The role of the little man in Russian literature. Prince Bagration looked at Tushin and, apparently not wanting to express distrust of Bolkonsky’s harsh judgment and at the same time feeling unable to fully believe him, bowed his head and told Tushin that he

"The Little Man" is a literary character typical 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. Subject 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. The main character of 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 at school lessons literature. 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. It’s not for nothing that the 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 as a literary device for critically depicting such vices of social society as genuflection and 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 - honest man and an old servant. 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" special development receives the theme of the little man in Russian literature. 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"

In this novel also we're talking about 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. Minor official - typical hero works of Chekhov. 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 small person, deprived of the most necessary things for a 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

“Garnet Bracelet” - a story about Great love little person. 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 the 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 has given way to other heroes. As is known, 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 and Gogol’s heroes. An example is “Little Mister Friedemann” by Thomas Mann. 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.

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………...3

Chapter 2. Comparison of the theme of the little man in the works of Pushkin and the works of other authors……………………………………………………………...9

2.1. “Little Man” in the works of A.S. Griboedova…………………9

2.2. Development of the image of the “little man” by N.V. Gogol………………..10

2.3. The theme of the “little man” in the works of M.Yu. Lermontov…………..10

2.4. F.M. Dostoevsky, as a continuator of the “little man” theme….11

2.5. Vision of the image of the “little man” by L.N. Tolstoy…………………..13

2.6. The theme of the “little man” in the works of N.S. Leskova……………16

2.7. A.P. Chekhov and the “little man” in his stories………………………17

2.8. Creation of the image of the “little man” by Maxim Gorky…………..20

2.9. “Little Man” in “Garnet Bracelet” by A.I. Kuprina…………21

2.10. The theme of “Little Man” by A.N. Ostrovsky……………………...21

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….23

List of references……………………………………………………………...25

Definition "small man" applies to category literary heroes era 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” is most likely in use introduced by Belinsky(article 1840 “Woe from Wit”). The theme of the “little man” is raised by many writers. It has always been relevant because its task is reflect the life of a simple 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.

In world literature one can distinguish a parable novel Franz Kafka“A castle that reveals the tragic powerlessness of a little man and his unwillingness to reconcile himself with fate.

In German literature, people gravitated towards the image of the “little man” Gerhart Hauptmann in his dramas Before Sunrise and Alone. The wealth of images of the “little man” in Hauptmann’s works gives rise to many different options (from a poorly educated carter to a subtle intellectual). Continued the tradition of Hauptmann Hans Fallada .

In Russian XIX literature century, the image of a small man has become especially popular. They were working on it Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Gribodoev, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Leo Tolstoy and many other writers.

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. But already from the second third of the 20th century this image disappears from the pages of literary works, since the method socialist realism does not imply such a hero.

Chapter 1. The image of the “little man” in the works of A.S.

Pushkin

The Greatest Poet In the 19th century, A.S. Pushkin also did not leave the theme of the “little man” unnoticed, only he turned his gaze not to the image of the kneeling man, but to the fate of the unfortunate man, showing us his pure soul, unspoiled by wealth and prosperity, who knows how to rejoice, love, suffer . This is a story "Stationmaster" part of a cycle "Tales of Belkin". Pushkin sympathizes with his hero.

Initially, his life is not easy.

“Who hasn’t cursed the stationmasters, who hasn’t scolded them? Who, in a moment of anger, hasn’t demanded from them a fatal book in order to write into it their useless complaint about oppression, rudeness and malfunction? Who doesn’t consider them monsters of the human race, equal to the deceased clerks, or at least the Murom robbers? Let us, however, be fair, try to enter into their position and, perhaps, begin to judge them much more leniently. What is a stationmaster? A real martyr of the fourteenth class, protected by his rank only from beatings. not always... There is peace, neither day nor night. him as an enemy; it would be good if he soon managed to get rid of the uninvited guest; but if the horses didn’t happen, what curses and threats would fall on his head! In the rain and slush, he is forced to run around the yards; in a storm, in the Epiphany frost, he goes into the hallway, just to rest for a minute from the screams and pushes of an irritated guest... Let’s look into all this carefully, and instead of indignation, our hearts will be filled with sincere compassion.”

But, the hero of the story Samson Vyrin, remains a happy and calm person. He is accustomed to his service and has a good assistant, his daughter.

He dreams of simple happiness, grandchildren, big family, but fate has other plans. Hussar Minsky, while passing through their place, takes his daughter Dunya with him. After an unsuccessful attempt to return his daughter, when the hussar " strong hand“, grabbing the old man by the collar, he pushed him onto the stairs,” Vyrin was no longer able to fight. And the unfortunate old man dies of melancholy, grieving over her possible pitiable fate.

Eugene, the hero of The Bronze Horseman, looks like Samson Vyrin.
Our hero lives in Kolomna, serves somewhere, and shuns the nobles. He does not make great plans for the future; he is satisfied with a quiet, inconspicuous life.

He also hopes for his personal, albeit small, but much-needed family happiness.

But all his dreams are in vain, because evil fate bursts into his life: the elements destroy his beloved. Evgeniy cannot resist fate; he quietly experiences his loss. And only in a state of madness does he threaten the Bronze Horseman, considering the man who built the city on this ruined 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. In the novel "Captain's daughter" The category of "little people" includes Petr Andreevich Grinev And Captain Mironov. They are distinguished by the same qualities: kindness, justice, decency, the ability to love and respect people. But they have one more thing good quality- remain faithful this word. Pushkin included the saying in the epigraph: “Take care of your honor from a young age.” They saved their honor. And they are just as dear to A.S. Pushkin, as are the heroes of his previously mentioned works.

Pushkin puts forward a democratic theme in them
a little man (the story "The Station Agent"), which precedes Gogol's "The Overcoat".

This is what he writes in his critical article « Fiction Pushkin" literary critic S.M. Petrov:

"Belkin's Tales" appeared in print the first realistic work Russian prose. Along with traditional themes from the life of the nobility and estate (“The Young Lady-Peasant”), Pushkin puts forward in them democratic theme of the little man(the story "The Station Agent"), which precedes Gogol's "The Overcoat".

"Belkin's Tales" were Pushkin's polemical response to the main trends of contemporary Russian prose. The truthfulness of the image, deep insight into a person's character, the absence of any didacticism "The Station Agent" by Pushkin put an end to it influence
sentimental and didactic story about a little man like “Poor Liza” by Karamzin. Idealized images deliberately created in didactic purposes plot situations sentimental stories are replaced by real types and everyday paintings, depicting the true joys and sorrows of life.

Deep humanism Pushkin's story is opposed to the abstract sensitivity of a sentimental story. The mannered language of a sentimental story, falling into moralizing rhetoric, gives way to a simple and ingenuous narrative, like the old caretaker’s story about his Duna. Realism is replacing sentimentalism in Russian prose."

D. Blagoy considers the crown of Pushkin's realism, its consistent completion, the image of a “little man,” an unassuming “college registrar,” even going so far as to directly identify the life ideals of Eugene (“The Bronze Horseman”), the most typical of a series of similar heroes, with the aspirations of the poet himself.

“In reality, Pushkin of the 30s, who more than once sympathetically depicted the life and way of life of “little people,” endowed them with warm human feelings, could not at the same time fail to see the limitations, the poverty of the spiritual needs of a petty official, a tradesman, a seedy nobleman. While pitying the “little man,” Pushkin at the same time shows the petty-bourgeois narrowness of his requests.

How typical is the type of French teacher in “Dubrovsky”:

“I have an old mother, I will send half of my salary to her for food, from the rest of the money I can save up a small capital in five years - sufficient for my future independence, and then bonsoir, I go to Paris and embark on commercial activities.” – A. Grushkin emphasizes in article “Image folk hero in the works of Pushkin of the 30s."

Sometimes image of a little man at Alexander Sergeevich turn into a description of a folk hero. Let us turn to a fragment of the same article by Grushkin:

"In "Songs Western Slavs“He found this hero. The latter, it would seem, is endowed with all the features of a “little man.” At first glance, this is an undemanding, simple man, lifestyle which is primitive to the extreme. What, for example, would the hero of “Funeral Song” want to tell his old father, who is already “beyond the grave?”

I am healthy and son Ian
The owner gave birth to me.

My daughter lives in Lizgor;
She is not bored there with her husband,
Tvark went to sea long ago,
Whether he’s alive or not, you’ll find out for yourself.

But into the everyday, unpretentious life of the “little man,” the features of courageous military heroism suddenly burst into the air. It turns out that far from idyllic associations are associated with the little boy whom the “mistress” gave birth to:

He is named Ian in honor of his grandfather:
I have a smart boy;
Already wields a scimitar
And he shoots a gun."

The hero of the “Songs”, the so-called “little man” who has ceased to be “little”, transformed, exalted by the liberation struggle. Thus, Pushkin created artistic images that outgrew the framework of noble ideology, filled with deeply democratic charges.

In more late period the same Dmitry Blagoy in his book “ Creative path Pushkin" brings out a new interpretation of the "little man" of the poet - the one who opposes himself to the autocracy:

“The deep regularity and organic nature of Peter’s theme for Pushkin’s post-December period is convincingly confirmed by the entire further course of his work, in which this theme becomes one of the leading, central themes, filling, as we will see later, with increasingly complex ideological, philosophical and socio-historical content, acquiring an increasingly problematic nature due to Pushkin’s production and artistic development on this very topic central issues of its modernity and Russian historical life in general - about the relationship between the state and the individual, autocratic power and the simple “little” person, about the ways of the Russian historical development, about the fate of the country, nation, people. It is this issue that will be at the center of such works by Pushkin, related to the theme of Peter, as “The Blackamoor of Peter the Great”, as “Poltava”, as the deepest of the poet’s creations - the “Petersburg story” in verse, “The Bronze Horseman”. The first in this series, as if a compressed, concentrated introduction to everything that follows, is the poem “Stanzas”.

2.1. “Little Man” in the works of A.S. Griboyedova

The writer who anticipated the image of the little man, even before Pushkin, was Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov.

In comedy Griboyedov "Woe from Wit" the clash between the “present century” and the “past century” is shown. The first are people who live guided by progressive ideas, people who understand what Russia will come to if you leave life as it is and don’t try to change anything. The latter are representatives of the Moscow nobility, who are quite satisfied with their life. They not only do not want to change anything, but also in every possible way prevent the implementation of the ideas of the representatives of the “present century”. These two opposing sides are personified by two main characters: Chatsky and Famusov. It is in Famusov’s world that he lives Molchalin, whom we classify as “little people.” This young man learned from childhood the rule of pleasing everyone.

He perfectly senses the mood of the Moscow nobility and the entire society surrounding him. And he behaves the way the powerful of this world want, “after all, nowadays they love the dumb.” This contributes to the fact that he soon becomes an integral part of this society, right hand your boss, which means a good career in the very near future. The second step is to become related to a respected person. Sophia, in love not with Molchalin, but with an ideal that she herself invented, does not see him true face, but idealizes it.

In fact, Molchalin is a cunning, insidious, vile liar who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. His idea of ​​happiness is very one-sided: wealth, a successful career, a significant position in society. Molchalin, as portrayed by Griboedov, is not only pitiful and disgusting, but also dangerous and completely not like Pushkin's heroes .

U Gogol's little man has great faith , exists where it seems impossible to exist in social sense. He continuation of the image laid down by Alexander Sergeevich. But such people live everywhere. We do not notice them because we do not know how to love the immortal soul in a person. Therefore, stories like “The Overcoat” do not reveal to us tragic meaning life. Where sensitivity disappears, wisdom declines.

In a big cold city, a small employee is terribly poor. Nobody appreciates his diligence, skill and honesty. Years of need have meant that he can no longer look decent, as required by his service. At the cost of superhuman efforts, he acquires new clothes, as if he is restoring his lost dignity, but the happiness does not last long: the attackers replace the new clothes with rags from someone else’s shoulder. This man dies from grief. Death frees him from service, but not from service, which is the meaning of existence for him. He wanders through the city at night, looking for what he has lost. And nothing more. He doesn't need someone else's.

M.Yu.Lermontov, unlike many other writers, set himself the goal of portraying an extraordinary personality, suffering from inactivity. He was one of the first Russian prose writers to touch upon the theme of the “little man.” The image of Maxim Maksimovich is unforgettable. We first meet him in the story "Bela". On the way, the narrator meets an elderly officer who gives him useful tips. This is Maxim Maksimovich. He lived in the Caucasus for quite a long time, and this means that he knows local morals, orders, and customs very well. At first glance, he attracts the reader.

By origin, Maxim Maksimovich is a nobleman, but, obviously, from the impoverished nobility. Without influential connections and money. Despite his age, he is only at the rank of staff -captain. This man is not used to currying favor with the powers that be. His words sound honest and sincere.

He is harmless, simple-minded, and it is difficult for him to understand Pechorin’s complex feelings. But he knows one rule firmly - you cannot offend people. His entire protest is expressed in the fact that in the presence of Pechorin he began to put on a uniform, stopped accepting it as before, at home. An old servant and a decent person, Maxim Maksimovich understands only one thing, that he is no less to blame for Bela’s death than Pechorin, and internally he constantly punishes himself for this. Bela and Pechorin replaced him with the family he never had. But still, the environment to which he is accustomed, in which he lives, left its imprint on his soul and behavior. A kind, taking everything to heart, brave, resourceful man from the people - that’s who Maxim Maksimovich is. Lermontov portrayed him not offended and humiliated, although pity still creeps into the depths of the reader’s soul. We, the readers, feel that Lermontov loves his hero, Sight him on the "little man" the same as A.S. Pushkin. And Maxim Maksimovich himself in many ways resembles Captain Mironov.

In F. M. Dostoevsky, the “little man” fully understands his uselessness and uselessness. A striking example of this is Marmeladov from the novel "Crime and Punishment". He is a drunkard, a rag, an insignificant person from his point of view, but he is a philosopher.

“Dear sir,” he began almost solemnly, “poverty is not a vice, but a truth. I know that drunkenness is not a virtue, and this is even more so. But poverty, dear sir, poverty is a vice, sir. In poverty you are still you retain your nobility of innate feelings, but in poverty, no one is ever driven out of human company for poverty, but with a broom, so that it would be all the more insulting and fair, for in poverty I am the first to insult myself.” Marmeladov wants to improve, but cannot. He understands that he has doomed his family, and especially his daughter, to suffering, he worries about this, but he cannot help himself. “To pity! Why pity me!” Marmeladov suddenly yelled, standing up with his hand outstretched... “Yes! There’s nothing to pity me for! Crucify me on the cross, not pity me! But crucify me, judge, crucify him, and having crucified him, have pity on him!” For Chekhov, “little people” evoke indignation and hostility; for Dostoevsky, they evoke pity and empathy. “And if there is nowhere else to go! After all, it is necessary that every person at least be able to go somewhere. For there is a time when it is absolutely necessary to go somewhere.” “Compassion is the most important and, perhaps, the only law of human existence,” Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky believed. Compassion helps to survive, helps the “little man” to understand that, despite his baseness and worthlessness, someone needs him, someone cares about him, but this is very important for every person.
Another hero who sympathizes with everyone and tries to help is Sonya Marmeladova. She has kind heart And great soul. Sonya is a “little person”; she cannot change anything in the life of the country, change the state, but she is able to help her neighbor, help those who need her help. We see in this fragile girl enormous spiritual wealth and inner beauty. Her convictions will not allow anyone to confuse her or commit actions contrary to moral standards. For her, every person is valuable. She can understand and forgive everyone.

And in the novel "Poor People" We are talking about "little people". Makar Devushkin and Varvara Alekseevna also belong to the lower class of society. They want to live well, work, hope for their happiness. Makar Devushkin loves Varenka very much, he is like a father to her: he buys her what she dreams of, although she does not ask him for it, and he himself remains virtually without food, becomes a debtor to the owner of the house in which he lives. Varenka, having learned about Makar Devushkin’s misfortune, tries to help him: she sends him money so that he can pay the hostess and buy something for himself. It should be noted that she gives away far from extra money earned by her painstaking work. Pity and kindness are characteristic of this gentle girl and her friend, Makar Devushkin, who once saved her from an evil relative. Mutual assistance is very important here, because this is the only thing these people can hope for. The author with his works wanted to point out the problems of the disadvantaged. They are forced to live in dark, dirty, nasty and smelly areas of the city. And what did many of them do to deserve this? What did Sonya Marmeladova do to deserve this? What did Makar Devushkin and Varvara Alekseevna deserve this? This is what Dostoevsky draws attention to. His “little man” knows how to reason. He is not only “humiliated and insulted”, realizing his insignificance, he is also a philosopher who poses questions of the greatest importance to society.

Pushkin's influence in "Poor People" turns out to be secondary- Gogol writes with an eye on Pushkin, and Dostoevsky writes primarily with an eye on Gogol and his “Overcoat.” Common features of Pushkin and Dostoevsky- these are similar interpretations of the image of a little person, formulation of the problem of permissiveness, interest in confession.

2.5. Vision of the image of the “little man” by L.N. Tolstoy

L.N .Tolstoy in an epic novel "War and Peace" lined up in front of readers people of different backgrounds, wealth and characters. His sympathies are with those characters who are spiritually close to the people. Therefore, with such warmth he paints the image of Captain Tushin. This is a hero who belongs to the category of “little people”. And at first glance he is clumsy and funny. But this is only at first glance, when he is not minding his own business. In battle it's a real hero, courageous, fearless. In Tolstoy's huge novel, Captain Tushin is given ten pages, but the image of this man turns out to be very important for understanding the entire work and the views of the author himself. This is how this hero appears to us when we first meet him:

“Prince Andrei involuntarily smiled, looking at Staff Captain Tushin. Silently and smiling, Tushin shifted from bare foot to foot, looking questioningly with large, intelligent and kind eyes, first at Prince Andrei, then at the staff officer.

“The soldiers say: when you come to your senses, you are more dexterous,” said Captain Tushin, smiling and timid, apparently wanting to switch from his awkward position to a humorous tone. But he had not yet finished speaking when he felt that his joke was not accepted and did not come out. He was embarrassed.

“Please leave,” said the staff officer, trying to maintain his seriousness.

Prince Andrei looked again at the artilleryman’s figurine. There was something special about it, not at all military, somewhat comical, but extremely attractive.”

And here is this timid, unconfident person in a completely different situation, where a lot depends on him, where he forgets about himself and thinks about the common cause. “The Tushin battery was forgotten, and only at the very end of the matter, continuing to hear the cannonade in the center, Prince Bagration sent there the staff officer on duty and then Prince Andrei to order the battery to retreat as quickly as possible. The cover stationed near the Tushin guns went down someone's order in the middle of the matter; but the battery continued to fire and was not taken by the French only because the enemy could not assume the audacity of firing four unprotected cannons; on the contrary, from the energetic action of this battery, he assumed that they were concentrated here in the center. the main forces of the Russians, and tried to attack this point twice, and both times were driven away by grapeshot shots from four cannons standing alone on this eminence." And this man, a real hero, after the battle cannot even defend himself from the attacks of those officers who turned out to be cowards, but knew how to gain favor with their superiors by any means. “Tushin appeared on the threshold, timidly making his way from behind the generals. Walking around the generals in the cramped hut, embarrassed, as always, at the sight of his superiors, Tushin did not notice the flagpole and stumbled over it. Several voices laughed.

“How was the gun abandoned?” Bagration asked, frowning not so much at the captain as at those laughing, among whom Zherkov’s voice was heard loudest.

Tushin now only, at the sight of the formidable authorities, imagined in all horror his guilt and shame in the fact that he, having remained alive, had lost two guns. He was so excited that until that moment he did not have time to think about it. The officers' laughter confused him even more. He stood in front of Bagration with a trembling lower jaw and barely said:

- I don’t know...your excellency...there were no people, your excellency.
- You could have taken it from cover!

Tushin did not say that there was no cover, although this was the absolute truth. He was afraid to let down another boss by this and silently, with fixed eyes, looked straight into Bagration’s face, like a confused student looks into the eyes of an examiner. The silence was quite long. Prince Bagration, apparently not wanting to be strict, had nothing to say; the rest did not dare to intervene in the conversation. Prince Andrey looked at Tushin from under his brows, and his fingers moved nervously.

“Your Excellency,” Prince Andrei interrupted the silence with his sharp voice, “you deigned to send me to Captain Tushin’s battery.” I was there and found two thirds of the men and horses killed, two guns mangled and no cover.

Prince Bagration and Tushin equally stubbornly looked at Bolkonsky, who spoke restrainedly and excitedly.

“And if, your Excellency, allow me to express my opinion,” he continued, “then we owe the success of the day most of all to the action of this battery and the heroic fortitude of Captain Tushin and his company,” said Prince Andrei and, without waiting for an answer, he immediately stood up and walked away from the window.

Prince Bagration looked at Tushin and, apparently not wanting to express distrust of Bolkonsky’s harsh judgment and at the same time feeling unable to fully believe him, bowed his head and told Tushin that he could go. Prince Andrei followed him out.

“Thank you, I helped you out, my dear,” Tushin told him.”
For L.N. Tolstoy, a “little man” is a man from the people, capable of working miracles, but very modest and himself not understanding his own greatness.

2.6. The theme of the “little man” in the works of N.S. Leskova

U Nikolai Semenovich Leskov"little man" is absolutely another Human, than his predecessors, including Pushkin. 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 - talented person from the people, caring about their 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 drinking person cannot be a strong person. 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 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, saved people, and fled for his life. But in all these tests he improved.

This is a simple person with his own merits and demerits, gradually eradicating these shortcomings and coming to an understanding of God. Leskov portrays his hero as strong and a brave man WITH with a huge heart and a big soul. Flyagin does not complain about fate, does not cry. Leskov, describing Ivan Severyanovich, makes the reader proud of his people, of his country. Flyagin does not humiliate himself before the powers that be, 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 wait for help from others, does not sit idly by. 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.

"Little Man" is constantly found on the pages of works A.A.Chekhova. 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 "Death of an Official"“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.”

The key word in this thought is “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 automatically 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 leads to. 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 Victory's Celebration" 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 position 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 two things that play a major role in the life of any person: small and not small. Unlike Pushkin, Chekhov specifically emphasizes the human dignity of the “little man” and relationships with superiors in society.

Maksim Gorky wrote a play "At the bottom", in which everything characters are "little people". The action takes place in a rooming house. All the dregs of society are gathered here: drunkards, murderers and thieves. They are all cruel, they have no sense of compassion, no desire to help their neighbor. Kleshch's wife dies, but he doesn't care. A sister cripples her own sister, everyone always drinks and no one cares about anyone else. They themselves are to blame for what happened to them; they do not have the strength and perseverance to fight fate. Insults are becoming the norm in this society. Nobody wants to say a kind, warm word to each other. Then Luka appears in their monotonous, cruel and vile life. He is able to sympathize and console people. And gradually, for a while, some people become a little kinder. Luke brings them hope for better life, he is gentle and kind with them. When he leaves, everyone is going to run after him, to look for him. And all only because this simple and also “little man” gave them hope and sympathy, everything that they had been waiting for for so long. Luke looks like a biblical character, like a pilgrim. He is the embodiment of goodness and justice. And this similarity is not accidental. Gorky draws the reader's attention to the fact that our lives lack sympathy and warmth. He calls to help your neighbor, and this is important for any person.

This is how Gorky painted us the “little man” in realistic works, which is fundamentally different from the heroes of his early romantic works. In the play "At the Bottom" we can draw an analogy with "Crime and Punishment".

Dostoevsky also called for compassion. In this, the views of Gorky and Dostoevsky coincide, which means Gorky also was influenced by the image of Pushkin’s “little man”, mediated by Nikolai Gogol.

U A.I.Kuprina V " Garnet bracelet“Zheltkov is a “little man.” And again the hero belongs to the lower class. But he loves, and he loves in a way that many of them 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 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 extraordinary soul, capable of self-sacrifice, able to truly love, and such a gift is rare. Therefore, the “little man” Zheltkov appears to us a figure towering above those around him. He not oppressed like the heroes of Pushkin’s “little man”, rather, on the contrary, he is morally superior to everyone else, but this is what destroys him.

U A.N. Ostrovsky ideas about the “little man” are more similar to Chekhov’s, but there is also something from Dostoevsky in them. In the play "Dowry" The “little man” is Karandyshev. He does not want to feel like a third-class person, as Chekhov did, but at the same time he is aware of his inadequacy in society, like Dostoevsky’s characters. Karandyshev wants to join this society, a society where he is not welcome, where no one needs him. But at the same time, he wants to humiliate those who humiliated him. This desire for revenge makes him insensitive towards his fiancee, to whom Karandyshev’s behavior causes torment. In "The Thunderstorm" Tikhon and Boris, despite their external dissimilarity, are equally weak-willed. Neither the author nor the readers have any respect for them.
The female characters in these plays, on the contrary, are very vivid. main character plays "Dowry" - Larisa Ogudalova. Her mother’s advice is as follows: “We are poor people, we have to humiliate ourselves all our lives. It’s better to humiliate yourself from a young age, so that later you can live like a human being... And pretend and lie! Happiness will not follow you if you run from it yourself.” But Larisa Ogudalova is a person of integrity, incapable of dodging and lying. Her soul is open to people. And she doesn’t want to live any other way. Katerina Kabanova, like Larisa, is ready to die, but not to live in a vulgar, deceitful world. Death becomes the only way out for both of them. Larisa Ogudalova and Katerina Kabanova look like Sonya Marmeladova. They do not blend in with the general mass of petty and bilious people. Sonya - spiritual person, she is not offended by anyone and helps everyone. Larisa is also not like everyone else, she does not follow the rule: “You can’t live in the world without cunning.” Before her death, she forgives everyone, although, probably, she is not offended by anyone. Despite all their identical spiritual qualities, the external manifestations of these The heroines are different. Sonya seems to be a very modest and even timid person. Larisa and Katerina are more determined and strong in appearance, but they are all equally strong spiritually. Ostrovsky’s position coincides with the position of Turgenev, who portrayed his girls as morally higher than those around them. men.

The image of the “little man” appeared in world literature in the 19th century and became very popular. This hero was a person from low social strata, with his own advantages and disadvantages, joys and sorrows, dreams and aspirations. During the heyday of the realistic movement in literature inner world, the psychology of the “little man” occupied many writers. Russian classics especially often addressed the theme of the “little man.” The first of them were Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin and Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov. Even the term itself was first used by the critic Belinsky when considering Griboyedov’s work “Woe from Wit.”

Pushkin, as one of the first classics who described the image of the “little man,” in the early stages of his work tried to show the high spirituality of the characters, as, for example, in the story “The Station Agent.” Later, in his works, the motives of transitioning from the image of a “little man” and merging with the image of a folk hero – “Songs of the Western Slavs” – were heard. In his historical poems, Alexander Sergeevich considers the eternal relationship between the “little man” and unlimited power - “Arap of Peter the Great”, “Poltava”.

All of Pushkin’s works were characterized by a deep penetration into the character of each hero - the “little man”, masterful writing of his portrait, from which not a single feature escaped.

The direct successor of the theme of Pushkin’s “little man” was Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. She expressed herself most fully in the story “The Overcoat”. Later, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky followed in the footsteps of Pushkin and Gogol, giving us a single image of the “little man” in the novels Crime and Punishment and Poor People.

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. These images were most striking in the novel “War and Peace” and the story “Lefty”.

Such diversity in the interpretation of the image of a little man and its evolution in Pushkin himself are explained by constant social changes and the variability of life itself. Each era gives its “little man”.

But, since the beginning of the 20th century, this topic has gradually faded away and the image of the “little man” in Russian literature disappears, giving way to other heroes.

1. Pushkin A.S. Collected works in 10 volumes. T.5. Novels, stories. – M: State Publishing House of Fiction, 1960.

2. A. Grushkin. The image of a folk hero in the works of Pushkin in the 30s. In the book: Pushkin. Temporary of the Pushkin Commission, vol. 3. Ed. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, M. - L., 1937.

3. Blagoy D.D Pushkin’s creative path. M., 1967.

4. E.P. Pedchak. Russian literature late XVIII-XIX century. Foreign literature. –M: Phoenix, 2003.

5. Khramtsev D.V. Pushkin and Dostoevsky // Samizdat magazine dated 09/06/2004.

6. Sokolov A.G. History of Russian literature of the late XIX – early XX centuries: Textbook. –4th ed., additional and revised – M.: Higher. school; Ed. Center Academy, 2000.

Pushkin A.S. Collected works in 10 volumes. T.5. Novels, stories. – M: State Publishing House of Fiction, 1960.

A. Grushkin. The image of a folk hero in the works of Pushkin in the 30s. In the book: Pushkin. Temporary of the Pushkin Commission, vol. 3. Ed. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, M. - L., 1937.

Blagoy D.D Pushkin’s creative path. M., 1967.

E.P. Pedchak. Russian literature of the late XVIII-XIX centuries. Foreign literature. –M: Phoenix, 2003.

Khramtsev D.V. Pushkin and Dostoevsky // Samizdat magazine dated 09/06/2004.

Sokolov A.G. History of Russian literature of the late XIX – early XX centuries: Textbook. –4th ed., additional and revised – M.: Higher. school; Ed. Center Academy, 2000.

“Little Man” is an image of a hero who is on the lowest rung of the social ladder. Addressing this topic in the works of N.M. Karamzin was an important step in Russian literature, since the writer drew attention to the situation of many powerless people of his time, when the true feelings and thoughts of the “little man” in society were of no interest to anyone. In the story " Poor Lisa" Karamzin revealed to readers living soul village girl Lisa, a representative of the lower class, showing that “peasant women know how to love.”

The author of the work becomes a friend and protector of the unfortunate girl. He asks not to judge her actions harshly, justifies her mistakes with her love for Erast, highly values ​​Lisa’s spiritual qualities and the ability to consider love as the main feeling. All this confirms the origin new tradition in Russian literature - sympathy for the “little man”, compassion and the desire to help in his troubles. That is why the writer would like to protect his heroine, who could not find a way out of the impasse in which she found herself.

Karamzin endows Liza with high spiritual qualities, but emphasizes the impossibility for her to reveal her soul to anyone due to her humiliated position in society. Since Lisa could not talk about her experiences and misfortune, she is forced to hide her pain and considers the situation hopeless. Lack of rights and injustice forced the “little people” to withdraw into themselves, to feel lonely and defenseless.

Why couldn't Lisa do anything to achieve happiness in life? Because in a society where the main measure of human dignity was wealth and nobility, the peasant girl understood the impossibility of her equality with the nobleman Erast. She felt weak, unable to change her life for the better. The author sympathizes with his heroine, who suffers from loneliness and defenselessness in a world where even the mother cannot help her unfortunate daughter. Lisa chooses death for herself (and therefore for her mother), she does not want to suffer because unrequited love and shame, realizing that not only will no one support her, but, rather, they will “throw stones” in her direction.

Could Lisa demand that her beloved be honest and fair towards her? No, and in this, the peasant girl, not only because of pride, but also because of her social status, was powerless and voiceless, meekly accepting the blows of fate. Erast’s attitude towards Lisa during the period of their acquaintance undergoes changes because ordinary girl the nobleman needed it for a short period of time, while his passion and feelings seemed unusual and interesting. He justified the termination of his relationship with Lisa by life circumstances, but it was unlikely that Erast was going to connect his life with the peasant woman forever. The cooling of feelings and the break with the girl who loves him is also explained by Erast’s low moral qualities, his upbringing and prejudices about social inequality. Therefore, Lisa’s fate could not have been different: the fate of the “little man” in conditions of social injustice was often predetermined, as it turned into hopelessness and turned out to be tragic. People sometimes tried to defend individual rights through riots, but Lisa could not stand up for herself, she experienced her grief alone, and in this case it is almost impossible to achieve self-respect. A person’s struggle for his rights, even in the 21st century, does not always lead to positive results.

The theme of the “little man” is also reflected in the work of A.S. Pushkin "Station Warden". The author calls his hero a “fourteenth class martyr” because he is in no way protected by his rank from unfair accusations and demands from travelers stopping at the station or from his superiors. Indeed, his service is real hard labor. Even in bad weather and delays of travelers on the road, the caretaker is to blame. Pushkin convincingly depicted the difficult lot of the “little man” who is in a humiliated position while serving important gentlemen. Therefore, the author’s call to feel compassion for such employees as Samson Vyrin is understandable.

Minsky (the traveling hussar) was not at all going to take into account the feelings of Dunya’s father, or the caretaker’s hopes for a calm old age next to his daughter and grandchildren. The desire to return his daughter is too great, and the unfortunate caretaker goes to St. Petersburg, finds out Minsky’s address and meets with him, begs him to give Dunya back. But here Vyrin may be mistaken, because he does not know whether Dunya wants to return home from St. Petersburg, to the wilderness. Although the hussar took her away by deception and the girl did not intend to decide her fate in this way, later she apparently fell in love with Minsky and hoped for happiness with him. It is clear that she feels sorry for her father, but does not know how to solve the family problem. And the father is right when he seeks a meeting with Dunya, when he tries to defend his self-esteem. He rejects monetary compensation for the loss of his daughter, excluding such a sale of paternal feelings and parental rights. But money would not have hurt him, since a lonely old age lay ahead.

Why didn’t Samson Vyrin write complaints and seek justice? Probably not only because he is a weak person, unsure of his abilities. But also because he was mistaken, thinking that his daughter left with Minsky by consent, and would return after realizing the mistake. The caretaker is confident in the tragic outcome of events and is ready to wish the death of his lost daughter if she does not come to him with repentance. He assumed that the hussar would definitely abandon his daughter, but, apparently, Minsky loved Dunya. However, Samson Vyrin had the right to bless his daughter, and Minsky deprived him of this opportunity, since, apparently, he did not intend to get married in church. Therefore, the daughter’s life seemed vicious to the caretaker, and separation from Dunya and worries about her brought him to an early grave. This is the fate of a person who was not considered necessary to treat with respect, and his rights were grossly violated.

N.V. Gogol repeatedly addressed the topic of exposing the bureaucratic and bureaucratic system of the Russian state. This system made it possible to divide people into “big” (significant) and “small”. Gogol's story "The Overcoat" reflects not only the theme of the "little man", but also poses the problem of corporate inaccessibility of senior officials. Special role V satirical depiction important bosses are devoted to the episode of Akaki Akakievich’s meeting with a “significant person”.

From the moment the unfortunate “little man” lost his most precious possession (an overcoat, sewn at an unimaginable cost and taken away by a robber), he experienced a feeling of hopelessness and great grief. On the advice of one of his colleagues, Bashmachkin turns to a “significant person” because the police did not provide him with help.

Akakiy Akakievich experienced for himself all the superiority of his superiors over the insignificant little men for them. He came for help and received such a beating that he almost lost consciousness. Fear, resentment, pain and the wind that pierced him right through when returning home led to serious illness and untimely death. And all because of an overcoat! Gogol emphasizes how insignificant a person’s life can be even in comparison with things, and even more so in comparison with the “precious” time of a “significant” person, that is, an official.

Who or what makes a person “small” and his life insignificant? The assumption arises that the very structure of life in Russia was inhumane, incorrect, and unfair. Therefore, the episode of Bashmachkin’s meeting with a “significant person” has a continuation.

The writer further shows a fantastic situation when the “little man” avenges himself, fighting for justice: already dead (in the guise of a ghost), Akaki Akakievich takes the general’s overcoat from the very boss who trampled on his human dignity and took his life. Moreover, Gogol hints to the bosses about the revenge of other “humiliated and insulted”, poor people, for whom the “overcoat” more valuable than life. Gogol created the image of a ghost, which no longer resembles Bashmachkin, but continues to wander in night darkness as if he was looking for someone.

This episode played important role in the author’s plan, allowing him to satirically depict Russian bureaucracy, draw public attention to the lack of rights of the “little man” and identify the true values ​​in life. People themselves, according to the author, must also learn to value both their personality and their lives in order to fight for the right to be a Person whom no one dares to consider “small.”

Reviews

When the school curriculum introduces children to the classics, few children discover them. (Maybe I’m wrong?)
For me personally, there were only a few works that amazed me and made me think.
But now, decades later...I really want to re-read and re-read.
With respect and warmth, Irina.

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 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 plot role- victims of social injustice and a soulless state mechanism, often personified in the image of a “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 (“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 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, became an alcoholic 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 his 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.

The plot of the poem is completed, the hero died, but remained and was handed over to readers central conflict, unresolved in reality itself, there remained the antagonism of the “upper” and “lower”, the autocratic power and the dispossessed people. 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 the disclosure of this topic; Gogol rendered big influence and on the further movement of Russian literature, “responding” in the works of its most diverse figures from Dostoevsky 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 happiness it was for Bashmachkin to acquire an overcoat 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”, utters the most scary words, following 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.

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, he, as a doctor, makes a merciless diagnosis of the disease - 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 man, but only dreams of being a man 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 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 servility. The collegiate servant Porfiry giggles, “like a Chinese,” bowing obsequiously, upon meeting his ex-friend, which has 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.

Composition

“The pain of man” is, perhaps, the main theme of Russian literature of the 19th century. Compassion for the tragic fate of the “little man” formed the basis of the work of all Russian writers. And the first in this row was, of course, A.S. Pushkin.

In 1830, Pushkin wrote five stories, united by a common title and a common narrator - “Belkin's Tales”. Of these, the most touching and at the same time the saddest is, it seems to me, the story “The Station Agent.” In it, the poet first brought to the pages of Russian literature the “little man” - Samson Vyrin. Pushkin very accurately described his social position - “a real martyr of the fourteenth grade.”

The caretaker of the small postal station endured a lot in his miserable life, endured a lot. Almost every one of those passing by, wittingly or unwittingly, offended him, taking out their frustration on him, the unresponsive official. bad roads and delay of horses. He had one joy - his daughter Dunya, whom he loved more than life itself. But he lost her too: Dunya was taken with him to St. Petersburg by a passing officer, Minsky. Vyrin tried to achieve the truth, but everywhere he was driven away. And the poor official could not bear the insult - he became an alcoholic and soon died. Pushkin clearly showed Samson Vyrin with sympathy, a deeply unhappy man, with his small, but no less sad drama.

“The Little Man” is dedicated to N. V. Gogol’s story “The Overcoat,” which V. G. Belinsky called “ deepest creation" writer. The main character of the story is Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin, the “eternal titular adviser.” All his life he “zealously and lovingly” copied papers in the department. This rewriting was not only his work, but also his calling, even, one might say, his life's purpose. Bashmachkin worked without straightening his back all day at work and took papers home, and copied some of the most interesting ones for himself - as a keepsake. His life was eventful and interesting in its own way. But one thing upset Akaki Akakievich: the old overcoat, which had served him faithfully for decades, finally fell into such “decay” that the most skilled tailor could no longer repair it. Bashmachkin’s existence acquired a new content: he began to save money to sew a new overcoat, and dreams about it warmed his soul for many years. winter evenings. This overcoat, which became the subject of Bashmachkin’s constant thoughts and conversations, acquired almost mystical significance for him. And when it was finally ready, Bashmachkin, rejuvenated and spiritualized, appeared in it for service. It was the day of his celebration, his triumph, but it ended unexpectedly and tragically: at night, robbers took away his new overcoat. For the poor official it was a disaster, the ruin of his whole life. He turned to a certain “significant person” for help, begging him to find and punish the robbers, but his request seemed too insignificant to the important general to pay attention to. And the loss became fatal for Bashmachkin: he soon fell ill and died. Gogol urged the reader to love the “little man” because he is “our brother”, because he is also a person.

The theme of the “little man” was continued by F. M. Dostoevsky, who very accurately said about himself and his contemporaries: “We all came out of Gogol’s “The Overcoat.” Indeed, the main characters of almost all of his works were “little people”, “humiliated and insulted.” But, unlike Gogol’s hero, Dostoevsky’s heroes are capable of openly protesting. They do not accept the terrible reality; they are able to tell the bitter truth about themselves and about the society around them.

Their spiritual world is not as limited and wretched as Bashmachkin’s. They feel the injustice and cruelty of the world of profit and money more acutely than he does. Thus, the poor official Marmeladov, thrown to the very bottom of life, retained his soul and did not become a scoundrel and a scoundrel. He is much more humane than the “masters of life” - Luzhin and Svidrigailov. Marmeladov’s monologue in the tavern is not only a regret about his ruined life, but also a bitter reproach to the whole society.

Sonya Marmeladova was forced to sell herself in order to prevent the little children of her stepmother, Katerina Ivanovna, from starving to death. She suffers for the pain of all people, all the orphaned and wretched. Sonya helps not only her family, she strives to help complete strangers. It was Sonya who became the moral and spiritual support for Raskolnikov: Sonya bore his “cross” with him - she followed him to hard labor. This is her strength and her greatness - the greatness of self-sacrifice in the name of people, of which only an extraordinary person was capable.

The works of Russian writers make us painfully think about the meaning human life, about the purpose of man. Together with their heroes, we learn to respect the human person, sympathize with her pain and empathize with her spiritual quest.