Key words and expressions characterizing Belikov. The image of Belikov in Chekhov's work "The Man in the Case": who are the case people and what are they characterized by

I want to describe the main character, Belikov, in Anton Pavlovich Chekhov's story "The Man in the Case". Belikov occupies the main place in the story, since it is about his life, appearance, and how others treat him.
The most ordinary teacher of the Greek language in the gymnasium, not married, lives in a small room. His room is as small as a bear's den, a table and a canopy bed. He also has a cook named Athanasius, about sixty years old. Going to bed, Belikov always covered himself with his head, was afraid of extraneous noises, heard the ominous sighs of Athanasius ... He constantly thought that the cook could suddenly kill him for no reason at all ... Every night, because of these thoughts, he could not calmly sleep. And in the morning, when I had to go to the gymnasium, I was bored and pale. This is what it means to live a "case life"! Belikov looked very gloomy and monotonous: "he wore dark glasses, sweatshirts, stuffed his ears with cotton wool, and when he got into a cab, he ordered to raise the top. In a word, this man had a constant and irresistible desire to surround himself with a shell, create for himself, so to speak, a case reality irritated him, frightened him, kept him in constant anxiety, and, perhaps, in order to justify his timidity, his aversion to the present, he always praised the past, and that, which never happened; and the ancient languages ​​that he taught were, in essence, the same galoshes and umbrella for him, where he hid from real life. "
By these signs, one can understand that Belikov is an uncommunicative, suspicious, modest person.
- Oh, how sonorous, how beautiful the Greek language! he said with a sweet expression; and, as if to prove his words, screwing up his eyes and raising his finger, he said:
- Anthropos!
But Belikov's favorite phrase was: "No matter what happens!". And also, entering the gymnasium, he constantly repeated to his colleagues: "They make a lot of noise in our classes."
Because of his character, Belikov kept the entire gymnasium in fear, but what is there a gymnasium, the whole city !!! Imagine, because of him, the students could not go out after nine, it was forbidden to write about carnal love in articles. People stopped getting to know each other, sending letters... That's how much he influenced the reality around him.
He was madly in love with his taught language. I gave it my whole life! Once, when his future bride Varenka sang Little Russian romances, he sat down next to her and said, admiring:
- The Little Russian language with its tenderness and pleasant sonority resembles ancient Greek.
As mentioned before, he kept the whole city in fear. But not only the students were afraid of him, but also the teachers, and even the principal! The ladies did not put on performances on Saturdays, they were afraid, what if he finds out! They were afraid to eat or play cards in his presence. Because of people like Belikov, over the past ten to fifteen years, the city has become like a dead village - no one went out into the street, did not talk, did not read books, did not help the poor, did not teach literacy ... Everyone knew that when they saw this, Belikov will definitely say: “All this is good, but no matter how it happened!” These words of his made everyone very upset. And when he died, everyone breathed a sigh of relief!
With this story, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov wanted to show that people like Belikov should not be. What is the joy of the fact that everyone is afraid of you, you are not friends with anyone, you do not talk? And when you go to the next world, then no one pities you, no one misses you, but only everyone rejoices and rejoices!
So get to know each other more often, communicate, and it will be easier on your soul.

In the work “The Man in the Case”, the characters are masterfully chosen by the author, the list of characters includes absolutely opposite, incompatible people who are forced to get along, working in a gymnasium and living in small town. Questions of morality, conscience, and personal choice often come up in Chekhov's works. The main characters of "The Man in the Case" make the reader think about his own "case", about whether we have real freedom living in society.

Characteristics of the heroes “The Man in the Case”

main characters

Minor characters

Conclusion

The central image of Belikov is something unthinkably strange, empty, limited, for such people life itself is unnatural and terrible. The whole existence of Belikov is a hyperbole with negative sign. The most important idea of ​​the story is not to wallow in your “case” of doubts, fears, prejudices, not to set limits for yourself and others, to live fully, with thirst, with joy.

Artwork test

When I try to imagine Belikov, I see a little man locked in a cramped little black box. A man in a case... What a seemingly strange expression, but how accurately it reflects the human essence.

And the most interesting thing is that this little man is not trying to escape from the walls surrounding him, he feels good, comfortable, calm there, he is fenced off from the whole world, scary world, forcing people to suffer, suffer, putting them before difficult problems, for the solution of which it is necessary to have a certain determination, prudence.

Chekhov draws a man who does not need this world, he has his own, which seems better to him. There everything is dressed in a cover, covered with it both inside and outside. Let us recall how Belikov looked: even “in very good weather” he “walked in galoshes and with an umbrella, and certainly in a warm coat with wadding.” Both his umbrella and his watch were in a case, even “... his face, it seemed, was also in a case, since he always hid it in his upturned collar.” Belikov always wore "dark glasses, a jersey, stuffed his ears with cotton, and when he got into a cab, he ordered to raise the top." That is, the desire to go into the case made itself felt always and everywhere.

He “always praised the past and that which never happened”, but the present caused him true disgust. What about his thinking? It is also all clogged, sewn up. He even hid his thought in a case. "For him, only circulars and newspaper articles were clear, in which something was forbidden." Why? Yes, because in the prohibition everything is clear, definite, understandable. Everything is in a case, nothing is impossible! This is what it is ideal life in the understanding of Belikov.

It would seem that you live in your case - please, live on. But Belikov was not like that. Your chains, chains of rules, unquestioning obedience, true love to the authorities he imposes on everyone around him.

He oppresses everyone with incredible caution, case-like considerations, puts pressure on people, as if enveloping them with his dark case. Belikov is against everything new, bright, he is constantly afraid, no matter how something happens, no matter how it reaches the authorities! The case "covers" his brain, suppressing positive emotions in the bud. This "black case" does not withstand bright light, therefore, down with everything, even the most innocent, but not put on by the circular of entertainment.

Belikov realizes, working in a team, that it would be necessary to maintain relations with colleagues, and therefore tries to show friendliness, to be good friend. This, of course, is wonderful, but how do these feelings find expression? He comes to visit someone, quietly sits in a corner and is silent, thereby, as he thinks, fulfilling the duty of a real comrade.

Naturally, no one loves this timid “gray mouse”, and no one expects love from him either. But even in such a person, some feelings wake up, albeit very weak ones, one might say, “still in the bud”, but they are there.

And these feelings arise in relation to Varvara Savvishna Kovalenko, the sister of the new teacher of history and geography. But here, too, Belikov “hides his head in the sand” – everything must be thought over, checked. “I like Varvara Savvishna ... and I know that every person needs to get married, but ... all this, you know, happened somehow suddenly ... We need to think about it.”

Even a wedding at Belikov’s should be strictly “regulated”, otherwise you’ll get married, and then, what good, you will get into some kind of story. It is very difficult for Belikov to make a responsible decision. He needs to prepare for a long time, get ready, and then, you see, the problem will be solved by itself, everything will be quiet and calm again.

In addition, Belikov is very touchy, vulnerable. Maybe that's why he's so careful? Let us recall how the caricature affects him, what he experiences when Varya sees him falling down the stairs. These shocks pierce the case, and for Belikov this is tantamount to death in literally words.

When Belikov dies, it seems that it was for this moment that he lived. “Now, when he was lying in a coffin, his expression was meek, pleasant, even cheerful, as if he was glad that, at last, they put him in a case from which he would never leave.”

Yes, Belikov will not come out; but how many more of these little men are left in the case, how many more there will be!

Perhaps there will be many more.

But let's try to think about what awaits a person leading case image life, old age. After all, probably at the end life path need to feel that

You lived in vain in this world, you need someone who would take care of you, give you, so to speak, “water to drink”.

And if a person lived in a case, a case “without windows, without doors”, what awaits him? Loneliness, I think, and the unwillingness of others to take any part in his fate. And loneliness is scary, even for those who are covered from head to toe.

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The story "The Man in the Case" was written by Chekhov in 1898. The work is the first story in the "Little Trilogy" of the writer - a cycle that also included the stories "Gooseberry" and "About Love".

In The Man in the Case, Chekhov talks about the teacher of dead languages, Belikov, who spent his whole life trying to imprison him in a case. The author rethinks the image of the "little man" in a new way. Belikov is larger than Gogol's character, he becomes the embodiment of a whole social phenomenon - "case".

main characters

Belikov- Greek teacher Latin(“dead languages”), “a man in a case”, taught at the same gymnasium with Burkin, a neighbor of the narrator.

Varenka- sister Kovalenko, "about thirty", "tall, slender, black-browed, red-cheeked", "not a girl, but marmalade."

Kovalenko Mikhail Savvich- a teacher of geography and history, "from crests", "young, tall, swarthy, with huge hands."

Other characters

Burkin- a gymnasium teacher, a neighbor of Belikov, who told his story to Ivan Ivanovich.

Chimsha-Himalaisky Ivan Ivanovich- veterinarian.

“On the very edge of the village of Mironositsky, in the barn of the headman Prokofy, belated hunters settled down for the night” - Ivan Ivanovich and Burkin. The men were awake talking different stories. The conversation turned to lonely people, "who, like a shellfish or a snail, are trying to escape into their shell."

Burkin recalls the story of the Greek teacher Belikov. He was distinguished by the fact that in any weather he always went out into the street in galoshes, with an umbrella and in a warm coat with wadding.

For every thing, Belikov had his own case - for an umbrella, and for a watch, and for a penknife, even his face “seemed to be in a case too”, because he “hid it in a raised collar”, wore glasses. “This person had a constant and irresistible desire to surround himself with a shell, to create for himself, so to speak, a case<…>from external influences. Even his subject, "dead languages", was for the teacher a peculiar way to escape from reality.

For Belikov, only those newspaper articles in which something was forbidden were understandable. Any deviation from the rules caused despondency in him, and his favorite expression was "no matter how it happened." With his suspiciousness and caution, the teacher oppressed the whole city.

Belikov had a strange habit - he walked around the teachers' apartments, sat there silently and left, considering such visits to be his "comradely duty". Belikov was Burkin's neighbor, so the narrator knew that the "man in the case" also had "shutters, latches, a whole series of all sorts of prohibitions, and - oh, no matter what happened!" .

However, Belikov, despite his character, almost got married. A new teacher of history and geography, Mikhail Savvich, was appointed to their school, who arrived with his sister Varenka, a laughing woman, a singer. Somehow, at the director's name day, seeing Varya and Belikov nearby, the teachers got the idea that "it would be nice to marry them." Everyone began to convince the teacher of the need to get married. Varya was also not averse to getting married and showed Belikov "obvious favor". Having decided on marriage, Belikov visited Kovalenok more and more often, but he put off making an offer, sharing with Burkin his fears that Varia had a too lively character, and “marriage is a serious thing.”

Brother Varya hated the Greek teacher from the very first day, giving him the name “Glitay abozh pavuk”, but did not interfere with their relationship.

However, one case turned everything upside down. Some prankster drew a caricature with the inscription "Anthropos in love", depicting Belikov and Varia walking with him by the arm. The drawing, under unclear circumstances, ended up with all the teachers, officials, and Belikov himself. "The caricature made the heaviest impression on him". However, when, leaving the house, the teacher saw Kovalenko and Varya on bicycles, he was even more saddened, because he believed that it was not decent for women and gymnasium teachers to ride a bicycle.

The next day, Belikov felt unwell and even left classes for the first time. In the evening he went to Kovalenki, where he found only his brother. Belikov tried to explain that it was indecent to ride bicycles, which only angered Mikhail Savvich. And when the Greek teacher promised to report on the content of their conversation to the director, Kovalenko could not stand it and lowered Belikov down the stairs.

Just at that time, Varya entered the house with two women. Deciding that Belikov fell himself, she could not resist and laughed out loud. The idea that the whole city would know about what had happened was so terrible for the teacher that he, “having returned to his home,<…>lay down and did not get up again. A month later, Belikov died. When he lay in the coffin, his expression was pleasant and meek, "as if he were glad that at last they put him in a case from which he would never come out." After his death, everyone was relieved. Soon "life flowed as before", "it did not get better".

Burkin finished his story. Ivan Ivanych, reflecting on the history of Belikov, says: “But is it that we live in a city in close quarters, write unnecessary papers, play screw - isn’t this a case?” .

Conclusion

In the story "The Man in the Case" Chekhov for the first time identified one of the leading themes of his work - the theme of "case". According to the author, this social phenomenon is reflected in the fear of the world around, suspiciousness, shyness in front of something new and unwillingness to let this new one into your life, because "no matter how something happens." On the example of Belikov, the author in a grotesque form exposes all the shortcomings of the "case" and shows that it only leads to the degradation and devastation of the personality.

Proposed brief retelling"The Man in the Case" will be useful for schoolchildren in preparing for lessons and verification work in Russian literature.

Story test

Memory Self Test short version story:

Retelling rating

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"The Man in the Case"- a story by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, written in May-June 1898. It was first published in the journal "Russian Thought", 1898, No. 7. The 1st part of the "small trilogy".

History of creation

The idea to create this series came from Chekhov in the summer. The "Little Trilogy" series, consisting of three stories: "The Man in the Case", "Gooseberries", "About Love", should not have ended with the story "About Love". During the writing of the stories, there was a decline in the activity of creativity, and later Chekhov was distracted by tuberculosis.

Chekhov worked on the story in May - June 1898 in Melikhovo. At the beginning of June 1898 the story was being prepared for publication, and on June 15, 1898 the manuscript was sent to the journal.

Chekhov wrote about this story in his notebooks:

Prototype

The exact prototype of Belikov is unknown. Some contemporaries (including V. G. Bogoraz and M. P. Chekhov) believed that the inspector of the Taganrog gymnasium A. F. Dyakonov became the prototype of the “man in a case”, while others described Dyakonov’s character traits that refute the opinion of the former. So, P. P. Filevsky noted the generosity of Dyakonov and wrote: “I positively affirm that there is nothing in common between The Man in the Case and A. F. Dyakonov, and no local color can be found in this work of A. P. Chekhov” .

Yu. Sobolev believed that the well-known publicist M. O. Menshikov could become a probable prototype of Chekhov's hero, Chekhov wrote about him in one of his diaries: the beginning of the quote “M. in dry weather, he walks in galoshes, carries an umbrella so as not to die from sunstroke afraid to wash cold water, complains of a sinking heart "However, the similarity between Menshikov and Belikov can only be noted externally. Chekhov himself wrote about his brother I.P. Chekhov:

From all these facts, we can conclude that the image of the Greek teacher Belikov is collective.

Now the expression "Man in a case" has become a common noun in Russian, meaning a lonely person who closes himself from the whole world, creating a shell around himself, a "case".

Characters

• Ivan Ivanych Chimsha-Himalayan- veterinarian, nobleman. A tall thin old man with a long mustache.
• Burkin- Gymnasium teacher and comrade of I. I. Chimshi-Gimalaysky. Tells a story about Belikov

• Belikov- Greek teacher. He worked together with Burkin in the gymnasium. His favorite phrase: "Whatever happens"
• Cook Athanasius- old man 60 years old. Drunk and half-witted servant of Belikov.
• Mikhail Savvich Kovalenko- teacher of history and geography. young, swarthy, a tall man.
• Varenka- beloved Belikov 30 years old. Sister Kovalenko. Tall, slender, black-browed, red-cheeked girl.

Plot

The story begins with a description of the overnight stay of two hunters: Ivan Ivanych Chimsha-Gimalaysky and Burkin. They stopped in the shed of the village headman and told each other different stories. The conversation turned to the topic of people "lonely by nature, who, like a hermit crab or a snail, try to escape into their shell." Burkin tells a story about a certain Belikov, who recently died in his town.