What is Oblomov thinking about? What is the meaning of Oblomov’s life? Oblomov: life story

Ivan Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” is very instructive.

Oblomov's lifestyle is a continuous routine, and the main character does not even try to break out of it on his own. With the help of this character, the author will prove that laziness and indifference ruin people's destinies.

First meeting

Ivan Goncharov introduces the reader to Ilya Ilyich Oblomov from the very first pages of the novel. A man lies in his own bed with a distant look. He tries to force himself to get up, but his attempts are unsuccessful. Promises to get up after an hour lead to the fact that the day smoothly turns into evening, and it is no longer necessary to leave bed.

Life in a horizontal position

Ilya thinks about the misfortunes that have befallen him. This is how the man describes the troubles associated with the affairs of the estate inherited from his parents and the search for a new apartment.

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He gives orders to the old lackey Zakhar in bed. The master receives guests who often visit him lying down, in an old darned robe.

Oblomov’s former colleagues also come. And he does not at all strive to show his best side, meeting them cheerful and in excellent health. He always complains to young, handsome men about their health.

Clutter in the apartment and in the shower

Rarely leaves the house. He rejects invitations from acquaintances to attend social events. He justifies the refusal with poor health, barley, drafts and dampness, which is contraindicated for him.

“When I was at home, I almost always lay down, and everyone was in the same room.”

His best friend Andrei Ivanovich Stolts compares Oblomov to an animal that is constantly in a dark lair.

“Have you really prepared yourself for such a life, so that you can sleep like a mole in a hole?”

Zakhar reports to Andrei that he has polished his owner’s shoes a long time ago, and the boots stand untouched.

He wakes up late. He eats and drinks tea in bed. A footman helps him put on his socks. House shoes are placed near the bed so that when you put your feet down it is easy to slip into them. Oblomov is very lazy. Never cleans up after himself. In his room there are mountains of dirty dishes, which are difficult for a man to take to the kitchen. Since childhood, it was customary in his family to sleep during the day. Ilya still adheres to a similar routine.

“After lunch, nothing could disturb Oblomov’s sleep. He usually lay down on the sofa on his back.”

Positive changes

After meeting Olga Ilyinskaya, Oblomov changes for the better. He is inspired by new feelings. Love gives him strength and inspires him.

“He read several books, wrote letters to the village, and replaced the headman on his own estate. He hasn’t had dinner, and for two weeks now he doesn’t know what it means to lie down during the day. Gets up at seven o'clock. There is no sleep, no fatigue, no boredom on his face. He’s cheerful and humming.”

This state of affairs did not last long. Ilya again begins to be captivated by his past life. He understands that he will not be able to give Olga the confidence and strength that the girl expects from him.

Life with the widow Pshenitsyna

Soon he marries the widow Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna, from whom he rents a room in a house on Vyborgskaya Street. This type of woman suits him much more than Ilyinskaya. Agafya is ready to fulfill all his whims, without demanding anything in return.

“Oblomov, noticing the hostess’s participation in his affairs, offered, as a joke, to take care of his food upon himself and save him from the hassle.”

Ilya Ilyich dies at the age of forty. He often compared himself to an old caftan, no longer suitable for good. His sedentary lifestyle led to his health failing so early. The man was given a chance to change his own destiny, but laziness turned out to be stronger.

The work of Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov “Oblomov” was written many years ago, but the problems raised in it remain relevant today. The main character of the novel has always aroused great interest in the reader. What is the meaning of Oblomov’s life, who is he and was he really lazy?

The absurdity of the life of the main character of the work

From the very beginning of the work, Ilya Ilyich appears before the reader in a completely absurd situation. He spends every day in his room. Devoid of any impressions. Nothing new happens in his life, there is nothing that would fill it with any meaning. One day is like another. Absolutely uninterested in and uninterested in anything, this person, one might say, resembles a plant.

Ilya Ilyich's only activity is lying comfortably and serenely on the sofa. Since childhood, he has been accustomed to being constantly taken care of. He never thought about how to ensure his own existence. I always lived with everything ready. There was no such incident that would disturb his serene state. Life is simply convenient for him.

Inaction does not make a person happy

And this constant lying on the couch is not caused by some incurable disease or psychological disorder. No! The terrible thing is that this is the natural state of the main character of the novel. The meaning of Oblomov’s life lies in the soft upholstery of the sofa and a comfortable Persian robe. Every person from time to time tends to think about the purpose of his own existence. The time comes, and many, looking back, begin to reason: “What useful have I done, why am I even living?”

Of course, not everyone can move mountains or perform some heroic deed, but anyone can make their own life interesting and full of impressions. Inaction has never made anyone happy. Perhaps only up to a certain point. But this has nothing to do with Ilya Ilyich. Oblomov, whose life story is described in the novel of the same name by Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov, is not burdened by his inaction. Everything suits him.

Main character's home

The character of Ilya Ilyich can be judged from some of the lines in which the author describes the room where Oblomov lived. Of course, the decoration of the room did not look poor. It was luxuriously furnished. And yet there was neither coziness nor comfort in it. The paintings that hung on the walls of the room were framed with drawings of cobwebs. Mirrors, designed to allow one to see one's reflection in them, could be used instead of writing paper.

The whole room was covered in dust and dirt. Somewhere there was a randomly thrown thing that would remain there until it was needed again. On the table there are uncleaned dishes, crumbs and leftovers from yesterday's meal. All this does not evoke a feeling of comfort. But Ilya Ilyich does not notice this. Cobwebs, dust, dirt and uncleaned dishes are natural companions of his daily reclining on the sofa.

Dreaminess in the character of Ilya, or Like in the village

Often Ilya Ilyich reproaches his own servant, whose name is Zakhar, for sloppiness. But he seemed to adapt to the owner’s character, and perhaps he himself was not far from him from the very beginning; he reacts quite calmly to the untidiness of the home. According to his reasoning, there is no point in cleaning the room from dust, since it still accumulates there again. So what is the meaning of Oblomov’s life? A man who can’t even get his own servant to clean up the mess. He cannot even control his own life, and the existence of those around him is completely beyond his control.

Of course, sometimes he dreams of doing something for his village. He is trying to come up with some plans, again - lying on the sofa, in order to reorganize village life. But this person is already so divorced from reality that all the dreams he has built remain just that. The plans are such that their implementation is almost impossible. They all have some kind of monstrous scope that has nothing to do with reality. But the meaning of life in the work "Oblomov" is not revealed only in the description of one character.

A hero opposite to Oblomov

There is another hero in the work, who is trying to awaken Ilya Ilyich from his lazy state. Andrey Stolts is a man filled with boiling energy and liveliness of mind. Whatever Andrey undertakes, he succeeds in everything, and he enjoys everything. He doesn’t even think about why he does this or that thing. According to the character himself, he works for the sake of work.

What is the difference between the meaning of life of Oblomov and Stolz? Andrey never lies idle, like Ilya Ilyich. He is always busy with something, he has a huge circle of friends with interesting people. Stolz never sits in one place. He is constantly on the move, meeting new places and people. But nevertheless, he does not forget about Ilya Ilyich.

Andrey's influence on the main character

Oblomov's monologue about the meaning of life, his judgments about it, are completely opposite to the opinion of Stolz, who becomes the only one who was able to lift Ilya from the soft sofa. Moreover, Andrei even tried to return his comrade to an active life. To do this, he resorts to some trick. Introduces him to Olga Ilyinskaya. Realizing that pleasant communication with a beautiful woman will perhaps quickly awaken in Ilya Ilyich a taste for a more varied life than existence in his room.

How does Oblomov change under the influence of Stolz? His life story is now connected with the beautiful Olga. Tender feelings for this woman even awaken in him. He is trying to change, to adapt to the world in which Ilyinskaya and Stolz live. But lying on the sofa for a long time does not pass without a trace. The meaning of Oblomov’s life, associated with his uncomfortable room, is very deeply rooted in him. Some time passes, and he begins to feel burdened by his relationship with Olga. And, of course, their breakup became inevitable.

The meaning of Oblomov's life and death

Ilya Ilyich’s only dream is the desire to find peace. He does not need the vibrant energy of everyday life. The world in which he is closed, with its small space, seems much more pleasant and comfortable to him. And the life that his friend Stolz leads does not attract him. It requires fuss and movement, and this is unusual for Oblomov’s character. Finally, all of Andrei’s ebullient energy, which constantly collides with Ilya’s indifference, has dried up.

Ilya Ilyich finds his solace in the house of a widow, whose last name is Pshenitsyna. Having married her, Oblomov completely stopped worrying about life and gradually fell into moral hibernation. Now he is again dressed in his favorite robe. He's lying on the sofa again. Oblomov leads him to a slow decline. For the last time, Andrei visits his friend under the watchful eye of Pshenitsyna. He sees how his friend has sunk and makes a last attempt to pull him out of the pool. But there is no point in this.

Positive traits in the character of the main character

Revealing the meaning of Oblomov’s life and death, it is necessary to mention that Ilya Ilyich is still not a negative hero in this work. There are also quite bright positive features in his image. He is an infinitely hospitable and cordial host. Despite constantly lying on the couch, Ilya Ilyich is a very educated person, he appreciates art.

In his relationship with Olga, he does not show rudeness or intolerance, he is gallant and courteous. He is very rich, but destroyed by excessive care since childhood. At first you might think that Ilya Ilyich is infinitely happy, but this is just an illusion. A dream that replaced the real state.

Oblomov, who turned into a tragedy, seems to be happy with his situation. And yet he understands the futility of his existence. Moments of awareness of his own inaction come to him. After all, Ilya Stoltz forbade Olga to come to him, he did not want her to see the process of his decomposition. An educated person cannot fail to understand how empty and monotonous his life is. Only laziness prevents you from changing it and making it bright and varied.

Goncharov’s first novel from the trilogy “Ordinary History”, “Oblomov”, “Breakage” was a great success, brought fame to the author and created a reputation as a master in literary circles and throughout reading Russia. Soon after the publication of “An Ordinary History”, Goncharov began his second novel - the implementation of the plan for the novel “Oblomov”. The writer creates the chapter “Oblomov’s Dream,” in which he describes the hero’s childhood in the provincial village of Oblomovka, the family estate where he was born, and outlines an already familiar conflict: the clash of a young local nobleman with the living conditions of the modern big city - St. Petersburg. This part of the work became the main one in the future novel. Goncharov published “Oblomov’s Dream” in a collection of the Sovremennik magazine in 1849 and stopped working on it for a long time. This was probably due to the fact that the author wanted to avoid repeating the old conflict in the future novel, and he had to comprehend in a new light the drama of a man unable to find a full life in a changing Russia. A trip around the world on the frigate Pallada, which took 3 years (1852–1855), also contributed to a distraction from the novel. At the end of the trip, Goncharov wrote a book of essays “Frigate Pallas”, reflecting his impressions and thoughts in it, and only after that he returned to continue working on “Oblomov”.

By 1857, Goncharov had finished the novel in rough form, the writer spent the next year finalizing the essay, and in 1859, reading Russia became acquainted with one of the most significant prose works in Russian literature of the 19th century - the novel “Oblomov.” In this novel, the author created the image of a national hero of his time in the context of a change in the centuries-old way of life of Russian society, the collapse of the social structure, changes in the economic and cultural situation in the country, and the general spiritual atmosphere. The novel “Oblomov” was completed, along with two other pinnacle works of the pre-reform period - the drama-tragedy “The Thunderstorm” by A.N. Ostrovsky and the novel “Fathers and Sons” by I.S. Turgenev. The decree of Emperor Alexander II of February 19, 1861 on the liberation of peasants from serfdom was a revolutionary event that divided Russian historical life into old and new times.

The hero's choice of the noble landowner Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is determined, first of all, by historical factors, since it was the landed nobility that the abolition of serfdom had the most impact on, mainly on their well-being and prospects. However, Goncharov is not limited to the social side of depicting events, involving in the novel problems of an eternal nature, such issues as love, the meaning of life, the human soul and his choice. The famous critic of that time N.A. Dobrolyubov in his textbook article “What is Oblomovism?” noticed that Goncharov’s hero represents the “indigenous, folk” character of the Russian person. Thus, when reading the novel, you need to see in his hero and his life a voluminous phenomenon and large-scale significance: individual-psychological, social, the girl Olga Ilyinskaya and the widow-official Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsina, in comparison with a friend of half-German origin Andrei Stolz, the antipode of Oblomov in character and life activity, in comical skirmishes with the serf servant Zakhar and other characters significant in different plot situations. ??????

G 1. Why is the Decree of Emperor Alexander II of February 19, 1861 called a revolutionary event in the text we read? Expand your position. For the work of which other writers known to you was this event important? In what literary works do you know is this event reflected (directly or indirectly)?

AND 2. It is known that “Oblomov” Goncharov, inspired by his novel with Elizaveta Vasilyevna Tolstoy, quickly completed it in a few weeks: “The main task of the novel, its soul, is a woman.” Read fragments from 32 letters from Goncharov to the young beauty who preferred the brave captain to the middle-aged famous writer. What new did you learn from them about Goncharov’s personality, about his life and moral values?

“...I often bless fate that I met her: I have become a better person, it seems, at least since I have known her, I have not convicted myself of a single mistake against my conscience, not even a single unclean feeling: everything seems to me, that her gentle brown gaze follows me everywhere, I feel constant invisible control over my conscience and will.”

“A look shining with intelligence and kindness... the softness of the lines, so harmoniously merging in the magical colors of the blush, the whiteness of the face and the sparkle of the eyes.”

“I'm sick of it. It became somehow cramped for me to live in the world: it seems that I am standing in terrible darkness, on the edge of an abyss, there is fog all around, then suddenly the light and sparkle of her eyes and face will illuminate me - and it’s as if I will rise to the clouds.”

“I feel, however, that apathy and heaviness are gradually returning to me, and you, with your intelligence and old friendship, stirred up the talkativeness in me.”

“With you, I had some wings that have fallen off now.”

“Oh, how many pages I would write if I decided to count your shortcomings, I would say, but I will say your advantages...”

“Farewell... not now, however, but when you get married, or before my or your death... And now... until the next letter, my wonderful friend, my dear, smart, kind, charming... Lisa!!! suddenly rolled off the tongue. I look around in horror to see if there is anyone around, I respectfully add: goodbye, Elizaveta Vasilievna: God bless you with the happiness you deserve. I am touched, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your friendship...”

If you're interested in this dramatic story, do some research on your own: Is E.V. Is Tolstaya the prototype of Olga Ilyinskaya?”

B Check yourself: have you carefully read the text of the novel “Oblomov”.

How many questions were you able to answer? Go back to the text again, find answers to the questions you couldn’t answer.

1. Who tells the story of Oblomov’s life?

2. What is the main character's full name? How old is he? What is his education? What is your occupation?

3. Who is Zakhar? What was his fate?

4. Who is Stolz? How does he know Oblomov?

5. Who is Olga? What is the content of Oblomov’s letter to Olga? How does her story end in the novel?

6. What kind of move is Oblomov afraid of? Why and where is Oblomov moving anyway?

7. Who is Agafya Pshenitsyna? What role did she play in Oblomov’s fate?

8. What role does Tarantiev play in the plot of the novel? Why and when did Oblomov slap him in the face?

9. Which of the characters in the novel has a backstory?

What difficulties did you experience while reading the text of the novel? Have you overcome them? How? What did you find interesting? Not interesting? What do you remember most?

OBLOMOV

(Novel. 1859)

Oblomov Ilya Ilyich - the main character of the novel, a young man “about thirty-two or three years old, of average height, pleasant appearance, with dark gray eyes, but with the absence of any definite idea, any concentration in his facial features... softness was the dominant and basic expression, not just the face, but the whole soul; and the soul shone so openly and clearly in the eyes, in the smile, in every movement of the head and hand.” This is how the reader finds the hero at the beginning of the novel, in St. Petersburg, on Gorokhovaya Street, where he lives with his servant Zakhar.

The main idea of ​​the novel is connected with the image of O., about which N. A. Dobrolyubov wrote: “...God knows what an important story. But it reflected Russian life, in it a living, modern Russian type appears before us, minted with merciless severity and correctness, it expressed the new word of our social development, pronounced clearly and firmly, without despair and without childish hopes, but with full consciousness truth. This word is Oblomovism; we see something more than just the successful creation of a strong talent; we find in it... a sign of the times.”

N.A. Dobrolyubov was the first to classify O. among the “superfluous people,” tracing his genealogy from Onegin, Pechorin, and Beltov. Each of the named heroes in their own way fully and vividly characterized a certain decade of Russian life. O. is a symbol of the 1850s, “post-Belt” times in Russian life and Russian literature. In O.'s personality, in his tendency to passively observe the vices of the era inherited by him, we clearly distinguish a fundamentally new type, introduced by Goncharov into literary and social use. This type personifies philosophical idleness, conscious alienation from the environment, which is rejected by the soul and mind of a young provincial who finds himself from sleepy Oblomovka in the capital.

“Life: life is good! What to look for there? interests of the mind, heart? - O. explains his worldview to his childhood friend Andrei Stolts. - Look where the center is, around which all this revolves: it’s not there, there’s nothing deep that touches the living. All these are dead people, sleeping people, worse than me, these members of the council and society! What drives them in life? After all, they don’t lie down, but scurry about every day like flies, back and forth, but what’s the point?.. Underneath this comprehensiveness lies emptiness, a lack of sympathy for everything!.. No, this is not life, but a distortion of the norm, the ideal of life, which Nature has indicated a goal to man.”

Nature, according to O., indicated a single goal: life, as it had flowed for centuries in Oblomovka, where they were afraid of news, traditions were strictly observed, books and newspapers were not recognized at all. From “Oblomov’s Dream,” called an “overture” by the author and published much earlier than the novel, as well as from individual strokes scattered throughout the text, the reader learns quite fully about the hero’s childhood and youth, spent among people who understood life “no other than an ideal.” peace and inaction, disturbed from time to time by various unpleasant accidents... they endured labor as a punishment imposed on our forefathers, but they could not love, and where there was an opportunity, they always got rid of it, finding it possible and proper.”

Goncharov depicted the tragedy of the Russian character, devoid of romantic traits and not colored by demonic gloom, but nevertheless finding himself on the sidelines of life - through his own fault and through the fault of society, in which there was no place for the Lomovs. Having no predecessors, this type remained unique.

O.'s image also contains autobiographical features. In the travel diary “Frigate “Pallada””, Goncharov admits that during the trip he most willingly lay in the cabin, not to mention the difficulty with which he decided to sail around the world. In the friendly circle of the Maykovs, who dearly loved the writer, Goncharov had a meaningful nickname - “Prince de Lazy.”

O.'s path is a typical path of provincial Russian nobles of the 1840s, who came to the capital and found themselves out of work. Service in the department with the inevitable expectation of promotion, from year to year the monotony of complaints, requests, establishing relationships with the clerks - this turned out to be beyond the strength of O., who preferred lying on the sofa to moving up the ladder of “career” and “fortune”, with no hopes and dreams not painted.

The dreaminess that was rushing out in Alexander Aduev, the hero of Goncharov’s “An Ordinary History,” lies dormant in O. At heart O. is also a lyricist, a human being; able to feel deeply - his perception of music, immersion in the captivating sounds of the aria “Casta diva” indicate that not only “dove meekness”, but also passions are accessible to him.

Each meeting with his childhood friend Andrei Stoltz, the complete opposite of O., is capable of shaking him up, but not for long: the determination to do something, to somehow arrange his life takes possession of him for a short time, while Stoltz is next to him. And Stolz lacks either the time or the perseverance to “lead” O. from action to action - there are others who, for selfish purposes, are ready not to leave Ilya Ilyich. They ultimately determine the channel along which his life flows.

A meeting with Olga Ilyinskaya temporarily changed O. beyond recognition: under the influence of a strong feeling, incredible transformations occur to him - a greasy robe is abandoned, O. gets out of bed as soon as he wakes up, reads books, looks through newspapers, is energetic and active, and having moved to the dacha near Olga, goes to meetings with her several times a day. “...A fever of life, strength, activity appeared in him, and the shadow disappeared... and sympathy again surged in a strong and clear key. But all these worries have not yet left the magic circle of love; His activity was negative: he does not sleep, reads, sometimes thinks about writing a plan (for the improvement of the estate. - Ed.), walks a lot, travels a lot. The further direction, the very thought of life, the deed, remains in intentions.”

Love, which carries within itself the need for action and self-improvement, is doomed in O.’s case. He needs a different feeling that would connect today's reality with old childhood impressions of life in his native Oblomovka, where they are fenced off from an existence filled with anxieties and worries by any means, where the meaning of life fits into thoughts about food, sleep, receiving guests and experiencing fairy tales as actual events. Any other feeling seems like violence against nature.

Without fully realizing this, O. understands what he cannot strive for precisely because of a certain nature of his nature. In a letter to Olga, written almost on the threshold of the decision to marry, he talks about the fear of future pain, writes bitterly and piercingly: “And what will happen when I become attached... when seeing each other will become not a luxury of life, but a necessity, when love cries out in heart? How to break away then? Will you survive this pain? It will be bad for me."

Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna, the owner of the apartment that his fellow countryman, the rogue Tarantiev, found for O., is the ideal of Oblomovism in the broadest sense of this concept. She is as “natural” as O. One can say about Pshenitsyna in the same words that Stolz says to Olga about O. Stolz: “...Honest, true heart! This is his natural gold; he carried it through life unscathed. He fell from the tremors, cooled down, fell asleep, finally, killed, disappointed, having lost the strength to live, but did not lose honesty and loyalty. His heart did not emit a single false note, no dirt stuck to it... This is a crystal, transparent soul; such people are few and far between; these are pearls in the crowd!

The traits that brought O. closer to Pshenitsyna are indicated here precisely. Ilya Ilyich needs most of all a feeling of care, warmth, not demanding anything in return, and that is why he became attached to his mistress, as to a fulfilled dream of returning to the blessed times of a happy, well-fed and serene childhood. With Agafya Matveevna, as with Olga, there are no thoughts about the need to do anything, to somehow change the life around and in oneself. O. explains his ideal to Stoltz simply, comparing Ilyinskaya with Agafya Matveevna: “...she will sing “Casta diva”, but she doesn’t know how to make vodka like that! And he won’t make a pie like this with chickens and mushrooms!” And therefore, realizing firmly and clearly that he has nowhere else to strive, he asks Stolz: “What do you want to do with me? With the world to which you are drawing me, I have fallen apart forever; you will not save, you will not make up two torn halves. I have grown to this hole with a sore spot: if you try to tear it off, you will die.”

In Pshenitsyna’s house, the reader sees O. more and more perceiving “his real life as a continuation of the same Oblomov existence, only with a different flavor of the area and partly of time. And here, as in Oblomovka, he managed to get rid of life cheaply, bargain with her and insure himself undisturbed peace.”

Five years after this meeting with Stolz, who again pronounced his cruel sentence: “Oblomovism!” - and leaving O. alone, Ilya Ilyich “died, apparently, without pain, without suffering, as if a watch had stopped and had forgotten to wind.” Son O., born by Agafya Matveevna and named after his friend Andrei, is taken to be raised by the Stoltsy.

Dedicated to the characteristic state of the Russian person. He describes a hero who has fallen into personal stagnation and apathy. The work gave the world the term “Oblomovism” - a derivative of the name of the character in the story. Goncharov created a striking example of 19th century literature. The book turned out to be the pinnacle of the writer's creativity. The novel is included in the school curriculum of Russian literature and does not lose its relevance, although two centuries have passed since its creation.

History of creation

"Oblomov" is a landmark work for Russian literature of the 19th century. Its meaning is not always accessible to schoolchildren who become acquainted with the book at a young age. Adults consider more deeply the idea that the author wanted to convey.

The main character of the work is the landowner Ilya Oblomov, whose lifestyle is incomprehensible to others. Some consider him a philosopher, others a thinker, and others a lazy person. The author allows the reader to form his own opinion without speaking categorically about the character.

It is impossible to evaluate the concept of a novel separately from the history of the creation of the work. The basis of the book was the story “Dashing Illness,” written by Goncharov several years earlier. Inspiration struck the writer at a time when the social and political situation in Russia was tense.

At that time, the image of an apathetic tradesman who was unable to take responsibility for his actions and decisions was typical for the country. The idea for the book was influenced by reasoning. The critic wrote about the appearance of the image of the “superfluous man” in literary works of that time. He described the hero as a freethinker, incapable of serious action, a dreamer, useless to society. Oblomov's appearance is a visual embodiment of the nobility of those years. The novel describes the changes occurring in the hero. The characteristics of Ilya Ilyich are subtly outlined in each of the four chapters.

Biography

The main character was born into a landowner family living according to the traditional lordly way of life. Ilya Oblomov spent his childhood on a family estate, where life was not very diverse. The parents loved the boy. The affectionate nanny spoiled her with fairy tales and jokes. Sleeping and long sittings at meals were commonplace for the family, and Ilya easily adopted their inclinations. He was protected from all sorts of misfortunes, not allowing him to fight the difficulties that arose.

According to Goncharov, the child grew up apathetic and withdrawn until he turned into a thirty-two-year-old, unprincipled man with an attractive appearance. He lacked interest in anything and concentration on a specific subject. The hero's income was provided by serfs, so he did not need anything. The clerk robbed him, his place of residence gradually fell into disrepair, and the sofa became his permanent location.

Oblomov’s descriptive image includes the bright features of a lazy landowner and is collective. Goncharov's contemporaries tried not to name their sons after Ilya if they were the namesakes of their fathers. The household name that Oblomov's name acquired was carefully avoided.

A satirical description of the appearance of the character becomes a continuation of the string of “extra people” that he began and continued. Oblomov is not old, but he is already flabby. His face is expressionless. Gray eyes do not carry even a shadow of thought. He wears an old robe. Goncharov pays attention to the character’s appearance, noting his effeminacy and passivity. The dreamer Oblomov is not ready for action and indulges in laziness. The tragedy of the hero lies in the fact that he has great prospects, but is not able to realize them.

Oblomov is kind and selfless. He does not have to put any effort into anything, and if such a prospect arises, he fears it and shows uncertainty. He often dreams of the setting of his native estate, bringing back a sweet longing for his native place. From time to time, beautiful dreams are dispelled by other heroes of the novel.

He is the antagonist of Ilya Oblomov. The friendship between the men began in childhood. The opposite of a dreamer, Stolz, who has German roots, avoids idleness and is accustomed to working. He criticizes the lifestyle preferred by Oblomov. Stolz knows that his friend’s first attempts to realize his career ended in failure.

Having moved to St. Petersburg as a young man, Ilya tried to work in an office, but things did not go well, and he chose inaction. Stolz is an ardent opponent of passivity and tries to be active, although he understands that his work is not intended for high goals.

She became the woman who managed to awaken Oblomov from idleness. The love that settled in the hero’s heart helped him leave the usual sofa and forget about drowsiness and apathy. The golden heart, sincerity and breadth of soul attracted the attention of Olga Ilyinskaya.

She valued Ilya’s imagination and fantasy and at the same time tried to assert herself by caring for a man who had renounced the world. The girl was inspired by her ability to influence Oblomov and understood that their relationship would not continue. Ilya Ilyich's indecisiveness became the reason for the collapse of this union.

Fleeting obstacles are perceived by Oblomov as indestructible barriers. He is not able to adapt and adapt to social frameworks. Inventing his own cozy world, he distances himself from reality, where he has no place.

Isolation became the path to simple happiness in life, and it was brought by a woman who was constantly nearby. rented out the apartment where the hero lived. After breaking up with Olga Ilyinskaya, he found solace in Agafya’s attention. A thirty-year-old woman fell in love with a tenant, and her feelings did not require changes in character or lifestyle.

Having united their households, little by little they began to show trust in each other and began to live in perfect harmony. Pshenitsyna did not demand anything from her husband. She was content with the merits and did not pay attention to the shortcomings. The marriage produced a son, Andryusha, Agafya’s only consolation after Oblomov’s death.

• The chapter “Oblomov’s Dream” describes how the hero dreams of a thunderstorm. According to popular belief, you cannot work on Elijah’s Day so as not to die from thunder. Ilya Ilyich has not worked all his life. The author justifies the character's idleness by believing in omens.
• Coming from a village whose life is cyclical, Oblomov builds love relationships according to this principle. Getting to know Ilyinskaya in the spring, he confesses his feelings in the summer, gradually falls into apathy in the fall and tries to avoid meetings in the winter. The relationship between the heroes lasted a year. This was enough to experience a bright palette of feelings and cool them down.

• The author mentions that Oblomov served as a collegiate assessor and managed to be a provincial secretary. Both positions did not correspond to the class to which the landowner belonged, and they could be achieved through hard work. Comparing the facts, it is easy to assume that the hero, who was lazy and while studying at the university, received his position in a different way. The classes of Pshenitsyna and Oblomov corresponded, which the author emphasizes the kinship of souls.
• Life with Agafya suited Oblomov. It is curious that even the woman’s surname is consonant with the rural nature for which the hero yearned.

Quotes

Despite his laziness, Oblomov shows himself to be an educated and sensitive person, a deep person with a pure heart and good thoughts. He justifies his inaction by saying:

“...Some people have nothing else to do but talk. There is such a calling."

Internally, Oblomov is strong to commit the act. The main step towards changes in his life is his love for Ilyinskaya. For her sake, he is capable of feats, one of which is saying goodbye to his favorite robe and sofa. It is quite possible that an object that could interest the hero just as much was simply not found. And if there is no interest, why forget about convenience? Therefore he criticizes the world:

“...There is nothing of their own, they are scattered in all directions, not directed towards anything. Underneath this comprehensiveness lies emptiness, a lack of sympathy for everything!..”

Oblomov in Goncharov’s novel appears at the same time as a lazy person with a negative connotation and an exalted character with poetic talent. His words contain subtle turns and expressions that are alien to the hard worker Stolz. His elegant phrases attract Ilyinskaya and turn Agafya’s head. Oblomov’s world, woven from dreams and dreams, is built on the melody of poetry, love for comfort and harmony, peace of mind and goodness:

“...Memories are either the greatest poetry when they are memories of living happiness, or burning pain when they touch dried wounds.”