Story. Situations and characters

History of creation

A. Kuprin’s story “Olesya” was first published in 1898 in the newspaper “Kievlyanin” and was accompanied by a subtitle. "From memories of Volyn." It is curious that the writer first sent the manuscript to the magazine “Russian Wealth”, since before that in this magazine Kuprin’s story “Forest Wilderness”, also dedicated to Polesie, had already been published. Thus, the author hoped to create a continuation effect. However, “Russian Wealth” for some reason refused to publish “Olesya” (perhaps the publishers were not satisfied with the size of the story, because by that time it was the author’s largest work), and the cycle planned by the author did not work out. But later, in 1905, “Olesya” was published in an independent publication, accompanied by an introduction from the author, which told the story of the creation of the work. Later, the full-fledged “Polessia Cycle” was released, the pinnacle and decoration of which was “Olesya”.

The author's introduction is preserved only in the archives. In it, Kuprin said that while visiting a friend of the landowner Poroshin in Polesie, he heard from him many legends and fairy tales related to local beliefs. Among other things, Poroshin said that he himself was in love with a local witch. Kuprin will later tell this story in the story, at the same time including in it all the mysticism of local legends, the mysterious mystical atmosphere and piercing realism of the situation surrounding him, the difficult fate of the Polesie inhabitants.

Analysis of the work

Plot of the story

Compositionally, “Olesya” is a retrospective story, that is, the author-narrator returns in memories to the events that took place in his life many years ago.

The basis of the plot and the leading theme of the story is the love between the city nobleman (panych) Ivan Timofeevich and the young resident of Polesie, Olesya. Love is bright, but tragic, since its death is inevitable due to a number of circumstances - social inequality, the gap between the heroes.

According to the plot, the hero of the story, Ivan Timofeevich, spends several months in a remote village, on the edge of Volyn Polesie (the territory called tsarist times Little Russia, today - the west of the Pripyat Lowland, in northern Ukraine). A city dweller, he first tries to instill culture in the local peasants, treats them, teaches them to read, but his studies are unsuccessful, since people are overcome by worries and are not interested in either enlightenment or development. Ivan Timofeevich increasingly goes into the forest to hunt, admires the local landscapes, and sometimes listens to the stories of his servant Yarmola, who talks about witches and sorcerers.

Having gotten lost one day while hunting, Ivan ends up in a forest hut - the same witch from Yarmola’s stories lives here - Manuilikha and her granddaughter Olesya.

The second time the hero comes to the inhabitants of the hut is in the spring. Olesya tells fortunes for him, predicting a quick, unhappy love and adversity, even a suicide attempt. The girl also shows mystical abilities - she can influence a person, instilling her will or fear, and stop bleeding. Panych falls in love with Olesya, but she herself remains distinctly cold towards him. She is especially angry that the gentleman stands up for her and her grandmother in front of the local police officer, who threatened to disperse the inhabitants of the forest hut for their alleged sorcery and harm to people.

Ivan falls ill and does not come to the forest hut for a week, but when he comes, it is noticeable that Olesya is happy to see him, and the feelings of both of them flare up. A month of secret dates and quiet, bright happiness passes. Despite the obvious and realized inequality of lovers by Ivan, he proposes to Olesya. She refuses, citing the fact that she, a servant of the devil, cannot go into church, and therefore, get married, entering into a marriage union. Nevertheless, the girl decides to go to church to please the gentleman. Local residents, however, did not appreciate Olesya’s impulse and attacked her, beating her severely.

Ivan hurries to the forest house, where the beaten, defeated and morally crushed Olesya tells him that her fears about the impossibility of their union have been confirmed - they cannot be together, so she and her grandmother will leave their home. Now the village is even more hostile towards Olesya and Ivan - any whim of nature will be associated with its sabotage and sooner or later they will kill.

Before leaving for the city, Ivan goes into the forest again, but in the hut he finds only red olesin beads.

Heroes of the story

Olesya

The main character of the story is the forest witch Olesya (her real name is Alena, according to grandmother Manuilikha, and Olesya is the local version of the name). A beautiful, tall brunette with intelligent dark eyes immediately attracts Ivan's attention. The girl's natural beauty is combined with a natural intelligence - despite the fact that the girl does not even know how to read, she has, perhaps, more tact and depth than the city girl.

Olesya is sure that she is “not like everyone else” and soberly understands that for this dissimilarity she can suffer from the people. Ivan doesn't really believe in unusual abilities Olesya, believing that there is more than a centuries-old superstition here. However, he cannot deny the mysticism of Olesya’s image.

Olesya is well aware of the impossibility of her happiness with Ivan, even if he makes a strong-willed decision and marries her, so it is she who boldly and simply manages their relationship: firstly, she exercises self-control, trying not to impose herself on the gentleman, and secondly, she decides to separate , seeing that they are not a couple. Savor would be unacceptable for Olesya, her husband would inevitably become burdened with her after the lack of common interests became clear. Olesya does not want to be a burden, to tie Ivan hand and foot and leaves on her own - this is the heroism and strength of the girl.

Ivan Timofeevich

Ivan is a poor, educated nobleman. City boredom leads him to Polesie, where at first he tries to do some business, but in the end the only activity left is hunting. He treats legends about witches as fairy tales - a healthy skepticism is justified by his education.

(Ivan and Olesya)

Ivan Timofeevich - sincere and a kind person, he is able to feel the beauty of nature, and therefore Olesya at first interests him not as beautiful girl, but as an interesting personality. He wonders how it happened that nature itself raised her, and she came out so tender and delicate, unlike the rude, uncouth peasants. How did it happen that they, religious, although superstitious, are ruder and tougher than Olesya, although she should be the embodiment of evil. For Ivan, meeting Olesya is not a lordly pastime and a difficult summer love adventure, although he understands that they are not a couple - society in any case will be stronger than their love and will destroy their happiness. The personification of society in in this case it doesn’t matter - be it the blind and stupid peasant force, be it the city dwellers, Ivan’s colleagues. When he thinks of Oles as future wife, in a city dress, trying to make small talk with his colleagues - he simply reaches a dead end. The loss of Olesya for Ivan is as much a tragedy as finding her as a wife. This remains outside the scope of the story, but most likely Olesya’s prediction came true in full - after her departure he felt bad, even to the point of thinking about intentionally leaving this life.

Final conclusion

The culmination of events in the story occurs on a big holiday - Trinity. This is not a coincidence; it emphasizes and intensifies the tragedy with which Olesya’s bright fairy tale is trampled by people who hate her. There is a sarcastic paradox in this: the servant of the devil, Olesya, the witch, turns out to be more open to love than the crowd of people whose religion fits into the thesis “God is Love.”

The author's conclusions sound tragic - it is impossible for two people to be happy together when the happiness for each of them individually is different. For Ivan, happiness is impossible apart from civilization. For Olesya - in isolation from nature. But at the same time, the author claims, civilization is cruel, society can poison relations between people, destroy them morally and physically, but nature cannot.

Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin is a wonderful master of words. He managed to reflect in his work the most powerful, sublime and subtle human experiences. Love is a wonderful feeling that tests a person like litmus paper. Not many people have the ability to love deeply and sincerely. This is destiny strong natures. It is these people who attract the attention of the writer. Harmonious people, living in harmony with themselves and nature, are the writer’s ideal; this is exactly the heroine he portrays in the story “Olesya”.

A simple Polesie girl lives surrounded by nature. She listens to sounds and rustles, “understands” the voices of animals, and is quite happy with her life and freedom. She is self-sufficient. The social circle she has is enough for her. Olesya knows and understands the forest surrounding her; she reads nature as mysterious and interesting book. “With both hands she carefully supported a striped apron, from which three tiny bird heads with red necks and shiny black eyes looked out. “Look, grandma, the finches are following me again,” she exclaimed, laughing loudly, “look how funny they are... completely hungry.” And as luck would have it, I didn’t have any bread with me.”

But the collision with the world of people brings Olesya, it seems, only hardships and experiences. Local peasants consider Olesya and her grandmother Manuilikha to be witches. They are ready to blame these poor women for all the troubles. Once, human anger had already driven them away from their homes, and now Olesya’s only desire is to be left alone:

It would be better if they left grandma and I alone completely, otherwise...

But the cruel world of people knows no mercy. Olesya is smart and perspicacious in her own way. She knows perfectly well what a meeting with a city dweller, “Panych Ivan” brings to her. Love - a beautiful and sublime feeling - turns into death for this “daughter of nature”. She doesn't fit in the world malice and envy, self-interest and hypocrisy.

The heroine's unusual nature, her beauty and independence inspire hatred, fear, and anger in the people around her. The peasants are ready to take out all their misfortunes and troubles on Oles and Manuilikha. Their unaccountable fear of “witches,” which they consider poor women, is fueled by impunity for reprisals against them. Olesya’s coming to church is not a challenge to the village, but a desire to reconcile with the people around her, to understand those among whom her beloved lives. The crowd's hatred gave birth to a response. Olesya threatens the villagers who beat and insulted her: “Good!.. You’ll remember this from me!” You will all cry your fill!

Now there can be no reconciliation. Right turned out to be on the side of the strong. Olesya is fragile and beautiful flower who is destined to die in this cruel world.

In the story “Olesya” Kuprin showed the inevitability of the collision and death of the natural and fragile world of harmony when it comes into contact with cruel reality.

Olesya - “whole, original , a free nature, her mind, at the same time clear and shrouded in unshakable mediocre superstition, childishly innocent, but not without sly coquetry beautiful woman“, and Ivan Timofeevich - “although a kind man, he is only weak.” They belong to different social strata: Ivan Timofeevich - educated person, a writer who came to Polesie “to observe morals,” and Olesya was a “witcher,” an uneducated girl who grew up in the forest. But, despite these differences, they fell in love with each other. However, their love was different: Ivan Timofeevich was attracted by the beauty, tenderness, femininity, naivety of Olesya, and she, on the contrary, was aware of all his shortcomings and knew that their love was doomed, but, despite this, she loved him with all her ardent soul as Only a woman is capable of love. Her love inspires my admiration, because Olesya was ready to do anything, make any sacrifice, for the sake of her loved one. After all, for the sake of Ivan Timofeevich, she went to church, although she knew that it would end tragically for her.

But I don’t consider Poroshin’s love to be as pure and generous. He knew that disaster might happen if Olesya went to church, but did nothing to stop her: “Suddenly, a sudden horror of foreboding gripped me. I uncontrollably wanted to run after Olesya, catch up with her and ask, beg, even demand, if necessary, that she not go to church. But I restrained my unexpected impulse...” Ivan Timofeevich, although he loved Olesya, was at the same time afraid of this love. It was this fear that prevented him from marrying her: “Only one circumstance frightened and stopped me: I did not even dare to imagine what Olesya would be like, dressed in a human dress, talking in the living room with the wives of my colleagues, torn from this charming frame of the old forest.” .

The tragedy of love between Olesya and Ivan Timofeevich is the tragedy of people who “broke out” of their social environment. The fate of Olesya herself is tragic, because she differed sharply from the Perbrod peasants, first of all, in her pure, with an open soul, the richness of the inner world. This is what gave rise to the hatred of the callous people towards Olesya, limited people. And, as you know, people always strive to destroy someone they do not understand, someone who is different from them. Therefore, Olesya is forced to part with her beloved and flee from her native forest.

It is also impossible not to say about literary skill A. I. Kuprin. Before us are pictures of nature, portraits, inner world heroes, characters, moods - all this deeply impressed me. The story “Olesya” is a hymn to the beautiful, primordial feeling of love and the personification of the most beautiful and precious thing that can happen in the life of any of us.

Composition

Kuprin dedicated the story “The Duel” to M. Gorky. He called this work “ a wonderful story" The popularity of this book crossed the borders of Russia - it was translated at that time into German, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Bulgarian, and Polish.

What is the reason for the popularity of the story? First of all, in its accusatory pathos.

Kuprin showed wild morals in his book army life, spoke about the cruel treatment of soldiers by army officials. The orderly Gainan and the soldier Khlebnikov appear before the readers as pathetic and downtrodden. Soldier Khlebnikov is sick, physically very weak person. And how cruel a heart must be to mock such a person! For fun (this shows their primitiveness), the officers mock Khlebnikov! They beat him, laugh, extort money. And there is no one to stand up for him! The soldiers and orderlies in the story are in a humiliated position; they are treated like cattle.

With its content, the story “The Duel” answered an important question of the time: why did tsarism suffer one defeat after another in Russian-Japanese war? What kind of victories could we talk about if greed, debauchery, and drunkenness flourished in the Russian army? The intellectual level of officers, those who train soldiers, is extremely low. Thus, the army serviceman Captain Sliva “hasn’t read a single book or a single newspaper” in his life, and another officer, Vetkin, quite seriously declares: “In our business you’re not supposed to think.” In this musty army life, thinking, noble, intellectual, democratically minded people, such as Lieutenant Colonel Nazansky and Second Lieutenant Romashov, are suffocating.

Romashov is an honest Russian officer, he is very, very lonely in military service. He was sincerely convinced that officers were people with a fine mental organization, patriots. But having plunged into army life, he suddenly saw that “rude army habits, familiarity, cards, drinking bouts” reigned here. The officers' leisure time consists of playing "nasty little billiards", "beer", "cigarettes" and prostitutes.

Romashov experiences “a painful awareness of his loneliness and loss among strangers, unfriendly or indifferent people.”

Autobiographical features can be discerned in the image of Second Lieutenant Romashov. This is not surprising: after graduating from the cadet corps, Kuprin spent four years in military service. All his life he was tormented by memories of the rods in cadet corps. Romashov, too, already during the years spent at the military school, “his soul was already forever devastated, dead and disgraced.” Romashov protests against vulgarity, ignorance, and arbitrariness.

In depicting family and everyday scenes, Kuprin showed himself to be a psychological writer. The conflict is based on ardent youthful love, Romashov’s love for the attractive Shurochka Nikolaeva. Shurochka, like Romashov, is head and shoulders above all the army servants, noticeably distinguished by his intellectual development from the regimental ladies. Shurochka has strong will, cunning, foresight. All her thoughts are aimed at breaking out “to the open space, the light” from the cynical army environment. “I need society, a big, real society, light, music, worship, subtle flattery, intelligent interlocutors,” says Shurochka.

dream this kind could have been welcomed if not for the inhumane means she used. For the sake of her husband’s career (who is not far off in his mental abilities), in order to escape from the suffocating atmosphere of the army garrison, she resorts to meanness: she dissuades Romashov, who loves her very much, from shooting, and he dies in a duel, becoming a victim of a conspiracy.

Using the example of the life and death of the main character, we are convinced of the hopeless situation of army people who long for a meaningful life. The main culprit of Romashov’s physical and spiritual tragedy is not Shurochka Nikolaeva, who, in essence, is the victim herself, but the whole social order, giving rise to violent Bek-Agamalovs, despotic Osadchys, army bureaucrats Nikolaevs, Shulgovichs, destroying the dignity of officers of the lowest rank. There is no place in such an environment honest people: here they either sink morally, finding solace in drunkenness, as happened with Nazansky, or they die, like Romashov.

Other works on this work

Russian writer Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin wrote many works. They are still popular today, causing unrest among people. different ages, because the author chose love as the main theme of his works. At one of the lessons we also got acquainted with one of his stories. It was called . This is probably his most touching work, on which schoolchildren write an essay, revealing the image of Olesya, raising the topic of friendship, love and relationships. So today we are writing based on Olesya’s story, revealing the relationships of the characters, where there is he and she and their love, and the rest is not important. But will the heroes survive the test? Will they carry their love to the end?

He and she in Kuprin's story Olesya

Kuprin's work Olesya is not just a story, it is a hymn dedicated to the true feeling of love. In the story, he and she are the main characters and main topic works. Here Kuprin sang a pure and bright feeling that every person can experience. Olesya’s love for her hero turned out to be truly great, for which the girl was ready to do anything. But Ivan Timofeevich’s love was hardly pure and great. Or maybe he was just a very weak person, not ready to make sacrifices and do anything for the sake of his beloved.

The heroes of the story are very different. He is a city dweller who came to the village to study morals and life. She grew up in the forest and was the granddaughter of a witch. He is a writer, educated, kind, but at the same time, a weak person. She is an original, childishly naive, free nature with a bright mind and very strong.

They fell in love with each other. But the problem was that the characters differed not only in their class, but also in their love for each other. If he was attracted by the girl’s beauty, her femininity and naivety, then the girl saw all the hero’s shortcomings. She recognized them and accepted him for who he is, despite the fact that their feeling was doomed. She loved very much, so she went to church for Ivan Timofeevich, knowing that this trip would end in tragedy. And here main character turned out to be incapable of sacrifices and actions for the sake of his beloved. After all, he had a presentiment of misfortune and even had an impulse to stop his beloved, but no. I restrained myself and what do we have? Because of his weakness, fear, fear of getting married, the girl suffered, and their love ended in separation. Olesya and her grandmother were forced to leave their home in the forest and flee away from their native lands, where they had long been unwelcome.