A. S. Pushkin became the founder of the topic little man in Russian literature. In his poem " Bronze Horseman“The poet revealed it in an original way, describing the tragic fate of the main character Eugene, who became a victim due to the ambition of the head of state.
The plot of the work is based on the device of antithesis: the image of a poor official is contrasted with the great Emperor Peter I and the violent elements. And this is no coincidence: it was the transformations of the powerful ruler and the unexpected flood that befell St. Petersburg that became the cause of all Eugene’s troubles. Moreover, both phenomena are very similar to each other: Peter’s reforms fell on the people just like the waves of the angry Neva on the city. Yes, on the one hand, to build a new beautiful capital on the swamp swamps, before which “old Moscow has faded,” and thereby “open a window to Europe” - this is undoubtedly a great achievement. But how did such violence against nature ultimately turn out? A terrible flood that destroyed the lives of little people.
Initially, the author admiringly describes in detail the beautiful city, “Petra’s creation,” to whose rich piers “ships in droves from all over the earth” strive, but, before moving on to the narrative itself, he suddenly uses clearly contrasting sentences:
It was a terrible time
The memory of her is fresh...
And here the same “little man” appears in the work, Eugene, whose tragic fate became a clear example of the confrontation between the poor and the great sovereign. The hero, like many Russian people, strove for a quiet and measured life: by working to achieve “independence and honor”, build a “humble and simple shelter”, start a family and go through the whole life path next to one single person. But Eugene’s dreams and plans were destroyed in one day by the “turbulent” Neva, similar to royal tyranny, breaking the destinies of many people, disrupting the usual course of their lives. The elements, angry, destroyed everything that was dear to the hero: his beloved Parasha, her mother and home...
From now on, the life of the poor official lost all meaning. His “confused mind” could not bear such “terrible shocks.” Deafened by the “noise of internal anxiety,” Evgeny simply wandered around St. Petersburg: “neither beast, nor man, neither this nor that, neither an inhabitant of the world, nor a dead ghost,” he was simply living out his life.
A.S. Pushkin provides his “little man” with the opportunity to rebel against Peter, “by whose fatal will the city was founded under the sea.” The Emperor appears before the hero in the image of the Bronze Horseman, who at this terrible moment was not a “powerful ruler of fate” for Eugene, but only a “proud idol.” Therefore, the unfortunate poor man dared to threaten the sovereign:
“Welcome, miraculous builder! -
He whispered, trembling angrily, -
Already for you!..”
A senseless rebellion against Peter, whose ambition brought grief to many simple, helpless people, turned into a tragedy for Eugene: the hero falls into madness, it seems to him that the horseman is pursuing him. As a result, Eugene, who rebelled against the state, ends his life on a small island in the dilapidated house of his beloved, which was once brought there by a flood.
In the work of the great Russian poet A.S. Pushkin, a monument to Emperor Peter is presented in the image of power. The main character of the work is Evgeniy, who is described as completely a common person. The flood that occurred in the city darkens all his plans. Arriving at the house of his beloved Parasha, he sees that the river has destroyed everything he could dream of.
"Little Man" in literature
The image of the “little man” in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” is far from the only attempt in Russian literature to describe a similar type. Other examples include the work “Poor People” by Dostoevsky, “The Overcoat” by Gogol. In his work, the great Russian poet sought to show the meaninglessness of the struggle of the “little man” with the omnipotent natural elements, as well as the power of the autocracy.
Main character
The theme of the little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” is revealed through a detailed description of its main character, Eugene. According to established tradition, a poem is a work that has a narrative character. And if once it was considered rather historical work, then over time I began to wear romantic character. In the poem, central characters began to emerge, who are independent actors, and not just vague images snatched from the historical stream.
Evgeniy's interests
The main character of the work is Eugene, who is a representative of the “St. Petersburg” period in the history of the country. He is that “little” person whose meaning of life lies in organizing his life and quiet, bourgeois happiness. His life is limited to a close circle of concerns about own home and family.
And these are the character traits that make the image of the main character unacceptable for the poet himself; they are the ones that turn him into a “little man.” The great Russian poet deliberately refuses to describe the image of Eugene. He even deprives him of any last name, emphasizing that any one can be put in its place - the image of Evgeniy reflects the life of many representatives of St. Petersburg at that time.
Contrast between personality and power
The problem of the little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” is a question of a helpless unit confronting the omnipotence of the autocracy. And in this comparison of the Bronze Horseman with the main character, the main difference is determined. Evgeny has a soul, and he can suffer, be sad, and dream about something. The Emperor cares about the fate of people, including Eugene, who will one day live in the capital. And the main character’s thoughts are hovering around own life. However, despite this, it is he who evokes the greatest sympathy of the reader, his image evokes active participation.
Riot in the soul
The flood that befell Eugene's life makes him a real hero. He is going crazy (as you know, this is one of the frequent attributes of the main character romantic work). The main character wanders through the streets of the city, which has become hostile to him, and hears the sound of the river. It also reflects the rebellion of the little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman,” which filled the soul of the protagonist. The natural elements awaken in his heart what Pushkin considered the main thing for a person - memory. It is the memories of the flood he experienced that push him to Senate Square. There he meets the monument for the second time.
He finally understands what the cause of all his suffering and misfortune is. Evgeniy recognizes the culprit and begins to threaten him - now he only feels hatred for the “ruler of half the world” and wants to take revenge on him.
What does protest lead to?
The spiritual evolution of the protagonist also gives rise to the naturalness of protest. The great Russian poet also shows Eugene’s transformation. An internal protest raises him to a new life filled with tragedy, which must end in imminent death. And Eugene dares to threaten Peter himself with his retribution. This threat causes fear in the emperor, as he realizes what power lies in the spiritual protest of the human heart.
And when Eugene finally “sees the light,” he becomes a Man in the true sense of the word. It should be noted that not once in this passage does the poet call the main character by name - he again becomes faceless, like everyone else. Here the reader sees the confrontation between a formidable king and a Man who has a heart and memory. Eugene’s rebellion reflects a threat to the entire autocracy, a promise of popular retribution. But the revived statue punishes the “poor madman.” This is the tragedy of the little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman”.
Holy madness
It is also symbolic that Pushkin calls his main character “mad.” After all, a single person’s speech against the autocracy system does not fit into the framework of common sense. This is true madness. However, the poet emphasizes that it is “holy,” because silence and humility bring death. Only protest can save a person from moral ruin in conditions where cruelty and violence reign.
The great Russian poet emphasizes both the tragedy and the comedy of the situation. Eugene is the “little man” who challenges the powerful force of autocracy. And he dares to threaten the emperor - not the real one, but his monument cast in bronze. This action is an attempt to resist evil circumstances, to cast one’s voice.
People's lives depend on power
The image of a little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” is very indicative: as a result of the flood main character loses his lover, goes crazy and ultimately dies. One might argue, what do all these events have to do with the problem of the state? But having become more closely acquainted with the work, one can understand that in reality it is the most immediate. After all, the events unfold in St. Petersburg, which, by the will of the emperor, was built on the banks of the Neva.
The skill with which the great Russian poet conveyed his ideas
The theme of the little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” is a man’s confrontation with a merciless state system. After all, it turns out that if the autocrat had not founded the city in this very place, then the main character of the work would have remained alive. Alexander Sergeevich embodies this deep and at the same time paradoxical idea with the help of a system of images described in the poem. It is no coincidence that, having lost his mind, Eugene sees his enemy in the form of a bronze horseman, and it is no coincidence that this horseman chases him through the streets of the city and ultimately kills him. With the help of the image of a little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman,” Pushkin makes it absolutely clear that the interests of an individual person cannot oppose the interests of the state in which he lives. Rulers always think big and do not take into account what fate awaits the inhabitants of their countries.
Whose side is Pushkin himself on?
It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question on whose side the author of the poem “The Bronze Horseman” himself is. The rebellion of a little man is the leitmotif of the work, but the historical justification of the emperor’s actions is no less important for the great Russian poet. After all, it is in this work that an inspired hymn to the city on the Neva sounds. With its splendor, St. Petersburg embodied the idea of a great Russian state (and it was Peter’s deeds that made it so).
Alexander Sergeevich did not set himself the task of stigmatizing the empire or, on the contrary, elevating it. On the one hand, the poet preserved his humanity, speaking about an individual person and feeling sympathy for him. After all, the image of a little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” is still the main one. On the other hand, he saw that great country- this is also an important value. And without resolving the issue of the relationship between the individual and the entire state, the great Russian poet wrote about their inevitable confrontation and the tragedy of the relationship.
The poem “The Bronze Horseman” (1833) is one of Pushkin’s most striking and perfect works. In it, the author convincingly shows the complexity and inconsistency of a turning point in the history of our country. It should be emphasized that the poem occupies a special place in Pushkin’s work. In this work, the poet tried to solve the problem of the relationship between the individual and the state; this problem was the essence of Pushkin’s spiritual quest. The poet saw the possibility of achieving agreement, harmony between the individual and the state, he knew that a person could simultaneously recognize himself as part of a great state and a bright individuality, free from oppression. By what principle should the relationship between the individual and the state be built so that the private and public merge into one whole? Pushkin’s poem “The Bronze Horseman” was a kind of attempt to answer this question. By the time of the creation of The Bronze Horseman, there was a need in Russian literature for a verse story about a modern, non-exotic and non-inhuman hero.
The plot of Pushkin's poem is quite traditional. In the exhibition, the author introduces us to Evgeniy, a modest official, a “little man”, whose signs of everyday life are kept to a minimum: “he shook off his overcoat, undressed, and lay down.” Eugene is one of the impoverished nobles, which Pushkin mentions in passing, saying that the hero’s ancestors were listed in the “History of Karamzin”. Evgeny’s life today is very modest: he serves “somewhere,” loves Parasha and dreams of marrying the girl he loves. In The Bronze Horseman, private life and public life are presented as two closed worlds, each of which has its own laws. Eugene's world - dreams of quiet joys family life. The peace of the state, at the origins of which Peter stood, is great achievements and the subordination of the whole world to his will, his order (“All flags are a visit to us”). The world of the private individual and the world of the state are not just separated from each other, they are hostile, each of them brings evil and destruction to the other. Thus, Peter lays down his city “in spite of his arrogant neighbor” and destroys what is good and bad for the poor fisherman. Peter, who is trying to subdue and tame the elements, evokes its evil revenge, that is, he becomes the culprit for the collapse of all Eugene’s personal hopes. Evgeny wants to take revenge, his threat (“Too bad for you!”) is ridiculous, but full of desire for rebellion against the “idol.” In response, he receives Peter's evil revenge and madness. Those who rebelled against the state were terribly punished.
Thus, the basis of the relationship between the individual and the state is the mutual desire for evil. And this conflict cannot be resolved. But for Pushkin himself there was nothing tragic in this contradiction. How the author resolves the conflict between the individual and the state for himself, we can understand if we turn to the place of entry of the poem “The Bronze Horseman”. Pushkin writes:
I love you, Petra creation. I love your strict, slender appearance, the sovereign flow of the Neva, its coastal granite...
According to Pushkin, the relationship between the private and the public should be based on love, and therefore the life of the state and the individual should enrich and complement each other. Pushkin resolves the conflict between the individual and the state, overcoming the one-sidedness of both Evgeniy’s worldview and the view of life on the opposite side to the hero. The culmination of this clash is the rebellion of the “little” man. Pushkin, raising the poor madman to the level of Peter, begins to use sublime vocabulary. At the moment of anger, Eugene is truly terrible, because he dared to threaten the Bronze Horseman himself! However, the rebellion of Eugene, who has gone mad, is a senseless and punishable rebellion. Those who bow to idols become their victims. It is possible that Eugene’s “rebellion” contains a hidden parallel with the fate of the Decembrists. It confirms tragic ending"The Bronze Horseman"
Analyzing Pushkin's poem, we come to the conclusion that the poet showed himself in it as a true philosopher. "Little" people will rebel against higher power as long as the state will exist. This is where the tragedy and contradiction lies eternal struggle weak and strong. Who is to blame after all: the great state, which has lost interest in the individual, or the “little man”, who has ceased to be interested in the greatness of history and has fallen out of it? The reader's perception of the poem turns out to be extremely contradictory: according to Belinsky, Pushkin substantiated the tragic right of the empire with all its state power to dispose of the life of a private person; in the 20th century, some critics suggested that Pushkin was on Eugene’s side; there is also an opinion that the conflict depicted by Pushkin is tragically insoluble. But it is obvious that for the poet himself in “The Bronze Horseman”, according to the formula of the literary critic Yu. Lotman, “the right path is not to move from one camp to another, but to “rise above cruel century"while preserving humanity, human dignity and respect for the lives of other people." Understanding and even hatred. He realizes that the willingness to sacrifice oneself is the direct responsibility of the poet.
Poet! do not value people's love. There will be a momentary noise of enthusiastic praise; You will hear the judgment of a fool and the laughter of a cold crowd, But you remain firm, calm and gloomy.
Throughout his life, Pushkin confirmed his own ideals and aspirations expressed in poetry. He wasn't afraid of disfavor powerful of the world Therefore, he boldly spoke out against serfdom; spoke in defense of the Decembrists. The poet's life was not easy; he deliberately refused calm and tranquility, considering the purpose of a poet to be to reveal the truth to the world.
In righteous satire I will depict vice and reveal the morals of these centuries to posterity.
The poet managed to convey his thoughts to posterity. The name of Pushkin will always be dear to those who love and understand Russian history and literature.
We find a deeper interpretation of the theme of the little man in Pushkin’s poem “The Bronze Horseman”. Here the problem is solved in a socio-philosophical vein, and the central conflict becomes the contradiction between the little man and the state. A petty St. Petersburg official, Evgeniy, loses his beloved creature as a result of a flood, goes crazy and eventually dies. It would seem, what does this story have to do with the problem of the state? It turns out that it does: after all, Eugene’s fate is decided in St. Petersburg, which, by the will of the autocrat Peter, was built on the banks of the Neva. It turns out that if Peter had not founded this city, then Eugene would have remained alive. Pushkin embodies this paradoxical, but essentially very deep thought with the help of all figurative system poems. It is not by chance, and not only as a result of madness, that Evgeniy sees his enemy and adversary in the “idol on a bronze horse” - the Bronze Horseman; it is not by chance that this horseman chases the crazy Evgeniy through the streets of St. Petersburg and ultimately kills him. In symbolic form, Pushkin makes clear the idea of the opposition of the interests of an individual, private, small person to the interests of the state, which thinks too big and does not take into account the destinies of a particular person.
Whose side is Pushkin on in this conflict? This question cannot be answered unequivocally. Despite all the pity for Evgeniy and sympathy for him, Pushkin still recognizes the historical justification of Peter’s actions. It is not for nothing that in “The Bronze Horseman” an inspired hymn to St. Petersburg sounds, which with its splendor embodied for Pushkin the idea of a great Russian state (and in many ways it was Peter’s deeds that made Russia great). Pushkin does not set out to stigmatize the state or, on the contrary, to elevate it. Maintaining a humanistic approach to the problem of the individual and the state, seeing suffering common man and while sympathizing with them, Pushkin still sees the other side of the coin: great Russia- this is also an important value, and the Bronze Horseman has its own historical truth on its side. Without resolving the issue of the individual and the state, Pushkin only states the inevitable tragedy of their relationship, seeing in these contradictions the dialectic of the real development of reality. But it should be emphasized that humanism remains the most important part of the ideological world of the poem.
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Forget
In the poem by A.S. Pushkin's "The Bronze Horseman" examines the problem of the "little man". This urgent problem to some extent, is insoluble, which is why many writers turn to it again and again in their works, the number of which is quite large. Each writer approaches this problem in his own way.
Let us turn to the above poem and understand main problem works.
In this poem, the “little man” is Eugene, a poor city dweller. great poet doesn’t even give him a last name: “We don’t need his nickname...”. Evgeniy works honestly and “serves somewhere.” He dreams of marrying his beloved Parasha, starting a family with her, and raising future children. For all this, he is ready to “work day and night.” But, unfortunately, this was not destined to come true. The weather decided otherwise. The Neva “rushed towards the city.” Many parts of the city were flooded and some were washed away. Evgeny, who came to Parasha’s house, did not notice him. Then he was horrified and began to go crazy, because he had lost the person for whom he wanted to live, despite difficult life circumstances.
The hero begins to be pursued by the “Bronze Horseman,” personifying the state and its ruler. The monument is presented as formidable for good reason.
The image of Eugene appears in the poem not as an individual person, but as a poor people as a whole with all the problems that it suffers from. IN in this case such people suffered because of the goals of the state (“to open a window to Europe”). That is, when implementing various plans, the state cares little about the interests of little people, because the main thing for it is to raise their status and increase their power. And these goals are most often achieved at the expense of its residents, who lose a lot because of this. There are a huge number of people like Evgeniy in the state; every day in their lives certain problems come, emanating, first of all, from the state.
Unfortunately, this tragedy still exists today. Often, ordinary people die due to the fault of a state that thinks big, since their fates are not taken into account. This problem may persist until the state begins to take into account the interests of its citizens.
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Ninaarc
Left a comment on 03/16/2019:
A.S. Pushkin in his works more than once raised the theme of the “little man,” because it was especially relevant in the lower classes of society of that time. People without money and connections, incapable of meanness and cunning, often became victims of an unfavorable combination of circumstances, since common people no one cared. It is this everyday drama of indifference that the author of The Bronze Horseman shows.
On the first pages, the poet introduces us to the image of the main character Eugene. He lives and serves in Kolomna, a minor official, poor. All the aspirations and ambitions of this young man settled around the dream of starting a family with a girl named Parasha. Pushkin does not even give him a last name, because Evgeniy's character and position are typical of that time. He is not a person, but a reflection of St. Petersburg life far from palaces and estates. It was like that with all the little people. The ruler went far ahead with his reforms, and the people suffered from their consequences somewhere far from the nobility: quietly, timidly and heavily.
The poet himself does not share Eugene’s views on life, because he does not strive for something lofty, his ambitions and desires are limited to everyday idealistic joys: home, family, hearth. There is nothing in him that betrays his personality, that distinguishes him from the mass of gray St. Petersburg colleagues.
The flood of 1824 bursts into Eugene’s usual life, turning the usual course of life “upside down.” His hope and love—Parasha—perishes, and with it the hero’s bright mind. The meaning of life was taken away by the Neva and hidden deeply in its depths. Eugene is not capable of rebirth, which indicates the fragile spiritual organization of the “little man.” A brick stolen by a flood from a castle built in his thoughts immediately put Eugene at a dead end, since such a hero does not have the strength to build a new future, even out of thin air. He is unable to analyze and survive difficulties.
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spring
Left a comment on 03/16/2019:
In 1833 A.S. Pushkin created an entertaining poem “The Bronze Horseman”, in which the reader is introduced to several thematic lines. Of course, this is the theme of building St. Petersburg and its glorification throughout the world. In the text of the poem, the author also pays attention to the person of the Tsar - Peter I, under whose leadership the city was built.
The second problematic line, which is revealed in the lines of the poem, concerned the “little man,” that is, an ordinary resident of the city. Such simple, hardworking residents made up the entire Russian people. This means that the theme of the “little man” that Evgeniy became reveals the essence of the existence of an entire people.
Is life good for Evgeniy? In his dreams, simple human weaknesses - food, water and shelter. His old house had long since worn out and become completely dilapidated and fragile. There were a lot of such houses in St. Petersburg. Basically, they were located on both sides of the Niva, which spread its waters over many hundreds of kilometers. Evgenia’s beloved girl, Parasha, also lived in such a house. Both heroes were completely poor, therefore, they sought to find their happiness in small joys. But trouble came to Russian lands. The elements raged, the Niva overflowed its banks and flooded nearby houses. Parasha lived in one of these houses. The girl died and this news was shocking for Evgeniy.
Against the backdrop of all the events, the hero goes crazy. He blames everything on the monument to the Bronze Horseman, which was erected in honor of Peter I.
Who is to blame for what happened? There is no clear answer. Of course, the tsar, as a manager, as a caring sovereign, during the construction of St. Petersburg had to take care of all its inhabitants. The first step was to fight poverty and misery, to help ordinary people. Perhaps they wouldn't be in such trouble. But all this did not happen. Like all great kings, Peter cared about himself, his condition, and the greatness of the city, but did not think much about the people. Therefore, the “little man” was completely unprotected in those days.
And so, the stormy elements take people by surprise. Many residents die, houses and bridges are destroyed. A person is completely insignificant in such a situation. He can only submit to his will and his fate. Evgeny began to blame everything copper monument, which ultimately led to his death. This is the fate of the “little man” in the poem by A.S. Pushkin.
The image of the “little man” was revealed in many Russian works. Examples include “Poor People” by F.M. Dostoevsky, “The Overcoat” by N.V. Gogol, “The Death of an Official” by A.P. Chekhov. It was constantly changing and presented in new forms, but it always showed one thing - the life of ordinary people.
A.S. Pushkin in his poem “The Bronze Horseman” showed the hopeless and ineffective struggle of the “little man” with power and the natural elements.
The image of power is “an idol on a bronze horse” - a monument to Peter I on Senate Square in St. Petersburg.
Pushkin's attitude towards the autocrat is very contradictory. At the beginning of the poem, he describes him as a powerful reformer king who was able to defeat the elements and create beautiful city, eclipsed even the capital: “And before the younger capital, old Moscow faded, As before new queen Porphyry-bearing widow."
But, at the same time, Peter does not think about the life of an individual person, but thinks exclusively on the scale of the state. And, neglecting the opinion of the people and the laws of nature, the king achieves his goal: “From the darkness of the forests, from the swamp, the crony ascended magnificently, proudly; Where once the Finnish fisherman, Nature’s sad stepson, Alone on the low shores Threw His decrepit net into unknown waters, now there, Along the busy shores, Slender masses crowd Palaces and towers.”
Pushkin admires the majesty and beauty of the city, pronounces an enthusiastic hymn, declaring his love for him: “I love you, Peter’s creation, I love your strict, slender appearance.”
However, the introduction ends with the lines: “My story will be sad”
This story tells about the main character of the work - Eugene. He is described as an “ordinary man” who has neither money nor rank. Evgeny “serves somewhere” and dreams of setting up a “humble and simple shelter” for himself in order to marry the girl he loves and live his life with her. But the flood that flooded the “darkened Petrograd” destroyed the hero’s plans. He hopes for the best and “hurries, his soul sinking” to the house of Parasha, his beloved. But, seeing that there is nothing left of his beloved’s house, he realizes that the mighty Neva has destroyed everything he loved. Evgeny, unable to resist “terrible shocks,” loses the meaning of life and understands the cause of his misfortunes and recognizes their culprit. He turns out to be the one “by whose fateful will the city was founded under the sea.” A thirst for retribution against the “ruler of half the world” is born in him. But Eugene’s strength and significance are too small in comparison with Peter. Therefore, this rebellion turns out to be madness, which only leads to wanderings and suffering, ending in the death of the “little man.” Thus, describing historical event, Pushkin was able to clearly show how the outpouring of will is historically significant person influenced the life and destiny of the people. Currently, this problem and the tragedy of the “little man” remains relevant and unresolved in the history and life of mankind.