The image of the “little man” in Russian literature
The very concept of “little man” appears in literature before the type of hero itself takes shape. At first, this was a designation for people of the third estate, which became of interest to writers due to the democratization of literature.
In the 19th century, the image of the “little man” became one of the cross-cutting themes of literature. The concept of “little man” was introduced by V.G. Belinsky in his 1840 article “Woe from Wit.” Originally it meant a “simple” person. With the development of psychologism in Russian literature, this image becomes more complex psychological picture and becomes the most popular character in democratic works of the second half XIX century.
Literary Encyclopedia:
“Little Man” is a number of diverse characters in Russian literature of the 19th century, united by common characteristics: low position in the social hierarchy, poverty, insecurity, which determines the peculiarities of their psychology and the plot role - victims of social injustice and a soulless state mechanism, often personified in the image "significant person" They are characterized by fear of life, humility, meekness, which, however, can be combined with a feeling of injustice of the existing order of things, with wounded pride and even a short-term rebellious impulse, which, as a rule, does not lead to a change in the current situation. The type of “little man”, discovered by A. S. Pushkin (“The Bronze Horseman”, “The Station Agent”) and N. V. Gogol (“The Overcoat”, “Notes of a Madman”), is creative and sometimes polemical in relation to tradition , rethought by F. M. Dostoevsky (Makar Devushkin, Golyadkin, Marmeladov), A. N. Ostrovsky (Balzaminov, Kuligin), A. P. Chekhov (Chervyakov from “The Death of an Official,” the hero of “Thick and Thin”), M. A. Bulgakov (Korotkov from “The Diaboliad”), M. M. Zoshchenko and other Russian writers of the 19-20 centuries.
“The little man” is a type of hero in literature, most often he is a poor, inconspicuous official occupying a small position, whose fate is tragic.
The theme of the “little man” is a “cross-cutting theme” of Russian literature. The appearance of this image is due to the Russian career ladder of fourteen steps, at the bottom of which petty officials, poorly educated, often single or burdened with families, worthy of human understanding, worked and suffered from poverty, lack of rights and insults, each with their own misfortune.
Little people are not rich, invisible, their fate is tragic, they are defenseless.
Pushkin "Station Warden". Samson Vyrin.
Hard worker. Weak person. He loses his daughter and is taken away by the rich hussar Minsky. Social conflict. Humiliated. Can't stand up for himself. Got drunk. Samson was lost in life.
One of the first to put forward the democratic theme of the “little man” in literature was Pushkin. In “Belkin’s Tales,” completed in 1830, the writer paints not only pictures of the life of the nobility and district (“The Young Lady-Peasant”), but also draws the readers’ attention to the fate of the “little man.”
The fate of the “little man” is shown here realistically for the first time, without sentimental tearfulness, without romantic exaggeration, shown as the result of certain historical conditions, injustice of social relations.
The plot of “The Station Agent” itself conveys a typical social conflict, a broad generalization of reality is expressed, revealed in an individual case tragic fate ordinary man Samson Vyrin.
There is a small post station somewhere at the crossroads of roads. Here live 14th grade official Samson Vyrin and his daughter Dunya - the only joy that brightens up the difficult life of a caretaker, full of shouts and curses from passers-by. But the hero of the story, Samson Vyrin, is quite happy and calm, he has long adapted to the conditions of service, his beautiful daughter Dunya helps him run a simple household. He dreams of simple human happiness, hoping to babysit his grandchildren and spend his old age with his family. But fate is preparing a difficult test for him. A passing hussar, Minsky, takes Dunya away without thinking about the consequences of his action.
The worst thing is that Dunya left with the hussar of her own free will. Having crossed the threshold of a new one, rich life, she abandoned her father. Samson Vyrin goes to St. Petersburg to “return the lost sheep,” but he is kicked out of Dunya’s house. The hussar "grabbed the old man by the collar with a strong hand and pushed him onto the stairs." Unhappy father! How can he compete with a rich hussar! In the end, he receives several banknotes for his daughter. “Tears welled up in his eyes again, tears of indignation! He squeezed the pieces of paper into a ball, threw them on the ground, stamped them with his heel and walked ... "
Vyrin was no longer able to fight. He “thought, waved his hand and decided to retreat.” Samson, after the loss of his beloved daughter, became lost in life, drank himself to death and died in longing for his daughter, grieving over her possible pitiful fate.
About people like him, Pushkin writes at the beginning of the story: “We will, however, be fair, we will try to enter into their position and, perhaps, we will begin to judge them much more leniently.”
The truth of life, sympathy for the “little man”, insulted at every step by bosses higher in rank and position - this is what we feel when reading the story. Pushkin cares about this “little man” who lives in grief and need. The story, which so realistically depicts the “little man,” is imbued with democracy and humanity.
Pushkin "The Bronze Horseman". Eugene
Evgeniy is a “little man.” The city played fatal role in fate. Loses his fiancée during a flood. All his dreams and hopes for happiness were lost. Lost my mind. In sick madness, the Nightmare challenges the “idol on a bronze horse”: the threat of death under the bronze hooves.
The image of Evgeniy embodies the idea of confrontation common man and states.
“The poor man was not afraid for himself.” "The blood boiled." “A flame ran through my heart,” “It’s for you!” Evgeny’s protest is an instant impulse, but stronger than Samson Vyrin’s.
The image of a shining, lively, lush city is replaced in the first part of the poem by a picture of a terrible, destructive flood, expressive images of a raging element over which man has no control. Among those whose lives were destroyed by the flood is Eugene, whose peaceful concerns the author speaks of at the beginning of the first part of the poem. Evgeny is an “ordinary man” (“little” man): he has neither money nor rank, “serves somewhere” and dreams of setting up a “humble and simple shelter” for himself in order to marry the girl he loves and go through life’s journey with her.
…Our hero
Lives in Kolomna, serves somewhere,
Avoids nobles...
He does not make great plans for the future; he is satisfied with a quiet, inconspicuous life.
What was he thinking about? About,
That he was poor, that he worked hard
He had to deliver to himself
Both independence and honor;
What could God add to him?
Mind and money.
The poem does not indicate the hero's surname or his age; nothing is said about Eugene's past, his appearance, or character traits. Having deprived Evgeny of individual characteristics, the author turns him into an ordinary, typical person from the crowd. However, in an extreme, critical situation, Eugene seems to awaken from a dream, and throws off the guise of a “nonentity” and opposes the “brass idol”. In a state of madness, he threatens the Bronze Horseman, considering the man who built the city on this ruinous place to be the culprit of his misfortune.
Pushkin looks at his heroes from the outside. They do not stand out for their intelligence or their position in society, but they are kind and decent people, and therefore worthy of respect and sympathy.
Conflict
Pushkin for the first time in Russian literature showed all the tragedy and intractability of the conflict between the state and state interests and the interests of the private individual.
Plot-wise, the poem is completed, the hero died, but the central conflict remained and was conveyed to the readers, unresolved and in reality itself, the antagonism of the “upper” and “lower”, the autocratic government and the dispossessed people remained. Symbolic victory Bronze Horseman over Eugene - a victory of strength, but not justice.
Gogol “The Overcoat” Akaki Akikievich Bashmachkin
"The Eternal Titular Advisor." Resignedly endures the ridicule of his colleagues, timid and lonely. Poor spiritual life. The author's irony and compassion. The image of a city that is scary for the hero. Social conflict: “little man” and the soulless representative of power “significant person”. The element of fantasy (ghost) is the motive of rebellion and retribution.
Gogol opens to the reader the world of “little people”, officials in his “Petersburg Tales”. The story “The Overcoat” is especially significant for revealing this topic; Gogol had a great influence on the further movement of Russian literature, “echoing” Dostoevsky in the works of its most diverse figures and Shchedrin to Bulgakov and Sholokhov. “We all came out of Gogol’s overcoat,” wrote Dostoevsky.
Akakiy Akakievich Bashmachkin - “eternal titular adviser.” He meekly endures the ridicule of his colleagues, he is timid and lonely. The senseless clerical work killed every living thought in him. His spiritual life is meager. He finds his only pleasure in copying papers. He lovingly wrote out the letters in a clean, even handwriting and completely immersed himself in his work, forgetting the insults caused to him by his colleagues, and the need, and worries about food and comfort. Even at home, he only thought that “God will send something to rewrite tomorrow.”
But the man in this downtrodden official also woke up when the goal of life appeared - a new overcoat. The development of the image is observed in the story. “He somehow became more lively, even stronger in character. Doubt and indecision naturally disappeared from his face and from his actions...” Bashmachkin does not part with his dream for a single day. He thinks about it like another person thinks about love, about family. So he orders himself a new overcoat, “...his existence has somehow become fuller...” The description of the life of Akaki Akakievich is permeated with irony, but there is also pity and sadness in it. Taking us into spiritual world of the hero, describing his feelings, thoughts, dreams, joys and sorrows, the author makes it clear what happiness the acquisition of the overcoat was for Bashmachkin and what a disaster its loss turns into.
Did not have happier person than Akaki Akakievich, when the tailor brought him an overcoat. But his joy was short-lived. When he was returning home at night, he was robbed. And none of those around him takes part in his fate. In vain did Bashmachkin seek help from a “significant person.” He was even accused of rebelling against his superiors and “higher ones.” The upset Akaki Akakievich catches a cold and dies.
In the finale, a small, timid person, driven to despair by the world of the powerful, protests against this world. Dying, he “blasphemes” and utters the most terrible words that follow the words “your excellency.” It was a riot, albeit in a dying delirium.
It is not because of the overcoat that the “little man” dies. He becomes a victim of bureaucratic “inhumanity” and “ferocious rudeness,” which, as Gogol argued, lurks under the guise of “refined, educated secularism.” This is the deepest meaning of the story.
The theme of rebellion finds expression in the fantastic image of a ghost that appears on the streets of St. Petersburg after the death of Akaki Akakievich and takes off the overcoats of the offenders.
N.V. Gogol, who in his story “The Overcoat” for the first time shows the spiritual stinginess and squalor of poor people, but also draws attention to the ability of the “little man” to rebel and for this purpose introduces elements of fantasy into his work.
N.V. Gogol deepens the social conflict: the writer showed not only the life of the “little man”, but also his protest against injustice. Even if this “rebellion” is timid, almost fantastic, the hero stands for his rights, against the foundations of the existing order.
Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment” Marmeladov
The writer himself noted: “We all came out of Gogol’s “Overcoat.”
Dostoevsky’s novel is imbued with the spirit of Gogol’s “The Overcoat” "Poor people And". This is a story about the fate of the same “little man”, crushed by grief, despair and social lack of rights. The correspondence of the poor official Makar Devushkin with Varenka, who has lost her parents and is being pursued by a pimp, reveals the deep drama of the lives of these people. Makar and Varenka are ready to endure any hardship for each other. Makar, living in extreme need, helps Varya. And Varya, having learned about Makar’s situation, comes to his aid. But the heroes of the novel are defenseless. Their rebellion is a “revolt on their knees.” Nobody can help them. Varya is taken away to certain death, and Makar is left alone with his grief. The lives of two are broken and crippled wonderful people, broken by cruel reality.
Dostoevsky reveals the deep and strong experiences of “little people”.
It is interesting to note that Makar Devushkin reads “The Station Agent” by Pushkin and “The Overcoat” by Gogol. He is sympathetic to Samson Vyrin and hostile to Bashmachkin. Probably because he sees his future in him.
About the fate of the “little man” Semyon Semyonovich Marmeladov was told by F.M. Dostoevsky on the pages of the novel "Crime and Punishment". One after another, the writer reveals to us pictures of hopeless poverty. Dostoevsky chose the dirtiest part of strictly St. Petersburg as the location for the action. Against the backdrop of this landscape, the life of the Marmeladov family unfolds before us.
If in Chekhov the characters are humiliated and do not realize their insignificance, then in Dostoevsky the drunken retired official fully understands his uselessness and uselessness. He is a drunkard, an insignificant person from his point of view, who wants to improve, but cannot. He understands that he has doomed his family, and especially his daughter, to suffering, he worries about this, despises himself, but cannot help himself. “To pity! Why pity me!” Marmeladov suddenly screamed, standing up with his hand outstretched... “Yes! There’s nothing to pity me for! Crucify me on the cross, not pity him! But crucify him, judge, crucify him, and, having crucified him, have pity on him!”
Dostoevsky creates the image of a real fallen man: Marmelad’s annoying sweetness, clumsy florid speech - the property of a beer tribune and a jester at the same time. Awareness of his baseness (“I am a born beast”) only strengthens his bravado. He is disgusting and pathetic at the same time, this drunkard Marmeladov with his florid speech and important bureaucratic bearing.
The mental state of this petty official is much more complex and subtle than that of his literary predecessors - Pushkin's Samson Vyrin and Gogol's Bashmachkin. They do not have the power of self-analysis that Dostoevsky's hero achieved. Marmeladov not only suffers, but also analyzes his state of mind, he, as a doctor, makes a merciless diagnosis of the disease - the degradation of his own personality. This is how he confesses in his first meeting with Raskolnikov: “Dear sir, poverty is not a vice, it is the truth. But...poverty is a vice - p. In poverty you still retain all the nobility of your innate feelings, but in poverty no one ever does... for in poverty I am the first to be ready to insult myself.”
A person not only dies from poverty, but understands how spiritually he is becoming empty: he begins to despise himself, but does not see anything around him to cling to that would keep him from the disintegration of his personality. The ending of Marmeladov's life is tragic: on the street he was run over by a dandy gentleman's carriage drawn by a pair of horses. Throwing himself at their feet, this man himself found the outcome of his life.
Under the writer's pen, Marmeladov becomes a tragic figure. Marmeladov’s cry - “after all, it is necessary that every person can go somewhere at least” - expresses the final degree of despair of a dehumanized person and reflects the essence of his life drama: there is nowhere to go and no one to go to.
In the novel, Raskolnikov has compassion for Marmeladov. The meeting with Marmeladov in the tavern, his feverish, delirious confession gave the main character of the novel, Raskolnikov, one of the last proofs of the correctness of the “Napoleonic idea.” But not only Raskolnikov has compassion for Marmeladov. “They’ve already felt sorry for me more than once,” Marmeladov says to Raskolnikov. The good general Ivan Afanasyevich took pity on him and accepted him into service again. But Marmeladov could not stand the test, started drinking again, drank away his entire salary, drank it all away and in return received a tattered tailcoat with a single button. Marmeladov in his behavior reached the point of losing the last human qualities. He is already so humiliated that he does not feel like a human being, but only dreams of being a human among people. Sonya Marmeladova understands this and forgives her father, who is able to help her neighbor and sympathize with someone who so needs compassion
Dostoevsky makes us feel sorry for those unworthy of pity, to feel compassion for those unworthy of compassion. “Compassion is the most important and, perhaps, the only law of human existence,” Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky believed.
Chekhov "Death of an Official", "Thick and Thin"
Later, Chekhov would draw a unique conclusion to the development of the theme; he doubted the virtues traditionally sung by Russian literature - the high moral virtues of the “little man” - a petty official. Voluntary groveling, self-abasement of the “little man” - this is the turn of the theme proposed by A.P. Chekhov. If Chekhov “exposed” something in people, then, first of all, their ability and willingness to be “small”. A person should not, does not dare, make himself “small” - this is Chekhov’s main idea in his interpretation of the theme of the “little man.” Summarizing all that has been said, we can conclude that the theme of the “little man” reveals the most important qualities of Russian literature XIX century - democracy and humanism.
Over time, the “little man,” deprived of his own dignity, “humiliated and insulted,” arouses not only compassion but also condemnation among progressive writers. “You live a boring life, gentlemen,” Chekhov said through his work to the “little man” who had come to terms with his situation. With subtle humor, the writer ridicules the death of Ivan Chervyakov, from whose lips the lackey “Yourness” has never left his lips.
In the same year as “The Death of an Official,” the story “Thick and Thin” appears. Chekhov again speaks out against philistinism, against lackeyness. The collegiate servant Porfiry giggles, “like a Chinese,” bowing obsequiously, upon meeting his ex-friend who has a high rank. The feeling of friendship that connected these two people has been forgotten.
Kuprin " Garnet bracelet". Zheltkov
In A.I. Kuprin’s “Garnet Bracelet” Zheltkov is a “little man”. Once again the hero belongs to the lower class. But he loves, and he loves in a way that many of us are not capable of. high society. Zheltkov fell in love with the girl and all his later life he loved only her alone. He understood that love is sublime feeling, this is a chance given to him by fate, and it should not be missed. His love is his life, his hope. Zheltkov commits suicide. But after the death of the hero, the woman realizes that no one loved her as much as he did. Kuprin's hero is a man of an extraordinary soul, capable of self-sacrifice, able to truly love, and such a gift is rare. Therefore, the “little man” Zheltkov appears as a figure towering above those around him.
Thus, the theme of the “little man” underwent significant changes in the work of writers. Drawing images of “little people”, writers usually emphasized their weak protest, downtroddenness, which subsequently leads the “little man” to degradation. But each of these heroes has something in life that helps him endure existence: Samson Vyrin has a daughter, the joy of life, Akaky Akakievich has an overcoat, Makar Devushkin and Varenka have their love and care for each other. Having lost this goal, they die, unable to survive the loss.
In conclusion, I would like to say that a person should not be small. In one of his letters to his sister, Chekhov exclaimed: “My God, how rich Russia is in good people!”
In XX century, the theme was developed in the images of the heroes I. Bunin, A. Kuprin, M. Gorky and even at the end XX century, you can find its reflection in the works of V. Shukshin, V. Rasputin and other writers.
The image of the “little man” in Russian literature
The very concept of “little man” appears in literature before the type of hero itself takes shape. At first, this was a designation for people of the third estate, which became of interest to writers due to the democratization of literature.
In the 19th century, the image of the “little man” became one of the cross-cutting themes of literature. The concept of “little man” was introduced by V.G. Belinsky in his 1840 article “Woe from Wit.” Originally it meant a “simple” person. With the development of psychologism in Russian literature, this image acquires a more complex psychological portrait and becomes the most popular character in democratic works of the second half XIX century.
Literary Encyclopedia:
“Little Man” is a number of diverse characters in Russian literature of the 19th century, united by common characteristics: low position in the social hierarchy, poverty, insecurity, which determines the peculiarities of their psychology and the plot role - victims of social injustice and a soulless state mechanism, often personified in the image "significant person" They are characterized by fear of life, humility, meekness, which, however, can be combined with a feeling of injustice of the existing order of things, with wounded pride and even a short-term rebellious impulse, which, as a rule, does not lead to a change in the current situation. The type of “little man”, discovered by A. S. Pushkin (“The Bronze Horseman”, “The Station Agent”) and N. V. Gogol (“The Overcoat”, “Notes of a Madman”), is creative and sometimes polemical in relation to tradition , rethought by F. M. Dostoevsky (Makar Devushkin, Golyadkin, Marmeladov), A. N. Ostrovsky (Balzaminov, Kuligin), A. P. Chekhov (Chervyakov from “The Death of an Official,” the hero of “Thick and Thin”), M. A. Bulgakov (Korotkov from “The Diaboliad”), M. M. Zoshchenko and other Russian writers of the 19-20 centuries.
“The little man” is a type of hero in literature, most often he is a poor, inconspicuous official occupying a small position, whose fate is tragic.
The theme of the “little man” is a “cross-cutting theme” of Russian literature. The appearance of this image is due to the Russian career ladder of fourteen steps, at the bottom of which petty officials, poorly educated, often single or burdened with families, worthy of human understanding, worked and suffered from poverty, lack of rights and insults, each with their own misfortune.
Little people are not rich, invisible, their fate is tragic, they are defenseless.
Pushkin "Station Warden". Samson Vyrin.
Hard worker. Weak person. He loses his daughter and is taken away by the rich hussar Minsky. Social conflict. Humiliated. Can't stand up for himself. Got drunk. Samson was lost in life.
One of the first to put forward the democratic theme of the “little man” in literature was Pushkin. In “Belkin’s Tales,” completed in 1830, the writer paints not only pictures of the life of the nobility and district (“The Young Lady-Peasant”), but also draws the readers’ attention to the fate of the “little man.”
The fate of the “little man” is shown here realistically for the first time, without sentimental tearfulness, without romantic exaggeration, shown as a result of certain historical conditions, the injustice of social relations.
The plot of “The Station Agent” itself conveys a typical social conflict and expresses a broad generalization of reality, revealed in the individual case of the tragic fate of an ordinary person, Samson Vyrin.
There is a small post station somewhere at the crossroads of roads. Here live 14th grade official Samson Vyrin and his daughter Dunya - the only joy that brightens up the difficult life of a caretaker, full of shouts and curses from passers-by. But the hero of the story, Samson Vyrin, is quite happy and calm, he has long adapted to the conditions of service, his beautiful daughter Dunya helps him run a simple household. He dreams of simple human happiness, hoping to babysit his grandchildren and spend his old age with his family. But fate is preparing a difficult test for him. A passing hussar, Minsky, takes Dunya away without thinking about the consequences of his action.
The worst thing is that Dunya left with the hussar of her own free will. Having crossed the threshold of a new, rich life, she abandoned her father. Samson Vyrin goes to St. Petersburg to “return the lost sheep,” but he is kicked out of Dunya’s house. The hussar "grabbed the old man by the collar with a strong hand and pushed him onto the stairs." Unhappy father! How can he compete with a rich hussar! In the end, he receives several banknotes for his daughter. “Tears welled up in his eyes again, tears of indignation! He squeezed the pieces of paper into a ball, threw them on the ground, stamped them with his heel and walked ... "
Vyrin was no longer able to fight. He “thought, waved his hand and decided to retreat.” Samson, after the loss of his beloved daughter, became lost in life, drank himself to death and died in longing for his daughter, grieving over her possible pitiful fate.
About people like him, Pushkin writes at the beginning of the story: “We will, however, be fair, we will try to enter into their position and, perhaps, we will begin to judge them much more leniently.”
The truth of life, sympathy for the “little man”, insulted at every step by bosses higher in rank and position - this is what we feel when reading the story. Pushkin cares about this “little man” who lives in grief and need. The story, which so realistically depicts the “little man,” is imbued with democracy and humanity.
Pushkin "The Bronze Horseman". Eugene
Evgeniy is a “little man.” The city played a fatal role in fate. Loses his fiancée during a flood. All his dreams and hopes for happiness were lost. Lost my mind. In sick madness, the Nightmare challenges the “idol on a bronze horse”: the threat of death under the bronze hooves.
The image of Evgeniy embodies the idea of confrontation between the common man and the state.
“The poor man was not afraid for himself.” "The blood boiled." “A flame ran through my heart,” “It’s for you!” Evgeny’s protest is an instant impulse, but stronger than Samson Vyrin’s.
The image of a shining, lively, lush city is replaced in the first part of the poem by a picture of a terrible, destructive flood, expressive images of a raging element over which man has no control. Among those whose lives were destroyed by the flood is Eugene, whose peaceful concerns the author speaks of at the beginning of the first part of the poem. Evgeny is an “ordinary man” (“little” man): he has neither money nor rank, “serves somewhere” and dreams of setting up a “humble and simple shelter” for himself in order to marry the girl he loves and go through life’s journey with her.
…Our hero
Lives in Kolomna, serves somewhere,
Avoids nobles...
He does not make great plans for the future; he is satisfied with a quiet, inconspicuous life.
What was he thinking about? About,
That he was poor, that he worked hard
He had to deliver to himself
Both independence and honor;
What could God add to him?
Mind and money.
The poem does not indicate the hero's surname or his age; nothing is said about Eugene's past, his appearance, or character traits. Having deprived Evgeny of individual characteristics, the author turns him into an ordinary, typical person from the crowd. However, in an extreme, critical situation, Eugene seems to awaken from a dream, and throws off the guise of a “nonentity” and opposes the “brass idol”. In a state of madness, he threatens the Bronze Horseman, considering the man who built the city on this ruinous place to be the culprit of his misfortune.
Pushkin looks at his heroes from the outside. They do not stand out for their intelligence or their position in society, but they are kind and decent people, and therefore worthy of respect and sympathy.
Conflict
Pushkin for the first time in Russian literature showed all the tragedy and intractability of the conflict between the state and state interests and the interests of the private individual.
Plot-wise, the poem is completed, the hero died, but the central conflict remained and was conveyed to the readers, unresolved and in reality itself, the antagonism of the “upper” and “lower”, the autocratic government and the dispossessed people remained. The symbolic victory of the Bronze Horseman over Eugene is a victory of strength, but not of justice.
Gogol “The Overcoat” Akaki Akikievich Bashmachkin
"The Eternal Titular Advisor." Resignedly endures the ridicule of his colleagues, timid and lonely. Poor spiritual life. The author's irony and compassion. The image of a city that is scary for the hero. Social conflict: “little man” and the soulless representative of power “significant person”. The element of fantasy (ghost) is the motive of rebellion and retribution.
Gogol opens to the reader the world of “little people”, officials in his “Petersburg Tales”. The story “The Overcoat” is especially significant for revealing this topic; Gogol had a great influence on the further movement of Russian literature, “echoing” Dostoevsky in the works of its most diverse figures and Shchedrin to Bulgakov and Sholokhov. “We all came out of Gogol’s overcoat,” wrote Dostoevsky.
Akakiy Akakievich Bashmachkin - “eternal titular adviser.” He meekly endures the ridicule of his colleagues, he is timid and lonely. The senseless clerical work killed every living thought in him. His spiritual life is meager. He finds his only pleasure in copying papers. He lovingly wrote out the letters in a clean, even handwriting and completely immersed himself in his work, forgetting the insults caused to him by his colleagues, and the need, and worries about food and comfort. Even at home, he only thought that “God will send something to rewrite tomorrow.”
But the man in this downtrodden official also woke up when the goal of life appeared - a new overcoat. The development of the image is observed in the story. “He somehow became more lively, even stronger in character. Doubt and indecision naturally disappeared from his face and from his actions...” Bashmachkin does not part with his dream for a single day. He thinks about it like another person thinks about love, about family. So he orders himself a new overcoat, “...his existence has somehow become fuller...” The description of the life of Akaki Akakievich is permeated with irony, but there is also pity and sadness in it. Introducing us into the spiritual world of the hero, describing his feelings, thoughts, dreams, joys and sorrows, the author makes it clear what a happiness it was for Bashmachkin to acquire an overcoat and what a disaster its loss turns into.
There was no happier person than Akaki Akakievich when the tailor brought him an overcoat. But his joy was short-lived. When he was returning home at night, he was robbed. And none of those around him takes part in his fate. In vain did Bashmachkin seek help from a “significant person.” He was even accused of rebelling against his superiors and “higher ones.” The upset Akaki Akakievich catches a cold and dies.
In the finale, a small, timid person, driven to despair by the world of the powerful, protests against this world. Dying, he “blasphemes” and utters the most terrible words that follow the words “your excellency.” It was a riot, albeit in a dying delirium.
It is not because of the overcoat that the “little man” dies. He becomes a victim of bureaucratic “inhumanity” and “ferocious rudeness,” which, as Gogol argued, lurks under the guise of “refined, educated secularism.” This is the deepest meaning of the story.
The theme of rebellion finds expression in the fantastic image of a ghost that appears on the streets of St. Petersburg after the death of Akaki Akakievich and takes off the overcoats of the offenders.
N.V. Gogol, who in his story “The Overcoat” for the first time shows the spiritual stinginess and squalor of poor people, but also draws attention to the ability of the “little man” to rebel and for this purpose introduces elements of fantasy into his work.
N.V. Gogol deepens the social conflict: the writer showed not only the life of the “little man”, but also his protest against injustice. Even if this “rebellion” is timid, almost fantastic, the hero stands for his rights, against the foundations of the existing order.
Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment” Marmeladov
The writer himself noted: “We all came out of Gogol’s “Overcoat.”
Dostoevsky’s novel is imbued with the spirit of Gogol’s “The Overcoat” "Poor people And". This is a story about the fate of the same “little man”, crushed by grief, despair and social lack of rights. The correspondence of the poor official Makar Devushkin with Varenka, who has lost her parents and is being pursued by a pimp, reveals the deep drama of the lives of these people. Makar and Varenka are ready to endure any hardship for each other. Makar, living in extreme need, helps Varya. And Varya, having learned about Makar’s situation, comes to his aid. But the heroes of the novel are defenseless. Their rebellion is a “revolt on their knees.” Nobody can help them. Varya is taken away to certain death, and Makar is left alone with his grief. The lives of two beautiful people are broken, crippled, shattered by cruel reality.
Dostoevsky reveals the deep and strong experiences of “little people”.
It is interesting to note that Makar Devushkin reads “The Station Agent” by Pushkin and “The Overcoat” by Gogol. He is sympathetic to Samson Vyrin and hostile to Bashmachkin. Probably because he sees his future in him.
F.M. told about the fate of the “little man” Semyon Semyonovich Marmeladov. Dostoevsky on the pages of the novel "Crime and Punishment". One after another, the writer reveals to us pictures of hopeless poverty. Dostoevsky chose the dirtiest part of strictly St. Petersburg as the location for the action. Against the backdrop of this landscape, the life of the Marmeladov family unfolds before us.
If in Chekhov the characters are humiliated and do not realize their insignificance, then in Dostoevsky the drunken retired official fully understands his uselessness and uselessness. He is a drunkard, an insignificant person from his point of view, who wants to improve, but cannot. He understands that he has doomed his family, and especially his daughter, to suffering, he worries about this, despises himself, but cannot help himself. “To pity! Why pity me!” Marmeladov suddenly screamed, standing up with his hand outstretched... “Yes! There’s nothing to pity me for! Crucify me on the cross, not pity him! But crucify him, judge, crucify him, and, having crucified him, have pity on him!”
Dostoevsky creates the image of a real fallen man: Marmelad’s annoying sweetness, clumsy florid speech - the property of a beer tribune and a jester at the same time. Awareness of his baseness (“I am a born beast”) only strengthens his bravado. He is disgusting and pathetic at the same time, this drunkard Marmeladov with his florid speech and important bureaucratic bearing.
The mental state of this petty official is much more complex and subtle than that of his literary predecessors - Pushkin's Samson Vyrin and Gogol's Bashmachkin. They do not have the power of self-analysis that Dostoevsky's hero achieved. Marmeladov not only suffers, but also analyzes his state of mind; as a doctor, he makes a merciless diagnosis of the disease - the degradation of his own personality. This is how he confesses in his first meeting with Raskolnikov: “Dear sir, poverty is not a vice, it is the truth. But...poverty is a vice - p. In poverty you still retain all the nobility of your innate feelings, but in poverty no one ever does... for in poverty I am the first to be ready to insult myself.”
A person not only dies from poverty, but understands how spiritually he is becoming empty: he begins to despise himself, but does not see anything around him to cling to that would keep him from the disintegration of his personality. The ending of Marmeladov's life is tragic: on the street he was run over by a dandy gentleman's carriage drawn by a pair of horses. Throwing himself at their feet, this man himself found the outcome of his life.
Under the writer's pen, Marmeladov becomes a tragic figure. Marmeladov’s cry - “after all, it is necessary that every person can go somewhere at least” - expresses the final degree of despair of a dehumanized person and reflects the essence of his life drama: there is nowhere to go and no one to go to.
In the novel, Raskolnikov has compassion for Marmeladov. The meeting with Marmeladov in the tavern, his feverish, delirious confession gave the main character of the novel, Raskolnikov, one of the last proofs of the correctness of the “Napoleonic idea.” But not only Raskolnikov has compassion for Marmeladov. “They’ve already felt sorry for me more than once,” Marmeladov says to Raskolnikov. The good general Ivan Afanasyevich took pity on him and accepted him into service again. But Marmeladov could not stand the test, started drinking again, drank away his entire salary, drank it all away and in return received a tattered tailcoat with a single button. Marmeladov in his behavior reached the point of losing his last human qualities. He is already so humiliated that he does not feel like a human being, but only dreams of being a human among people. Sonya Marmeladova understands this and forgives her father, who is able to help her neighbor and sympathize with someone who so needs compassion
Dostoevsky makes us feel sorry for those unworthy of pity, to feel compassion for those unworthy of compassion. “Compassion is the most important and, perhaps, the only law of human existence,” Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky believed.
Chekhov "Death of an Official", "Thick and Thin"
Later, Chekhov would draw a unique conclusion to the development of the theme; he doubted the virtues traditionally sung by Russian literature - the high moral virtues of the “little man” - a petty official. Voluntary groveling, self-abasement of the “little man” - this is the turn of the theme proposed by A.P. Chekhov. If Chekhov “exposed” something in people, then, first of all, their ability and willingness to be “small”. A person should not, does not dare, make himself “small” - this is Chekhov’s main idea in his interpretation of the theme of the “little man.” Summarizing all that has been said, we can conclude that the theme of the “little man” reveals the most important qualities of Russian literature XIX century - democracy and humanism.
Over time, the “little man,” deprived of his own dignity, “humiliated and insulted,” arouses not only compassion but also condemnation among progressive writers. “You live a boring life, gentlemen,” Chekhov said through his work to the “little man” who had come to terms with his situation. With subtle humor, the writer ridicules the death of Ivan Chervyakov, from whose lips the lackey “Yourness” has never left his lips.
In the same year as “The Death of an Official,” the story “Thick and Thin” appears. Chekhov again speaks out against philistinism, against lackeyness. The collegiate servant Porfiry giggles, “like a Chinese,” bowing obsequiously, when he meets his former friend, who has a high rank. The feeling of friendship that connected these two people has been forgotten.
Kuprin “Garnet Bracelet”. Zheltkov
In A.I. Kuprin’s “Garnet Bracelet” Zheltkov is a “little man”. Once again the hero belongs to the lower class. But he loves, and he loves in a way that many in high society are not capable of. Zheltkov fell in love with the girl and throughout his entire life he loved only her alone. He understood that love is a sublime feeling, it is a chance given to him by fate, and it should not be missed. His love is his life, his hope. Zheltkov commits suicide. But after the death of the hero, the woman realizes that no one loved her as much as he did. Kuprin's hero is a man of an extraordinary soul, capable of self-sacrifice, able to truly love, and such a gift is rare. Therefore, the “little man” Zheltkov appears as a figure towering above those around him.
Thus, the theme of the “little man” underwent significant changes in the work of writers. Drawing images of “little people”, writers usually emphasized their weak protest, downtroddenness, which subsequently leads the “little man” to degradation. But each of these heroes has something in life that helps him endure existence: Samson Vyrin has a daughter, the joy of life, Akaky Akakievich has an overcoat, Makar Devushkin and Varenka have their love and care for each other. Having lost this goal, they die, unable to survive the loss.
In conclusion, I would like to say that a person should not be small. In one of his letters to his sister, Chekhov exclaimed: “My God, how rich Russia is in good people!”
In XX century, the theme was developed in the images of the heroes I. Bunin, A. Kuprin, M. Gorky and even at the end XX century, you can find its reflection in the works of V. Shukshin, V. Rasputin and other writers.
Russian classics paid full tribute to the theme of the “little man”. Samson Vyrin of Pushkin, Akaki Akakievich of Gogol, Makar of the Girl and Dostoevsky are the most famous “little people”. Probably, in that era, people were treated with great attention in general, which is why they wrote with such sympathy about pitiful, insignificant people who have their own “little” dreams, needs, and desires.
In the 20th century, much more attention was paid to global issues. This is not surprising: the 20th century in Russia is the era of two world wars, three revolutions, civil wars, a radical restructuring of society. Of course, writers, following the spirit of the times, solved issues of global scale, and in the sphere of their attention were mainly strong, outstanding personalities.
However, even in days of great changes, people continue to be born on earth. Completely ordinary people. They want to work, build their own house, raise children. They don't care about big changes. Or, on the contrary, they would really like to participate in these changes, but no one pays attention to their spiritual impulses. It is very characteristic of “little people” that they are rarely paid attention to, they are not valued, they are laughed at and even mocked. Often, not even those around you, but life itself has no mercy for “little people.” Such famous modern authors as A.I. Solzhenitsyn and V.M. Shukshin wrote about this.
In the story" Matrenin Dvor"Solzhenitsyn talks about the lonely old woman Matryona. Her personal life was not successful (this is so typical for a “little man”!): she married someone she didn’t love, lost six children. However, this did not embitter Matryona. Neither the consumerist attitude of her neighbors nor that she was not paid for her work on the collective farm. It’s amazing, but no matter how bad things are for Matryona, she is always kind, sympathetic, and helpful. And she dies precisely because of this. Once again rushed to help people, although they didn’t ask her. Matryona lived her entire life quietly, modestly, without asking anyone for help, always helping others. She was unhappy, but she never complained. This was her greatness, the special greatness of the “little man.” Matryona is the righteous man without whom “the earth does not stand.” Usually we don't notice these modest people and pass by. Of course: they don’t shout about holding the earth; they themselves don’t know about it. And if someone told them about this, they would be surprised and not believe it.
V. M. Shukshin is an author whose heroes are predominantly “little people.” Whatever Shukshin’s story we open, we will certainly meet an eccentric inventor, an inspired storyteller-liar, a self-taught artist, an illiterate writer. The author speaks about all of them with great love, calling them “bright souls.” They may not have done anything for humanity, but their very dreams already characterize these people as beautiful, bright and pure.
For example, Bronka Pupkov from the story “Pardon me, madam!” A funny name is a very common sign of a “little person.” Let us remember Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin or Makar Devushkin. Bronka, with true authorial inspiration, year after year tells his amazed listeners the same story about how he almost shot Hitler. The story is made up from beginning to end. But when his wife once again reminds Bronka about this, he begins to get angry. And not just to be angry, but also to suffer and worry. Why does he tell this story with tears in his eyes? Yes, because he doesn’t just speak, but “lives” it. In his soul lives a thirst for achievement, a thirst for something big, beautiful, unusual, which is so unlike him. daily life. But his tragedy lies in the fact that he, the “little man,” will never be able to live that bright wonderful life, which he invented for himself. That's why he tries to believe his story himself. It's easier for him. In Shukshin's stories similar " strange people" meet at every step. This is Andrei Erin with his microscope and thirst to save humanity from terrible microbes, and Konstantin Smorodin with the painting "Suicide", and carpenter Semka Lynx with the dream of restoring the old church.
But, probably, Ivan Petin (“Raskas”) evokes the most acute pity. When his wife leaves him, he tries to express his feelings on paper, which he does very clumsily. In this Ivan is not so much funny as touching. Behind the illiterate phrases “raskas” there is an entire human tragedy hidden. A person may not be able to express his thoughts, but he loves and suffers much more than an educated person.
Bogachek A., Shiryaeva E.
Project "The image of the "little man" in the literature of the 19th-20th centuries."
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MBOU "Orangereininskaya Secondary School"
Project on the topic: “The image of the “little man” in XIX literature- early 20th century"
Completed by students of grade 10 “B”
Bogachek Alexandra
Shiryaeva Ekaterina
Teacher
Mikhailova O.E.
2011-2012 academic year.
Plan:
“The Little Man” is a literary hero of the era of realism.
“The Little Man” - a little man from the people... became... a hero of Russian literature.
From Pushkin’s Samson Vyrin to Gogol’s Akaki Akakievich.
Contempt for the “little man” in the works of A.P. Chekhov.
The talented and selfless “little man” in the works of N.S. Leskova.
Conclusion.
Used Books.
Target : Show the diversity of ideas about the “little man” writers of the 19th century– beginning of the 20th century.
Tasks : 1) study the works of writers of the 19th – early 20th centuries;
3) draw conclusions.
The definition of "little man" applies to the category literary heroes era of realism, usually occupying a rather low place in the social hierarchy: a minor official, a tradesman or even a poor nobleman. The image of the “little man” turned out to be all the more relevant the more democratic literature became. The very concept of “little man” was most likely introduced into use by Belinsky (1840 article “Woe from Wit”). The theme of the “little man” is raised by many writers. It has always been relevant because its task is to reflect the life of an ordinary person with all its experiences, problems, troubles and little joys. The writer takes on the hard work of showing and explaining life ordinary people. “The little man is a representative of the entire people. And each writer represents him in his own way.
The image of a little man has been known for a long time - thanks, for example, to such mastodons as A.S. Pushkin and N.V. Gogol or A.P. Chekhov and N.S. Leskov - and inexhaustible.
N.V. Gogol was one of the first who spoke openly and loudly about the tragedy of the “little man,” oppressed, humiliated and therefore pitiful.
True, the palm in this still belongs to Pushkin; his Samson Vyrin from “The Station Agent” opens a gallery of “little people”. But Vyrin’s tragedy is reduced to a personal tragedy, its reasons lie in the relationship between the station superintendent’s family - father and daughter - and are in the nature of morality, or rather immorality on the part of Dunya, the superintendent’s daughter. She was the meaning of life for her father, the “sun” with whom the lonely, elderly man felt warm and comfortable.
Gogol, remaining true to traditions critical realism, having introduced his own Gogolian motives into it, showed the tragedy of the “little man” in Russia much more widely; the writer “realized and showed the danger of degradation of society, in which cruelty and indifference of people to each other are increasing more and more.”
And the pinnacle of this villainy was Gogol’s Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin from the story “The Overcoat,” his name became a symbol of the “little man” who feels bad about this strange world bureaucracy, lies and “blatant” indifference.
It often happens in life that cruel and heartless people who humiliate and insult the dignity of other people often look more pathetic and insignificant than their victims. The same impression of spiritual meagerness and fragility from the offenders of the petty official Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin remains with us after reading Gogol’s story “The Overcoat”. Akaki Akakievich is a real “little man”. Why? Firstly, he stands on one of the lowest steps of the hierarchical ladder. His place in society is not noticeable at all. Secondly, the world of his spiritual life and human interests is extremely narrowed, impoverished, and limited. Gogol himself characterized his hero as poor, mediocre, insignificant and unnoticed. In life, he was assigned an insignificant role as a copyist of documents for one of the departments. Brought up in an atmosphere of unquestioning submission and execution of orders from his superiors, Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin was not used to reflecting on the content and meaning of his work. Therefore, when he is offered tasks that require the manifestation of elementary intelligence, he begins to worry, worry, and ultimately comes to the conclusion: “No, it’s better to let me rewrite something.” Bashmachkin's spiritual life is also limited. Collecting money for a new overcoat becomes for him the meaning of his whole life, filling it with happiness in anticipation of the fulfillment of his cherished desire. The theft of a new overcoat, acquired through such hardships and suffering, becomes truly a disaster for him. Those around him laughed at his misfortune, and no one helped him. The “significant person” shouted at him so much that poor Akaki Akakievich lost consciousness. Almost no one noticed his death. Despite the uniqueness of the image created by the writer, he, Bashmachkin, does not look lonely in the minds of readers, and we imagine that there were a great many similarly humiliated people sharing the lot of Akaki Akakievich. Gogol was the first to talk about the tragedy of the “little man,” respect for whom did not depend on his spiritual qualities, not from education and intelligence, but from his position in society. The writer compassionately showed the injustice and oppressiveness of society in relation to the “little man” and for the first time called on this society to pay attention to the inconspicuous, pitiful and funny people, as it seemed at first glance. It’s not their fault that they are not very smart, and sometimes not smart at all. But they don’t harm anyone, and this is very important. So why then laugh at them? Maybe you can't treat them with more respect, but you can't offend them. They, like everyone else, have the right to a decent life, to the opportunity to feel like full-fledged people.
“The Little Man” is constantly found on the pages of A.A. Chekhov’s works. This is the main character of his work. Chekhov's attitude towards such people is especially clear in his satirical stories. And this attitude is unambiguous. In the story “The Death of an Official,” the “little man” Ivan Dmitrievich Chervyakov constantly and obsessively apologizes to General Brizzhalov for accidentally spraying him when he sneezed. “I sprayed him!” thought Chervyakov. “Not my boss, a stranger, but still awkward. I need to apologize.” Keyword in this thought - “boss”. Chervyakov probably wouldn’t endlessly apologize to an ordinary person. Ivan Dmitrievich has a fear of his superiors, and this fear turns into flattery and deprives him of self-respect. A person has already reached the point where he allows himself to be trampled into the dirt; moreover, he himself helps to do this. We must give the general his due; he treats our hero very politely. But the common man was not accustomed to such treatment. Therefore, Ivan Dmitrievich thinks that he was ignored and comes to ask for forgiveness several days in a row. Brizzhalov gets fed up with this and finally yells at Chervyakov. “Get out!” the general, suddenly blue and shaking, barked.
“What, sir?” Chervyakov asked in a whisper, dying of horror.
Go away!! - the general repeated, stamping his feet.
Something came off in Chervyakov’s stomach. Seeing nothing, hearing nothing, he backed away to the door, went out into the street and trudged... Arriving mechanically home, without taking off his uniform, he lay down on the sofa and... died." This is what fear of higher ranks, eternal admiration and humiliation before them. To more fully reveal the image of his hero, Chekhov used a “speaking” surname Yes, Ivan Dmitrievich is small, pitiful, like a worm, he can be crushed without effort, and most importantly, he is just as unpleasant.
In the story “The Triumph of the Winner,” Chekhov presents us with a story in which a father and son humiliate themselves before their boss so that the son can get a position.
“The boss was talking and, apparently, wanted to seem witty. I don’t know if he said anything funny, but I just remember that dad pushed me in the side every minute and said:
Laugh!…
... - Yes, yes! - Dad whispered. - Well done! He looks at you and laughs... This is good; Maybe he’ll actually give you a job as an assistant clerk!”
And again we are faced with admiration for superiors. And again this is self-deprecation and flattery. People are ready to please the boss to achieve their insignificant goal. It doesn’t even occur to them to remember that there is simple human dignity that cannot be lost under any circumstances. A.P. Chekhov wanted all people to be beautiful and free. “Everything in a person should be beautiful: face, clothes, soul, and thoughts.” Anton Pavlovich thought so, therefore, ridiculing primitive man in his stories, he called for self-improvement. Chekhov hated self-humiliation, eternal servility and admiration for officials. Gorky said about Chekhov: “His enemy was vulgarity, and he fought against it all his life.” Yes, he fought against it with his works, he bequeathed to us to “squeeze the slave out of ourselves drop by drop.” Perhaps such a vile lifestyle of his “little people”, their low thoughts and unworthy behavior are the result of not only personal character traits, but also their social status and the order of the existing political system. After all, Chervyakov would not have apologized so zealously and lived in eternal fear of officials if he had not been afraid of the consequences. The characters in the stories “Chameleon”, “Thick and Thin”, “Man in a Case” and many others have the same unpleasant character traits.
Anton Pavlovich believed that a person should have a goal, the fulfillment of which he will strive, and if there is none or it is completely small and insignificant, then the person becomes just as small and insignificant. A person must work and love - these are the two things that play main role in the life of any person: small and not small.
Nikolai Semenovich Leskov’s “little man” is a completely different person than his predecessors... In order to understand this, let’s compare the heroes of three works by this writer: Lefty, Ivan Severyanovich Flyagin and Katerina Izmailova. All three of these characters are strong personalities, and each is talented in their own way. But all the energy of Katerina Izmailova is aimed at creating personal happiness by any means. To achieve her goals, she resorts to crime. And therefore this type of character is rejected by Leskov. He sympathizes with her only when she turns out to be cruelly betrayed by her lovers.
Lefty is a talented man from the people who cares about his homeland more than the king and courtiers. But he is ruined by a vice that is so familiar to the Russian people - drunkenness and the reluctance of the state to help its subjects. He could do without this help if he had strong man. But a strong person cannot be drinking man. Therefore, for Leskov, this is not the hero who should be given preference.
Among the heroes belonging to the category of “little people,” Leskov singles out Ivan Severyanovich Flyagin. Leskov's hero is a hero in appearance and spirit. "He was a man of enormous stature, with a dark, open face and thick hair. wavy hair lead-colored: his gray cast was so strange... This new companion of ours, who later turned out to be very interesting person, in appearance he could have been in his early fifties; but he was in the full sense of the word a hero, and, moreover, a typical, simple-minded, kind Russian hero, reminiscent of grandfather Ilya Muromets... But with all this kind simplicity, it did not take much observation to see in him a man who had seen a lot and, as they say, " experienced." He behaved boldly, self-confidently, although without unpleasant abandon, and spoke in a pleasant bass voice with a demeanor." He is strong not only physically, but also spiritually. Flyagin's life is an endless test. He is strong in spirit, and this allows him to overcome such difficult life vicissitudes He was on the verge of death, saving people, fleeing himself, but in all these trials Flyagin, at first vaguely, and then more and more consciously, strives for heroic service to the Motherland, this becomes the spiritual need of the hero. Flyagin's initial kindness, the desire to help the suffering, ultimately becomes a conscious need to love his neighbor as himself. This is a simple man with his own merits and shortcomings, gradually eradicating these shortcomings and coming to an understanding of God. Leskov portrays his hero as a strong and brave man with a huge heart. and with a big soul, Flyagin does not complain about fate, does not cry, describing Ivan Severyanovich, makes the reader proud of his people, for his country. Flyagin does not humiliate himself before strongmen of the world this, like Chekhov’s heroes, does not become an alcoholic because of his insolvency, like Dostoevsky’s Marmeladov, does not sink to the “bottom” of life, like Gorky’s characters, does not wish harm to anyone, does not want to humiliate anyone, does not expect help from others, does not sit idly by hands. This is a person who recognizes himself as a human being, a real person, who is ready to defend his rights and the rights of other people, who does not lose self-esteem and is confident that a person can do anything.
III.
The idea of the “little man” changed throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Each writer also had his own personal views on this hero.
You can find common ground in your views different writers. For example, the writers of the first half of the 19th century centuries (Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol) treat the “little man” with sympathy. Griboedov stands apart, he looks at this hero differently, which brings his views closer to the views of Chekhov and partly Ostrovsky. Here the concept of vulgarity and self-humiliation comes to the fore. In the minds of L. Tolstoy, N. Leskov, A. Kuprin, a “little man” is a talented, selfless person. Such a diversity of views of writers depends on the characteristics of their worldview and on the diversity human types that surrounds us in real life.
Used Books:
1. Gogol N.V. Collected works in 4 volumes. Publishing house "Prosveshcheniye", M. 1979
2. Pushkin A.S. “Stories by I.P. Belkina. Dubrovsky, Queen of Spades" Publishing house "Astrel, AST" 2004
3. Chekhov A.P. Stories. Publishing house "AST". 2010
4. Leskov N.S. All works by Nikolai Leskov. 2011
5. Gukovsky G.A. Gogol's realism - M., 1959
"Small man" - literary character, characteristic of the era of realism. Such a hero in works of art could be a minor official, a tradesman, or even a poor nobleman. As a rule, its main feature is a low social status. This image is found in the works of both domestic and foreign authors. The theme of the little man occupies a special position in Russian literature. After all, this image received especially vivid expression in the works of such writers as Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Gogol.
The great Russian poet and writer showed readers a soul pure and unspoiled by wealth. Main character one of the works included in the cycle “Belkin’s Tale”, knows how to rejoice, sympathize and suffer. However, the life of Pushkin’s character is initially not easy.
The famous story begins with the words that everyone curses stationmasters, without analysis of which it is impossible to consider the topic “The Little Man in Russian Literature.” Pushkin depicted in his work a calm and happy character. Samson Vyrin remained a good-natured and good-natured man, despite many years of hard service. And only separation from his daughter deprived him peace of mind. Samson can survive a difficult life and thankless work, but exist without the only thing in the world loved one he is unable to. The stationmaster dies of melancholy and loneliness. The theme of the little man in Russian literature is multifaceted. The hero of the story “The Station Agent,” perhaps like no other, is capable of arousing compassion in the reader.
Akaki Akakievich
A less attractive character is the hero of the story “The Overcoat”. Gogol's character - collective image. There are many like Bashmachkin. They are everywhere, but people do not notice them, because they do not know how to appreciate the immortal soul in a person. The theme of the little man in Russian literature is discussed year after year in school literature lessons. Indeed, thanks to a careful reading of the story “The Overcoat,” the young reader can take a different look at the people who surround him. The development of the theme of the little man in Russian literature began precisely with this semi-fairy-tale work. Not in vain great classic Dostoevsky once said famous phrase: “We all left the Overcoat.”
Until the middle of the 20th century, the image of a little man was used by Russian and foreign writers. It is found not only in the works of Dostoevsky, but also in the books of Gerhart Hauptmann and Thomas Mann.
Maxim Maksimovich
The little man in Lermontov's work is an extraordinary personality suffering from inaction. The image of Maxim Maksimovich is first encountered in the story “Bela”. Thanks to Lermontov, the theme of the little man in Russian literature began to serve literary device for a critical depiction of such vices social society, like genuflection, careerism.
Maxim Maksimovich is a nobleman. However, he belongs to an impoverished family and does not have influential connections. And therefore, despite his age, he still holds the rank of staff captain. However, Lermontov portrayed the little man as not insulted and humiliated. His hero knows what honor is. Maxim Maksimovich is a decent person and an old campaigner. In many ways, he resembles Pushkin from the story “The Captain's Daughter”.
Marmeladov
The little man is pitiful and insignificant. Marmeladov realizes his uselessness and uselessness. Telling Raskolnikov the story of his moral fall, he is hardly able to arouse sympathy. He states: “Poverty is not a vice. Poverty is a vice." And these words seem to justify Marmeladov’s weakness and powerlessness.
In the novel “Crime and Punishment,” the theme of the little man in Russian literature receives special development. An essay based on Dostoevsky's work is a standard assignment in a literature lesson. But, regardless of what name this written task has, it is impossible to complete it without first writing a description of Marmeladov and his daughter. At the same time, it should be understood that Sonya, although she is also a typical little person, is significantly different from the other “humiliated and insulted.” She is unable to change anything in her life. However, this fragile girl has enormous spiritual wealth and inner beauty. Sonya is the personification of purity and mercy.
"Poor People"
This novel is also about “little people.” Devushkin and Varvara Alekseevna are heroes whom Dostoevsky created with an eye on Gogol’s “The Overcoat”. However, the image and theme of the little man in Russian literature began precisely with the works of Pushkin. And they have a lot in common with Dostoevsky’s novels. The story of the stationmaster is told by himself. The “little people” in Dostoevsky’s novels are also prone to confession. They not only realize their insignificance, but also strive to comprehend its cause and act as philosophers. It is enough just to remember Devushkin’s lengthy messages and Marmeladov’s long monologue.
Tushin
The system of images in the novel “War and Peace” is extremely complex. Tolstoy's characters are heroes from the highest aristocratic circle. There is little insignificant and pathetic in them. But why is the great epic novel remembered when the theme of the little man is discussed in Russian literature? An essay-reasoning is a task in which it is worth giving a description of such a hero as from the novel “War and Peace”. At first glance, he is funny and clumsy. However, this impression is deceptive. In battle, Tushin shows his masculinity and fearlessness.
In Tolstoy's enormous work, this hero is given only a few pages. However, the theme of the little man in Russian literature of the 19th century is impossible without considering the image of Tushin. The characteristics of this character are very important for understanding the views of the author himself.
Little people in Leskov's works
The theme of the little man in Russian literature of the 18th and 19th centuries is explored to the maximum. Leskov also did not ignore her in his work. However, his heroes differ significantly from the image of the little man that can be seen in the stories of Pushkin and the novels of Dostoevsky. Ivan Flyagin is a hero in appearance and soul. But this hero can be classified as “little people.” First of all, because he faces many trials, but he does not complain about fate and does not cry.
The image of a little man in Chekhov's stories
A similar hero is often found on the pages of this writer’s works. The image of a little man is depicted especially vividly in satirical stories. The petty official is a typical hero of Chekhov's works. In the story “The Death of an Official” there is an image of a little man. Chervyakov is driven by an inexplicable fear of his boss. Unlike the heroes of the story “The Overcoat,” the character from Chekhov’s story does not suffer from oppression and bullying from his colleagues and boss. Chervyakov is killed by fear of higher ranks and eternal admiration for his superiors.
"The Victory's Celebration"
Chekhov continued the theme of admiration for superiors in this story. However, the little people in “The Triumph of the Victor” are depicted in a much more satirical light. The father, in order to obtain a good position for his son, humiliates himself with ingratiation and rude flattery.
But it is not only the people who express them who are guilty of low thoughts and unworthy behavior. All this is the result of the orders prevailing in the social and political system. Chervyakov would not have asked for forgiveness so zealously if he had not known about the possible consequences of his mistake.
In the works of Maxim Gorky
The play “At the Lower Depths” tells the story of the inhabitants of the shelter. Each of the characters in this work is a little person, deprived of the most necessary things for life. normal life. He is unable to change anything. The only thing he has the right to is to believe in the fables of the wanderer Luke. Sympathy and warmth are what the heroes of the play “At the Bottom” need. The author calls on readers to be compassionate. And in this his views coincide with the point of view of Dostoevsky.
Zheltkov
“The Garnet Bracelet” is a story about the great love of a little man. Zheltkov once falls in love with married woman, and he remains true to this feeling until the last minutes of his life. There is an abyss between them. And the hero of the work “Garnet Bracelet” does not hope for a reciprocal feeling.
Zheltkov has characteristic features a small person not only because he occupies a low social position. He, like Bashmachkin and the station guard, is left alone with his pain. Zheltkov’s feelings serve as the basis for jokes and ironic sketches of Prince Shein. Other heroes are able to assess the depth of the “little man’s” suffering only after his death.
Karandyshev
The image of a little man has common features with similar heroes in the works of Dostoevsky and Chekhov. However, the humiliated Karandyshev in the play “Dowry” evokes neither pity nor sympathy. He strives with all his might to get into a society in which he is not welcome. And for the insults that he has endured for many years, he is ready to take revenge.
Katerina Kabanova also belongs to the category of little people. But these heroines are complete individuals, and therefore do not know how to adapt and dodge. Death for them becomes the only way out of the situation in which they find themselves due to the inertia of the social system.
The image of the little man in literature developed in the nineteenth century. However, in modern literature he gave way to other heroes. As you know, many foreign authors were influenced by Russian literature. Proof of this is the works of XX writers, in which there are often characters reminiscent of Chekhov’s and Gogol’s heroes. An example is Thomas Mann's Little Mister Friedemann. The hero of this short story lives his short life unnoticed and dies the same way, from the indifference and cruelty of those around him.