Main character brilliant novel F.M. . Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment” Rodion Raskolnikov asks the question: is it permissible to commit a small evil for the sake of a great good, does a noble goal justify a criminal means? The author portrays him as a magnanimous dreamer, a humanist, eager to make all humanity happy, who comes to the realization of his own powerlessness in the face of world evil and in despair decides to “transgress” the moral law - to kill out of love for humanity, to commit evil for the sake of good. However to a normal person, which, undoubtedly, is the hero of the novel, is alien to bloodshed and murder. To understand this, Raskolnikov had to go through all the circles of moral hell and visit hard labor. Only at the end of the novel do we see that the hero realizes the absurdity of his crazy idea and gains peace of mind.
In contrast to the doubting and rushing Raskolnikov, Dostoevsky paints in his novel the image of Svidrigailov, a man who does not think about the means of achieving his goals. Sinking into the abyss of depravity, losing faith, Svidrigailov commits suicide, thereby showing the dead end of Raskolnikov's theory.
Based on real story novel American writer T. Dreiser's "American Tragedy" tells the story of the fate of an ambitious young man Clyde Griffiths, who dreams of breaking out of the confines of his environment, quickly and persistently walking up the steps of his career, upward to the world of money and luxury. Having seduced an honest girl and being confident in his love for her, the hero soon realizes that this connection is the main obstacle on the way to high society. A classic is formed love triangle, the third “corner” of which is the girl from high society, opening up all sorts of ways for Clyde to gain material wealth. Unable to resist such a temptation, the young man carefully considers the possibility of getting rid of his first love, which interferes not only with his ambitious plans, but also simply interferes with living for his own pleasure. This is how a crime is committed - thoughtful, seriously prepared and cowardly. After the girl's death, the police trace Clyde and accuse him of premeditated murder. The jury sentences him to death and Clyde spends the rest of his life in prison." In the end, he confesses and admits his guilt. He is executed in the electric chair.
A good, kind, talented person, Ilya Oblomov, was unable to overcome himself, his laziness and promiscuity, and did not reveal his best traits. The absence of a high goal in life leads to moral death. Even love could not save Oblomov.
In his late novel"The Razor's Edge" by W.S. Maugham draws life path young American Larry, who spent half his life reading books, and the other half in travel, work, search and self-improvement. His image stands out clearly against the background of young people of his circle, wasting their lives and extraordinary abilities on fulfilling fleeting whims, on entertainment, on a carefree existence in luxury and idleness. Larry chose his own path and, not paying attention to the misunderstanding and reproach of loved ones, sought the meaning of life in hardships, wanderings and wanderings around the world. He devoted himself entirely to the spiritual principle in order to achieve enlightenment of the mind, purification of the spirit, and discover the meaning of the universe.
Main character novel of the same name American writer Jack London Martin Eden - a working guy, a sailor, coming from the lower classes, about 21 years old, meets Ruth Morse - a girl from a wealthy bourgeois family. Ruth begins to teach the semi-literate Martin the correct pronunciation. English words and awakens his interest in literature. Martin learns that magazines pay decent fees to the authors who publish in them, and firmly decides to make a career as a writer, earn money and become worthy of his new acquaintance, with whom he has fallen in love. Martin is putting together a self-improvement program, working on his language and pronunciation, and reading a lot of books. Iron health and unbending will move him towards his goal. In the end, after going through a long and thorny path, after numerous refusals and disappointments, he becomes famous writer. (Then he becomes disillusioned with literature, his beloved, people in general and life, loses interest in everything and commits suicide. This is just in case. An argument in favor of the fact that fulfilling a dream does not always bring happiness)
If a shark stops moving its fins, it will sink to the bottom like a stone; a bird, if it stops flapping its wings, will fall to the ground. Likewise, a person, if his aspirations, desires, goals fade away, will collapse to the bottom of life, he will be sucked into the thick quagmire of gray everyday life. A river that stops flowing turns into a stinking swamp. Likewise, a person who stops searching, thinking, striving, loses the “beautiful impulses of his soul”, gradually degrades, his life becomes aimless, miserable vegetation.
I. Bunin in the story “Mr. from San Francisco” showed the fate of a man who served false values. Wealth was his god, and this god he worshiped. But when the American millionaire died, it turned out that true happiness passed the man by: he died without ever knowing what life was.
Romance of the famous English writer W. S. Maugham's "The Burden of Human Passions" touches on one of the most important and burning questions for every person - is there meaning in life, and if so, what is it? The main character of the work, Philip Carey, painfully searches for the answer to this question: in books, in art, in love, in the judgments of friends. One of them, the cynic and materialist Cronshaw, advises him to look at Persian carpets and refuses further explanation. Only years later, having lost almost all his illusions and hopes for the future, Philip understands what he meant and admits that “life has no meaning, and human existence is purposeless. Knowing that nothing makes sense and nothing matters, a person can still find satisfaction in choosing the various threads that he weaves into the endless fabric of life. There is one pattern - the simplest and most beautiful: a person is born, matures, gets married, gives birth to children, works for a piece of bread and dies; but there are other, more intricate and amazing patterns, where there is no place for happiness or the desire for success - perhaps some kind of alarming beauty is hidden in them.”
Problematics (rp. problema - something thrown forward, that is, isolated from other aspects of life) is the writer’s ideological understanding of the social characters that he depicted in the work. This comprehension consists in the fact that the writer highlights and strengthens those properties, aspects, relationships of the characters depicted, which he, based on his ideological worldview, considers to be the most significant.
Defining the main tasks of art, Chernyshevsky emphasized that “in addition to the reproduction of life, art also has another meaning - an explanation of life” (99, 85). Agreeing in principle with this idea, it should be noted that the word “explanation” is not entirely suitable for works of art; it is more appropriate in science. Writers rarely and usually make little effort to “explain” their ideas; almost always they express their understanding of the characters in their depiction.
Thus, Pushkin’s poem “Gypsies” depicts the characters of the “wild” gypsies wandering in the steppes of Bessarabia, and the character of the young man Aleko, who previously belonged to the educated and freedom-loving circles of the capital’s society, but fled from the “captivity of stuffy cities” (“he is persecuted by the law ") to the gypsies. This is the theme of the poem, unusual, until then unknown to Russian readers. This new theme of the poem was generated by a new, romantic problematic. The latter lies in the fact that the poet in every possible way emphasizes its complete freedom, its complete absence in the depiction of gypsy life. without any coercion (labor, civil, family), and in Aleko’s character there is a desire to join free life gypsies, to become “free like them,” and the failure of such aspirations, caused by an outbreak of selfish passions in his soul, brought up “by the captivity of stuffy cities.”
The problem is still to a greater extent than the subject depends on the worldview of the author. Therefore, the life of the same social environment can be perceived differently by writers who have different ideological worldviews. Gorky and Kuprin portrayed in their
based on the production of a factory working environment. However, in the awareness of her life they are far from each other. In his novel “Mother” and in his drama “Enemies,” Gorky is interested in people in this environment who are politically minded and morally strong. He notices in them those sprouts of socialist self-awareness, the development of which will soon make this class environment the most active and socially progressive force opposing the entire degrading bourgeois-noble system. Kuprin, in the story “Moloch,” sees in the workers a faceless mass of exhausted, suffering, people worthy of sympathy, unable to resist the capitalist Moloch, who devours their strength, mind, health and causes the most bitter thoughts among the humanistically minded democratic intelligentsia.
But the social characters themselves depicted in the work and their emotional understanding on the part of the author may be in different relationships. In many works of literature of antiquity, the Middle Ages and the beginning of modern times, the understanding of characters, the highlighting and strengthening of some of their most significant ones. properties were often more important for the authors and readers themselves than the depiction of these characters in all their integrity, in all their versatility and reality. At the same time, the character traits recognized by the author were so highlighted and intensified that they overshadowed and subordinated all others. As a result, the characters became, as it were, only carriers of these most essential properties - heroism, selflessness, wisdom or cruelty, flattery, greed, etc., and these properties themselves therefore received a broad generalizing meaning. The images of characters in works, based on such an understanding of their characters, easily acquired a nominal meaning.
This is how Shakespeare portrayed it Danish prince Hamlet, highlighting and sharply intensifying moral fluctuations in his character, severe internal struggle between a sense of duty to avenge the death of his father on his murderer, who had seized the throne, and a vague awareness of the impossibility of standing alone against the evil reigning around him; Therefore, this image received a common noun.
Moliere in the comedy "Tartuffe", bringing out in the person of the main character a swindler and a hypocrite who deceives the straightforward and honest people, depicted all his thoughts and actions
as manifestations of this basic negative trait character. Pushkin wrote about this: “In Moliere, the Hypocrite drags after the wife of his benefactor, a hypocrite; accepts the estate for safekeeping - hypocrite; asks for a glass of water - a hypocrite” (50, 322). The name Tartuffe became a common noun for hypocrites.
When analyzing such images and entire works, one must pay attention not only to their very pointed problematics, but also to the socio-historical essence of the characters depicted in them, which made it possible to comprehend them in such a way. U Moliere Tartuffe- this is not a random upstart who penetrated the noble environment. He hypocritically covers up his deceptions with the preaching of religious morality, which was characteristic of the reactionary churchmen of France in the era of Moliere. In more later eras, especially to early XIX c., advanced writers of various European countries began to penetrate deeper into the essence of human relationships, to more clearly understand the connection of human characters with a certain environment, certain living conditions. Therefore, the awareness of the characters of the heroes they portrayed became more and more versatile and multifaceted. The problem with the works now lay in the fact that the most important properties of the characters' characters stood out among many others that were related to them, but sometimes contradicted them.
In realistic works, the issues can be especially difficult to analyze, since these works often contain a very wide range of ideas. versatile portrayal of characters; and in the versatility of their images, those essential features that are most important for the writer are revealed. An example of this is the depiction of some of the main characters in L. Tolstoy's War and Peace. Thus, Prince Andrei is shown by the writer in the most different connections and relationships with many characters, both in peaceful life, and in war. A variety of qualities are manifested in his personality - intelligence, education, ability for military and government activities, a critical attitude towards the world, sincere sympathy for his father and sister, love for his son and Natasha, friendly attitude towards Pierre, etc.
But this versatility of Andrei’s character still conceals a certain author’s understanding. Tolstoy focuses attention on those features that seem to him the most significant in moral and psychological
In a theoretical sense, this is an overly developed personal principle and a certain rationality, the predominance of the mental sphere of consciousness over the emotional and the ensuing skeptical attitude towards life. The presence of characters with integrity of behavior, worldview, and experiences is a necessary condition for the existence of full-fledged epic and dramatic works 1 .
When analyzing problems, one must keep in mind that writers very often resort to comparing characters and revealing traits that interest the writer through contrast. At the same time, it is precisely those facets of characters that seem to writers to be the most important, significant, and in which the ideological problem of the work lies, that stand out especially clearly. Yes, back in folk tales the good witch was opposed to the evil stepmother, the smart older brothers were opposed to the younger brother Ivanushka the Fool, who turned out to be smarter and luckier than them.
The antithetical nature of characters is usually sharply emphasized in the works of classicism. Antitheses constitute an essential aspect of the problem in realistic works. They reflect and refract the real contradictions of reality itself with even greater clarity. Thus, Lermontov’s story “Princess Mary” is built on the antithesis of the character of Pechorin, with his deep and hidden romantic aspirations, and the character of Grushnitsky, with his feigned and ostentatious romance; Chekhov's story "The Man in a Case" - in contrast to Belikov's political cowardice and Kovalenko's free-thinking; “Russian Forest” by Leonov - on the antithesis of citizens
" IN modernist literature There was a widespread misconception that the concept of "character" was outdated because modern man represents something unstable and chaotic. Similar thoughts, based on the experience of “stream of consciousness” literature (J. Joyce, M. Proust), are persistently expressed by representatives of the French “new novel” (A. Robbe-Grice, N. Sarraute). The subject of artistic depiction is proclaimed to be the “pure” consciousness of a person who has lost his personality under the pressure of impressions from the outside. The character is considered only as a “support” (optional, ultimately even unnecessary) for the reproduction of this “pure” consciousness. Denial of character means at the same time denial of the entire system of artistic development of life, characteristic of epic and drama. Hence the slogans of “anti-novel”, “anti-theater”, etc., common in modernist aesthetics.
Vikhrov’s honesty and Gratsiansky’s careerism and corruption; “The Living and the Dead” by Simonov is based on the contrast of the deeply conscious patriotism of Serpilin, Sintsov and many other representatives of Soviet society with the cowardly egoism of people like Baranov.
Issues literary works may reflect different aspects public life. It can be moral, philosophical, social, ideological-political, socio-political, etc. It depends on what aspects of the characters and what contradictions the writer focuses on.
Pushkin in the character of Onegin, Lermontov in Pechorin were mainly aware of ideological and political dissatisfaction with the reactionary way of Russian life. Turgenev in " Noble nest"reveals in Lavretsky, first of all, a sense of civic and moral duty to Russia and its people. In Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons" the main attention is focused on the philosophical positions of the heroes, especially on the materialistic views of Bazarov; that's why it's like this in the novel significant place are occupied by philosophical debates between
What is especially important is how deep and significant literary works are in their subject matter. The significance and depth of the problem depends on how serious and significant are the contradictions of reality itself, which writers can realize thanks to the peculiarities of their worldview.
Such, for example, are the differences in the depiction of peasant life between Turgenev and Nekrasov. Turgenev, with his liberal-enlightenment views, sees in the life of the peasants their suffering under the yoke of the landowners and realizes that the misfortunes and sorrows of the people stem not so much from the cruelty and frivolity of individual nobles, but from the slavish position of the peasantry in general. But he is interested mainly in the moral dignity of individual peasants and shows that often peasants, to a much greater extent than landowners, can have not only kind hearted, but also with deep intelligence and aesthetic inclinations, and sometimes with the capacity for social discontent. The very revelation of the high moral qualities and human dignity of people from the people was an expression of the writer’s protest against serfdom.
Nekrasov, with his revolutionary democratic ideals, understands the life of the people much more deeply. In his portrayal, the peasant, oppressed by landowners and officials, is first of all a worker, a “sower and preserver” native land, the creator of all material values on which the whole society lives. And at the same time, his peasantry is an independent social force that can resist its enslavers.
From the above we can conclude that the problem represents a more active side ideological content works rather than their themes, and that the themes are largely determined by the issues.
A writer always chooses certain characters and relationships for his depiction precisely because he is especially interested in certain aspects and properties of these characters and relationships.
"What's happened mother's love»
Myski city, Kemerovo region.
As literary example you can take it
· read works according to the literature course program and extracurricular works,
· texts of one block,
· other texts from open bank assignments on the FIPI website that correspond to the topic of the essay.
Giving an example from the text of the KIM examination version (first argument), the student can write: In the text NN...
When using third-party text (second argument), the author and title of the work should be indicated.
If a student finds it difficult to determine the genre of a work, then you can write: In the work NN "SS" ...
Using an Expression In the book NN "SS" ... possible for large works, since for works of small and medium forms (short story, essay, novella, etc.) the book can be a collection.
The beginning of the 3rd paragraph could be like this: As a second argument, I would like to give an example from the book (story, story, etc.) NN “SS”.
Problem (gr. problema - task, something thrown forward) is an aspect of the content of the work on which the author focuses his attention. The range of problems covered by the author's interest, the questions posed in the work, constitute its problematics.
The solution to the artistic problem posed in the work is part creative process writer, which finds its embodiment in the problems of his work.
In a letter to A.S. Suvorin, A.P. Chekhov wrote: “The artist observes, chooses, guesses, composes - these actions alone presuppose a question at the beginning; If you didn’t ask yourself a question from the very beginning, then there is nothing to guess and nothing to choose.”
So, great writer emphasizes that the choice of questions and problems determines the overall content of the work and the perspective of their consideration - the writer’s interest in certain phenomena of reality.
Issues work of art directly related to the author's intention. It can be reflected “directly” when the problems of interest to the artist are revealed in the text, regardless of figurative system works.
This is the problem of confronting totalitarianism in J. Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984,” where the author directly postulates his attitude to the problem in the diary entries of the main character.
Open problematic nature most often manifests itself in the genres of satire, science fiction, dystopia, in civil lyrics. Journalism is also directly problematic. Usually, the artist does not seek to express his idea directly, but does it indirectly, through a figurative depiction of characters, objects and phenomena that attracted his attention.
For example, in the drama “Masquerade” the problem of matching appearance and inner world person is staged by M. Yu. Lermontov by referring to the image of a masquerade ball typical of secular life, where instead human faces- masks, “decently pulled masks.” Behind this “apparent” correctness is a soulless essence.
Masks play their roles, become familiar even outside the masquerade action, and replace a person. If in this world, covered with a mask of “secular decency”, a person appears who does not play by the “rules”, then in his actions one sees a “mask”, and not living face. This is what happens to the main character, Arbenin.
One of the final scenes drama, in which one of the characters friendly addresses Arbenin, who is mourning Nina who was poisoned by him: “Come on, brother, take off your disguise, // Don’t lower your gaze so important. // After all, it’s good with people, // For the public, - and you and I are actors.” This is just one of the problematic layers of the play, developed with the help of an emphasis on the key image.
The problem may occur on different levels works. Most often it is expressed in the depiction of characters, in artistic conflict. Yes, two different life positions, two special characters are contrasted in A. S. Pushkin’s tragedy “Mozart and Salieri”. What is true genius?
The question that contains the problem of the work finds resolution in the conflict of the tragedy. The author, with the help of figurative depictions of characters, solves the problem posed. Comparing the life positions of the characters - Mozart, for whom art is cheerful creativity, the free flight of inspiration, and Salieri, “who trusted harmony with algebra,” the poet examines the problem from different angles and expresses his position in the dispute.
Along with this, the problematic may organically flow from the theme of the work. This happens in historical and artistic-historical prose, where the historical events reflected in the themes can also determine the problems depicted in the work.
For example, works of different genres written about the activities of Peter I are in one way or another connected with the depiction of the problems of Peter the Great’s time - the conflict of “new and traditional”, even if these contradictions play a subordinate role in the plot, as in the unfinished “Arap of Peter the Great” by A. S. Pushkin .
The problems of a literary work depend on many factors: historical events, social problems modernity, “ideas of the time,” even “literary fashion.”
But first of all, the choice of questions that interest the artist is determined by his worldview, his point of view on certain phenomena of reality. It is reflected in those author’s accents that constitute the problematic of a work of art.
This is precisely the reason for the fact that the same topics different writers receive different coverage from each other and, accordingly, works of the same topic have different problems.
For example, one of the social topics that worried society mid-19th century - nihilism - found its embodiment in the characters of the “new people” in the novel by N. G. Chernyshevsky “What is to be done?” and in the image of Bazarov in the work of I. S. Turgenev “Fathers and Sons”.
And if Chernyshevsky’s “new people” certainly represent the positive ideal of the author, their life is the answer to the question posed in the title of the novel, then Bazarov is a contradictory figure. Responding to K. Sluchevsky, Turgenev characterized his hero as follows: “I wanted to make him a tragic face...
He is honest, truthful and a democrat to the core... and if he is called a nihilist, then it should read: revolutionary... I dreamed of a gloomy, wild, large figure, half grown out of the soil, strong, angry, honest - and that’s all -doomed to death, because it still stands on the threshold of the future.”
Bazarov's nihilistic views are in conflict with life circumstances. Severe, cold-tempered man with an ironic mindset, mocking everything romantic, calling love “nonsense”, “unforgivable foolishness”, could not overcome the feeling of love within himself. “So know that I love you stupidly, madly,” he says to Anna Sergeevna. With these words, Bazarov admits that he is powerless to fight against natural human feelings, the suppression of which he considered necessary for the triumph of his convictions.
In vain did the hero fight the “romantic enemy”; the “beauties” he denied—nature, love, art—continued to exist. “Blow on the dying lamp and let it go out” - with this metaphor Turgenev puts an end to the life of a man who always hated beautiful phrase. The author brings to the fore the problem of true and false in nihilism, tests the strength of the ideas that worried the public consciousness.
Thus, for Chernyshevsky, the question of “what to do” has been resolved unambiguously—it is “new people” that Russia needs. Their activities will bring closer the “bright future” from Vera Pavlovna’s dream. Turgenev’s accent is different: “Father will tell you that this is what kind of person Russia is losing... this is nonsense... Russia needs me... no, apparently, I don’t. And who is needed? - says Bazarov in his dying minutes.
Thus, the similar themes of the two works are represented by different problems, which are primarily due to the difference in the author’s worldviews. However, this was not always the case in literature.
Problematicism as a quality of works of art historically appeared quite late, since it is directly related to the fact that any issue, object, phenomenon can be interpreted in different ways.
Thus, there were no problems in the literary archaism, ancient epic, where all issues are initially resolved by collective creative consciousness. The picture of the world captured in heroic epic, harmonious and motionless.
Literary archaism developed within the framework of a legend in which everything is known and predetermined, since mythological consciousness does not allow “discrepancies.” The same in folklore genres, for example, in fairy tale, the behavior of the characters is determined by the plot, the roles of the characters are defined and static.
In medieval art and literature of the 17th-18th centuries, individual authorial creativity was limited by various rules.
Such literary works, written according to certain canons, genre, stylistic and plot, already contain some limited problems, since within the framework of the canon it has become possible to offer a new, author’s interpretation of already known material - this kind of formulation of problems can be observed, for example, in the literature of classicism . Such problems cannot be called independent, since the range of problems was limited and their interpretation did not allow deviations from the canons.
For example, the center of many classic tragedies was the problem of choosing between personal feelings and public duty. The conflict is built on this confrontation. Let us turn to the tragedy of A.P. Sumarokov “Horev” (1747). Osnelda, daughter of the deposed and deprived of power Prince of Kyiv Zavlokha is captured by the winner, the new Prince Kiy.
Osnelda loves Kiy's brother, Khorev, and is loved by him. Osnelda’s father, Zavlokh, stands under the walls of Kyiv with an army and demands the release of his daughter, without claiming the throne and power taken from him. However, Kiy suspects Zavlokh of an attempt on his power and forces Khorev, his commander, to march against Zavlokh with an army.
Thus, Horev finds himself in a hopeless situation: he must not disobey his brother and ruler, and he cannot harm the father of his beloved: a sense of duty and love come into conflict.
Osnelda asks her father for permission to marry Khorev, hoping to resolve the conflict. However, Zavlokh forbids his daughter to love Khorev, and she also ends up in hopeless situation: She must obey her father, but cannot give up her love. It seems that heroes may prefer their love to duty - obedience to their father and ruler.
But the choice is imaginary - the canon of tragedy prescribes preference for reasonable public duty. And ethically impeccable lovers consider unconditional devotion to their public duty a matter of honor:
OSNELD: If you love me, then you love my honor...
Break up with me, since the fate of love interferes.
KHOREV: You now order me to destroy my name
Or can you then love a traitor?
Thus, the choice is predetermined, the position of the characters remains unchanged throughout the entire action. And the problems high tragedy limited by the genre canon, although it may vary somewhat depending on the choice of plot basis and theme of the work.
The independent value of literary issues became obvious with the strengthening of the individual author's principle in literature, its liberation from the canonical preconditions. This is especially true realistic literature XIX-XX centuries.
Here it became possible to freely express one’s attitude towards the subject of the image, different interpretations one and the same. M. M. Bakhtin believed that with the development of the novel genre and the spread of its influence to others literary genres is associated with the strengthening of problematicity as one of the categories of content: “the novel introduces into them (genres. - E.V.) problematic, specific semantic incompleteness and living contact with unfinished, becoming modernity (unfinished present).”
Thus, the problematic becomes one of the leading facets of artistic content in works where the author is free to choose those issues that are the subject of artistic comprehension.
Due to this, some modern genres, gravitating towards the clichéd™ and canonicity, especially in popular literature, rarely contain deep and significant problems. The more versatile the characters, situations, and conflicts depicted in a work, the more multifaceted and deeper author's position, the more interesting and important the problem.
For example, in an adventure novel, where the given plot outline and “types of characters”, the formulation of any problems is not the primary task of the writer - the plot itself is important, and the ideological and aesthetic content is less significant. The reader of the detective story is captivated by the development of the action, which is based on the solution of a mysterious crime.
The question of who the criminal is, of course, does not have the problematic quality discussed above. It is also determined by the detective genre. Here is both the plot and functions characters determined by the canon, even the author's position can be subordinated to the genre scheme.
Introduction to literary criticism (N.L. Vershinina, E.V. Volkova, A.A. Ilyushin, etc.) / Ed. L.M. Krupchanov. - M, 2005
The main character of a brilliant novel F.M. Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment” Rodion Raskolnikov asks the question: is it permissible to commit a small evil for the sake of a great good, does a noble goal justify a criminal means? The author portrays him as a magnanimous dreamer, a humanist, eager to make all humanity happy, who comes to the realization of his own powerlessness in the face of world evil and in despair decides to “transgress” the moral law - to kill out of love for humanity, to commit evil for the sake of good. However, a normal person, which the hero of the novel undoubtedly is, is alien to bloodshed and murder. To understand this, Raskolnikov had to go through all the circles of moral hell and visit hard labor. Only at the end of the novel do we see that the hero realizes the absurdity of his crazy idea and finds peace of mind.
In contrast to the doubting and rushing Raskolnikov, Dostoevsky paints in his novel the image of Svidrigailov, a man who does not think about the means of achieving his goals. Sinking into the abyss of depravity, losing faith, Svidrigailov commits suicide, thereby showing the dead end of Raskolnikov's theory.
Based on a true story, the novel by the American writer T. Dreiser “An American Tragedy” tells the story of the fate of an ambitious young manClyde Griffiths, who dreams of breaking out of the confines of his environment, quickly and persistently walking up the steps of his career, upward to the world of money and luxury. Having seduced an honest girl and being confident in his love for her, the hero soon realizes that this connection is the main obstacle on the way to high society. A classic love triangle is formed, the third “angle” of which is a girl from high society, opening up all sorts of ways for Clyde to gain material wealth. Unable to resist such a temptation, the young man carefully considers the possibility of getting rid of his first love, which interferes not only with his ambitious plans, but also simply interferes with living for his own pleasure. This is how a crime is committed - thoughtful, seriously prepared and cowardly. After the girl's death, the police trace Clyde and accuse him of premeditated murder. The jury sentences him to death and Clyde spends the rest of his life in prison." In the end, he confesses and admits his guilt. He is executed in the electric chair.
A good, kind, talented person, Ilya Oblomov, was unable to overcome himself, his laziness and promiscuity, and did not reveal his best traits. The absence of a high goal in life leads to moral death. Even love could not save Oblomov.
In his late novel The Razor's Edge, W.S. Maughamdepicts the life path of a young American Larry, who spent half his life reading books, and the other half in travel, work, search and self-improvement. His image stands out clearly against the background of young people of his circle, wasting their lives and extraordinary abilities on fulfilling fleeting whims, on entertainment, on a carefree existence in luxury and idleness. Larry chose his own path and, not paying attention to the misunderstanding and reproach of loved ones, sought the meaning of life in hardships, wanderings and wanderings around the world. He devoted himself entirely to the spiritual principle in order to achieve enlightenment of the mind, purification of the spirit, and discover the meaning of the universe.
The main character of the novel of the same name by the American writer Jack London, Martin Eden, a working guy, a sailor, coming from the lower classes, about 21 years old, meets Ruth Morse, a girl from a wealthy bourgeois family. Ruth begins to teach the semi-literate Martin the correct pronunciation of English words and awakens his interest in literature. Martin learns that magazines pay decent fees to the authors who publish in them, and firmly decides to make a career as a writer, earn money and become worthy of his new acquaintance, with whom he has fallen in love. Martin is putting together a self-improvement program, working on his language and pronunciation, and reading a lot of books. Iron health and unbending will move him towards his goal. In the end, after going through a long and thorny path, after numerous refusals and disappointments, he becomes a famous writer. (Then he becomes disillusioned with literature, his beloved, people in general and life, loses interest in everything and commits suicide. This is just in case. An argument in favor of the fact that fulfilling a dream does not always bring happiness)
If a shark stops moving its fins, it will sink to the bottom like a stone; a bird, if it stops flapping its wings, will fall to the ground. Likewise, a person, if his aspirations, desires, goals fade away, will collapse to the bottom of life, he will be sucked into the thick quagmire of gray everyday life. A river that stops flowing turns into a stinking swamp. Likewise, a person who stops searching, thinking, striving, loses the “beautiful impulses of his soul”, gradually degrades, his life becomes aimless, miserable vegetation.
I. Bunin in the story “The Gentleman from San Francisco” showed the fate of a man who served false values. Wealth was his god, and this god he worshiped. But when the American millionaire died, it turned out that true happiness passed the man by: he died without ever knowing what life was.
The novel by the famous English writer W. S. Maugham, “The Burden of Human Passions,” touches on one of the most important and burning questions for every person - is there meaning in life, and if so, what is it? The main character of the work, Philip Carey, painfully searches for the answer to this question: in books, in art, in love, in the judgments of friends. One of them, the cynic and materialist Cronshaw, advises him to look at Persian carpets and refuses further explanation. Only years later, having lost almost all his illusions and hopes for the future, Philip understands what he meant and admits that “life has no meaning, and human existence is purposeless. Knowing that nothing makes sense and nothing matters, a person can still find satisfaction in choosing the various threads that he weaves into the endless fabric of life. There is one pattern - the simplest and most beautiful: a person is born, matures, gets married, gives birth to children, works for a piece of bread and dies; but there are other, more intricate and amazing patterns, where there is no place for happiness or the desire for success - perhaps some kind of disturbing beauty is hidden in them.”