comedy has a so-called driving force, often this main character, who often takes a counterposition to most of the characters, or through his active participation, contributes to the acute development of the storyline.

In the play “We Are Our Own People,” this status is given to the merchant Bolshov, who, with the support of his relatives, came up with a financial adventure and put it into action. The most important part of the composition is the climax in comedy - that part of the work where characters experience maximum intensity of emotions.

In this play, the climax is the episode in which Lipochka openly takes the side of her husband and tells her father that they will not pay a penny for his loans. The climax is followed by a denouement - a logical outcome of events. In the denouement, the authors sum up the entire comedy and expose its entire essence.

The denouement of “We’ll be our own people” is Podkhalyuzin’s attempt to bargain with the creditors of his wife’s father. Some writers, in order to achieve the maximum dramatic moment, willfully introduce silent comedy into comedy. final scene, which finally closes the action.

But Alexander Ostrovsky uses a different technique - Podkhalyuzin remains true to his principles about the latter, promising, instead of a creditor’s discount, not to shortchange him in his own future store.

Stage fate of the play

Everyone knows that plays, unlike other genres of literature, are transformed into another, no less important view art - theater. However, not all plays have a stage destiny. There are many factors that promote or hinder the production of plays on the stage of theaters. The main criterion that determines the viability of a play in the future is its relevance to the themes covered by the author.

The play "Our People - Let's Be Numbered" was created in 1849. However, for eleven long years, tsarist censorship did not give permission to stage it in the theater. “We Will Be Numbered Our Own People” was first staged by actors of the Voronezh Theater in 1860. In 1961, state censorship made its changes to the play and allowed its production in the theaters of the empire in an edited version.

This edition remained until the end of 1881. It should be noted that when famous director A. F. Fedotov in 1872 allowed himself the impudence and staged the play in its original form in his People's Theater, this theater was closed forever after a few days by decree of the emperor.

One of the first comedies by A.N. Ostrovsky, “The Bankrupt”, or “Our People - We Will Be Numbered!”, was written in 1849. It was immediately noticed by the reading public and brought well-deserved fame to the author.

Its plot is taken from the very thick of life, from the legal practice and merchant life that are well known to the playwright. The deception here begins small - with the salesman’s ability to tighten the material more tightly or “snatch” a yard of calico through his hand in front of the unwary buyer’s nose; continues with a large and risky scam by the merchant Samson Silych Bolshov, and ends with the younger and more dexterous scoundrel clerk Lazar Elizarovich Podkhalyuzin wrapping his master, an old rogue and scoundrel, around his finger. This whole life is based on the mechanisms of deception, and if you don’t deceive, they will deceive you - that’s what Ostrovsky was able to show.

The Big merchant announces that he has become bankrupt. In fact, this is one of the moves in the commercial game, with the help of which he intends to “close” settlements with creditors and evade paying debts. Bolshoye transfers his entire fortune to the name of the “faithful man” - the clerk Podkhalyuzin. This resourceful servant matches his master: guided not only by romantic feelings, he marries Samson Silych’s daughter Lipochka, and then appropriates his father-in-law’s property. Bolshov is sent to debtor's prison. He could have been saved. To do this, it is enough to return at least a small part of the debts to creditors. But Podkhalyuzin and Lipochka decided even during the engagement that the old people “have done something weird in their lifetime, now it’s time for us to go.” And Samson Silych’s debts remain unpaid...

The answer to this plot lies in the usual psychology of tyranny. The big one generally recognizes moral laws and rules, but not for himself; his morality operates only in one direction. For everyone - morality, and for him - benefit. Bolshoye belongs to the old breed of Moscow merchants: he is rude, straightforward and simple-minded. Everyone in the house - from his wife Agrafena Kondratievna to the boy Tishka - trembles at his appearance, and the feeling of this unlimited power over his family warms the soul of Samson Silych. He has no reason to doubt that his silent relatives and servants are blindly obedient to him. Bolshov thinks that the whole world is divided into strangers, whom it is a sin not to deceive, and his own, who are determined by nature to obey his will and remain in domestic slavery. He cannot allow the thought of his people plotting anything against him or being disobedient. Bolshov is ready to deceive everyone around him, but he shows unexpected gullibility towards Podkhalyuzin - and this is where everyone loses. But Samson Silych is even more let down by what seems to be the source of his strength - his tyrant arrogance, dull confidence in the authority of force and fear for “his own”, to which he has the right to include Podkhalyuzin, who was brought up from an early age in the house. But Podkhalyuzin deceives his benefactor brazenly, cynically, showing the shamelessness of a businessman, an emerging new entrepreneur, before whom Bolshov himself may seem like a naive simpleton.

Ostrovsky, as it were, unfolds the theme of tyranny over time, following outlandish changes. Tyranny is shown not only as the fruit of savagery and ignorance, but also as a forced person taking out his former insignificance. The fact that Samson Silych once traded in sheep in Balchug, the fact that good people They called him Samson and gave him slaps on the head; he will never forget or forgive. Now he is tormenting his family as if to compensate for his previous humiliations. And as soon as power in the house passes to Podkhalyuzin, this quiet clerk, who kept repeating only “I can’t know, sir,” and “as you wish,” becomes cold, autocratic and insolent.

Ostrovsky’s satire was invariably attracted to the semi-educated environment, the domestic “philistines among the nobility.” Behind the heights of external enlightenment, borrowed words and manners, often still caricaturedly distorted (all these “antrigan”, “interesting”, “prominage”, “incomprehensible to the mind”), lurked the same crudeness of concepts, mental underdevelopment. The author opened comic effect bourgeois semi-culture: dreams and omens, aesthetics " cruel romance”, special rituals of dating and courtship - with their roundabout words, approaches, favorite conversations about “what do you like better - winter or summer” or “what is better - a man or a woman”.

And every time the reader is convinced of how poor the reality of such a life is.

One of bright examples Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky's comedy “Our People - Let's Be Numbered” is considered to be one of the most dramatic works of Russian literature. In it, the author, with his characteristic humor, describes the problems of relationships in the merchant environment, endowing his characters with bright and original features. We offer literary analysis plays according to a plan that will be useful to 10th grade students in preparing for a literature lesson.

Brief Analysis

Year of writing– 1849.

History of creation– The play was published in the magazine “Moskvityanin”, and was very warmly received in literary circles. However, due to the themes raised, the work was banned, and the play could be staged in the theater only after the death of Emperor Nicholas I.

Subject– A conflict between two generations that occurs in a merchant environment that lives by the principle “if you don’t cheat, you won’t sell.”

Composition– The peculiarity of the composition of the play is the absence of exposition. The premise is that the merchant Bolshov borrows a large sum of money, his daughter Lipochka dreams of marriage. Development of events - Bolshov declares himself bankrupt, and transfers all his money to Podkhalyuzin, and to strengthen the deal, marries him to Lipochka.

Climax- Lipochka’s refusal to pay the debts of her father, who ended up in debtor’s prison. The denouement is the logical outcome - the deceiver deceived the deceiver.

Genre- A play. Comedy.

Direction– Realism.

History of creation

Alexander Nikolayevich’s first serious work was the play “We Will Be Our Own People,” written in 1849. Ostrovsky worked hard for three years on a comedy, the name of which changed throughout creative process: “Insolvent Debtor”, “Bankrupt”, the final version was called “Our People - We Will Be Numbered”.

The play was first published in 1850 in the March issue of the Moskvityanin magazine. Its appearance caused great excitement in Russian literary circles, as the young author raised serious problems of society in an ironic form. It is not surprising that the acutely social play was banned by censors, and Ostrovsky found himself under secret police surveillance.

Only after the death of Emperor Nicholas I in 1859, the production of the play became possible, but only under the condition of a more “softened” version of it. The original version of the comedy was presented to the public only in 1881.

Subject

For his work, Ostrovsky chose one of the themes popular in the 19th century - confrontation between two generations, "fathers" and "children". However, he chose a powerful social layer in Russia - the merchants - as the background for the development of the conflict. Through the prism of the relationships between the main characters, the author managed to fully reveal the pressing problems of society.

Ostrovsky depicts the merchant environment, in which vulgarity and ignorance reign, in all its ugliness. It is noteworthy that none of the main characters of the play causes positive emotions. Bolshov repels with his greed and difficult character, and his daughter Lipochka sees education as just a tribute to fashion and dreams of only one thing - to get married successfully and get rid of the oppression of her tyrant father.

Seeing the meaning of life only in making money and considering it absolutely normal to live according to the principle “if you don’t cheat, you won’t sell,” Bolshov himself remains with broken trough. For him, a terrible blow comes from the betrayal of Lipochka, who refuses to pay his debts and indifferently leaves him to “rot” in a debtor’s prison.

Main thought The work lies in the simple truth - “what goes around comes around.” It is impossible to demand from your children to be honest, noble and spiritually sensitive if you yourself do not possess these qualities.

Composition

When conducting an analysis of the composition in the play “Our People - We Will Be Numbered,” it should be noted that there is no exposition in the work. The author does not reveal the background of the events to the reader, and immediately begins the story.

In the beginning Ostrovsky introduces the reader to the tyrant merchant Bolshov, who borrows a large sum of money, but is in no hurry to return it. His daughter Lipochka passionately dreams of getting married successfully and forever leaving the house in which life is so difficult under her father’s oppression.

Action Development The play boils down to the fact that Bolshov, who does not want to fulfill his debt obligations, decides to declare himself bankrupt. He transfers his entire huge fortune to the clerk Podkhalyuzin, and marries Lipochka to him, in order to thus ensure the safety of his capital. Bolshov is sent to a debtor's prison, but he has no doubt that Lipochka and Podkhalyuzin will free him from there.

Climax plays - Lipochka’s decisive refusal, satisfied with her new life, pay off my father’s loans.

Genre

Alexander Nikolaevich classified his work as a comedy, although, according to many literary critics, it has a series tragic features. Direction - realism.

the main idea
Summary
Summary of actions
Conclusion

Text for a reader's diary

The play is about a merchant family whose head is so greedy that he wants to hide his wealth. His capricious daughter marries the person to whom he transfers their property. Young people live in luxury, not caring about their parents. The father should even be put in debt. However, he is more offended by the cruelty of “his” children.

the main idea

A play about greed and selfishness. She teaches that raising children with your bad example, that's what parents get.

Summary Ostrovsky We will count our own people

The play begins with a scandal between mother and daughter. The girl Lipa demands that a groom be found for her, because she is bored. The name is a matchmaker, but her task is very difficult: give your daughter a noble groom, give your father a rich one, and give your mother a courteous one. Trying to please everyone, she finds almost an ideal, but the other groom will not give in to “her.”

The family's clerk is Lazar Podkhalyuzin. He himself deceives customers and teaches workers. He likes Lipa, and even more - beautiful life. And the clerk bribes the matchmaker so that she cancels the acquaintance with the candidate for husband.

Lazar himself becomes the groom, although at first Lipa is against it - he is too simple. But, taking advantage of her father’s trust in him, playing on his greed, Podkhalyuzin convinces him to transfer all their property to himself - to hide the wealth. Now the Olympics agrees, fearing poverty, to a “rich” groom.

At the wedding, the parents ask not to offend them, because all the wealth is now on the son-in-law. He throws out the phrase that gives the play its name. However, after some time, Lipa and Lazar, enjoying luxury, refuse their parents a penny, and the father even has to fall into debt. Olympias laughs at them and is not afraid of curses, believing that she did not receive enough wealth from them in her youth. Lazarus still tries to deceive the creditors by wearing a worse frock coat.

All the heroes turn out to be greedy deceivers, but only the older generation has already received a “reward” from children like them, and the children, apparently, are yet to do so.

Read the summary: Our people will be considered Ostrovsky by their actions

Action 1

Olympiada Bolshova, or as she is affectionately called Lipochka, has reached the age when it’s time to get married. This girl sits all day long with a book, looking out the window, but her thoughts are not at all about what she read, but about dancing.

The Olympics indulges in memories of the ball, which took place about a year and a half ago. Now she is saddened by the fact that she has lost her beautiful dancing skills. And if she had to dance today, it would turn out badly. She tries to perform different dance steps, but this activity does not bring her pleasure.

In the next episode, Alexander Ostrovsky shows the reader another heroine - Lipa's mother, whose name is Agrafena Kondratievna. Mother scolds Lipochka for dancing early and for not having poppy dew in her mouth in the morning. As a result, this conversation develops into a quarrel. The main reproach from daughter Lipochka is that her mother has not yet found a suitable match for her.

The following describes Lipochka's hysteria, and most importantly, the Olympics will not calm down until they marry her good fellow. The mother cannot look at her daughter’s tears and invites a matchmaker. The matchmaker's name is Ustinya Naumovna. She comes quickly and has a drink with Lipa’s mother, discussing various events along the way.

Ustinya Naumovna complains that it is not possible to find a groom for the Olympics due to the fact that they all do not know what they want. And, most importantly, Lipa’s mother and father also cannot decide what kind of guy their only beloved daughter needs as a husband.

While there is talk about the groom, Sysoy Psoich Rispozhensky arrives. This is a minor employee who was once kicked out of court for abusing alcoholic beverages. At the same time, Bolshov arrives and together with Sysoy Psoich they discuss how Father Lipochka can improve his financial situation.

As a result, Bolshov decides to declare himself bankrupt. But first, he is thinking of transferring all his property to his clerk Lazar Podkhalyuzin.

Act 2

Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky introduces the reader to Podkhalyuzin, who at this moment is only thinking about the Bolshova Olympics. He loves her for a long time and hopelessly. Intellectually, Podkhalyuzin understands that Lipa has an education and needs a good groom, an “equal.” Podkhalyuzin has some savings at this point in time. As a result, Podkhalyuzin decides to go to Bolshov and woo his daughter.

Podkhalyuzin is located in good location spirit and even sends his servant for a tincture of rowan. Around the same time, Podkhalyuzin is visited by Rispozhensky, who talks about Bolshov and his generous payment for his services. Podkhalyuzin understands that he has arrived opportunity and offers twice as much, for his part.

After this conversation, Lipochka’s matchmaker, Ustinya, appears and talks about how difficult it is for the bride to find a noble groom now. Podkhalyuzin begins asking the matchmaker about this and that, and in the end she tells him that she has found a profitable match for Lipochka. Podkhalyuzin promises matchmaker Ustinyushka a certain amount of money if she spreads gossip that the merchant is a beggar.

Then Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky describes the episode in the office. Podkhalyuzin gradually hints at marriage with Lipochka. Bolshov does not allow this thought. And Lipa and Podkhalyuzin talk about their upcoming engagement and talk about mutual love.

Act 3

Again Alexander Ostrovsky moves the action to Lipa’s house. At this moment she is very smart, cheerful and waiting for her betrothed. The mother is touched by her daughter. The father, on the contrary, is restrained and little emotional, as befits a true man.

Ustinya, the matchmaker, appears and says that the groom is hesitating and won’t dare to marry Lipochka. Women get emotional. Bolshov decides to find a profitable match for his daughter on his own. Lipochka is about to go to her maiden room, but her father says that it is at this moment that the groom will appear. At this moment Lazarus enters the house. Father announces Podkhalyuzin as the groom of the Olympics.

Everyone present is shocked. Lipochka is unhappy with her father's choice. She dreamed of an educated groom. Podkhalyuzin is not a suitable match for her. Lazarus sees that what happened was not exactly what he wanted. Bolshov himself is adamant. He says that he will not change his decision as a man. He tells the young people to sit down next to each other and exchange a word, and invites the rest to the table.

The wife and matchmaker express dissatisfaction with Bolshov regarding the choice of groom for Lipochka. He is adamant in his decision and will not change anything.

Left alone with Lipa, Lazar decides to find out why he fell out of favor with her. She also refers to his lack of education. He, in turn, admits his poverty, but at the same time emphasizes that a rich groom will need a rich dowry of the bride and her father may go bankrupt as a result of this.

After this conversation, Lazar shows Olympiad official papers, according to which he is the owner of all “Bolshov’s goods.” Lipa begins to think... She eventually decides that her father’s choice is “like nothing.”

Then Lipa watches his speech and realizes that he does not speak French. For some reason this fact depresses her. Lazarus, on his knees, begs to make him happy. After all, Lipochka for him is his whole life, his happiness... Then Olympias asks Lazar to take her somewhere far away from “this hell.”

As a result, the newlyweds play a wedding. Everyone is happy and happy... Nobody thinks about what is there in the near future?

Act 4

Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich takes the reader to the house of the young Podkhalyuzins. Everything in this house is arranged in a new order. Lazar admires his beloved's terrible French pronunciation. She is ideal for him.

Ustinya appears. She comes to Lazar Podkhalyuzin for a reward, but instead of the promised money and an expensive fur coat, she receives pennies and tatters. Leaving their house, the matchmaker shouts that he will make the young couple famous throughout the village.

Suddenly Olympias sees his father through the window. He and his mother enter the young couple’s house and explain that he is bankrupt. Neither daughter nor son-in-law want to help their parents.... From a respected person, Bolshov turned into a laughing stock. He is escorted on the streets, he is not free.

Bolshov is furious at his son-in-law’s actions and regrets what he did. He is disturbed by the thought that he, as they say, dug a hole for himself with his own hands. But, as you know, you can’t take back what’s been done.

Bolshov is again forced to ask his daughter for money, otherwise he will be imprisoned and sent to Siberia. She gives him nothing, and then the father and mother want the young people to continue to please the devil. At the end of their visit, they curse their daughter.

Lazar Podkhalyuzin is confused after the visit of his father-in-law and mother-in-law. He even wants to go and work for Bolshov’s debts. But at this moment Rispozhensky appears to collect the debt. He is denied money, then this man wants to tell everyone about Lazar's documentary and financial fraud. Lazarus assures the respectable public that he can be trusted.

Conclusion from the story

Alexander Ostrovsky's play describes the ordinary merchant family. The father of the family, Bolshov, is incredibly stingy and greedy, so he wants to hide his good financial condition. He has a capricious and spoiled daughter named Olympias. The head of the family insists on her marriage to Lazar Podkhalyuzin, because he has become the owner of his fortune. The young family is bathed in luxury, and the father is bankrupt at this time. It is very sad for him to realize that his own only daughter cruel and selfish.

Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich in the play “Our People - We Will Be Numbered” exposes selfishness and greed. The classic of the second half of the 19th century seeks to show the reader that children are a mirror of their parents. Therefore, it is important to pay attention, first of all, to ourselves when we have our own children. A well-known saying comes to mind: “There’s no point in blaming the mirror if your face is crooked.”