"Garnet bracelet"
The story of A.I. Kuprin's "Garnet Bracelet", published in 1910, is one of the most poetic works of Russian literature of the 20th century. It opens with an epigraph referring the reader to the well-known work J1. van Beethoven's "Appassionata" sonata. The author returns to the same musical theme at the end of the story. The first chapter is a detailed landscape sketch, exposing the contradictory changeability of the natural elements. In it, A.I. Kuprin introduces us to the image of the main character - Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, the wife of the marshal of the nobility. The life of a woman seems at first glance calm and carefree. Despite financial difficulties, Vera and her husband have an atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding in the family. Only one small detail alarms the reader: on the name day, her husband gives Vera earrings made of pear-shaped pearls. Involuntarily, a doubt creeps in that the heroine's family happiness is so strong, so indestructible.
On the name day, her younger sister comes to Sheina, who, like Pushkin's Olga, who sets off the image of Tatiana in "Eugene Onegin", contrasts sharply with Vera both in character and in appearance. Anna is frisky and wasteful, and Vera is calm, reasonable and economical. Anna is attractive but ugly, while Vera is endowed with aristocratic beauty. Anna has two children, while Vera has no children, although she longs to have them. An important artistic detail that reveals Anna's character is the gift she makes to her sister: Anna brings Vera a small notebook made from an old prayer book. She enthusiastically talks about how carefully she selected leaves, fasteners and a pencil for the book. To faith, the very fact of converting a prayer book into a notebook seems blasphemous. This shows the integrity of her nature, emphasizes how much the older sister takes life more seriously. We soon learn that Vera graduated from the Smolny Institute - one of the best educational institutions for women in noble Russia, and her friend is the famous pianist Zhenya Reiter.
Among the guests who came to the name day, General Anosov is an important figure. It is this man, wise in life, who has seen danger and death in his lifetime, and therefore knows the price of life, tells several love stories in the story, which can be designated in the artistic structure of the work as inserted short stories. Unlike the vulgar family stories told by Prince Vasily Lvovich, the husband of Vera and the owner of the house, where everything is twisted and ridiculed, turns into a farce, the stories of General Anosov are filled with real life details. Hak arises in the story a dispute about what true love is. Anosov says that people have forgotten how to love, that marriage does not at all imply spiritual intimacy and warmth. Women often get married to get out of custody and be the mistress of the house. Men - from fatigue from a single life. A significant role in marriage unions is played by the desire to continue the family, and selfish motives are often not in last place. "Where is the love?" - asks Anosov. He is interested in such love, for which "to accomplish any feat, to give one's life, to go to torment is not work at all, but one joy." Here, in the words of General Kuprin, in fact, reveals his concept of love: “Love must be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world. No comforts of life, calculations and compromises should concern her.” Anosov talks about how people become victims of their love feelings, about love triangles that exist contrary to any meaning.
Against this background, the story of the telegraph operator Zheltkov's love for Princess Vera is considered in the story. This feeling flared up when Vera was still free. But she didn't reciprocate. Contrary to all logic, Zheltkov did not stop dreaming about his beloved, wrote tender letters to her, and even sent a gift for her name day - a gold bracelet with grenades that looked like drops of blood. An expensive gift forces Vera's husband to take action to end the story. He, along with the brother of the princess Nikolai, decides to return the bracelet.
The scene of Prince Shein's visit to Zheltkov's apartment is one of the key scenes of the work. A.I. Kuprin appears here as a true master-master in creating a psychological portrait. The image of the telegraph operator Zheltkov is typical of Russian classical literature of the 19th century, the image of a little man. A noteworthy detail in the story is the comparison of the hero's room with the wardroom of a cargo ship. The character of the inhabitant of this modest dwelling is shown primarily through gesture. In the scene of the visit of Vasily Lvovich and Nikolai Nikolayevich Zheltkov, he rubs his hands in confusion, then nervously unbuttons and fastens the buttons of his short jacket (moreover, this detail becomes repetitive in this scene). The hero is excited, he is unable to hide his feelings. However, as the conversation develops, when Nikolai Nikolaevich voices a threat to turn to the authorities in order to protect Vera from persecution, Zheltkov suddenly changes and even laughs. Love gives him strength, and he begins to feel his own righteousness. Kuprin focuses on the difference in the mood of Nikolai Nikolaevich and Vasily Lvovich during the visit. Vera's husband, seeing his opponent, suddenly becomes serious and reasonable. He tries to understand Zheltkov and says to his brother-in-law: “Kolya, is he to blame for love and is it possible to control such a feeling as love, a feeling that has not yet found an interpreter for itself.” Unlike Nikolai Nikolaevich, Shane allows Zheltkov to write a farewell letter to Vera. A huge role in this scene for understanding the depth of Zheltkov's feelings for Vera is played by a detailed portrait of the hero. His lips turn white as a dead man's, his eyes fill with tears.
Zheltkov calls Vera and asks her for a small thing - about the opportunity to see her at least occasionally, without showing herself to her eyes. These meetings could have given his life at least some meaning, but Vera refused him this too. Her reputation, the tranquility of her family, were dearer to her. She showed cold indifference to the fate of Zheltkov. The telegraph operator turned out to be defenseless against Vera's decision. The strength of love feelings and maximum spiritual openness made him vulnerable. Kuprin constantly emphasizes this defenselessness with portrait details: a child's chin, a gentle girl's face.
In the eleventh chapter of the story, the author emphasizes the motive of fate. Princess Vera, who has never read newspapers, for fear of getting her hands dirty, suddenly unfolds the very sheet on which the announcement of Zheltkov's suicide was printed. This fragment of the work is intertwined with the scene in which General Anosov says to Vera: “... Who knows? “Maybe your life path, Verochka, was crossed by exactly the kind of love that women dream of and that men are no longer capable of.” It is no coincidence that the princess again recalls these words. One gets the impression that Zheltkov was indeed sent to Vera by fate, and she could not discern selfless nobility, subtlety and beauty in the soul of a simple telegraph operator.
A peculiar construction of the plot in the work of A.I. Kuprin lies in the fact that the author gives the reader peculiar signs that help to predict the further development of the story. In "Oles" this is the motive of fortune-telling, in accordance with which all further relationships of the heroes are formed, in "Duel" - the conversation of officers about the duel. In the "Garnet Bracelet", a sign that portends a tragic denouement is the bracelet itself, the stones of which look like drops of blood.
Upon learning of Zheltkov's death, Vera realizes that she foresaw a tragic outcome. In a farewell message to his beloved, Zheltkov does not hide his all-consuming passion. He literally deifies Faith, turning to her the words from the prayer "Our Father ...": "Hallowed be thy name."
In the literature of the "Silver Age" theomachy motives were strong. Zheltkov, deciding to commit suicide, commits the greatest Christian sin, because the church prescribes to endure any spiritual and physical torment sent to a person on earth. But the whole course of the development of the plot A.I. Kuprin justifies Zheltkov's act. It is no coincidence that the main character of the story is called Vera. For Zheltkov, therefore, the concepts of "love" and "faith" merge into one. Before dying, the hero asks the landlady to hang a bracelet on the icon.
Looking at the late Zheltkov, Vera is finally convinced that there was truth in Anosov's words. By his act, the poor telegraph operator was able to reach the heart of the cold beauty and touch her. Vera brings Zheltkov a red rose and kisses him on the forehead with a long friendly kiss. Only after death did the hero get the right to attention and respect for his feelings. Only by his own death did he prove the true depth of his experiences (before that, Vera considered him crazy).
Anosov's words about eternal exclusive love become a running motif of the story. For the last time they are remembered in the story, when, at the request of Zheltkov, Vera listens to Beethoven's second sonata ("Appassionata"). At the end of the story, A.I. Kuprin, another repetition sounds: “Hallowed be thy name”, which is no less significant in the artistic structure of the work. He once again emphasizes the purity and sublimity of Zheltkov's attitude towards his beloved.
Putting love on a par with such concepts as death, faith, A.I. Kuprin emphasizes the importance of this concept for human life as a whole. Not all people know how to love and be faithful to their feelings. The story "Garnet Bracelet" can be considered as a kind of testament of A.I. Kuprin, addressed to those who are trying to live not with their hearts, but with their minds. Their life, correct from the point of view of a rational approach, is doomed to a spiritually devastated existence, for only love can give a person true happiness.
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Composition
The theme of love is one of the fundamental themes of world literature. Every writer certainly paid tribute to her. The wonderful Russian writer A. I. Kuprin covered it in his own way in his story Garnet Bracelet, which K. Paustovsky called one of the most fragrant stories about love.
The plot of the story is taken by Kuprin from life. But the comic story of the real H.S.J. turned under the pen of a talented writer into a touching song of love.
The story begins in a casual way. The life of two spouses, in which the former passionate love ... turned into friendship, empty talk about the need to morally educate vicious children. But already at the beginning of the story, there is some anxiety. The sister gives Princess Vera, the heroine of the story, a lady's notebook, remade from a prayer book of the 17th century, and Vera feels some unusual feeling.
Thirteen people gather at the festive table in connection with Verochka's name day, and she feels that this is not good. And then General Anosov begins to talk about the fact that love, disinterested, selfless, not waiting for a reward, has left modern life. All this is a kind of prologue to the main event: Princess Vera is brought a letter and a garnet bracelet from an unknown G.S.Zh. Thus, the theme of love enters the story as a tragedy, as the greatest mystery in the world.
It is characteristic that this great love flared up in the heart of a simple official Zheltkov. In other words, the eternal theme of love turns out to be connected with the theme of the little man, to which Pushkin, Gogol, and Dostoevsky paid tribute in their time.
The little man of Kuprin evokes no pity, no condescending grin. Zheltkov is beautiful in his pure and great love. This love became his need, the meaning of life. In his suicide letter to Vera, he admits: This is not a disease, not a manic idea, this is love, which God was pleased to reward me for something ... Leaving, I say in delight: “Hallowed be thy name.”
The symbol of this love is the garnet bracelet, so inadvertently presented by Zheltkov to Verochka. However, the bracelet is not only a symbol of love, it is also a symbol of fate.
Green pomegranate, according to legend, protects men from violent death, and gives women the gift of foresight. Zheltkov gives the bracelet back and dies, because his secret love has become clear, has come across the cruelty of people. “Faith, having received a bracelet, knew this greatest secret of love. Standing at the coffin of Zheltkov, she was amazed at the peaceful expression of his face, as if before his death he had learned some deep and sweet secret, and remembered that she had seen a similar expression on the death masks of the great sufferers Pushkin and Napoleon.
What an important detail! Great love elevated the little official to the level of a genius!
Two elements occupy a large place in the story: music and nature. The brilliant autumn landscape, the grassy smell of the last flowers, the gray and silent sea, all this, with its parting chords, tells the story the bitterness of parting: It was even sadder to see the abandoned dachas with their sudden spaciousness, with mutilated flowerbeds ... The calmed trees silently and obediently dropped their yellow leaves.
Music, on the other hand, appears in the story as a force that helps a person to see clearly. Listening to the sonata of the great Beethoven, Zheltkov's favorite piece of music, given to his beloved woman as a testament, Vera hears the voice of a man in love with her: Think of me, and I will be with you, because you and I love each other for only one moment, but forever.
Princess Vera realized that the love that every woman dreams of had passed her by. But she is not crying because of this, she is simply overwhelmed with admiration for these sublime, almost unearthly feelings. Peru Kuprin owns many works about love, but in none of them, in my opinion, we will find such a psychological depth of comprehension of this feeling, as in the Garnet bracelet
The story of A. I. Kuprin The Garnet Bracelet strikes the reader with the depth of feelings of one of the characters, as well as the question that the author poses in the work, what is love At all times, people have tried to find the answer to the question regarding the causes of this passionate feeling. But there is no universal answer. Each person throughout his life answers the question of love in his own way. And the petty official Zheltkov, who dared to love Princess Vera Nikolaevna, appears at the same time a victim of fate and an amazing exalted person, not at all like those around him.
Indeed, selfless love is a completely unique phenomenon that is very, very rare. It is no coincidence that Princess Vera Nikolaevna, being at the coffin of Zheltkov, who was in love with her, realized that the love that every woman dreams of had passed her by.
Almost nothing is said about Zheltkov himself in the story. The reader learns about it thanks to small details. But even these minor details used by the author in his narrative testify to a lot. We understand that the inner world of this extraordinary person was very, very rich. This man was not like the others, he was not mired in a miserable and dull everyday life, his. the soul aspired to the beautiful and the sublime.
What could be more beautiful and sublime than love itself. Vera Nikolaevna, by some whim of fate, once seemed to Zheltkov an amazing, completely unearthly creature. And a strong, vivid feeling flared up in his heart. He was always at some distance from his beloved, and, obviously, this distance contributed to the strength of his passion. He could not forget the beautiful image of the princess, and he was not at all stopped by the indifference on the part of his beloved.
Zheltkov did not demand anything for his love, his letters to the princess were just a desire to speak out, to convey his feelings to his beloved being. For the rest, love was the poor petty official's only treasure. With all his desire, he could not be in control of his soul, in which the image of the princess occupied too much place. Zheltkov idealized his beloved, he did not know anything about her, therefore he painted in his imagination a completely unearthly image. And this also shows the eccentricity of his nature. His love could not be discredited, stained precisely because it was too far from real life. Zheltkov never met his beloved, his feelings remained a mirage, they were not connected with reality. And in this regard, the enamored N. Zheltkov appears before the reader as a dreamer, romantic and idealist cut off from N life.
He gave the best qualities to a woman about whom he knew absolutely nothing. Perhaps if fate had given Zheltkov at least one meeting with the princess, he would have changed his mind about her. At the very least, she would not seem to him an ideal being, absolutely devoid of flaws. But, alas, the meeting was impossible.
Speaking of love, one cannot fail to recall the conversation between General Anosov and Princess Vera Nikolaevna. The conversation concerns precisely this unique phenomenon of love. Anosov says: Love must be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world! No comforts of life, calculations and compromises should touch her!
If you approach love with just such a measure, then it becomes clear that Zheltkov's love is exactly that. He easily puts his feelings for the beautiful princess above all else. In essence, life itself has no special value for Zheltkov. And, probably, the reason for this is the lack of demand for his love, because the life of Mr. Zheltkov is not decorated with anything other than feelings for the princess. At the same time, the princess herself lives a completely different life, in which there is no place for the enamored Zheltkov. Moreover, signs of attention on his part, that is, numerous letters, simply annoy the lovely Vera Nikolaevna. And she does not want the flow of these letters to continue. The princess is not interested in her unknown admirer, she is fine without him. All the more surprising and even strange is Zheltkov, who consciously cultivates his passion for Vera Nikolaevna.
Is it possible to call Zheltkov a sufferer who lived his life uselessly, giving himself up as a victim of some amazing soulless love. On the one hand, he appears to be just that. He was ready to give his life to his beloved, but no one needed such a sacrifice. The garnet bracelet itself is a detail that even more clearly emphasizes the entire tragedy of this man. He is ready to part with a family heirloom, an ornament that is inherited by the women of his family. Zheltkov is ready to give the only jewel to a completely stranger woman, and she did not need this gift at all.
The narrative is accompanied by additional illustrations of the love relationships of various people. General Anosov tells Verochka the story of his marriage. At the same time, he admits that his feelings can be called anything but true love. He also talks about situations that he had to face in his own life. In each of these stories, the beautiful human feeling of love appears in some perverted form.
The story of a young ensign and the wife of a regimental commander, and the story of a captain's wife and lieutenant Vishnyakov shows love in its most unattractive form. Each time the reader indignantly rejects the idea that such a relationship can be called love.
Love should be creative, not destructive. Love divorced from life is admirable, but nothing more. A person who is capable of such lofty feelings can be admired, one can consider him very special and amazing. You can also feel sorry for him in a purely human way. After all, his love, although it brightened up his life, shone in the sky like a bright star, but at the same time did not allow Zheltkov to become a happy person or at least make the object of his love happy.
That is why the death of the protagonist at the end of the story seems to be a completely natural outcome. Love dried him up, took away all the best that was in his nature. But she gave nothing in return. Therefore, the unfortunate person has nothing else to do. Obviously, by the death of the hero, Kuprin wanted to express his attitude towards his love. Zheltkov, of course, is a unique person, very special. Therefore, it is very difficult for him to live among ordinary people. It turns out that there is no place for him on this earth. And this is his tragedy, and not his fault at all. Zheltkov deified his beloved, his prayer was addressed to her: Hallowed be thy name.
However, with all this, Princess Vera was an ordinary earthly woman who sincerely loved her husband. So her deification is a figment of poor Zheltkov's fantasy. Of course, his love can be called a unique, wonderful, amazingly beautiful phenomenon. When the princess listened to Beethoven's sonata, she simultaneously thought that a great love passed her by, which is repeated only once in a thousand years. Yes, such unselfish and surprisingly pure love is very rare. But still, it's good that it happens this way. After all, such love goes hand in hand with tragedy, it breaks a person's life. And the beauty of the soul remains unclaimed, no one knows about it and does not notice it.
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Only one small detail alarms the reader: on the name day, her husband gives Vera earrings made of pear-shaped pearls. Involuntarily, a doubt creeps in that the heroine's family happiness is so strong, so indestructible.
On the name day, her younger sister comes to Sheina, who, like Pushkin's Olga, who sets off the image of Tatiana in "Eugene Onegin", contrasts sharply with Vera both in character and in appearance. Anna is frisky and wasteful, and Vera is calm, reasonable and economical. Anna is attractive but ugly, while Vera is endowed with aristocratic beauty. Anna has two children, while Vera has no children, although she longs to have them. An important artistic detail that reveals Anna's character is the gift she makes to her sister: Anna brings Vera a small notebook made from an old prayer book. She enthusiastically talks about how carefully she selected leaves, fasteners and a pencil for the book. To faith, the very fact of converting a prayer book into a notebook seems blasphemous. This shows the integrity of her nature, emphasizes how much the older sister takes life more seriously. We soon learn that Vera graduated from the Smolny Institute - one of the best educational institutions for women in noble Russia, and her friend is the famous pianist Zhenya Reiter.
Among the guests who came to the name day, General Anosov is an important figure. It is this man, wise in life, who has seen danger and death in his lifetime, and therefore knows the price of life, tells several love stories in the story, which can be designated in the artistic structure of the work as inserted short stories. Unlike the vulgar family stories told by Prince Vasily Lvovich, the husband of Vera and the owner of the house, where everything is twisted and ridiculed, turns into a farce, the stories of General Anosov are filled with real life details. So there is a dispute in the story about what true love is. Anosov says that people have forgotten how to love, that marriage does not at all imply spiritual intimacy and warmth. Women often get married to get out of custody and be the mistress of the house. Men - from fatigue from a single life. A significant role in marriage unions is played by the desire to continue the family, and selfish motives are often not in last place. "Where is the love?" - asks Anosov. He is interested in such love, for which "to accomplish any feat, to give one's life, to go to torment is not work at all, but one joy." Here, in the words of General Kuprin, in fact, reveals his concept of love: “Love must be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world. No comforts of life, calculations and compromises should concern her.” Anosov talks about how people become victims of their love feelings, about love triangles that exist contrary to any meaning.
Against this background, the story of the telegraph operator Zheltkov's love for Princess Vera is considered in the story. This feeling flared up when Vera was still free. But she didn't reciprocate. Contrary to all logic, Zheltkov did not stop dreaming about his beloved, wrote tender letters to her, and even sent a gift for her name day - a gold bracelet with grenades that looked like drops of blood. An expensive gift forces Vera's husband to take action to end the story. He, along with the brother of the princess Nikolai, decides to return the bracelet.
The scene of Prince Shein's visit to Zheltkov's apartment is one of the key scenes of the work. A.I. Kuprin appears here as a true master realist in creating a psychological portrait. The image of the telegraph operator Zheltkov is typical of Russian classical literature of the 19th century, the image of a little man. A noteworthy detail in the story is the comparison of the hero's room with the wardroom of a cargo ship. The character of the inhabitant of this modest dwelling is shown primarily through gesture. In the scene of the visit of Vasily Lvovich and Nikolai Nikolayevich Zheltkov, he rubs his hands in confusion, then nervously unbuttons and fastens the buttons of his short jacket (moreover, this detail becomes repetitive in this scene). The hero is excited, he is unable to hide his feelings. However, as the conversation develops, when Nikolai Nikolaevich voices a threat to turn to the authorities in order to protect Vera from persecution, Zheltkov suddenly changes and even laughs. Love gives him strength, and he begins to feel his own righteousness. Kuprin focuses on the difference in the mood of Nikolai Nikolaevich and Vasily Lvovich during the visit. Vera's husband, seeing his opponent, suddenly becomes serious and reasonable. He tries to understand Zheltkov and says to his brother-in-law: “Kolya, is he to blame for love and is it possible to control such a feeling as love, a feeling that has not yet found an interpreter for itself.” Unlike Nikolai Nikolaevich, Shein allows Zheltkov to write a farewell letter to Vera. A huge role in this scene for understanding the depth of Zheltkov's feelings for Vera is played by a detailed portrait of the hero. His lips turn white as a dead man's, his eyes fill with tears.
No wonder the story of Kuprin A.I. " " is a great work about a feeling that can neither be bought nor sold. This feeling is called love. The feeling of love can be experienced by any person, regardless of their position in society, rank or wealth. In love, there are only two concepts: "I love" and "I do not love."
Unfortunately, in our time, it is less and less possible to meet a person who is obsessed with a feeling of love. Money rules the world, pushing tender feelings into the background. More and more young people first think about a career, and only then about starting a family. Many people get married or marry for convenience. This is done only in order to ensure a comfortable existence.
In his work, Kuprin, through the mouth of General Anosov, laid down his attitude to love. The general compared love to a great mystery and tragedy. He said that no other feelings and needs should be mixed with the feeling of love.
Ultimately, "not love" became a tragedy for the main character of the story by Vera Nikolaevna Sheina. According to her, there were no warm love feelings between her and her husband for a long time. Their relationship resembled a strong, faithful friendship. And that suited the couple. They did not want to change anything, because it was so convenient to live.
Love is a beautiful, but at the same time dangerous feeling. A man in love loses his mind. He begins to live for the sake of his lover or beloved. A person in love sometimes commits inexplicable actions that can have tragic results. A loving person becomes defenseless and vulnerable to external threats. Unfortunately, love cannot protect us from external problems, it does not solve them. Love brings happiness to a person only when it is mutual. Otherwise, love becomes a tragedy.
Zheltkov's feelings for Vera Nikolaevna became the biggest tragedy in his life. Unrequited love killed him. He put his beloved above all else in his life, but, not seeing reciprocity, he committed suicide.
Millions of works have been written about love. This multifaceted feeling was sung by poets and writers, painters and artists in all ages. But this feeling can hardly be understood by reading stories, listening to music, looking at pictures. Love can only be fully felt when you are loved and love yourself.
