Little Man" in the novel "Poor People" by Dostoevsky. The theme of the “little man” in the story by F.M.

Little Man" in the novel "Poor People" by Dostoevsky

F. M. Dostoevsky repeatedly said that he continues the traditions of Gogol ("We all came from Gogol's "Shin"."). N. A. Nekrasov, having become acquainted with the first work of F. M. Dostoevsky, handed over the manuscripts to V. Belinsky with the words: “The new Gogol has appeared!” F.M. Dostoevsky continued research into the soul of the “little man”, delved into his inner world. The writer believed that the “little man” did not deserve such treatment as shown in many works. “Poor People” was the first novel in Russian literature where the “little man” spoke himself. The world around Varenka Dobroselova, a young woman who has experienced many sorrows in her life (the death of her father, mother, lover, persecution of low people), and Makar Devushkin, a poor elderly official, is terrible. Dostoevsky wrote the novel in letters, otherwise the characters would hardly have been able to open their hearts; they were very timid. This form of narration gave soulfulness to the entire novel and showed one of Dostoevsky’s basic positions: the main thing in the “little man” is his nature. For a poor person, the basis of life is honor and respect, but the heroes of the novel “Poor People” know that the “little one” socially It is almost impossible for a person to achieve this: “And everyone knows, Varenka, that a poor person is worse than a rag and cannot receive any respect from anyone, no matter what you write.” His protest against injustice is hopeless. Makar Alekseevich is very ambitious, and much of what he does, he does not for himself, but so that others can see it (drinks good tea). He tries to hide his shame about himself. Unfortunately, the opinion of others is more valuable to him than his own. Makar Devushkin and Varenka Dobroselova are huge people spiritual purity and kindness. Each of them is ready to give up their last for the other. Makar is a person who knows how to feel, empathize, think and reason, and this best qualitiesʼʼlittle manʼʼ according to Dostoevsky. Makar Alekseevich reads Pushkin's ʼʼ Stationmasterʼʼ and Gogol’s ʼʼShinelʼʼ. They shake him, and he sees himself there: “... I’ll tell you, little mother, it will happen that you live, but you don’t know that there is a book next to you, where your whole life is laid out as if on your fingers.” Chance meetings and conversations with people (an organ grinder, a little beggar boy, a money lender, a watchman) prompt him to think about public life, constant injustice, human relationships that are based on social inequality and money. The “little man” in Dostoevsky’s works has both a heart and a mind. The end of the novel is tragic: Varenka is taken away to certain death by the cruel landowner Bykov, and Makar Devushkin is left alone with his grief.

Dostoevsky shows the “little man” as a deeper personality than Pushkin’s Samson Vyrin and Evgeniy. The depth of the image is achieved, firstly, by other artistic means. “Poor People” is a novel in letters, in contrast to Gogol’s and Chekhov’s stories. It is not by chance that Dostoevsky chooses this genre, because The main goal of the writer is to convey and show all the internal movements and experiences of his hero. The author invites us to feel everything together with the hero, to experience everything with him and brings us to the idea that “little people” are individuals in in every sense words, and their sense of personality, their ambition is much greater than that of people with a position in society. The “little man” is more vulnerable; he is afraid that others may not see him as a spiritually rich person. Their own self-awareness also plays a huge role. The way they feel about themselves, whether they feel like individuals, forces them to constantly assert themselves even in their own eyes. Particularly interesting is the theme of self-affirmation, which Dostoevsky raises in “Poor People” and continues in “The Humiliated and Insulted”. Makar Devushkin considered his help to Varenka as some kind of charity, thereby showing that he was not a limited poor man, thinking only about how to find money for food. He, of course, does not suspect that he is driven not by the desire to stand out, but by love. But this once again proves to us main idea Dostoevsky - “a little man” is capable of high feelings. So, if Dostoevsky’s “little man” lives by the idea of ​​realizing and affirming his own personality, then with Gogol, Dostoevsky’s predecessor, everything is different. Having realized Dostoevsky's concept, we can identify the essence of his dispute with Gogol. According to Dostoevsky, Gogol’s merit lies in the fact that Gogol purposefully defended the right to depict the “little man” as an object literary research. Gogol depicts the “little man” in the same circle social problems, as Dostoevsky, but Gogol’s stories were written earlier, naturally, the conclusions were different, which prompted Dostoevsky to polemicize with him. Akakiy Akakievich gives the impression of a downtrodden, pitiful, narrow-minded person. Dostoevsky’s personality is that of a “little man”; his ambitions are much greater than the social and financial situation. Dostoevsky emphasized that his hero’s self-esteem is much greater than that of people with position.

The new in “Poor People” appears already at the level of material that is traditional only at first glance. Drawing abundantly from his predecessors - essayists ʼʼ natural schoolʼʼ - where we were talking about the external surroundings of events and the living conditions of his heroes, Dostoevsky, however, introduces significantly new accents into these realities. For example, in this description of the next home of Makar Alekseevich Devushkin: “Well, what a slum I ended up in, Varvara Alekseevna.” Well, it's an apartment! ...Imagine, roughly, a long corridor, completely dark and unclean. By right hand it will be a blank wall, and along the left door and doors, like numbers, they all stretch out like that. Well, they rent these rooms, and they have one room in each: they live in one and in twos and threes. Don’t ask about the order - Noah’s Ark’ The St. Petersburg slum is transformed by Dostoevsky into a miniature and a symbol of the general St. Petersburg and, more broadly, universal human community. Indeed, in the slum-ark, almost all and every “category”, nationality and specialty of the capital’s population are represented - windows to Europe: “There is only one official (he is somewhere in the literary department), a well-read person: about Homer, and about Brambeus, and talks about their various works there, talks about everything - clever man! Two officers live and still play cards. The midshipman lives; The English teacher lives. ...Our landlady - a very small and unclean old woman - wears slippers and a dressing gown all day long and screams at Teresa all day long. The hopeless titular adviser and poor man Makar Devushkin connects his human well-being by no means with a new overcoat, uniform and the like things. He also puts up with his social and service-hierarchical smallness, sincerely believing that “every condition is determined by the Almighty for the lot of man.” This one is destined to wear the general's epaulets, this one is destined to serve as a titular adviser; to command such and such, and to obey such and such meekly and in fear. Makar Alekseevich composes his auto description in strict accordance not only with the official norms of a well-meaning official and citizen, but also with the official style: “I have been in the service for about thirty years; I serve impeccably, behave soberly, and have never been seen in disorder. More important than all the blessings and temptations of the world and “more expensive than anything” for Devushkin is what he calls his “ambition”. And what actually is developed sense of his personality, only painfully aggravated not by poverty in itself, but “to the point of humiliation” by the poverty that brings a person and the suspiciousness generated by this humiliation. Consciousness of one’s right to personality and to be recognized as such by everyone around him (as Devushkin says, that ʼʼthat I am no worse than others... that in my heart and thoughts I am a manʼʼ) - this is the pathos and essence of the little man as understood and depicted by Dostoevsky. The loss of personal self-respect for Devushkin is equivalent to his transformation from a unique individuality into a “rag”, ᴛ.ᴇ. some faceless stereotype of the poor and titular councilors. This is death in his eyes - not physical, like the hero of “Shinli”, but spiritual and moral. And only with the return of his sense of personality does Makar Alekseevich rise from the dead.

Dostoevsky himself introduces the concept of “poor people” in principle new meaning, placing the emphasis not on the word “poor”, but on the word “people”. The reader of the novel should not only be imbued with compassion for the heroes, he should see them as equals to himself. Being human ʼʼno worse than othersʼʼ- both in their own eyes and in the eyes of those around them - this is what Devushkin himself, Varenka Dobroselova and other characters close to them in the novel want most of all. What does it mean for Devushkin to be equal to other people? What, in other words, is most dear to Dostoevsky’s little man, what is he vigilantly and painfully concerned about, what is he most afraid of losing? The loss of personal feeling and self-respect is literally death for Dostoevsky’s hero. Their revival is a resurrection from the dead. Makar Devushkin experiences this metamorphosis going back to the Gospel in a terrible scene for him with “His Excellency,” about the culmination of which he tells Varenka: “Here I feel that last strength They leave me, that everything, everything is lost! The whole reputation is lost, the whole person is gone.

So, what, according to Dostoevsky, is the equality of his “little man” with each and every representative of society and humanity? He is equal to them not because of his poverty, which he shares with thousands of petty officials like him, and not because his nature, as adherents of the anthropological principle believed, is homogeneous with the nature of other people, but because he, like millions of people, is a creation of God Therefore, the phenomenon is initially valuable and unique. And in this sense, Personality. This pathos of the individual, overlooked by the moral writers of the natural school, was examined and convincingly demonstrated by the author of “Poor People” in an environment and way of life, the miserable and monotonous nature of which was supposed to completely neutralize the person living in them. This merit of the young writer cannot be explained only by his artistic insight. Perfect in ʼʼPoor Peopleʼʼ creative discovery the little man could have happened because Dostoevsky the artist was inseparable from Dostoevsky the Christian.

Little Man" in the novel "Poor People" by Dostoevsky - concept and types. Classification and features of the category “Little Man” in the novel “Poor People” by Dostoevsky, 2017, 2018.

We are accustomed to the fact that novels often glorify real heroes - people endowed with strong traits, pronounced character, aspirations and dreams, people doing things. This is what the principle of literature is based on - to show us the hero at the moment of a turning point in his fate, the moment that reveals him in him. personal traits. But there are also heroes who remain unnoticed and live a short, boring life. gray life- in a novel or in life itself. And in the background strong personalities they look modest, quiet and uninteresting.

These “little” heroes first appear in the works of Pushkin, and later appear in detail in the prose of Gogol, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy. Being realist writers, they understood that depicting real life is impossible without depicting real characters, whatever they may be.

(Still from the film based on the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky “White Nights”, 1959)

And the world is mostly populated by “little” people - they are not distinguished by either strength of character or abilities, they are poor, often humiliated and insulted, often vegetating, but absolutely harmless. And Dostoevsky, the singer of the human personality, reminds with each image of the “little man” that a common person worthy of respect, sympathy and attention no less than an outstanding hero.

The very first works of F.M. Dostoevsky - “White Nights”, “Poor People”, “Humiliated and Insulted” - are dedicated to the theme of the loneliness of the “little man” in the big city.

(Scene from the play "Poor People" Theater Young Spectators named after A.A. Bryantseva, St. Petersburg)

Main character story "Poor People", Makar Devushkin, inhabitant of " Noah's Ark" - a typical St. Petersburg house, inhabited, like ants, by the same poor inhabitants of rooms and little rooms as he was. Poverty, misery, being at the lower hierarchical levels - all this is seen by Devushkin as inevitable, a wise providence higher powers. Therefore, the hero lives humbly and inconspicuously, does not strive for anything, serves in the same inconspicuous service for more than 30 years, and, although not yet old, considers himself “small,” outdated and ancient.

The only light in the window (in figurative and literal senses) for Devushkin is his beloved Varenka, with whom he corresponds and whose problems he solves. Varenka lives opposite, and her mere appearance in the window illuminates Devushkin’s life with quiet joy. Devushkin’s concerns help her arrange her life, and she gets married, disappearing from the life of the protagonist.

(The play "Crime and Punishment" directed by Vladimir Uvarov)

The theme of the “little man” is more developed in others famous works writer, in particular, in the novel “Crime and Punishment”, the hero of which, Rodion Raskolnikov, is not at all inactive, but an active “little man”. A miserable, half-starved existence, life in a room that looks like a coffin, embitterment and loneliness give rise to the idea in his head that he can step beyond humanity and get money through robbery and even murder. Raskolnikov’s sister, like a typical “little” hero, must enter into an arranged marriage; the only “little people” on his way are good, poor drunkards, ruined and forced to go down, Sonya Marmeladova, who has chosen the path, albeit involuntarily, of the easy behavior. And the city around is hostile, dead, unkind, its streets reveal only darkness and cold, only filth and disgusting pictures.

All these people are heroes whom life has put on the path of survival, but deeply humane and compassionate. The murder and the money obtained did not bring Raskolnikov the status of a “rightful” person, only disappointment and endless moral burden. But in the world of “trembling creatures,” in addition to cruelty, there is also love and compassion - this makes us believe that society is not hopeless, and first of all, thanks to such “little” heroes who are capable of love.

World literature often asks the question: what is more important in a person, mind or feelings? Dostoevsky argues that in order to be a person, it is not enough to be smart, you must also be kind, and sometimes kindness human heart turns out to be much more important than his thinking abilities. Dostoevsky’s “little” heroes are those whose characters are written out with the greatest psychology: they are capable of the deepest feelings with the subtlest shades, and therefore deserve recognition from society.

The theme of the “little man” was first touched upon in the works of A. S. Pushkin (“The Station Warden”), N.V. Gogol (“The Overcoat”), M. Yu. Lermontov (“Hero of Our Time”). The heroes of these works outstanding writers- Samson Vyrin, Akakiy Akakievich, Maxim Maksimych - became household names, and the topic became firmly established in literature. F. M. Dostoevsky is not just a continuer of traditions in Russian literature, but becomes the author of one leading theme - the theme of “poor people”, “humiliated and insulted”. That is why Dostoevsky’s work is so integral thematically. Dostoevsky seems to be saying with his work that every person, no matter who he is, no matter how low he stands, has the right to sympathy and compassion. Like many outstanding Russian writers, Dostoevsky already in his first novel “Poor People” addresses the theme of the “little man.” The main character of the novel, Makar Devushkin, is a poor official, oppressed by grief, poverty and social lack of rights. Like Gogol in the story “The Overcoat,” Dostoevsky turned to the theme of a powerless, immensely humiliated and downtrodden “little man” living his inner life in conditions that grossly violate human dignity. Dostoevsky himself wrote: “We all came out of Gogol’s “The Overcoat.” The humanistic orientation of “Poor People” was noticed by critics. Belinsky enthusiastically greeted Dostoevsky: “This is an extraordinary and original talent, which immediately, even with his first work, sharply separated himself from the entire crowd of our writers...” The social theme, the theme of “poor people,” “humiliated and insulted,” was continued by the author in “ Crime and Punishment." Here it sounded even stronger. One after another, the writer reveals to us pictures of hopeless poverty. Dostoevsky chose the dirtiest part of old Petersburg, the cesspool of the capital, as the setting for the action. Against the backdrop of this landscape, the life of the Marmeladov family unfolds before us. The fate of this family is closely intertwined with the fate of the main character, Rodion Raskolnikov. The official Marmeladov, who has “nowhere else to go” in life, drinks himself to death out of grief and loses his human appearance. Exhausted by poverty, Marmeladov’s wife, Katerina Ivanovna, dies of consumption. Sonya goes out into the street to sell her body to save her family from starvation. The fate of Raskolnikov’s family is also difficult. His sister Dunya, wanting to help her brother, is ready to sacrifice herself and marry the rich man Luzhin, whom she feels disgusted with. Other characters in the novel, including episodic figures of unfortunate people Raskolnikov meets on the streets of St. Petersburg, complement this big picture immeasurable grief. Raskolnikov understands that the cruel force that creates dead ends in life for the poor and a bottomless sea of ​​suffering is money. And in order to get them, he commits a crime under the influence of a far-fetched idea about “extraordinary personalities.” Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky created a vast canvas of immeasurable human torment, suffering and grief, looked closely and insightfully into the soul of the so-called “little man” and discovered deposits in him enormous spiritual wealth, spiritual generosity and beauty, not broken by the most difficult living conditions. And this was a new word not only in Russian, but also in all world literature. Dostoevsky – brilliant writer, examining the sick sides of contemporary society and painting vivid pictures of Russian reality. The images of “little people” created by the author are imbued with the spirit of protest against social injustice, against the humiliation of man and faith in his high calling. Dostoevsky's worldview is based on one enduring fundamental value - on love for man, on the recognition of man's spirituality as the main thing. And all of Dostoevsky’s quests are aimed at creating better living conditions worthy of man.

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Other writings:

1. The theme of the “little man” was first touched upon in the works of A. S. Pushkin (“The Station Warden”), N. V. Gogol (“The Overcoat”), M. Yu. Lermontov (“Hero of Our Time”). The names of the heroes of the works of these outstanding writers - Samson Vyrin, Akaki Akakievich, Maxim Maksimych - became household names, and Read More ......
2. The theme of the “little man” is one of the cross-cutting themes of Russian literature, to which writers constantly turned. It was first touched upon by A.S. Pushkin in the story “The Station Warden” and the poem “The Bronze Horseman”. This theme was continued by N.V. Gogol, who created the immortal Read More ......
3. The theme of the “little man” in Russian classical literature is as eternal as the theme of fathers and sons (relationships and generational change), the theme of honor and human dignity, the theme of the individual and the state. Such great humanists as A.S. Pushkin repeatedly turned to her Read More ......
4. Love for to an ordinary person, many works of Russian writers are permeated with pain for him. One of the first to put forward the theme of the “little man” in literature was A. S. Pushkin. In “Belkin's Tales” the writer focuses on the fate of the “little man” whom he tried to portray Read More ......
5. N.V. Gogol revealed in his “Petersburg Tales” the true side of metropolitan life and the life of officials. He most clearly showed the possibilities of the “natural school” in transforming and changing a person’s view of the world and the destinies of “little people.” In “Petersburg Notes” of 1836 Read More ......
6. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky entered the history of Russian and world literature as genius artist, humanist and democrat, as a researcher of human souls. In the spiritual life of a man of his era, Dostoevsky saw a reflection of deep processes historical development society. With tragic power, the writer showed how Read More......
7. In M. Zoshchenko’s story “The Fitter” rises important problem unfair social inequality of people. The main character of the story is a fitter working in a provincial theater. He does his job honestly, but he feels that he is just “technician.” In the general photograph, where the whole Read More ......
8. Human soul, her suffering and torment, pangs of conscience, moral decline, and the spiritual rebirth of man have always interested F. M. Dostoevsky. In his works there are many characters endowed with truly reverent and sensitive heart, people who are kind by nature, but for one reason or another Read More ......

“Little Man” by F.M. Dostoevsky

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is one of the most significant and famous Russian writers and thinkers in the world of the 60s of the 19th century. In his works he reflected the suffering of people from social reality. It was at that time that capitalism was developing, and people who could not exist in the conditions of difficult modernity found themselves in complete poverty. Dostoevsky's work is centered around questions of the philosophy of spirit - these are themes of anthropology, philosophy, history, ethics, religion.

Rarely has any Russian writer started his career so brilliantly. literary activity, like Dostoevsky. His first novel, “Poor People” (1846), immediately made him one of the most prominent representatives of the “natural school.” F.M. Dostoevsky explored the soul of the “little man” and delved into his inner world. The writer believed that the “little man” did not deserve such treatment as shown in many works. “Poor People” was the first novel in Russian literature where the “little man” spoke himself.

The main character of the novel, Makar Devushkin, is a poor official, oppressed by grief, poverty and social lack of rights. He is the subject of ridicule and his only joy is his distant relative - Varenka, the 17th orphan, for whom there is no one else to stand up for except Makar. For her, he rents a more expensive and comfortable apartment. In order to buy flowers and sweets for her, he denies himself food. But this heartfelt affection makes him happy. For a poor person, the basis of life is honor and respect, but the heroes of the novel “Poor People” know that it is almost impossible for a “small” person in social terms to achieve this. His protest against injustice is hopeless. Makar Alekseevich is very ambitious, and much of what he does, he does not for himself, but so that others can see it, for example, he drinks good tea. He tries to hide his shame about himself. Unfortunately, the opinion of others is more valuable to him than his own.

Makar Devushkin and Varenka Dobroselova are people of great spiritual purity and kindness. Each of them is ready to give up their last for the other. Makar is a person who knows how to feel, empathize, think and reason, and these are the best qualities of the “little man” according to Dostoevsky.

The author shows the “little man” as a deep personality with a rich inner world. Spiritual world Makara Devushkin can be likened to a rapidly expanding universe. He is not limited in any way intellectual development, neither in his spirituality, nor in his humanity. Makar Devushkin’s personality potential is limitless. This transformation of the hero occurs despite his past, his upbringing, origin, environment, despite the hero’s social humiliation and cultural deprivation.

Previously, Makar Alekseevich did not even imagine that he had great spiritual wealth. His love for Varenka helped him realize that he, it turns out, could be useful and useful to someone. An extremely important process of “straightening” the human personality is taking place. Love opened Devushkin’s eyes to himself and allowed him to realize that he is a human being. He writes to Varenka:

“I know what I owe you, my dear! Having gotten to know you, I began, firstly, to know myself better, and I began to love you; and before you, my little angel, I was lonely and as if I was sleeping and not living in the world. ...and when you appeared to me, you illuminated my whole dark life, so that both my heart and soul were illuminated, and I found peace of mind and learned that I was no worse than others; That’s just it, I don’t shine with anything, there’s no gloss, I’m not drowning, but still I’m a man, that in my heart and thoughts I’m a man.”

These words sounded like a confession of faith, like a formula that explained and revealed the basic humanistic pathos of both the “natural school” and the entire work of Dostoevsky. Essentially, here his hero comes to deny the injustice of the social structure of society, which considers him only a rag and not a person. The main thing about the “little man” is his nature.

The “little man” turned out to be “big”. The dynamics of the unfolding of the spiritual greatness of the “little man” are unique. In the end, Makar Devushkin turned out to be a worthy hero of the novel, which, among other things, should be an example of “education of feelings.”

Makar Devushkin was the first revelation of Dostoevsky’s “great idea” - the idea of ​​“restoration of man,” the spiritual resurrection of downtrodden and poor people.

This is how it begins an entire era in Russian literature of the 19th century, associated with heightened attention to the inner world of man, which naturally led to increased socio-psychological analysis, to a sharp denunciation of the foundations of the autocratic serf system, which doomed “little people” to the role of the humiliated and insulted.

2.2 Good and evil in the novel “Crime and Punishment.” Striving for a moral ideal

The theme of the “little man” continues in the novel Crime and Punishment. Here the “little people” are endowed with a certain philosophical idea. These are thinking people, but overwhelmed by life. For example, Semyon Zakharych Marmeladov. He enjoys beatings, and he trains himself not to pay attention to the attitude of those around him, and he is accustomed to spending the night wherever he has to. Marmeladov is not able to fight for life, for his family. He doesn't care about his family, society, or even Raskolnikov.

Dostoevsky describes a weak-willed man who drove his wife to consumption, let his daughter in with a “yellow ticket,” but while condemning him, the writer simultaneously appeals to people, asks them to show him at least a drop of pity, to take a closer look at him, whether he is really that bad. After all, he “offered his hand to the unfortunate woman with three children, because he could not look at such suffering.” He suffers most of all from the consciousness of guilt in front of his children. Is this “little man” really that bad? We can say that he was made this way by a society more indifferent and cruel than he himself in his drunkenness.

But still, the novel “Crime and Punishment” is a very bright work, although tragic. The writer expressed in it his innermost thoughts about the moral ideal of humanism.

The main character of the novel comes to a moral ideal after experiencing a lot of suffering. Tolstoy Dostoevsky moral hero

At the beginning of the work, this is a man who is disappointed in people and believes that only through violence can the desecrated goodness and justice be restored. Rodion Raskolnikov creates a cruel theory according to which the world is divided into “those who have the right” and “trembling creatures.” The first is allowed everything, the second - nothing. Gradually, this terrible idea captures the hero’s entire being, and he decides to test it on himself, to find out which category he belongs to.

Having coldly assessed everything, Raskolnikov comes to the conclusion that he is allowed to violate the moral laws of society and commit murder, which he justifies with the goal of helping the disadvantaged.

But much changes in him when feelings are mixed with the voice of reason. Raskolnikov did not take into account the main thing - his own character, and the fact that murder is contrary to human nature itself. Before committing a crime, the hero has a dream: he feels like a child who witnesses a barbarously cruel act - the beating of a cornered horse, which the owner beats to death in stupid anger. Scary picture causes in little Raskolnikov a furious desire to intervene, to protect the animal, but no one prevents this senseless, brutal murder. The only thing the boy can do is scream his way through the crowd to the horse and, grasping its dead, bloody muzzle, kiss it.

Raskolnikov's dream has many meanings. Here is a clear protest against murder and cruelty, here is sympathy for the pain of others.

Under the influence of sleep, two motives for the alleged murder occur. One is hatred of the torturers. Another is the desire to rise to the position of judge. But Raskolnikov did not take into account the third factor - the inability of a good person to shed blood. And as soon as this thought occurred to him, he abandoned his plans in fear. In other words, even before lifting the ax, Raskolnikov understands the doom of his idea.

Having woken up, the hero was almost ready to abandon his plan: “God! - he exclaimed, “can it really be, really, I’ll take an ax, hit her on the head, crush her skull... I’ll slide in sticky, warm blood, pick the lock, steal and tremble; hiding, covered in blood... with an ax... Lord, really?”

However, the terrible theory wins. Raskolnikov kills the old money-lender, completely useless and even harmful, from his point of view. But along with her, he is forced to kill her sister, an accidental witness. The second crime is in no way included in the hero’s plans, because Lizaveta is precisely the one for whose happiness he is fighting. Destitute, defenseless, not raising her hands to protect her face. Now Raskolnikov understands: one cannot allow “blood according to conscience” - it will flow in a torrent.

A hero by nature a kind person, he does a lot of good to people. In his actions, statements, and experiences we see a high sense of human dignity, true nobility, and deepest selflessness. Raskolnikov perceives other people's pain more acutely than his own. Risking his life, he saves children from the fire, shares the last with the father of a deceased comrade, a beggar himself, gives money for the funeral of Marmeladov, whom he barely knew. The hero despises those who indifferently pass by human misfortunes. There are no bad or low traits in him. He also has an angelic appearance: “...remarkably good-looking, with beautiful dark eyes, dark blond, above average height, thin and slender.” How practically perfect hero could he be carried away by such an immoral idea? The author shows that Raskolnikov was literally driven into a dead end by his own poverty, as well as by the wretched, humiliated state of many worthy people Around him. Rodion was disgusted by the power of the insignificant, stupid, but rich and the insulting position of the poor, but smart and noble in soul. It's a shame, but the hero's youthful maximalism and integrity, his pride and inflexibility did him a disservice and set him on the wrong path.

Having committed a villainous murder, the hero becomes seriously ill, which indicates the great sensitivity of his conscience. And before the crime, the good in his soul desperately fought against evil, and now he is experiencing hellish torment. It becomes very difficult for Raskolnikov to communicate with people; he seems to feel guilty before all of humanity. The warmer and more caring his loved ones treat him, the more he suffers. Subconsciously the hero understands that he has violated main law life - the law of love for one's neighbor, and he is not just ashamed, he is hurt - he was too cruelly mistaken.

Mistakes need to be corrected, you need to repent in order to get rid of suffering. Way to moral life Raskolnikov begins with a confession. He tells Sonya Marmeladova about his crime, relieving his soul and asking for advice, because he does not know how to live further. And a friend helps Rodion.

Expressed in the image of Sonya moral ideal writer. This woman is love itself. She sacrifices herself for people. Realizing that Raskolnikov needs him, Sonya is ready to follow him to hard labor: “Together we will go to suffer, together we will bear the cross!..” Thanks to her friend, the hero finds a new meaning in life.

Dostoevsky leads Raskolnikov to the idea of ​​the need to live in the present, and not by an invented theory, to express oneself not through misanthropic ideas, but through love and kindness, through serving one’s neighbors. Raskolnikov’s path to a righteous life is complex and painful: from crime, which is atoned for by terrible suffering, to compassion and love for those people whom the proud young man wanted to despise, considering below himself.

Main philosophical question novel - the boundaries of good and evil. The writer seeks to define these concepts and show their interaction in society and in the individual.

In Raskolnikov's protest, it is difficult to draw a clear line between good and evil. Raskolnikov is unusually kind and humane: he dearly loves his sister and mother; feels sorry for the Marmeladovs and helps them, gives his last money for Marmeladov’s funeral; does not remain indifferent to the fate of the drunk girl on the boulevard. Raskolnikov's dream about a horse beaten to death emphasizes the hero's humanism, his protest against evil and violence.

At the same time, he exhibits extreme selfishness, individualism, cruelty and mercilessness. Raskolnikov creates an anti-human theory of “two classes of people,” which determines in advance who will live and who will die. He justifies the “idea of ​​blood according to conscience,” when any person can be killed for the sake of higher goals and principles. Raskolnikov, loving people, suffering for their pain, commits the villainous murder of the old pawnbroker and her sister, the meek Lizaveta. By committing murder, he tries to establish the absolute moral freedom of man, which essentially means permissiveness. This leads to the fact that the boundaries of evil cease to exist.

But Raskolnikov commits all crimes for the sake of good. A paradoxical idea arises: good is the basis of evil. Good and evil fight in Raskolnikov's soul. Evil, brought to the limit, brings him closer to Svidrigailov, good, brought to the point of self-sacrifice, brings him in common with Sonya Marmeladova.

In the novel, Raskolnikov and Sonya are the confrontation between good and evil. Sonya preaches goodness based on Christian humility, Christian love for one's neighbor and for all who suffer.

But even in Sonya’s actions, life itself blurs the line between good and evil. She takes a step full of Christian love and kindness towards her neighbor - she sells herself in order to prevent her sick stepmother and her children from starving. And she causes irreparable harm to herself, her conscience. And again, the basis of evil is good.

The interpenetration of good and evil can also be seen in Svidrigailov’s nightmare before suicide. This hero completes the chain of malicious crimes in the novel: rape, murder, child molestation. True, the author does not confirm the fact that these crimes were committed: this is mainly Luzhin’s gossip. But it is absolutely known that Svidrigailov arranged for the children of Katerina Ivanovna and helped Sonya Marmeladova. Dostoevsky shows how a complex struggle between good and evil takes place in the soul of this hero. Dostoevsky tries to draw the line between good and evil in the novel. But human world too complex and unfair, it blurs the boundaries between these concepts. Therefore, Dostoevsky sees salvation and truth in faith. Christ for him is the highest criterion of morality, the bearer true goodness on the ground. And this is the only thing the writer does not doubt.

Conclusion

Summarizing all of the above, we can conclude that in the works of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, psychological portraits heroes. It seems to me that this is due to the fact that the authors are trying to convey to the reader what one can be, what one can become under the influence of society and how, under this influence, people remain themselves and do not contradict their state of mind and moral principles.

In the works of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy we can observe how he depicts spiritual growth man and his fall. What significance does the inner world have for the author? How society, the morality of the environment and the actions of others influence a person.

In his work, Tolstoy touches on and reveals the most important life problems- problems of morality. Love and friendship, honor and nobility. His characters dream and doubt, think and solve problems that are important to them. Some of them are deeply moral people, while others are alien to the concept of nobility. For the modern reader Tolstoy's heroes can be close and understandable. Author's solution moral problems can still be used today.

The creativity of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is centered around questions of the philosophy of spirit - these are themes of anthropology, philosophy, history, ethics, religion. In his works, Dostoevsky shows tragic fates"little people" What deep feelings a “little man” oppressed by poverty, lawlessness, and inhumanity is capable of, what kind, compassionate soul he can possess. In his works, the author reveals the enormous spiritual wealth of the “little man,” his spiritual generosity and inner beauty, which did not perish under unbearable living conditions. The beauty of the soul of the “little man” is revealed, first of all, through the ability to love and compassion. F. M. Dostoevsky protests against indifference and indifference to the fate of “poor people.” He argues that every person has the right to empathy and compassion.

The heroes of the works of these two great Russian writers are memorable and atypical, which, nevertheless, are written in a deeply realistic way. Pierre Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova, Nekhlyudov, Raskolnikov, Makar Devushkin are unforgettable images. But at the same time, it is not difficult to notice a significant difference in their work. If Tolstoy analyzes his characters and the events happening to them, then Dostoevsky, on the contrary, derives the entire logic of actions from psychological state their heroes. Thanks to these two writers, we can look at the 19th century from two sides.

Tolstoy focuses on the external side of events; for Dostoevsky, the inner feeling of a person is more important. Tolstoy’s morality is reminiscent of Kant’s: “Act in a certain situation in such a way that your choice can become moral law for all people". Dostoevsky believes that there are no identical situations, and a person always has to make a choice, and cannot rely on standard solutions.

Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky never met, although each of them dreamed of meeting each other.

And yet the meeting took place - at a distance, not in space - in time. They read each other's works. They admired some and protested against others. No effort was spared on critical analyses. Despite all their differences creative quests, they were united in the main thing - they believed in goodness and love, in the revival of man and humanity, in the moral progress of society through the free expression of the individual’s will.

List of sources used

1. Ethics. Basics general theory morality. Course of lectures Part one / P.E. Matveev / Vladimir State University - Vladimir, 2002.

2. Revelations about man in the works of Dostoevsky / N.A. Berdyaev/Vekhi Library, 2001

3. Russian literature and literary criticism/A.B. Esin / Moscow, 2003.

4. Psychological Dictionary./Ed. V. P. Zinchenko./Moscow, 1997.

5. Childhood. Adolescence. Youth./L.N. Tolstoy/ St. Petersburg, 2009.

6. Collected works in 8 volumes. Volume 6. Resurrection / L.N. Tolstoy / Moscow, 2006

7. After the ball./L. N. Tolstoy / Moscow, 2006

8. Childhood. Adolescence, Youth / L.N. Tolstoy/Moscow, 1993

9. So what should we do? / Tolstoy L.N. / Collection. op./Moscow, 1983.

10. Resurrection/L.N. Tolstoy/

11. Russian literature of the 19th century/V. I. Novikov/Moscow, 1996

12. War and Peace/L.N. Tolstoy/

13. Poor people/F.M. Dostoevsky

14. Crime and punishment/F.M. Dostoevsky

15. http:/mysoch.ru/sochineniya/dostoevskii

16. http:/soch.na5.ru

17. http://istina.rin.ru

18. http://ru.wikipedia.org

Since the appearance of Pushkin’s story “The Station Warden,” the theme of the “little man” has become one of the leading themes in Russian literature of the 19th century century. We can say that it was in this topic that characteristic feature perception of the world and man, characteristic of Russian national identity. Nowhere else in world literature has the humiliated position of a person at the very bottom of the social ladder been so acutely perceived, nowhere has he evoked such a sympathetic attitude.

Samson Vyrin in “The Station Agent” and Evgeniy in “ Bronze Horseman"Pushkin, Poprishchin from “Notes of a Madman” and Akakiy Akakievich Bashmachkin in the story “The Overcoat” by Gogol open a long series of “small”, inconspicuous, unremarkable heroes who suffer, endure insults and humiliation “only because they are not given the opportunity to be the owners high rank and title. Sometimes they lack courage and strength of character, often they are not even fully aware that their human dignity is being violated, sometimes they are so pitiful and insignificant that the reader’s attitude towards them becomes ambiguous. But still the leading The theme line of the “little man” is always associated with the pathos of compassion and humanism.

This is exactly how the writers perceived this topic, who in the mid-1840s united around Belinsky and formed the so-called “natural school.” For them, the theme of the “little man” becomes central and most significant from a social point of view. No wonder F.M. Dostoevsky, who began his creative path as a representative of the “natural school,” he said: “We all came out of Gogol’s “The Overcoat.” But even then, when he not only parted with this group of writers, but even took a very critical position in relation to those whom he had recently considered like-minded people, and then for Dostoevsky the theme of “the humiliated and insulted,” the theme of the suffering of the “little man” remained central. But in revealing it, he went his own way, which largely changed both the interpretation of this topic and the attitude towards the “little man”.

For the first time Dostoevsky appeared before the Russian reader as the author of the story “Poor People,” published in! 845 in the “Petersburg Collection”, which was published by writers of the “natural school”. This story immediately brought Dostoevsky to the forefront among young Russian writers and strengthened his fame as the “new Gogol.”

Indeed, much in this work continues Gogolian traditions in revealing the theme of the “little man”. Makar Alekseevich Devushkin, the hero of the story “Poor People,” in his own way social status clearly belongs to the “little people”. This, like Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin from Gogol’s “The Overcoat,” is an eternal titular adviser living in extreme poverty. This is how he describes his home in a letter to Varenka Dobroselova: “Well, what a slum I ended up in, Varvara Alekseevna. Well, it's an apartment! ... Imagine, approximately, a long corridor, completely dark and unclean. On its right hand there will be a blank wall, and on the left there will be doors and doors, like numbers, all stretching out like that. Well, they rent these rooms, and they have one room in each: they live in one and in twos and threes. Don’t ask for order - Noah’s Ark.” How this description resembles the homes of those heroes of Dostoevsky’s novels; who will appear much later - Raskolnikov, Marmeladov, Sonechka and others from among the “little”, “humiliated and insulted” people!

But here’s what’s interesting: Makar Devushkin, like Bashmachkin, does not at all see poverty and his low social status something wrong that needs to be changed. He, just like Gogol’s hero, puts up with his social and service-hierarchical “smallness”, sincerely believing that “every condition is determined by the Almighty for the lot of man. This one is destined to wear the general's epaulets, this one is destined to serve as a titular adviser; to command such and such, and to obey such and such meekly and in fear.” Devushkin even writes his car description in a formal style: “I have been in the service for about thirty years; I serve impeccably, behave soberly, and have never been seen in disorder.”

The central episode of Dostoevsky’s story, like Gogol’s “The Overcoat,” is the meeting of a “little” official with “his excellency” - a “significant person,” according to Gogol’s definition. Like Akakiy Akakievich, Makar Alekseevich is confused, timid, pitiful. Summoned to the boss about a poorly copied official paper, the timid official sees himself in the mirror and is amazed: “It was so easy to go crazy because of what I saw there.” And he saw his pitiful figure, shocked by fear. At this moment he does not inspire any respect for himself, and then the ill-fated button, which had long been dangling on a thread on an old uniform, suddenly breaks off and falls straight “at the feet of His Excellency.” Devushkin, already completely lost, “rushed to catch” her, and this finally finished him off.

It seems that the ending of this scene should remind the reader sad story Akaki Akakievich Devushkin writes about this to Varenka: “At this point I feel that my last strength is leaving me, that everything, everything is lost! The whole reputation is lost, the whole person is gone! The hero experiences at this moment a state similar in his eyes to death. But this death is completely different from that of Gogol’s Bashmachkin, because, for all that external resemblance Devushkin is fundamentally different from the hero of “The Overcoat,” as well as from Pushkin’s “little people,” and even more so from the type of this hero that has become so widespread in the works of other writers of the “natural school.” It can be said that Dostoevsky does not so much continue to develop the theme of the “little man” in Pogogol’s manner, but rather polemicizes with previous interpretations and gives a completely new twist to this theme.

Researcher of Dostoevsky's work M. M. Bakhtin called this a “Copernican revolution on a small scale.” He said that the writer “depicts not a “poor official,” but the self-awareness of a poor official. We see not who he is, but how he understands himself.” This is a very fair thought, which is confirmed even by the very form of the story chosen by Dostoevsky.

Before us is a “novel in letters”, the authors of which are two “little people” - Makar Devushkin and Varenka Dobroselova. It's hard to imagine that Bashmachkin or Vyrin could write something like that. Indeed, in his letters, Devushkin does not just talk about some events of his life, he evaluates them, analyzes them, talks about his experiences, and reveals his inner world. It is precisely in this - in its very presence inner world- this is already the fundamental difference between Dostoevsky’s “little man” and all his predecessors. But more than that, the writer strives not only to show the existence of the inner world of such people, but also to study it in depth.

Thus, Dostoevsky’s interest in psychology, so characteristic of his subsequent work, comes to the fore. The writer sought to find a “big” person capable of deep feelings in a “small” person. After all, for him, Varenka is both a lover, a friend, an attentive, understanding listener, and an object of his constant care. His feelings for this girl are so rich in all shades, so much kindness and compassion that we cannot help but see a truly human face in this hero.

Apparently, this is his main difference from all the “little people” in Russian literature that preceded him - and many that followed. The leitmotif of this theme in Dostoevsky is the affirmation of the “little man’s” right to personality and recognition of him as such by all members of society. That is why for Devushkin it is so humiliating to be compared with a “rag,” that is, a thing. For him, the most important thing is that he is seen as a unique, original personality, just like in every other person.

I wonder how Makar evaluates those literary heroes, in which he finds some analogy with himself. Comparing himself with the heroes of Pushkin’s “The Station Agent” and Gogol’s “The Overcoat,” he gives preference to Pushkin’s Samson Vyrin - his (the hero of “Poor People”) view of such a person in Gogol’s story, where Akaki Akakievich is so impersonal that he becomes a kind of symbol of the titular adviser in general. For Devushkin, such a situation seems the most humiliating of everything that happens or can happen to him. For him, there is nothing more painful than to turn into some kind of symbol of a petty official. It becomes torture for him when “in the whole department” “they introduced Makar Alekseevich into a proverb”: “everything is on Makar Alekseevich.” This is what it means for Dostoevsky’s hero to turn out to be a rag, a thing that other people have the right not to distinguish and not distinguish from the general series.

That is why the kindest and meek Makar Alekseevich turns out to be capable of indignation, anger and even rage when there is an attempt to touch him privacy. Among his neighbors is the mediocre writer Ratazyaev, whom Devushkin calls “a literary official.” Like Devushkin’s other neighbors, he learns about the correspondence between Makar and Varenka, and is going, as Makar Alekseevich says with horror, to “put into his literature” “the whole private... life” of them. “In their opinion, a poor person should have everything inside out; that he shouldn’t have anything cherished, there’s some kind of ambition, no, no, no!” - Devushkin says indignantly. He is right that, in fact, writers like Dostoevsky’s satirical depiction of Ratazyaev depersonalize the “little man,” whose true feelings are transformed under their pen into the common stereotype of a novel about “poor man’s love.”

It is from this point of view - the affirmation of the "little man's" right to personality - that the ending of the scene at "His Excellency" should be considered. Continuing the comparison with “The Overcoat,” we can say that Gogol’s Bashmachkin dies because his new overcoat was stolen, with which the hero connects his human self-consciousness, unnoticed by anyone, not even by the all-powerful “significant person,” whose indifference finally finishes off Akaki Akakievich. In Dostoevsky, Devushkin experiences a state similar to death because he may lose his personal self-respect, which has nothing to do with his overcoat, his uniform, or anything like that. For Gogol’s hero, physical death occurs, but Makar can be overtaken by spiritual and moral death.

But, fortunately, this does not happen: after all, Dostoevsky’s “significant person” changes fundamentally. According to the traditional scheme of relations between the “little man” and his boss, “His Excellency” had to not only “scold” him, but also completely humiliate him - and Makar would no longer bear this. But something completely unexpected happens even for Devushkin himself. After all, the boss didn’t just give him a hundred rubles - the amount itself is huge for the poor official and really helps him improve his situation. But the main thing here is different: this is a human gesture of the boss, which, according to Makar, “they themselves, a straw man, a drunkard, deigned to shake his unworthy hand!” This is what saves Devushkin, “resurrects” him; “With this they returned me to myself. By this act they resurrected my spirit!”

This was not given to Akakiy Akakievich, who ended his sad story with an act of revenge. significant person, from whom the ghost of Bashmachkin tears off his overcoat, nor to any other of the numerous “little people” depicted by other writers. The story of Makar Alekseevich Devushkin does not become happy because of this - after all, his life remains difficult, full of deprivation and humiliation, and he still loses the girl with whom his deep-seated love is connected. But Dostoevsky completed the “Copernican revolution”: after his “Poor People,” “The Humiliated and Insulted,” “Crime and Punishment” and other novels will appear, where the Personality of man as a creature of God will be affirmed, regardless of the conditions in which this personality is forced to exist . After all, the main thing is to always remain human. And it’s hard to argue with Dostoevsky on this, no matter how we now think that “poverty is not a vice.”