Personality formation begins in early childhood. It is at this time that the basic moral principles are laid, the norms of communication and cultural characteristics are learned, which will guide the adult for the rest of his life. The way a person’s character is formed in childhood is greatly influenced by his environment. Children form ideas about ways of communicating with other people and attitudes towards their own “I”, focusing on their loved ones and copying parental behavior patterns.
Where happy adults grow up
Happy adults grow up to be happy families. That is why it is so important that the child feels the joy of childhood and receives enough love and attention from his relatives. The feeling of security, being needed, and the constant care of mom and dad affect the baby’s cognitive abilities, helping his personality develop harmoniously. The problem of the role of childhood in a person’s life and arguments in favor of the special influence of this period on success in adult life can be found in the works of famous psychologists: Carl Gustav Jung, Sigmund Freud,
Emotional development in early childhood is reflected in the ability to withstand stress, negative influences in the future, helps to learn to adequately assess different people and be able to communicate with them. Based on his own and parental experience, the baby receives the concept of good and bad, forms an idea of family values. Growing up, happy children turn into successful and satisfied people who are able to take responsibility for their actions.
Problems of adults with difficult childhoods
What happens to children who had a difficult childhood? If a mother and father are not involved in the upbringing and development of their child, do not pay due attention to each other and constantly quarrel, an adult who grows up in such an environment develops distorted ideas about family values. They consider their behavior to be the only and natural norm. Due to the psychological phenomenon of “contagiousness of emotions,” if parents are torn between family and work, and are in a constant depressed and gloomy mood at home, children “adopt” their state and begin to feel the same.
Often children who have experienced abuse from relatives, growing up, begin to “raise” their own children in the same way, without knowing any other attitude. Some psychologists believe it is caused by an unconscious desire to put oneself in the place of the aggressor, so as to no longer be a defenseless victim.
How childhood difficulties affect character
People whose childhood was not happy often have many psychological problems preventing them from living life to the fullest. These problems force them to take inappropriate actions that are harmful to themselves and others. If the parents did not take care of the child and did not instill moral guidelines, the adult will not have a clear value system. He will not feel remorse when committing " bad deed” and will not receive satisfaction from a good deed.
Of course, a “difficult childhood” is not a death sentence. A child deprived of the love and attention of his parents does not necessarily grow up to be a criminal. But it is much more difficult for such people to understand their desires and motives; they often underestimate themselves and constantly feel unhappy, unworthy of a good relationship.
A book to help a child during a difficult period
Disbelief in one's own attractiveness forms such unpleasant character traits as deceit, greed, and hypocrisy. Children who grew up without any care or with only one parent may envy the “lucky children” from complete families. They do not know how to communicate and have difficulty making friends.
On the other hand, the ability to overcome difficulties can have a positive impact on future life child. Those who are used to coping with difficulties, defend their point of view and learn to build relationships on their own often become successful in adulthood. Literary works can help children overcome difficult periods and understand complex moral issues and the actions of other people.
Discussion of the role of childhood in literature lessons
The behavior of book characters, the experiences associated with them, make it possible to feel in the place of another, to understand the motives of the actions of different people. Trying on all sorts of roles, the baby gets acquainted with a variety of moral systems, forms one’s own values and personality. By talking through experiences and feelings associated with a particular character, a parent contributes to the emotional development of his child, teaching him to be kind, caring, and attentive to the needs of other people.
Children can discuss the problem of the role of childhood in a person’s life, arguments in favor of the influence of early years on the development of personality at school during literature lessons. This question is raised in many classical works. The topic for the essay “The role of childhood in human life” appears on the Unified State Examination. To receive a high grade, students need to formulate their own point of view on the problem and justify it using their knowledge, personal experience and arguments from several literary works.
The role of childhood in A. S. Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin”
To explore the topic of education as a way of personality formation, it is worth paying attention to A. S. Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin.” Main character- a nobleman, he has been surrounded by the culture and life of the capital since childhood. Onegin's personality is extraordinary, therefore he does not feel satisfaction from social life, although he was brought up among the noble intelligentsia. This contradictory state manifests itself in the episode of the duel with Lensky, which leads the main character to the loss of the meaning of life.
Tatyana Larina, the heroine of the novel by A. S. Pushkin, received a completely different upbringing. Her personality was influenced by Russian culture and Western novels. Folk traditions she absorbed it through her environment, thanks to the fairy tales and legends that the nanny told little Tanya. The heroine's childhood was spent among the beauties of Russian nature and folk rituals. The influence of the West reflects Pushkin’s ideal of education: the combination of European education with national traditions Russia. That is why Tatyana stands out for her strong moral principles and strong character, which distinguishes her from the other heroes of the novel “Eugene Onegin”.
The question of the influence of education on character in L. N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”
It is recommended that schoolchildren take one of the works of L.N. Tolstoy as an example for an essay. In the novel “War and Peace,” Peter Rostov, who inherited kindness and openness from his parents, shows best qualities in his first and only battle, right before his death. Other heroes of the epic, Helen and Anatole Kuragin, who did not know the love of their parents and were raised in a family where money was valued above all else, grow up to be selfish and immoral people.
Goncharov: the problem of the role of childhood in human life, arguments. "Oblomov"
Writer I. A. Goncharov in the novel “Oblomov” focuses on the problem of the role of childhood in human life. The main character of the work, Ilya Oblomov, does not know how to take care of himself at all, since he grew up in “greenhouse conditions.” He does not follow through with any of his decisions and does not even try to start doing something, but only mentally imagines how good it will be in the end. His friend, the energetic and active Stolz, was taught by his parents to be independent from childhood. This hero is disciplined, hardworking and knows what he wants.
Childhood impressions in V. Soloukhin’s work “The Third Hunt”
In a literature lesson, a teacher may suggest analyzing an excerpt from the collection of the Soviet writer V. Soloukhin “The Third Hunt” in order to help students understand the problem of the role of childhood in human life. The arguments in Soloukhin’s text concern not only the formation of personality, but also the influence of childhood impressions on the fate of an adult, his connection with the Motherland. He colorfully illustrates his thoughts with detailed metaphors related to nature and sketches from the lives of Russian poets. The author argues that the foundation of personality is laid in childhood, and the memories and impressions of youth are always reflected in the future.
Education of the nobility in “Nedorosl” by D. I. Fonvizin
The famous comedy by D. I. Fonvizin “The Minor” is also devoted to the problem of the role of childhood in human life. The author's arguments and reflections show the strong influence his family has on a child's personality. The main character, Mitrofanushka, whose name has become a household name, adopts greed, cruelty and other vices of his mother. He received slavish tendencies from his serf nanny and tyrant qualities from his own parents, which is reflected in his behavior and treatment of people. The image of Mitrofan indicates the decline of noble society caused by improper upbringing.
The problem of the role of childhood in human life: arguments from the literature of foreign writers
The works of Charles Dickens, where the main characters are often people with difficult childhoods, are perfect for illustrating the problem of influence youth on personality formation. In the novel “David Copperfield,” which is largely autobiographical, the writer portrays a man who remained good despite the constant humiliation, difficulties and injustice of life. Little David is constantly being helped ordinary people, which allows him to maintain faith in their sincerity. The boy himself learns to distinguish good from evil and to adequately evaluate himself. He has the ability to see positive traits in every person.
Margaret Drabble's novel One Summer Season shows that childhood is not just a period limited to a certain age, it is also associated with psychological maturity. An adult is responsible for his decisions and actions, he understands the importance of mutual assistance and has worldly wisdom.
The role of childhood: arguments from journalism
Journalism also often addresses the problem of the role of childhood in a person’s life. Arguments for an essay on this topic can be taken from the article by A. Zamostyanov “Childhood and youth in the fate of Suvorov.” In his work, the author says that the commander’s personality was strongly influenced by his mother’s stories about the famous military leaders of the past: Alexander the Great and Alexander Nevsky. The parent accompanied her story with the comment that a person’s strength is in the head, not in the hands. It was after similar stories this sickly boy began to develop and strengthen himself because he wanted to become a military man.
The period of childhood is very important for the full and harmonious development of the individual. It is the basis for an adequate perception of oneself and one’s strengths, the world around and further happy life person.
Topic: "Childhood"Alyosha Peshkov, who was left without parents at an early age, lives in the family of his grandfather Kashirin along with numerous relatives - the families of his grandfather’s two sons. Grandfather and grandmother and all other relatives had a huge influence on his fate, each in their own way laid the foundations of his character and worldview.
Life in his grandfather’s house was difficult, there was not always contentment in it, there were times when Alyosha had to wear someone’s old clothes and there was no money to buy books for school.
But if only there were material problems in the house. Cruelty, rudeness, and disrespect for each other reigned in the family. Grandfather often beat grandmother, uncles always quarreled over inheritance, even among cousins there was enmity. How could a child grow up in such an atmosphere?
And how many deaths did the boy have to endure! His parents, Gypsy, whom he loved so much, and his brothers died before his eyes. It’s difficult for an adult to survive all this, let alone a child. And childhood itself ended very early: after the death of his mother, his grandfather sent Alyosha “to the people,” that is, to work with people.
And yet the boy did not become embittered, did not harbor a grudge. He grew up to be an open, kind and sensitive person. Even in this house, where there was so much hostility, he found something that made him happy: communication with people dear to him. And this was his grandmother, and Gypsy, and Good Deed. They brightened up the bleak days.
How much warmth there was in the attitude of his grandmother, Akulina Ivanovna, this amazingly kind and morally pure woman. Thanks largely to her, Alyosha became sensitive and attentive, loving beauty, folk art, she taught him to see the beauty of life. Grandma was for Alyosha “the closest to my heart, the most understandable and dear person.”
Good Deed attracted Alyosha with his education, his erudition, and his difference from the others. He aroused in the boy a desire to learn and explore the world. But even "lead abominations" tempered the character of the hero, making him stronger.
Alyosha also really liked the foundling orphan Gypsy, kind, cheerful, cheerful. How many fun minutes they spent together! How tragic is the fate of Gypsy - he died, suffered a strain while carrying the cross.
Alyosha is also drawn to the blind master Grigory Ivanovich, who lost his sight while working for his grandfather.
How important it is that in childhood, when character is being formed, the child meets good, real people. After all, it is at this age that the foundations of a future adult personality are laid, the values that a person will follow throughout his life.
There were such people in Alyosha’s childhood. An atmosphere of love and respect reigned between Alyosha’s parents; it’s a pity that they both died so early.
“As a child, I imagine myself as a beehive, where various simple, gray people carried, like bees, the honey of their knowledge and thoughts about life, generously enriching my soul, whoever could. Often this honey was dirty and bitter, but all knowledge is still honey.”
- Events that occurred in childhood awaken new aspirations in a person
- A person’s adult life is largely determined by what he learned as a child.
- People remember moments from childhood throughout their lives as the happiest.
- A difficult childhood may not break a person, but make him much stronger
- The love with which a child is surrounded is not always for his benefit.
- Childhood is a preparation for adulthood, because already in childhood a person begins to form moral values
Arguments
I.A. Goncharov "Oblomov". Since childhood, Ilya Ilyich Oblomov was surrounded by love, care and tenderness. His parents did not bother themselves too much with household chores, thinking more about delicious food and preferring the obligatory afternoon nap. The whole family caressed Ilyusha, the only child in the family, so he grew up dependent: everything that was possible was done for him by servants and parents. Oblomov’s childhood could not but affect his future: Ilya Ilyich’s values have not changed over the years. And Oblomovka, his native village, and remained a symbol of the ideal life for the hero.
L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace". Children from the Rostov family grew up in an atmosphere of love and care. They were not afraid to express their emotions, they learned from their parents sincerity, honesty and openness to people. A cloudless childhood made the heroes not lazy and idle, but kind and sympathetic people with a sensitive heart. Petya Rostov, having absorbed the best qualities of his parents, realizes his positive character traits in adulthood. He cannot remain indifferent when he learns that war is starting. The childhood of Prince Andrei and Princess Marya cannot be called cloudless: their father was always strict and sometimes rude to them. But the high moral values instilled by their father in childhood became decisive in the adult lives of the heroes. Andrei and Marya Bolkonsky grew up to be true patriots, fair and honest people.
M. Gorky “Childhood”. The fate of Alyosha Peshkov was not easy. By the time he started school, his family was so poor that the child was forced to earn his own living. After some time, Alyosha, on the instructions of his grandfather, had to go “into the people”, that is, leave home to earn money. But the misfortunes did not end there: those close to him began to die one after another, and the boy’s peers did not like him at all. And although Alyosha Peshkov had a difficult childhood, he developed the most important things for a person internal qualities: kindness, ability to compassion, sensitivity. Difficult life circumstances did not take away from him the most important thing that makes a person valuable.
Y. Yakovlev “He killed my dog.” Even in childhood, an important personality quality is born in a person - the ability to sympathize with all living things. From the story we learn about Sashka, who decided to shelter a stray dog. Not a single adult supported the boy’s desire to help a living creature. The cruel father shot the animal at the first opportunity. Sashka was shocked. He decided that he would always protect abandoned animals when he became an adult. An incident that happened to the hero in childhood awakened in him the principles of his future life.
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….……..2
I. Children's literature…………………………………………………...….........2
II. Development of the theme of childhood in the works of Russian writers……………...5
II .1 “Childhood” by M. Gorky.……………………………………………………………….6
II .2 The theme of childhood in the works of I.S. Shmelev.…………………………...6
II .3 The theme of childhood in A.P. Platonov’s story “The Pit”……………….7
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………..9
Bibliography…………………………… ………………………………………….1 0
Introduction
Today the topic we have chosen is quite relevant. This is due to several reasons. Firstly, this topic has always interested writers, secondly, 2008 has been declared the year of the family in Russia, and thirdly, due to the unfavorable social situation in our country there are a lot of disadvantaged children. And what, if not literature, will attract attention and warn people: “Be careful, children!” The topic of childhood in literature is too voluminous to try to cover it in one work, so it seems logical to make a small generalization and specify the direction to which the study will be devoted. this work.
There is a lot to write about children's literature - books written specifically for and about children, as well as books that were written for adults but are considered children's.
The purpose of the research in this work will be children's literature as such and the motives of childhood in “adult” literature. The tasks facing us are the following:
Trace how this motif has transformed in literature.
Analyze what writers were thinking about when depicting children or a child’s childhood in their works.
Research methods we used:
Study of literary sources.
Comparative analysis of works.
Comparative analysis of the images of the heroes of the works.
The object of the study was the theme of childhood in literature, the subject was the works of M. Gorky, I. Shmelev and A. Platonov.
The work consists of an introduction, two chapters, a conclusion, and a bibliography.
I. Children's literature
Fairy tales by G. K. Andersen, “Alice in Wonderland” by L. Caroll, “ Caucasian prisoner"L.N. Tolstoy, "Prisoner of the Caucasus" by L.N. Tolstoy, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by M. Twain, almost all the novels of Jules Verne, stories and stories by A.P. Gaidar and many other works.
“Robinson Crusoe” by D. Defoe, “Gulliver’s Travels” by J. Swift, fairy tales by A.S. Pushkin, novels by V. Scott, F. Cooper, A. Dumas, “Childhood”, “Adolescence”, “Youth” by L.N. .Tolstoy, “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” by R.E. Raspe, “Kashtanka” by A.P. Chekhov, “ The Little Prince“A. de Saint-Exupéry, “The Gadfly” by E.L. Voynich, “How the Steel Was Tempered” by N.A. Ostrovsky were not written for children. But the sharpness of the plot, the richness of the plot, the nobility and moral purity of the heroes, their desire for perfection and dreams of the future attract the attention of both adults and young readers.
There are books for children that foster a love of nature. How can one not remember M.M. Prishvin, B.S. Zhitkov, V.V. Bianki? Their stories about nature and animals teach love and respect for the world around us.
And fairy tales and fantastic stories - most popular genre– not only in Russia. They teach goodness, justice, and expand the horizons of knowledge. Thanks to such literature, one can raise inquisitive scientists, fearless travelers, people who know how to dream and create.
Children's books became especially widespread during the Soviet Union. V.G. Belinsky also argued that children's books are written for education, and education is a great thing: it decides the fate of a person. And the book in the USSR was put at the service of raising a child - a person - a citizen.
Modern Russian children's literature did not grow out of nowhere. Its deep traditions should be sought first of all in the work of those great Russian writers for whom the children's theme was a reverent and heartfelt theme, a serious and indispensable theme, whose work in some important part of it has firmly entered into children's reading due to its specificity, simplicity and sincerity.
So, let's try to take a look at this entire fascinating world of children's literature. Here we can recall N.A. Nekrasov, L.N. Tolstoy, D.N. Mamin - Sibiryak, A.I. Kuprin, V.G. Korolenko and many others. The founders of Soviet children's literature were M. Gorky, K. Chukovsky, S. Ya. Marshak. They not only wrote for the children themselves, but also found talented “experienced people” and convinced them to devote their knowledge and abilities to the most difficult task of creating books for children. This is how the shipbuilder, sailor and pilot B.S. Zhitkov, and the biologist V.V. Bianki became the authors of wonderful children's books. Without taking off his overcoat that smelled of gunpowder, straight from the front civil war A.P. Gaidar came to children's literature. From school, the poetess A.L. Barto, pupils of the Leningrad school named after F.M. Dostoevsky, who glorified it as the “Republic of Shkid”, G. Belykh and L. Panteleev, were included in children's literature. Left his studies in mathematics to work in children's literature L.A. Kassil...
Many “adult” writers have enriched children’s literature with their works: “Three Fat Men” by Yu.K. Olesha, “The Lonely Sail Is White” by V.P. Kataev, “The Golden Key” and “Nikita’s Childhood” by A.N. Tolstoy, “Two Captains” » V.A. Kaverin, stories by M.M. Prishvin, M.M. Zoshchenko, A.P. Platonov, stories by S.T. Grigoriev.
Image positive hero is at the center of children's literature. In the books of Soviet writers, this is primarily a fighter for people's happiness, revolutionary. Reflecting the continuity of generations, the writers talked about how they courageously fought alongside their fathers young heroes Civil and Great Patriotic Wars. The image of a young fighter, an active and conscious participant was created social life. The books immortalized the exploits of young partisans, forever making friends with Gaidar’s Timur, with Tanya Sabaneeva from “The Wild Dog Dingo” by R. Fraerman, with Sima Krupitsyna from “The Great Confrontation” by L. Kassil, Sanya Grigoriev from “Two Captains” by V. Kaverin, Antoshka from the story “Girl in a Stormy Sea” by Z. Voskresenskaya, Yura and Gizi from the novel “Greetings from Werner” by Y. Korinets, Gavrik and Petya from “The Lonely Sail Whitens” by V. Kataev and Krosh A. Rybakov.
A children's book is a real treat for the reader. Contagious, vital laughter, like a ray of sunshine, permeates the works of N. Nosov, A. Aleksin, V. Dragunsky, Y. Sotnik, Y. Koval, L. Davydov. Humor, sometimes turning into irony, into caustic satirical ridicule - characteristic property many books by these talented writers. But humor, an entertaining plot, and verbal play in the book are not an end in themselves. Humor and entertainment, according to A. Aleksin, are sometimes the shortest distance between a serious problem and the consciousness of the reader. They serve humane ideas, and that is the power of children's literature. Poetry for the little ones is especially rich in humor, greeting the child as soon as he begins to master speech. Among the baby's first books are poetic fairy tales, funny reverse poems, counting rhymes, nursery rhymes, and lullabies. Even before they learn to read, the children already know by heart many poems by K. Chukovsky, S. Marshak, A. Barto, S. Mikhalkov, D. Kharms, V. Berestov, B. Zakhoder.
Children's prose is diverse. The children love “Old Man Hottabych” by L. Lagin, “The Adventures of Dunno” by N. Nosov, “Barankin, be a man!” V. Medvedeva, “In the Land of Eternal Vacations” by A. Aleksin, fairy tales by A. Volkov, E. Shvarts, E. Permyak. Stories, tales and novels about family, school, peaceful work, and the years of the Great Patriotic War are widely distributed. Patriotic War, addressed to children and youth, written by A.L. Panteleev, A. Aleksin, A. Rybakov, N. Bogdanov, R. Pogodin, V. Krapivin, S. Poletaev and other writers. There are books about modern army and about sports. The diverse interests of the children are met by the fantastic works of I. Efremov, V. Obruchev, A. Kazantsev, G. Adamov, A. Belyaev, K. Bulychev, brothers A. and B. Strugatsky.
Thanks to its humanism, thematic and artistic richness, Russian children's literature has high authority. She revealed to the world not only new book, but also new type children's writer: artist and teacher at the same time. He is not just a friend and protector of children, an exponent of their views, their attitude to reality. He is also a wise mentor, a senior comrade, a skillful educator of tomorrow's citizen.
II. Development of the theme of childhood in the works of Russian writers
The formation of children's literature as an aesthetic phenomenon proceeded in line with general literary development.
At the initial stage, children's literature took into account social inequality, but represented it abstractly: rich child - poor child. Charity was the only sphere of activity of the rich child: he was good because he did not do this or that, being obedient, and if he did something, it was only good. The sphere of manifestation of virtue for the poor child was wider. The poor child was often more noble and savvy than a noble child: she pulled the little nobleman out of the water, helped out in difficult times and was capable of subtle feelings.
In the process of development of children's literature, the traditional pair “virtuous - vicious” ceases to be mandatory and is replaced by another antithesis: “sensitive - cold”. This new understanding of the child, rooted in sentimentalism, strengthened in the era of romanticism and formed the basis of the romantic concept of childhood. Children's literature began to develop this concept, but already in the 40-50s of the 19th century, “big” literature also mastered it. Childhood is presented as a time of innocence and purity. "...Children are incomparably more moral than adults. They do not lie (until they are driven to it by fear), they get close to their peers, without asking whether he is rich or equal in origin... Yes, we must learn from children, in order to achieve a vision of true goodness and truth. Such is the poeticization of childhood in Russian classics: “Childhood” by L. N. Tolstoy, “Childhood of Bagrov the Grandson” by S. Aksakov. The family has always been a prototype in Russian literature. folk life: Pushkin's Grinevs, Turgenev's Kalitins, Tolstoy's Rostovs...
The 20th century made its own adjustments. The greatest social upheavals could not but affect literary works and their depiction of the theme of childhood. In these stories, novels, and novellas, a social approach to depicting the theme is already evident. The enormous influence of social order on a child’s life leaves its mark. Writers ask many questions and try, together with readers, to find answers to them (however, some problems, for example, the motif of the “tears of a child”, were also raised by writers of the 19th century, so even here you can see - in a sense - also a traditional approach).
II .1 “Childhood” by M. Gorky
Gorky’s story “Childhood” (1914) is already strikingly different from the story “Childhood Years of Bagrov the Grandson” by Aksakov S.T. and “Childhood” by L.N. Tolstoy.
The childhood depicted by Gorky is far from a wonderful period of life. This is not only the story of a child’s soul, but also Russian life in a certain era. Gorky's hero peers into this life, into the people around him, tries to understand the origins of evil and hostility, and reaches out to the bright.
Not in chronological order, the narrative moves consistently and calmly: the pictures drawn by the writer arise as a result of the most powerful impressions left in the child’s mind from collisions with reality. Knowing the characteristics of the child’s psyche, Gorky shows the dark and tragic in contrast with the bright and joyful, which makes the strongest impression on the child.
So, instead of the heavy impression from the paintings tragic death father comes a feeling of happiness from closeness with an extraordinary person– grandmother; the picture of the grandfather’s inhuman cruelty during the punishment of children is adjacent to the description of the grandfather’s intimate conversation with Alyosha; The inquisitorial entertainments of the uncles are contrasted with the kind and witty amusements of the Gypsy.
It is important to see the “close, stuffy circle terrible impressions” in which Alyosha lived in the Kashirin family, how the hero’s ideas about the morals of his own world expanded outside of his grandfather’s house. Alyosha was greatly influenced by those “ beautiful souls”, with whom he met in his grandfather’s house and in the surrounding world and who instilled “hope for rebirth ... to a bright, human life.” We can conclude that with his work Gorky is trying to instill love for the spiritually generous, persistent, talented Russian people.
II .2 The theme of childhood in the works of I.S. Shmelev
This thought turns the memory to I.S. Shmelev’s novel “The Summer of the Lord.” The writer himself recalled: “The early years gave me many impressions. I received them in the yard. People of every caliber and every social status appeared in our house.<…>There were a lot of words in our yard - all kinds. This was the first book I read - a book of living, lively and colorful words.<…>Here I felt love and respect for this people who could do anything.”
The question of the cost of social transformations (raised by writers of the XIX century) arises throughout Shmelev’s work. The loss of God in the souls of people is what frightens the author of the novel “The Summer of the Lord.” And the theme of childhood for him is a way out of a state of disbelief. She helps the writer come back to faith, to God.
Everything that is told in Shmelev’s autobiographical cycle (the novels “Bogomolye”, “Summer of the Lord” and the collection “Native”) is seen through the eyes of a seven-year-old boy Vanya, but behind him stands the writer Ivan Shmelev, who has already walked the path that his hero has yet to to come. Hence the connection of power artistic image(brightness, colorfulness, “material palpability” of reality - after all, the child is almost devoid of reflection, all his attention is directed to the world around us) with depth philosophical understanding depicted.
In the genre of autobiographical narration, Shmelev followed the tradition of Russian classical literature (“Childhood of Bagrov the Grandson” by S.T. Aksakov, “Childhood”, “Adolescence”, “Youth” by L.N. Tolstoy, “Childhood of Theme” by N.G. Garin -Mikhailovsky, “Nikita’s Childhood” by A.N. Tolstoy, “The Life of Arsenyev” by I.A. Bunin). I. A. Ilyin wonderfully said about Shmelev’s innovation, which not only distinguishes the novel among works of this genre, but also makes it unique in Russian literature: “Since the existence of Russian literature, for the first time the artist showed this wonderful meeting - world-sanctifying Orthodoxy with an open and responsive-tender child's soul. And we, the readers, see how lyric poem about this wonderful meeting grows, captures the entire life of the adult people and turns into an epic poem about Russia and the foundations of its spiritual existence... [Shmelev] shows us Orthodox Rus'– from the depths of the heart of a believing child.”
II .3 The theme of childhood in A.P. Platonov’s story “The Pit”
The story “The Pit” is in a sense an epoch-making work, capturing the most important areas of social transformation in the late 1920s and early 1930s. – industrialization and collectivization.
The story combines a social parable, philosophical grotesque, satire and lyricism.
We won't consider everything storylines, let’s take only one – connected with the girl Nastya.
What did the writer want to say by introducing this heroine into the plot of the work? To understand this, you need to remember the plot, albeit briefly. It's simple.
The digger foreman Chiklin finds and brings the orphan girl Nastya to the barracks where the workers live. Two workers from the brigade, at the direction of management, are sent to the village to help local activists carry out collectivization. There they die at the hands of unknown fists. Arriving in the village, Chiklin and his comrades carry out the “liquidation of the kulaks” to the end, rafting all the wealthy peasants of the village on a raft into the sea. After this, the workers return to the city, to the pit. Nastya, who fell ill, dies that night, and one of the walls of the pit becomes her grave.
The name Nastya in the context of the story is filled with deep meaning. WITH greek name Anastasia is translated as “resurrected” - the idea of the future resurrection of the dead permeates all the actions of the heroes of “The Pit”. Voshchev collects “all sorts of objects of misfortune and obscurity” into his bag in order to return to them in the future that meaning of universal existence, which they were never given the opportunity to know. “Recycling” for Voshchev is by no means garbage - when he explains to Nastya that the bear will also go to waste, he means the future spiritualization of his old mother: “I take care of the dust, but here is a poor creature!”
However, it is Nastya’s death – “resurrected” – that ends the story. Nastya really came back to life one day - Chiklin finds her in the room where her mother was dying; having walled up this room, Chiklin turned it into a crypt for the deceased. The tragic dissonance of Nastya’s name and fate is the logical result of the “common cause” of the mirage builders. The house remains not only unbuilt - it has become unnecessary, because after the death of Nastya, “the future of happy humanity,” there is no one to live in it. “Voshchev stood in bewilderment over this quiet child; he no longer knew where communism would be in the world now if it was not first present in a child’s feeling and convinced impression?” It is no coincidence that the names of Voshchev and Nastya are combined at the end of the story: hopes for the resurrection of meaning (truth) and life turned out to be in vain.
The theme of childhood in Platonov echoes the theme of childhood in classical literature. In Russian cultural and philosophical usage, the death of a child means the immorality of the world order and social order (remember Dostoevsky’s novel “The Brothers Karamazov”).
In the story “The Pit” a child also dies, for whom, in fact, everything was built. And this is a verdict on the utopian world of “The Pit”.
Consequently, Platonov deliberately introduces the theme of childhood into the thread of the narrative. It is she who helps the writer show the inconsistency of a radical change in the world.
Conclusion
We examined two huge sections of Russian literature related to childhood and children, displaying the theme of childhood both in children's literature and in literature that can be called “adult”.
Children's literature is focused on the development of personality and the depiction of this process in historical development states.
Classic Russian literature of the 20th century, like literature XIX century, introduces the theme of childhood, considering it from a philosophical and social perspective.
What conclusion can be drawn from this study?
The purest, most sincere, most spontaneous on Earth are children. They are the best that humanity has. For their sake, you need to live and trust your actions to people. In my opinion, this is exactly what they wanted to say with their works best writers XX century (and not only), turning to the theme of childhood.
Bibliography
Barakhov V.S. Literary portrait. – L.: Nauka, 1985
Gorky M. Childhood. In people. My universities. – M.: Fiction, 1970
Literary encyclopedic dictionary. – M.: Soviet encyclopedia, 1987
Platonov A.P. Favorites. M., 1989
Silhouettes: essays on Russians and Soviet writers/ ed. A.A. Likhanova - M: Pravda, 1986
Encyclopedic dictionary of a young literary critic. – M.: Pedagogy, 1988
In the speech of Dostoevsky’s hero Alyosha Karamazov there were words that I had not paid attention to before, but now I thought about them:
“Know that there is nothing higher, and stronger, and healthier, and more useful for life in the future, like some good memory, especially taken from childhood, from the parental home.
Composition
Very often, turning to the past affects a person’s state in the present. In this text D.A. Granin raises the problem of the role of childhood memories in a person’s life.
Analyzing this topic, the author draws our attention to the statement of one of the heroes of the novel F.M. Dostoevsky that “some good memory” from the parental home can be the best, strongest, healthy, useful reminiscence of a person. The writer draws our attention to the fact that with such a statement Alyosha Karamazov does not demand or preach - he is only trying to encourage all people to remember those moments “when they felt good.” Such memories must be morally formulated and understandable - in this case they can bring a lot of good and benefit to a person.
YES. Granin believes that childhood memories play an important role in a person’s perception of the world and his life in general - they bring happiness and self-satisfaction, in difficult, sad moments they help analyze one’s existence and fill it with meaning - thereby “obliging the soul.”
I completely agree with the author’s opinion and also believe that a person’s memories from his parents’ home, the renewed feeling that you were once good, can bring new colors to a person’s life, fill it with meaning and faith in one’s own happiness.
The problem of the role of childhood memories is raised in the novel “A Hero of Our Time” by M.Yu. Lermontov. The author approached this topic in a non-standard way and, using the example of Pechorin, showed that sometimes analysis own life, one’s actions from childhood can help explain to a person his condition in the present. In his own monologue, the hero refers to the period of his life when he himself was ready to “love the whole world” - to do good, love, make friends and be happy. Thanks to this, he realized that he could experience the same feelings as everyone else, he could not be lonely, he could do good deeds, and this, of course, kept a little warmth in his heart. But the fact is that during the same period he decided for himself that it would be easier and better for himself to close himself off from the whole world, to respond to its injustice with anger, to its ill will and hypocrisy - with cynicism and cruelty, and to perceive people and everything around him as game.
The analysis of childhood memories helped the hero of M. Gorky’s story “Childhood” in difficult moments of his life to realize that his existence is not as terrible as it seems, and each of us is capable of making our lives better. Alyosha learned from his grandmother selfless love, compassion, fearlessness and later, recalling the moments of manifestation of these feelings, the hero realized that he was capable of much - besides, he could give love without difficulty and with great happiness. Memories of childhood, of grandmother, of “ lead abominations“lives and those who brightened them up, helped M. Gorky write a wonderful story about his childhood, and this is probably the best thing that can be done under the influence of memories.
Thus, we can conclude that no matter what a person is, no matter what he experiences, no matter what he thinks about, memories from childhood can change his worldview, and if not make it better, then at least remind him of what once then there was good in his life.