Introduction
Goncharov's work "Oblomov" is a socio-psychological novel built on the literary method of antithesis. The principle of opposition can be traced both when comparing the characters of the main characters, and their basic values and life path. Comparison of the way of life of Oblomov and Stolz in the novel "Oblomov" allows us to better understand the ideological intent of the work, to understand the reasons for the tragedy of the fates of both heroes.
Features of the lifestyle of heroes
The central character of the novel is Oblomov. Ilya Ilyich is afraid of life's difficulties, does not want to do or decide anything. Any difficulty and the need to act cause sadness in the hero and plunge him even more into an apathetic state. That is why Oblomov, after the first failure in the service, no longer wanted to try his hand at a career field and took refuge from the outside world on his favorite sofa, trying not only not to leave the house, but not even get out of bed unless absolutely necessary. The way of life of Ilya Ilyich is similar to a slow dying - both spiritual and physical. The personality of the hero is gradually degrading, and he himself is completely immersed in illusions and dreams that are not destined to come true.
Stolz, on the contrary, is spurred on by difficulties, any mistake for him is just an excuse to move on, achieving more. Andrei Ivanovich is in constant motion - business trips, meetings with friends and social evenings are an integral part of his life. Stolz looks at the world soberly and rationally, there are no surprises, illusions and strong shocks in his life, because he calculated everything in advance and understands what to expect in each specific situation.
The lifestyle of heroes and their childhood
The development and formation of the images of Oblomov and Stolz is shown by the author from the earliest years of the heroes. Their childhood, youthful and mature years proceed differently, they are instilled with different values and life orientations, which only emphasizes the dissimilarity of the characters.
Oblomov grew like a greenhouse plant, fenced off from the possible influences of the outside world. Parents spoiled little Ilya in every possible way, indulged his desires, were ready to do everything to make their son happy and satisfied. The very atmosphere of Oblomovka, the hero's native estate, requires special attention. Slow, lazy and poorly educated villagers considered work to be something like a punishment. Therefore, they tried in every possible way to avoid it, and if they had to work, they worked reluctantly, without any inspiration or desire. Naturally, this could not but affect Oblomov, who from an early age absorbed the love of an idle life, absolute idleness, when Zakhar can always do everything for you - as lazy and slow as his master. Even when Ilya Ilyich finds himself in a new, urban environment, he does not want to change his lifestyle and start working intensively. Oblomov simply closes himself off from the outside world and creates in his imagination a certain idealized prototype of Oblomovka, in which he continues to “live”.
Stolz's childhood goes differently, which is primarily due to the roots of the hero - a strict German father tried to raise a worthy bourgeois from his son, who could achieve everything in life on his own, without fear of any work. The refined mother of Andrei Ivanovich, on the contrary, wanted her son to achieve a brilliant secular reputation in society, so from an early age she instilled in him a love of books and arts. All this, as well as the evenings and receptions regularly held at the Stoltsev estate, influenced little Andrey, forming an extroverted, educated and purposeful personality. The hero was interested in everything new, he knew how to confidently move forward, therefore, after graduating from the university, he easily took his place in society, becoming an indispensable person for many. Unlike Oblomov, who perceived any activity as an aggravating necessity (even university studies or reading a long book), for Stolz his activity was an impulse for further personal, social and career development.
Similarities and differences in the lifestyle of heroes
If the differences in the lifestyles of Ilya Oblomov and Andrei Stolz are noticeable and obvious almost immediately, correlating respectively as a passive, leading to degradation lifestyle and an active one, aimed at comprehensive development, then their similarities are visible only after a detailed analysis of the characters. Both heroes are "superfluous" people for their era, they both do not live in the present, and therefore are in constant search of themselves and their true happiness. The introverted, slow Oblomov clings with all his might to his past, to the "heavenly", idealized Oblomovka - a place where he will always feel good and calm.
Stoltz, on the other hand, strives exclusively for the future. He perceives his past as a valuable experience and does not try to cling to it. Even their friendship with Oblomov is full of unrealizable plans for the future - about how you can transform the life of Ilya Ilyich, make it more vivid and real. Stolz is always one step ahead, so it is difficult for him to be an ideal husband for Olga (however, Oblomov's "extra" nature in the novel also becomes an obstacle to developing relations with Olga).
Such isolation from others and inner loneliness, which Oblomov fills with illusions, and Stolz with thoughts of work and self-improvement, become the basis of their friendship. The characters unconsciously see in each other the ideal of their own existence, while completely denying their friend’s lifestyle, considering it either too active and saturated (Oblomov was upset even by the fact that he had to walk for a long time in boots, and not in his usual soft slippers), or excessively lazy and inactive (at the end of the novel, Stolz says that it was the “Oblomovism” that ruined Ilya Ilyich).
Conclusion
On the example of the way of life of Oblomov and Stolz, Goncharov showed how the fates of people who come from the same social stratum, but who received a different upbringing, can differ. Depicting the tragedy of both characters, the author shows that a person cannot live hiding from the whole world in an illusion or giving himself excessively to others, up to mental exhaustion - in order to be happy, it is important to find harmony between these two directions.
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The image of Andrei Ivanovich Stolz in Goncharov's novel "Oblomov" is one of the most attractive. His activities and ability to manage his free time suggest the idea of the ideality and harmony of the personality, however, this is not entirely true.
Origin of Andrey Stolz
Andrei Stoltz was born in a small village in the Russian Empire. His father was a German by origin, who later finally settled in Russia. His mother came from an impoverished noble family. Thanks to such a symbiosis of cultures, Andrey Stoltz was able to acquire such character traits and qualities that would allow him to become successful in life, but at the same time not lose his moral character.
Relationships in the family and the question of the upbringing of Stolz
Parents in the Stolz family lived harmoniously. Despite the fact that various disagreements arose between them, this did not contribute to the emergence of conflicts in the family.
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Mother in education adhered to the traditional Russian view. She, like many nobles, instilled in her son a love for the arts and a measured lifestyle. It is thanks to his mother that Andrei learns the basics of music and singing, gets acquainted with painting and literature. Andrei often visited the Oblomovs as a child, their measured, lazy life tired the boy, but was quite natural for his mother - such behavior of the nobles (with the exception of some moments in the life of the Oblomovs) could serve as a standard for the life of aristocrats.
Andrei's father in life and, accordingly, in education, took a different position - he believed that in life you need to have practical skills that allow you to organize yourself and your work with the greatest productivity. Little Andrei was delighted with his father's upbringing style - he was interested in the factory and in the field. Soon, little Stolz worked with his father on an equal footing and, if necessary, could easily replace his father in work.
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The mother watched with horror all these manipulations - her dream of white collars and a brilliant secular life of her son gradually melted away, but the woman did not despair. She began to teach her son the basics of secular life even more diligently.
Thus, in the Stolz family, a completely successful combination of pragmatic and sincere was realized. At the same time, the father was the embodiment of pragmatics, and the mother was the embodiment of the spiritual principle.
The early death of his mother did not allow him to carry out education within the same framework - his father did not know how to be so emotional, sometimes he can’t even find words to support his son, admonish him, so Stolz’s further education confidently acquired the features of pragmatics and discipline.
After graduating from the university, his father did not let Andrei sit back for a long time - he sends his son on an independent voyage. Such a tradition was adopted in European society - the parents provided all the conditions for the harmonious existence of Andrei, and now Stolz must take care of himself.
The scene of the farewell of the father and son in the understanding of the Russian peasants also looks strange - the father behaves extremely sparingly emotionally and none of those around him (except Andrei himself) realize that in fact Ivan Stolz is overwhelmed with pride for his son at this time.
The impact of upbringing on later life
The ideals and habits instilled in us in childhood, one way or another, affect our future life. The same trend can be clearly seen in the life of Andrei Stolz.
The exactingness of the father to his son and his early inclusion in labor activity (Ivan Stolz hired his son and even paid him a salary, like all his workers) contributed to the social hardening of his son. Andrey knew from childhood that failures often happen in life, sometimes they are not connected with the biased attitude of others, but are the result of errors in his work. To avoid or correct them, you need to make an effort and work hard. This understanding led to the fact that, as an adult, Stoltz confidently overcomes difficulties, they do not put such a significant imprint of despair and apathy on his life, as happens with Oblomov.
Attitude towards learning
Andrei Stoltz was a very restless boy in his childhood - he adored various pranks and indulged in them at the first opportunity. However, such restlessness did not become an obstacle in obtaining a quality education.
Andrei Stoltz received his initial education at home - his mother taught him musical literacy and French. Subsequently, Andrey developed these skills and often played four hands with his mother. Knowledge of French also became necessary for him in later life - Andrei constantly communicated with aristocrats, knowledge of French allowed him to remain at the proper level in relation to high society.
At the same time, Stolz's areas of knowledge were extensive - he and his father actively studied geography and German, read various books - from Holy Scripture to Krylov's fables. He studied sacred history with his mother.
Andrei Stoltz continued his further education in a boarding house, the head of which was his father. During this period, Andrei was able to strengthen his knowledge and expand their boundaries. Studying was easy for him - Andrei from time to time helped his friends in the boarding house to complete their tasks.
After graduating from the boarding house, he studied at the University of the Russian Empire. Goncharov tells little about this period of Stolz's life. It is known that Andrei was disciplined and hardworking, training became an easy task for him.
Friendship with Oblomov
With Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, Andrei Stoltz was familiar from childhood. However, their close relationship began during training in a boarding house. During this period, the boys were very similar to each other: they were both very curious and active. However, upbringing soon played a cruel joke with Ilya - Oblomov's parents were horrified by such a manner of behavior of their son and in every possible way suppressed possible manifestations of curiosity and activity. In their understanding, the child should be balanced and calm. Over time, Ilya became so - apathetic and passive.
Stolz's father, on the contrary, always encouraged his son's activity. He even allowed him to leave home for a few days, provided that his son fulfilled all his instructions. As a result, Stolz's activity and desire to develop remained in his adult life.
Despite the fact that in the future, the life of Stolz and Oblomov formed diametrically opposed personalities from similar personalities, their friendship did not end, but continued throughout their lives. Andrey visited Oblomov from time to time and was interested in his affairs. Stoltz did this not because of personal gain or ethical standards, but because he really was not indifferent to the fate of his friend.
After graduating from the university, Ilya Ilyich tried for some time to follow the traditional scheme of life - and for this he went to work in the office, but the very first difficulties at work caused Oblomov to become depressed and panic. So, excessive parental care provoked a situation of failure in advance. Stolz, on the contrary, was actively involved in the affairs of the service and was able to earn himself the title of an aristocrat.
After such a major setback, Oblomov lives without escape in his rented apartment. He stopped appearing in public and even stopped keeping order in the house - all day long Oblomov lay on the couch, from time to time falling into a nap.
None of Ilya Ilyich's acquaintances could pull him out of this swamp. The only person who could stir him up was Andrei Stoltz. On one of his visits to Oblomov, Stolz witnessed a funny picture - Ilya Ilyich intended to beat his servant for trying to wake him up. Having laughed heartily, Stolz begins to reproach Oblomov for apathy and inaction and decides to finally stir up Oblomov. Stolz pulls Oblomov into the light. At first, such a mode of life incredibly tires Oblomov, but then Ilya Ilyich falls in love - he has an incentive to maintain his activity. However, over time, Oblomov again drags Ilya - this time Stolz no longer found the strength to reanimate his friend to life, although Andrei Ivanovich was still not indifferent to his fate. Stolz from time to time puts Oblomov's affairs in the family estate in order, visits his friend. Oblomov’s connection with Agafya unpleasantly surprises Stolz, he does not understand this behavior of his friend, however, after his death, he does not renounce his words and takes on the upbringing of Oblomov’s son, a boy named after Stolz Andrei. Most likely, in recent years, the friendship of Oblomov and Stolz has been kept by memories of childhood friendship and Oblomov's unusual ability to show tenderness and sensuality, which is not characteristic of Stolz.
Relationship with Olga Ilyinskaya
Goncharov, while depicting relationships within the framework of the Oblomov-Stolz-Ilyinskaya novel, uses one of the paradoxes: while the personalities of Oblomov and Stolz seem very different in essence, the personalities of Olga Ilyinskaya and Andrei Stolz seem akin. Detailed analysis shows that this first impression is wrong. In fact, the images of Stolz and Oblomov, especially in childhood, have many similar qualities, and the images of Ilyinskaya and Stolz are very different - after all, different feelings and motives become the motivation for identifying their qualities and social activity.
At the beginning of the novel, Stolz does not have romantic feelings towards Olga, although it cannot be said that there is no sympathy in their relationship. Andrei Ivanovich is not a romantic person, so he could not captivate the girl as much as the gentle and emotional Ilya Ilyich.
The pragmatic mind of Stolz allows you to find the answer to virtually any question from the rational world, but not from the world of the sensual, full of romance - here his mind is powerless. After breaking up with Oblomov, the girl travels with her aunt to Switzerland, where she accidentally meets Andrei Ivanovich. At this time, Stolz still does not know anything about the sad experience of Olga's relationship and continues to communicate with her as before. Andrei Ivanovich brings the girl new books, notes, sometimes flowers, reassuring himself that this will captivate Olga for a long time, but the girl always reads the works very quickly and learns the notes, and then, as a rule, showers Stolz with questions.
In Olga's eyes, Stolz is an interesting interlocutor; for a girl, he acts as something like a teacher who knows more than his student and always knows how to keep something interesting. Stolz, on the contrary, managed to discern a woman in the girl and fell in love with her not as a person, but as a female representative. Based on this disharmony, most of the paradoxes in their further relationship occur.
Captured by Olga, Andrey Ivanovich proposes to the girl - without thinking twice, Olga agrees. She does not feel passion for Stolz, but she is captivated by the level of knowledge of this person - he seems to her unusually smart and intelligent, and this becomes the main factor for making the final decision.
In view of his way of life and age, Stolz begins to dream of a calm and measured life - an analogue of Oblomovism, so vehemently persecuted by him. Olga, on the other hand, does not understand such a preference for her husband, she is determined to act and desire to develop. Due to the fact that all this time Stoltz was actively engaged in self-development, they had harmony in their marriage, but, apparently, as soon as Stoltz stops his active development, he will cease to be Olga's idol and immediately after that, disappointment and disharmony will follow.
Stolz always devoted his wife to his affairs and even the affairs of Oblomovka, allowing his wife to take an active part in them, but soon the woman begins to feel longing - her life seems boring and monotonous to her, which she repeatedly tells her husband. The lack of tenderness and romance in the relationship between Olga and Andrey is becoming more and more noticeable - their union of minds eventually rapidly begins to approach destruction and disharmony. Goncharov leads the reader to the idea that the presence of a common desire and ideas does not make people happy in marriage. A harmonious marriage requires love.
Personality characteristic
The life of Andrei Stolz all the time passed within the framework of active knowledge of the world and self-development. His father tried to instill in his son such qualities of character that would allow him not to drown in the abyss of life and become a successful person.
Andrei Ivanovich is constantly learning something. It seems that in the life of Stolz not a single minute of his life was wasted - Andrei Ivanovich knows how to allocate his time in the most profitable way in order to have time to do many useful things in a day.
A positive service in this matter to Stolz is given by his unromantic character - Stolz never indulges in dreams and dreams. He doesn't understand how people can be head over heels in love with someone.
Andrei Ivanovich has a firm and resolute character. Stolz is always very demanding of himself. Thanks to his diligence, perseverance and discipline, Stolz becomes a successful person in his career and even rises to the rank of court adviser, which gives him the right to acquire personal nobility. Stolz did not stay in this position - he decided to retire, began to engage in trade and achieved significant achievements in this occupation. Soon, his capital from his father's forty grew to three hundred thousand, which was the subject of admiration and envy of many landowners.
Stolz is a very restrained person, he knows how to restrain his emotions. Andrei Ivanovich does not blame others for his failures, as everyone usually likes to do - first of all, he looks for reasons in himself - this allows him to quickly eradicate the problem that has arisen and prevent its occurrence in the future.
Stolz's unemotionality allows him not to get lost in various situations and find the most attractive and profitable way out of them.
Thus, Andrei Ivanovich Stolz is endowed with many positive qualities of character. Most of them are typical for the European burgher, but at the same time very unusual, and to some extent, strange for the inhabitant of the Russian Empire. Thanks to his unscrupulousness and diligence, Stolz managed to reach significant heights in the affairs of the service, as well as increase his capital, but Stolz was never able to find harmony in marriage - his relationship with Ilyinskaya is doomed to collapse, as they are a union of the mind, not feelings.
The absolute opposite of Oblomov is Stolz, who becomes the embodiment of calculation, activity, strength, determination, purposefulness. In the German upbringing of Stoltz, the main thing was the development of an independent, active, purposeful nature. When describing the life of Stolz, Goncharov most often uses the words "firmly", "straight", "walked". And the very name of Stolz - sharp, jerky, and his whole figure, in which there was not a fraction of roundness and softness, as in the appearance of Oblomov - all this reveals his German roots. His whole life was drawn once and for all, imagination, dreams and passions did not fit into his life program: “It seems that he controlled both sorrows and joys like a movement of hands.” The most valued quality in a person for Stolz is “perseverance in achieving a goal”, however, Goncharov adds that Stolz’s respect for a persistent person did not depend on the quality of the goal itself: “He never denied respect to people with this perseverance, as if their goals were not important.
The goal of Stolz's life, as he formulates it, is work and only work. To Oblomov’s question: “Why live?” - Stolz, without thinking for a minute, answers: "For the work itself, for nothing else." This unequivocal “for nothing else” is somewhat alarming. The results of Stolz's work have a quite tangible "material equivalent": "He really made a house and money." About the nature of Stolz's activities, Goncharov speaks very streamlined, casually: "He is involved in some company that sends goods abroad." For the first time in Russian literature, an attempt appeared to show a positive image of an entrepreneur who, having no wealth at birth, achieves it with his own labor.
Trying to elevate his hero, Goncharov convinces the reader that from his mother - a Russian noblewoman - Stoltz took the ability to feel, appreciate love: "he developed for himself the conviction that love, with the power of the Archimedean lever, moves the world." However, in Stolz's love, everything is subject to reason, it is no coincidence that the "reasonable" Stolz never understood What happened between Oblomov and Olga, What became the basis of their love: “Oblomova! Can't be! - he added again in the affirmative. “There is something here: you didn’t understand yourself, Oblomov, or, finally, love!”, “This is not love, this is something else. It didn’t reach your heart: imagination and pride, on the one hand, weakness on the other. Stolz did not understand that love can be different, and not just the one that he calculated. It is no coincidence that this inability to accept life in its diversity and unpredictability eventually leads to "Oblomovism" and Stolz himself. Having fallen in love with Olga, he is already ready to stop, freeze. “I found my own,” thought Stoltz. - I waited! .. here it is, the last happiness of man! Everything is found, there is nothing to look for, there is nowhere else to go!” Having already become Stolz's wife, feeling true love for him, realizing that she found her happiness in him, Olga often thinks about the future, this “silence of life” frightens her: “What is this? she thought. – Where to go? Nowhere! There is no further road. Really not, have you already completed the circle of life? Is everything here, everything?”
Much can be said about the characters in their relationship to each other. Oblomov sincerely loves Stolz, in relation to his friend one feels true disinterestedness and generosity, one can recall, for example, his joy at the happiness of Stolz and Olga. In relations with Stolz, the beauty of Oblomov's soul is manifested, his ability to think about the meaning of life, activity, about its focus on a person. Oblomov appears as a person who passionately seeks, although he does not find the norm of life. In Stolz, in relation to Oblomov, there is some kind of “insensitivity”, he is not capable of subtle spiritual movements: on the one hand, he sincerely sympathizes with Ilya Ilyich, loves him, on the other hand, often in relation to Oblomov he turns out to be not so much a friend as a “terrible teacher." Stolz was for Ilya Ilyich the embodiment of that turbulent life that always frightened Oblomov, from which he tried to hide. To the bitter and annoying Oblomov: “Life touches”, Stolz immediately responds: “And thank God!”. Stolz sincerely and persistently tried to force Oblomov to live more actively, but this persistence sometimes became harsh, and sometimes cruel. Not sparing Oblomov and not considering that he has the right to do so, Stolz touches on the most painful memories of Olga, without the slightest respect for his friend’s wife, says: “Yes, look around, where are you and who are you with?” The phrase "now or never" itself, formidable and inevitable, was also unnatural to Oblomov's soft nature. Very often, in a conversation with a friend, Stolz uses the words “I will shake you”, “you must”, “you must live differently”. Stolz drew a life plan not only for himself, but also for Oblomov: “You must live with us, near us. Olga and I decided so, and so it will be!” Stolz "saves" Oblomov from his life, from his choice - and in this salvation he sees his task.
What kind of life did he want to involve a friend in? The content of the week that Oblomov spent with Stolz was essentially different from the dream on Gorokhovaya Street. There were some business this week, dinner with a gold miner, tea at the dacha in a large company, but Oblomov very accurately called it fuss, behind which one cannot see a person. In his last meeting with a friend, Stoltz said to Oblomov: “You know me: I have long set myself this task and will not back down. So far I have been distracted by various things, but now I am free. So the main reason appeared - various things that distracted Stolz from the life of a friend. And indeed, between the appearances of Stolz in Oblomov's life - like failures, like abysses - years pass: "Stoltz did not come to St. Petersburg for several years", "a year has passed since the illness of Ilya Ilyich", "the fifth year has gone, as we have not seen each other." It is no coincidence that even during Oblomov's lifetime, between him and Stolz, "an abyss opened", "a stone wall was erected", and this wall existed only for Stolz. And even during the life of Oblomov, Stolz buried his friend with an unambiguous sentence: “You died, Ilya!”
The attitude of the author to Stolz is ambiguous. Goncharov, on the one hand, hoped that soon "many Stolz would appear under Russian names", on the other hand, he understood that artistically it was hardly possible to call the image of Stolz successful, full-blooded, he admitted that the image of Stolz was "weak, pale - it looks too bare of an idea.”
The problem of the hero in the novel "Oblomov" is connected with the author's reflections on the present and future of Russia, on the generic features of the Russian national character. Oblomov and Stolz are not just different human characters, they are different systems of moral values, different worldviews and ideas about the human person. The hero's problem lies in the fact that the author does not give preference to either Oblomov or Stolz, each of them leaving his right to truth and choice of life path.
The pinnacle of I.A. Goncharov's work is the novel "Oblomov", work on which was completed in 1859. In the center of the work is the tragic fate of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, an untimely extinct nobleman, an intelligent, kind, but weak-willed, apathetic person, not adapted to work and life. In the system of artistic images of the novel, one of the important places is occupied by the image of Oblomov's childhood friend, Andrei Ivanovich Stolz. This is a "hero of action", "a man of action".
Stolz and Oblomov are antipodes. They are different in everything, but they are connected by a long and faithful friendship. Andrey Stolz is the son of the manager of the estate in the village, once owned by the Oblomovs. He studied with Ilya, rendered him a disservice, sometimes suggesting lessons, sometimes doing translations for him. And subsequently, Andrei Stolz will selflessly help his friend in all life's difficulties.
The main feature in the character of Stolz is diligence. His father is German, and he gave his son a "labor, practical education". Ivan Bogdanovich explained to his son what kind of clay is good for what, how tar is mined, lard is heated, etc. From the age of 14, Stlotz already went to the city alone and accurately, correctly carried out his father's instructions. Andrei's mother is Russian. From her he inherited language and faith. The mother would "keep him near her," as Oblomov's mother did, but Ivan Bogdanovich forbade preventing his son from learning about life.
After graduating from the university, Stolz Sr. sent his son to St. Petersburg. He believed that he had fulfilled his duty by giving his son an education. Having left his parental home, Stolz achieves everything he dreamed of. He recognized Europe "as his estate", "saw Russia up and down". He made a career, "served, retired, went about his business and actually made a house and money." He maintained contacts with gold miners, visited Kiev - a trading center for the sugar beet industry, Nizhny Novgorod, famous for its annual fairs, Odessa - the largest center for grain exports from Russia, a warehouse for foreign goods, visited London, Paris, Lyon - trade and industrial centers of Europe. Such are the scope of Stolz's activities. Labor becomes the goal and meaning of Stolz's life. He says this to Oblomov: "Labor is the image, content, element and purpose of life, at least mine." Stolz never stops working. He is always in action.
The portrait of Stolz emphasizes his dynamism: "He is all made up of bones, muscles and nerves, like a blooded English horse. He is thin; he has almost no cheeks at all, that is, there is bone and muscle, but no sign of fat roundness." He does not have unnecessary movements: "If he was sitting, then he sat calmly, but if he acted, then he used as much facial expressions as needed." The desire for balance is the main thing in the appearance of the hero, his character and fate. He "lived on a budget, trying to spend every day like every ruble."
In the moral life, Stoltz also controlled his sorrows and joys, as he controlled affairs. The hero is used to being a leader. In friendship with Oblomov, he plays the role of a strong mentor. It is Stolz who is trying to save a friend from the captivity of Oblomovism. He manages to accomplish the incredible: he makes Oblomov get up from the sofa and, after a long absence, appear in the world. Stolz writes letters to a friend from abroad, inviting him to come to Switzerland and Italy.
Having met Oblomov two years later, when he would no longer think about changes in his own destiny, Stoltz was forced to admit his impotence: “It’s over with hopes for the future: if Olga, this angel, didn’t carry you away on her wings from your swamp so I won't do anything." And yet he invites Ilya Ilyich "to choose a small circle of activity, arrange a village, mess with the peasants, enter into their affairs, build, plant." Stolz is trying to inspire Oblomov with confidence in his abilities: "... everything you must and can do."
Stolz's loyalty to the ideals of youth is manifested in the fact that he saves a friend from poverty, draws up a power of attorney in his name and rents Oblomovka. The energetic and active Stolz put his friend's estate in order, changed a lot in Oblomovka: he built a bridge, put the house under the roof, and appointed a new manager.
Even in love and marriage, Stoltz went through "a school of observation, patience, work." Having met Olga Ilyinskaya in Paris, Stoltz seeks to unravel her mind and character. He acts, wins her love. Olga and Stolz are happy in family life. They lived "like everyone else, as Oblomov dreamed", but this was not a vegetative existence. They "thought, felt, spoke together."
"A man of action" for Goncharov is a personality in which certain tendencies of Russian life of that time were reflected. Stolz strives for personal independence; he is a bourgeois businessman, but not a predator. Goncharov admires the seething energy and enterprise of Stolz, but also shows his weaknesses. In Andrei Ivanovich there is no poetry, no dream, he has no program of public service. His activities are aimed only at personal well-being, he refuses to go to the "daring fight against rebellious issues." Stolz's activity is a disguised form of "Oblomovism". The hero wants to achieve peace, get rid of the "fog of doubts, longing questions" about the meaning of life.
Each person is individual. There are no absolutely identical people, coinciding both in worldview, and in thoughts, and in views on all aspects of life. In this respect, literary heroes are no different from real people.
Oblomov. Stolz. They seem to be completely different people. Oblomov - slow, lazy, not focused. Stolz is energetic, cheerful, purposeful. But these two people love and respect each other, they are true friends. This means that they are not so different, they also have something in common that holds them together. Is it true? Are Oblomov and Stolz really antipodes?
They had known each other since childhood, since Oblomovka and Verkhlevo, where friends lived, were nearby. But how different was the situation in these two parts! Oblomovka is a village of peace, blessings, sleep, laziness, illiteracy, stupidity. Everyone in it lived for his own pleasure, without experiencing any mental, moral and spiritual needs. The Oblomovites had no goals, no troubles; no one thought about why man, the world, was created. They lived their whole lives without much effort, like a flat river that flows quietly, sluggishly along a long-paved even channel, and there are no stones, mountains and other obstacles in its path, it never overflows more than usual, it never dries up; starts its way somewhere, flows very calmly, without making noise, and quietly flows into some lake. No one even notices that there is such a river. So everyone lived in Oblomovka, caring only about food and peace in their village. Few people passed through it, and there was no way for the Oblomovites to find out that someone lived differently, they also had no idea about the sciences, and they didn’t need all this ... Ilyusha lived among such people - beloved, protected by everyone. He was always surrounded by care and tenderness. He was not allowed to do anything himself and generally was not allowed to do everything that any child wants, thereby involving him in the essence of an Oblomovite. His attitude to education and science was also shaped by those around him: “study will not go away”, the main thing is a certificate “that Ilyusha has passed all the sciences and arts”, but the inner “light” of education was unknown to either the Oblomovites or Ilya himself.
In Verkhlevo, it was the other way around. The manager there was Andryusha's father, a German. Therefore, he undertook everything with the pedantry characteristic of this nation, including his son. From the very early childhood of Andryusha, Ivan Bogdanovich forced him to act independently, to look for a way out of all situations himself: from a street fight to carrying out assignments. But this does not mean that the father left Andrei to the mercy of fate - no! He only directed him at the right moments to independent development, the accumulation of experience; later, he simply gave Andrey "ground" on which he could grow without anyone's help (trips to the city, assignments). And the young Stoltz used this "soil", derived the maximum benefit from it. But Andryusha was raised not only by his father. The mother had completely different views on raising her son. She wanted him to grow up not as a "German burgher", but as a highly moral and spiritual, with excellent manners, with "white hands" master. Therefore, she played Hertz for him, sang about flowers, about the poetry of life, about her high calling. And this two-sided upbringing - on the one hand, labor, practical, tough, on the other - gentle, high, poetic - made Stolz an outstanding person, combining diligence, energy, will, practicality, intelligence, poetry and moderate romanticism.
Yes, these two people lived in different environments, but they met as children. Therefore, from childhood, Ilya and Andrei strongly influenced each other. Andryusha liked that calmness, tranquility that Ilya gave him, who received this from Oblomovka. Ilyusha, in turn, was attracted by Andrey's energy, ability to concentrate and do what was necessary. So it was when they grew up and left their native places ...
It's interesting to even compare how they did it. The Oblomovites said goodbye to Ilyusha with tears, bitterness, sadness. They provided him with a long, but very comfortable - otherwise Ilya could not - trip among servants, treats, featherbeds - as if part of Oblomovka separated and sailed away from the village. Andrey said goodbye to his father dryly and quickly - everything that they could say to each other was clear to them without words. And the son, having learned his route, quickly drove along it. Already at this stage in the life of friends, their divergence is visible.
What did they do when they were away from home? How did you study? How did you behave in the world? Oblomov in his youth, the goal of his life was peace, happiness; Stolz - work, spiritual and physical strength. Therefore, Ilya perceived education as another obstacle on the way to the goal, and Andrei - as the main, integral part of life. Ilya Oblomov wanted to serve peacefully, without worries and worries, “like, for example, lazy writing down receipts and expenditures in a notebook.” For Stolz, the service was a duty for which he was ready. This attitude two friends brought from childhood. But what about love? Ilya "never surrendered to beauties, he was never their slave, even a very diligent admirer, already because great troubles lead to rapprochement with women." Andrei "was not blinded by beauty and therefore did not forget, did not humiliate the dignity of a man, was not a slave, "did not lie at the feet" of beauties, although he did not experience fiery passions. Girls could only be his girlfriends. Because of this same rationalism, Stolz always had friends. At first, Oblomov also had them, but, over time, they began to tire him, and, slowly, he very much limited his social circle.
Time went on and on ... Stolz developed - Oblomov "withdrew into himself." And now they are over thirty years old. What are they?
Stolz is super-energetic, muscular, active, firmly on his feet, amassed a large capital, a scientist who travels a lot. He has friends everywhere, he is respected as a strong personality. He is one of the main representatives of the trading company. He is cheerful, cheerful, hardworking ... but he internally gets tired of such a rhythm of life. And then a childhood friend helps him - Ilya Oblomov, cordiality, calmness, peace of which allow Stoltz to relax. Well, what is the second friend himself?
Ilya does not travel, like Andrey, abroad, on business, in society. He rarely leaves the house at all. He is lazy and does not like fuss, noisy companies, he does not have a single true friend, except for Stolz. His main occupation is to lie on the sofa in his favorite dressing gown among dust and dirt, sometimes in the company of people "without bread, without craft, without hands for productivity and only with a stomach for consumption, but almost always with rank and rank." Such is his external existence. But the inner life of dreams and imagination was the main thing for Ilya Ilyich. Everything that he could do in real life, Oblomov does in dreams and dreams - only without physical costs and special mental efforts.
What is life for Oblomov? Obstacles, burden, worries that interfere with peace and blessings. And for Stolz? The enjoyment of any of its forms, and if one does not like it, then Stolz easily changes it.
For Andrei Ivanovich, the basis of everything is reason and labor. For Oblomov - happiness and tranquility. And in love they are the same ... Both friends fell in love with the same girl. In my opinion, Ilya Ilyich fell in love with Olga simply because his untouched heart had been waiting for love for a long time. Stolz fell in love with her not with his heart, but with his mind, he fell in love with Olga's experience, maturity, mind. The prospect of family life in Oblomov's understanding is to live life happily and cheerfully, without worries, without labor, "so that today is like yesterday." For Stolz, marriage to Olga Sergeevna brought mental happiness, and with it spiritual and physical happiness. So he lived the rest of his life - in harmony of mind, soul, heart with Olga. And Oblomov, having “decayed” completely, married a woman who can hardly be called a person. He exchanged Olga's mind, maturity, will for the round elbows of Agafya Matveevna, who had no idea about the existence of qualities due to which a Man can be called a man. I believe that this is the highest point of differences between Ilya Ilyich Oblomov and Andrey Ivanovich Stolz.
These two people are childhood friends. At first, because of this, they were similar and united in many aspects of life. But, over time, when Ilya and Andrei grew up, Oblomovka and Verkhlevo - two opposites - had their effect on them, and friends began to differ more and more. Their relationship endured many blows, nevertheless, childhood friendship held them firmly. But already at the end of their life path, they became so different that further normal full-fledged maintenance of relations turned out to be impossible, and they had to be forgotten. Of course, throughout their lives, Oblomov and Stolz were antipodes, antipodes, which were held together by childhood friendship, and were torn apart by different upbringing.
