The life ideals of Olga Ilinskaya in Oblomov’s novel. The image of Olga Ilinskaya

“French Lessons” by V. G. Rasputin is autobiographical story, memories of the childhood years of the author himself, therefore the images of the writer and his hero are merged in my mind into one.

In difficult times, the main character of the story had to learn. The post-war years were a kind of test not only for adults, but also for children, because both good and bad in childhood are perceived much brighter and more acutely. But difficulties build character, so main character often exhibits such qualities as willpower, pride, a sense of proportion, endurance, and determination. Responsibility and a sense of duty do not allow the boy to quit his studies and return home.

Surely, many in his place would have given up long ago or would have found other, dishonest ways to earn money and food. However developed sense self-esteem does not allow the main character to even use his ability to play the “forbidden” game and win more than the amount necessary for the daily purchase of milk. Overcoming himself, he does not even give in to the persuasion of the teacher, who by hook or by crook is trying to help him and feed him. Without a shadow of a doubt, the boy returns her the parcel with precious pasta and the hematogen he desperately needs. At the same time, the main character does not complain to anyone about his troubles and problems, and hides them in every possible way.

Reading V. G. Rasputin’s story “French Lessons”, you understand that every day in our lives gives us many lessons that not only add knowledge, but are also a kind of test of strength. And every step, every word depends on whether we will become brave, decent, kind people or we will constantly regret actions committed yesterday and in the distant past.

The stories of V. G. Rasputin are distinguished by amazingly attentive and caring attitude to a person, to his difficult fate. The writer’s works captivate us with interesting details. inner life an ordinary, modest, almost invisible person. The author draws images ordinary people, who live ordinary life with her sorrows and joys, in constant work and worries. At the same time, he reveals to us a rich inner world these people. Thus, in the story “French Lessons,” the author reveals to readers the life and spiritual world of a village teenager, whom hard fate and hunger are forced to look for different ways way out of a difficult situation.

The hero of the work is a smart boy who “in the village was recognized as literate.” He studies well and goes to school with pleasure. Therefore, his parents decided to send him to a district school. The boy also continues to study successfully in his new place. In addition, he feels that great trust has been placed in him and hopes are placed on him. And he was not used to taking his responsibilities carelessly. The boy lives constantly undernourished, and besides, he is very homesick. However, when his mother came to visit him, he did not show his difficult situation in any way, did not complain or cry. The food that is sent to him from the village is not enough for a long time. Besides most of what they send him “disappears somewhere in the most mysterious way.” Since a single woman lives next to him with three children, who themselves are in the same, if not more hopeless, situation, the boy does not even want to think about who is carrying the groceries. He is only offended that his mother has to tear these products away from the family, from his sister and brother.

It is under such circumstances that the boys offer the hero to play for money. After studying the rules of the game, he agrees. And soon he begins to win. However, he does not need money for some trinkets or even candy. The boy needs to drink milk because he suffers from anemia. And he only plays up to the amount that would be enough for a jar of milk. Possessing modesty and pride, he would never agree to take groceries from the teacher or even have dinner with her after class. Therefore, Lydia Mikhailovna has only one way to help him - to give him a chance to honestly win his ruble.

Despite the fact that the hero of the story “French Lessons” gets involved in a game for money, he evokes deep sympathy in me. By nature he is a good, smart boy, honest and fair, with kind hearted, with a pure soul, loving his family, respecting the people around him, showing care and compassion for those suffering from poverty and hunger. And go to not quite good deeds he is forced only by extreme necessity.

System of images and ideological content story.

“It’s strange: why do we, just like before our parents, always feel guilty before our teachers? And not for what happened at school, no, but for what happened to us after.”

Valentin Rasputin’s brilliant story “French Lessons” begins with such a moralizing judgment.

With wise humor, kindness, humanity, and most importantly, with complete psychological accuracy, the writer describes the relationship between a hungry student and a young teacher. The narrative flows slowly, with everyday details, but its rhythm imperceptibly captures the reader, in a way that other adventure novels of modern “scribblers” do not.

"I went to fifth grade in '48. It would be more correct to say, I went: in our village there was only Primary School, therefore, in order to study further, I had to travel fifty kilometers from home to the regional center."

With the meticulousness of an essayist, Rasputin explains the reasons that prompted the mother to let her son live independently, how she agreed with a friend on this matter, and how he was left alone. "...and on the last day of August, Uncle Vanya, the driver of the only lorry and a half on the collective farm, unloaded me on Podkamennaya Street, where I was to live, helped me carry the bundle with the bed into the house, patted me on the shoulder encouragingly goodbye and drove off. So, at eleven years, my independent life began."

“The hunger had not yet gone away that year, and my mother had three of us, I was the eldest. In the spring, when it was especially difficult, I swallowed myself and forced my sister to swallow the eyes of sprouted potatoes and grains of oats and rye in order to spread the plantings in my stomach,” Then we won’t have to think about food all the time. All summer we diligently watered our seeds with clean Angarsk water, but for some reason there was no harvest.”

Here the author is humane and truthful. Without a shadow of falsehood, without exaggeration, he shows the natural contradictions between the heroes, drawing an imperceptible parallel between the general contradictions of the city and the countryside, their difficult understanding of these contradictions, their gradual rapprochement, their general confusion from unexpected turn relationships.

The climax of the story comes after the teacher begins to play wall games with the Boy. The paradoxical nature of the situation sharpens the story to the limit. This aggravation should be felt especially acutely by those who lived and studied during the period of the “triumph of communism,” when “hazing” relations between a teacher and a student could lead not only to dismissal from work, but also to criminal liability.

The teacher could not help but know that if her colleague, the “public,” got to the bottom of what was happening, she would be given a wolf ticket. The boy did not fully understand this. But when trouble did happen, he began to understand the teacher’s behavior more deeply. And this led him to realize some aspects of life at that time.

The ending of the story is almost melodramatic. Parcel with Antonov apples, which he, a native of Siberia, had never tried, seems to echo the first, unsuccessful package with city food - pasta. More and more new touches are being prepared for this, which turned out to be not at all unexpected ending, which dots all the i’s. The story seems to accumulate something unworthy, shameful for a person, which is contrasted with the purity of the city teacher French, just girls, and the heart of a sullen, distrustful village boy opens up to this purity.

It would seem that everything that the writer spoke about is the distant past. What do we care about him?.. But the story is still fresh, socially hot.

It has the highest human values", weighed with pinpoint precision. It contains the great courage of a little woman, the insight of a closed, ignorant child, and the lessons of humanity.

Rasputin wrote the story “French Lessons” in 1973. The work was first published in the newspaper “Soviet Youth”. The story is written in tradition village prose- a direction that developed in Russian literature of that period. The work is considered autobiographical, telling about an episode from the life of Valentin Rasputin himself.

Main characters

Main character, narrator- a boy of eleven years old from poor family; The story is narrated on his behalf.

Lidia Mikhailovna- a young French teacher, “about twenty-five years old.”

Vadik- a seventh grader, “bossed” among the children playing “chicka”.

“It’s strange: why do we, just like before our parents, always feel guilty before our teachers? And not for what happened at school, no, but for what happened to us after.”

The main character went to 5th grade in 1948. In their village there was only a primary school, so in order to study further, he had to move to the regional center - fifty kilometers from home. His mother agreed that he would “lodge” with a friend.

The main character's family lived very poorly and were constantly hungry. In addition to the narrator, the mother had two younger children, they lived without a father. The main character studied well, “in the village he was recognized as literate.”

IN new school the boy also studied well, the only difficulties were with the French language - he was not good at pronunciation. Listening to how the student distorted the language, the French teacher, Lidia Mikhailovna, “wrinkled helplessly and closed her eyes.”

In the new place, the main character lost a lot of weight - the food given by his mother was not enough, so he was constantly hungry.

One day, the son of a friend took the main character to watch other guys play chica for money. Having learned the rules of the game, the narrator decided to try it too. Periodically, his mother gave him five rubles for milk - the boy needed to drink it “for anemia.” Having exchanged the money he received, he went to play. Soon the boy got the hang of it and, winning a ruble every day, immediately left. With this money he bought milk. One day, local ringleader Vadik noticed that the main character was “leaving games too quickly” and provoked a fight. The narrator was severely beaten.

The next day the first lesson was French. Seeing the boy’s broken face, the teacher immediately asked what happened. One of his classmates, who knew about what had happened, shouted out that he was beaten because he was gambling for money. The teacher told the main character to stay after class. The boy was afraid that he would be “dragged” to the director, but Lidia Mikhailovna only asked about what he was doing with the money he won. The woman was surprised that the boy limited himself to a ruble and spent it on milk.

The main character stopped playing. At this time, his mother sent almost no food, and he “was hungry all the time.” Unable to bear it, he returned to the game again. The boy tried to win little by little. However, when he tried to leave on the fourth day, having won a ruble, he was beaten again.

Seeing the boy beaten again the next day, Lidia Mikhailovna assigned him additional classes.

The teacher with all diligence forced the boy to work on his pronunciation. Soon they began studying at her home. The teacher felt sorry for the boy; she constantly offered him dinner, but every time he refused in fear, jumped up and quickly left.

Once the main character was delivered a package directly to school. At first he thought that her mother had given it to her. However, when I saw that there was pasta, sugar and hematogen lying there, I realized that the package was from the teacher - there was nowhere to get such products in their village. The boy immediately went to Lydia Mikhailovna’s house. Despite the teacher's persuasion, he refused to take the food for himself.

French classes continued. Soon the main character began to pronounce French words quite well and felt more free when visiting a woman. Gradually the boy “felt a taste for language” - “punishment turned into pleasure.”

Once a teacher said that as a child she also played for money, but in a different way. Having asked the boy “not to give her away” to the director, the woman showed how to play “measuring”. After playing “for fun” a little, Lidia Mikhailovna suggested playing “for real”. Having got the hang of it, the boy very soon began to win. They played often. Soon the boy had money again, and he was already buying milk and cream. Of course, he was embarrassed to take money from the teacher, but he reassured himself that it was an honest win.

“If only we knew how it would all end...”

One day, in the midst of the game, the director who lived nearby came to see Lydia Mikhailovna. Seeing that she was playing with the student for money, he was very indignant.

“Three days later Lydia Mikhailovna left.” The day before, she met the main character and said that she was leaving home, to Kuban, and no one would touch him - it was her fault.

“And I never saw her again.” Only in the middle of winter, after the January holidays, did he receive a parcel with pasta and three red apples, which he had previously only seen in pictures.

Conclusion

In the story “French Lessons,” Valentin Rasputin reveals the theme of the relationship between student and teacher. Lidia Mikhailovna is portrayed by the writer as a truly talented teacher and mentor. Seeing that the boy does not want to accept help just like that, she finds a way to help him through playing for money. By doing this, the woman literally saves the boy from hunger without hurting his pride.

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The story “French Lessons,” whose characters live and act in 1948, was first published in 1973. Then readers often became acquainted with literary works, buying “thick magazines” like “Neva” or “Soviet Youth”. So Valentin Rasputin’s story was published in one of these magazines.

Leitmotifs of the story “French Lessons”

As the reader gets acquainted with this work, he will notice that the author here touches on eternal themes: good, evil and the conflict between them, truth and lies, the indifference of people, the struggle of morality and immorality, justice and oppression of human dignity.

The plot of the work by Valentin Rasputin

So, the events of the story take place in 1948. Heavy post-war years. In 1947, the country experienced famine. This is the context of the work in which the heroes of the story “French Lessons” act.

Friends-readers! We bring to your attention the story “French Lessons” by Valentin Rasputin.

The main character of the story comes from a village. The boy was considered smart, literate and intelligent, “brainy,” as they said. Neighbors visited the boy's house to look at the bonds: there were rumors that the young man was endowed with a “happy eye.” But here’s the problem: there was only an elementary school in the village. The hero's mother wanted her son to continue his studies. Strong woman- during a period of hunger and devastation - she managed to send the boy to the regional center.

The young man suffered from anemia and anemia. He needed milk (and a glass of milk cost a whole ruble - a lot of money in those days) and normal food. However, the city required a lot of stress: if in the village it was possible to ask for food from neighbors or exchange it for something, then in the city you needed money. Products could only be purchased. The boy often went hungry.

At school, the young man showed success: the boy was good at all subjects, but his pronunciation of French was poor. The French teacher showed displeasure when she listened to the boy's reprimand. Then he finds out: there is an opportunity to earn money to pay for additional French lessons and get normal food.

We thought for a long time and decided to bring to your attention where the character of each person is revealed local resident, forcing them to show who is capable of what in an extreme situation.

Earnings consisted of gambling in "chiku". However, the young man knew when to stop and controlled himself: after winning a ruble, the boy left. However, this could not continue forever: in one of the games, the boy players do not allow our hero to leave. The young man must stay and play further - against Vadik. He was in seventh grade and was considered a local “expert” in chica, and therefore it became clear: the unfortunate boy had no chance of winning. Vadik started a fight and the next day the boy came to school with bruises.

The teacher found out about what happened. However, the teacher thought that the boy was spending the money he earned by playing chica on buying sweets. When the young man told her that he needed funds to maintain his health, the woman changed her attitude towards the student.

The “French lady” decided: the boy should be given additional free lessons. The teacher called the young man home and offered him tea and food. However, the boy was proud, shy, timid and modest, and therefore refused to eat.

The teacher had enough money and wanted to help the boy, but he stubbornly did not accept either the invitation to dinner or the food parcels that she sent to the student. Lidia Mikhailovna—that was the teacher’s name—was worried that the boy was starving. To help the boy woman walking for cunning: invents new game, which he calls “measurements” or “wall”. The boy agrees to play: believing that this is fair, the young man agrees to the woman’s help.

The school principal will soon find out about this game. The man did not understand the roots of the game, calling Lydia Mikhailovna’s action an attempt to seduce the student. The teacher is forced to leave school and go home to Kuban.

However, from there the woman tried to help the boy by sending parcels of food. One day the young man received apples, which he had never eaten before, knowing only from book pictures.
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And now - about the heroes...

While getting acquainted with the plot of the work “French Lessons”, the characters of which display almost the entire emotional and moral palette familiar to the reader, we have already outlined a map of the main characters.

Boy

The nameless hero from whom the reader learns about the events of the story. The young man is 11 years old and comes from a poor family. Lives in the village. As befits characters of this kind, the boy is reserved and modest. The hero is characterized by loneliness and unsociability; apparently, he is an introvert, timid and shy.

As we said above, the young man is suffering from anemia, and his health situation is aggravated by constant malnutrition. Intelligence and natural talent contribute to the boy’s departure from home to study. Thus, the young man finds himself far from his family. The child misses home, misses his mother.

Despite early years, the character shows courage, strength and tenacity of character. The author characterizes the favorite hero as honest and courageous, brave and courageous, fighting for justice.

The boy is persistent and stubborn: malnourished, the student still does not take food from the teacher, because he considers this unfair, because this would make the young man a parasite. It is important for the hero to live up to the hopes placed by his family and not to give up his studies. The life of a young man is difficult. The disease requires the boy to eat normal food, which he cannot afford.

The difficult circumstances of life did not break the boy: without complaining, the hero finds ways to survive. French lessons turn into lessons not of language, but of morality, lessons life experience.

Mother of a young student

A strong woman: she has three children, whom she raises alone, without a husband. Seeing that her son shows remarkable abilities and talent for learning, she decides to “raise” her son at all costs: the mother sends the child to study in the city, in the regional center. The family is poor, experiencing poverty, but the woman still tries to give her son money and food.

French teacher

The teacher's name is Lydia Mikhailovna. She is approximately 25 years old. Despite her young years, the teacher is wise and kind. The reader learns that the woman came from Kuban, where the teacher’s homeland is located.

The heroine is beautiful: young, slender, black-haired, her eyes are a little squinty, but it’s almost unnoticeable. The woman is well provided for and does not feel any need. One day Lydia says that old age comes to a person if he loses the child within himself. From the woman’s stories, the reader becomes aware that in childhood the future teacher was not distinguished by exemplary behavior and often brought troubles and worries to her parents.

At first, Lydia Mikhailovna disliked the student: the boy showed success and talent in other subjects, but the complex and tricky French language was difficult for the young man. French words the boy spoke with a noticeable accent. The teacher grimaced and turned away when the student tried to say something in French.

Over time, Lydia Mikhailovna's attitude towards the boy changes. The teacher finds out why the young man earned money by playing “chika” and learns that the poor fellow is sick and malnourished. Perhaps only one “French woman,” young and seemingly inexperienced, saw the boy’s problems. A woman invites a student home, tries to help him and feed him. But the young man is principled and strict with himself.

The reader sees that truth and morality are relative: cunning can be useful tool, if used for good. The trick helps Lidia Mikhailovna come up with a new game for the student: considering that it is fair to win food, he agrees to the teacher’s offer.

Head teacher

The students were afraid of the district school director Vasily Andreevich. The strict, disciplined, loud and noisy director was distinguished by his principles and stereotypical views on life. If one of the students committed an offense, the director forced the offender to explain himself to the whole school, to all the students.

One day Vasily Andreevich found Lydia Mikhailovna when the teacher was playing with the children a new game invented by a woman. The director considered the woman’s act immoral, accusing Lydia Mikhailovna of perversion and trying to seduce students. The man did not understand the situation.

These are the primary heroes of “French Lessons”. But there are also supporting characters.

Uncle Ivan

This character works as a driver. On one day, once a week, the boy receives food - a parcel from his mother, which is delivered to the young man by Uncle Vanya.

Fedya

The boy lives in a rented apartment. The owner of this home had a son, Fedya. It is Fedka who introduces the boy – the main character of the story “French Lessons” – to the guys who play “chicka”. Fedina family, and the boy himself, secretly steal food from the young man living with them when the boy leaves for school.

Vadik

A seventh-grader whom the local kids consider to be the main “expert” in the game of chica. Vadik is an evil and unpleasant character, cruel and unprincipled. The cunning Vadik offends those who are weaker than him and mocks those younger in age. He makes friends with Ptah, who is also a bully and a fighter. One day Vadik beats the main character because the boy plays “chika” better.

Bird

A fifth-grader, also a hooligan, Vadik’s friend. But in the 5th grade, Ptah is studying for the second year: the young man is weak in his studies, and only goes to school every other time. He obeys Vadik in everything and listens to his friend. Loves to fight and bully other guys.

Tishkin

Classmate of the main character. Among the other heroes of "French Lessons" he stands out for his observer's position. Although Tishkin is the first to tell the teacher the reason for the bruises and wounds of the boy - the main actor story.

The heroes of Valentin Rasputin's story “French Lessons” are distinguished by their diversity and ambiguity. Reader in Once again understands: life is ambivalent, and what we see does not always represent the true picture.

“French Lessons”: heroes of the story by Valentin Rasputin

Characteristics of the main characters of the story “French Lessons” by V. Rasputin with quotes

In the center of the work, the main character is a clumsy boy from the village who came to study at a district school in the post-war period. “A skinny, wild boy..., unkempt, without a mother and lonely, in an old, washed-out jacket on drooping shoulders, which fit well on his chest, but from which his arms protruded far; in breeches altered from his father’s and tucked into stained light green trousers” - this is how the main character can be described externally. Lonely, always hungry and distrustful, he is nevertheless attractive primarily for his character traits: honesty, conscientiousness, thirst for justice and remarkable stubbornness, which helps him achieve his goals. It is obvious that these features of his character were formed precisely against the backdrop of a dysfunctional post-war life, which is why he learned to appreciate and respect those around him. Knowing the sacrifices his mother made to ensure that he attended the district school, he understands the responsibility placed on him, which contributes to the development of a conscientious attitude towards learning in him. He is successful in almost all subjects, except for the “mysterious and incomprehensible” French language, which is taught by Lidia Mikhailovna.

The French teacher delights the main character by the fact that, radically different from him, she appears before him as a kind of sorceress, an unearthly and sublime being. And given that his success in French was very modest at first, it was also in some frightening way. When characterizing Lidia Mikhailovna, attention should be paid to Special attention the way the main character sees her: “She sat in front of me, neat, all smart and beautiful, beautiful both in clothes and in her feminine youth, ... the smell of perfume reached me, which I took for her very breath.”

As the events in the story progressed, the barrier between teacher and student gradually melted away, revealing the true nature of the soul of each of them. Lydia Mikhailovna appears as a model of humanity and mercy, deciding to help a lonely boy adapt to life in the city. Having learned about his games for money and the goals of these games (to be able to buy food), she is imbued with sympathy for the boy and, under the pretext additional lessons in French, takes unspoken guardianship over him. The main character, somewhere subconsciously feels that Lydia Mikhailovna herself is lonely to the depths of her soul, which is revealed by snatches of her phrases, sometimes a thoughtful and detached look, he feels her sincerely, and sometimes a clumsy desire to help, which ultimately forces his soul open up to this once mysterious and unattainable teacher.