The world of objects in the novel "Oblomov"
In the novel "Oblomov" we trace how the conditions of life in which Oblomov grew up, his upbringing, give rise to lack of will, apathy, and indifference in him. “I tried to show in Oblomov,” wrote Goncharov S. A. Nikitenko on February 25, 1873, “how and why our people turn before their time into ... jelly - climate, environment, length - backwaters, drowsy life - and all private, individual in every circumstance. " (10) And it’s not a secret, we will add from ourselves, that not only upbringing, social environment affect the formation of a person’s personality - everyday life, the environment that surrounds a person throughout his life, equally, if not more, have an impact on character and worldview of a person; and this influence is felt especially strongly in childhood. In Oblomov's dream, the writer created a picture of landlord life, amazing in terms of brightness and depth. Patriarchal customs, the natural economy of the landowner, the absence of any spiritual interests, peace and inaction - eternal peace - that's what surrounded Ilya Ilyich from childhood, that's what Oblomovism is. But it's not a secret that it is in childhood that the basic traits of a person's character are laid. The social, as well as the everyday environment, have a huge impact on the character and worldview of a person.
Introducing us to his hero, who is lying in the house on Gorokhovaya Street, the writer also notes the attractive features of his character: gentleness, simplicity, generosity and kindness. At the same time, from the first pages of the novel, Goncharov also shows the weaknesses of Oblomov's personality - apathy, laziness, "the absence of any definite goal, any concentration ...". (10) The author surrounds his hero with objects (shoes, robe, sofa) that accompany him throughout his life and symbolize Oblomov's immobility and inaction. If we set out to create a museum of a literary hero, then just such an atmosphere should be created in it:
“The room where Ilya Ilyich was lying, at first glance, seemed beautifully decorated. There was a mahogany bureau, two sofas upholstered in silk, beautiful screens with embroidered birds and fruits unprecedented in nature. There were silk curtains, carpets, several paintings, bronze, porcelain, and many beautiful little things.
But the experienced eye of a man with pure taste, with one cursory glance at everything that was here, would only read the desire to somehow observe the decorum of inevitable decencies, just to get rid of them. Oblomov fussed about, of course, only about this when he cleaned his office. Refined taste would not be content with these heavy, unpretentious mahogany chairs, wobbly shelves. The back of one of the couches sagged down, the glued wood fell behind in places.
Pictures, vases, and little things bore exactly the same character.
The owner himself, however, looked at the decoration of his office so coldly and absent-mindedly, as if he was asking with his eyes: "Who dragged and instructed all this?" From such a cold view of Oblomov on his property, and maybe even from a colder view of the same subject of his servant, Zakhara, the view of the office, if you examine everything there more closely, amazed with the neglect and negligence prevailing in it. (ten)
As you can see, Oblomov's apartment was, rather, a warehouse of unnecessary things, where a person's foot hadn’t set foot for a long time, rather than a living room. With this picture, or subject environment, Goncharov emphasizes that Oblomov, perhaps even himself, feels like a “superfluous person”, taken out of the context of rapid progress. It is no coincidence that Dobrolyubov called Oblomov "an extra person, brought down from a beautiful pedestal to a soft sofa." (17)
The dressing gown is perhaps one of the main characteristics of Oblomovism in general and Oblomov in particular. This is a cross-cutting image-symbol of the novel, it is not a private detail of descriptions and characteristics, but an artistic detail that becomes the center of the composition of the image. Like the aforementioned "Oblomovism", Oblomov's dressing gown has become a household term used to denote the personal concept of "Oblomovism", genetically related to it. However, unlike Oblomovism, which was a special creative find of Goncharov, the image of the robe, which became a symbol of Oblomov's character, has its own primary source. If the functional role of the image of Oblomov's robe (typifying, characterological, etc.) in criticism and in scientific literature has been considered many times (recall the article by A.V. Druzhinin about “Oblomov”, in which he admired the truly Flemish extravagance of details in this work), so far, no one has paid attention to his literary source. Oblomov's robe is a symbol-equivalent of the hero's spiritual state. This is the "infinite sign" that is created by the relationship between text and context and can have an infinite number of meanings. A symbol is an object and a means of representation at the same time, it is the unity of meaning and image. Oblomov's robe is a component of Oblomov's image-symbol, his genetic “code”. In this sense, the image-symbol of the robe is "finite and endless" at the same time.
Oblomov is almost always inactive. The environment and everyday life are designed to emphasize the inactivity and apathy of the hero, symbolically reflect everything that was in reality. "The view of the office," writes Goncharov, amazed with the neglect and negligence prevailing in it. " (10) Heavy, lurid chairs, wobbly shelves, the back of the sofa with a peeling tree sagging down, a spider web hanging around the scalloped paintings, a mirror covered with a layer of dust, stained carpets, plates with gnawed bones from yesterday's dinner, two or three books covered with dust, an inkwell in which flies live - all this expressively characterizes Oblomov, his attitude to life. " (ten)
Oblomov will not exchange a large sofa, a comfortable robe, soft shoes for anything - after all, these items are an integral part of his lifestyle, a kind of symbols of this Oblomov lifestyle, a peaceful lifestyle, after parting with which he will cease to be himself. All the events of the novel, one way or another influencing the course of the hero's life, are given in comparison with his objective environment. Here is how Goncharov describes the role these objects play in Oblomov's life:
“On the couch he felt a sense of peaceful joy that he could stay on his couch from nine to three, from eight to nine, and was proud that he did not have to go with a report, write papers, that there was room for his feelings and imagination.” (ten)
Life reliability is achieved by the fact that Oblomov's character is given in development. In this regard, the ninth chapter is very important - "Oblomov's Dream", where the picture of the hero's childhood is recreated, the life of Oblomovka is shown - the conditions that shaped the worldview and character of the hero. Goncharov describes one day in Oblomovka as follows: “Everything is quiet and sleepy in the village: the silent huts are wide open; not a soul is visible; some flies fly in clouds and buzz in the stuffiness .. ”(10). Against this background, the Oblomovites are outlined - indifferent people who do not know that somewhere there are cities, a different life, etc. The owner of the village, old Oblomov, leads the same sluggish, meaningless life. Goncharov ironically describes Oblomov's life:
“Oblomov himself is an old man, too, not without work. He sits at the window all morning and strictly observes everything that happens in the yard.
Hey Ignashka? What are you talking about, you fool? - he will ask a man walking in the yard.
I'm bringing knives to sharpen them in the room, ”he replies without looking at the master.
Well, carry it, carry it, yes well, look, sharpen it!
Then he will stop the woman:
Hey baba! Woman! Where did you go?
To the cellar, father, ”she said, stopping, and, covering her eyes with her hand, looked at the window,“ get some milk for the table.
Well go, go! - answered the master. “Look, don’t spill the milk. - And you, Zakharka, little shooter, where are you running again? - shouted then. - Here I'll let you run! I can see that you are running for the third time. I went back to the hallway!
And Zakharka went to doze again in the hallway.
If the cows come from the field, the old man will be the first to make sure they are watered; If he sees from the window that the mongrel is chasing a chicken, he will immediately take strict measures against the riots. " (ten)
Lazy crawling from day to day, inactivity, lack of life goals - this is what characterizes Oblomovka's life. By creating a collective image of Oblomovka, Goncharov, as already noted, depicts an environment that leaves an indelible imprint on everyone she touched. The dilapidated gallery is not being repaired, the bridge over the ditch has rotted. And Ilya Ivanovich speaks only of repairing the bridge and the wattle fence. However, he sometimes acts:
“Ilya Ivanovich extended his solicitude even to the point that one day, while walking in the garden, he lifted a fence with his own hand, groaning and groaning, and ordered the gardener to put two poles as soon as possible: the fence, thanks to Oblomov’s diligence, stood like this all summer, and only in winter it fell with snow again ...
Finally, it even got to the point that three new boards were laid on the bridge, as soon as Antip fell off him, with a horse and a barrel, into the ditch. He had not yet had time to recover from the bruise, and the bridge was almost finished anew. ” (ten)
In Oblomovka, literally everything is in desolation. Laziness and greed are the distinctive features of its inhabitants:
“Not everyone will light two candles either: the candle was bought in the city with money and was guarded, like all purchased things, under the key of the hostess herself. The cinders were carefully counted and hidden.
In general, they did not like to spend money there, and no matter how necessary a thing was, money was always given out for it with great condolences, and then only if the cost was insignificant. Significant waste was accompanied by groans, screams and abuse.
Oblomovites agreed to endure all sorts of inconveniences better, even got used to not considering them inconveniences than to spend money.
Because of this, the sofa in the living room was all stained a long time ago, because of this, the leather armchair of Ilya Ivanovich is only called leather, but in fact it is not that spongy, not that rope: there is only one piece of skin left on the back, and the rest had already fallen apart for five years and got off; that is why, perhaps, the gates are all crooked, and the porch is reeling. But to pay for something, even the most self-needed, suddenly two, three, five hundred rubles seemed to them almost suicide. " (ten)
In Oblomovka there is a subsistence economy and therefore every penny counts. Oblomovites knew the only means of saving capital - keeping them in a chest. (1)
Goncharov shows the life of Oblomov's current “like a deceased river”. External pictures of the manifestation of their life are presented idyllically. Description Oblomovka. Goncharov, like Turgenev, said a "gravestone" to the noble nests. Both estates are dominated by patriarchal orders, which leave an indelible imprint on their inhabitants. The Lavretskys' estate differs significantly from Oblomovka - everything is poetic there, evidence of high culture. There is none of this in Oblomovka.
Oblomov turns out to be incapable of the simplest thing, he does not know how to establish his estate, is not fit for any service, any rogue can deceive him. Any change in life scares him. "To go forward or to stay?" - this Oblomov question was for him deeper than Hamlet's "to be or not to be?" and Chernyshevsky "what to do?" Going forward means suddenly throwing off a wide robe not only from your shoulders, but also from your soul, from your mind; together with dust and cobwebs from the walls, sweep the cobwebs out of your eyes and see clearly!
Entirely and completely the image of a birch grove in the novel "Oblomov" is linked with the image of its protagonist. Being engaged in the "development of the estate plan", Ilya Ilyich imagines "how he sits on a summer evening on the terrace, at the tea table ...". In the distance, "the fields turn yellow, the sun sinks behind the familiar birch forest and blushes a pond smooth as a mirror ...". Drawing the ideal of his life in the village in front of Stolz, our dreamer says: "Then, as the heat blows down, they would send a cart with a samovar, with dessert, to a birch grove ...". Or here's an episode from life on the Vyborg side: “Then they began to plant vegetables in the garden; different holidays came, trinity, seven, May 1st; all this was marked by birches, wreaths: they drank tea in the grove. " Nothing special has been said about birch. But the very word "birch" is placed in a syntactically verified context, smelling of herbs, breathing comfort, family principles, immersed in the sweet sound of Russian speech, and therefore it exudes imagery. Well, how well it is said: "how the heat dumps." Andrei Stolts appreciates in Oblomov "a clean, bright and kind beginning", his "eternally trusting heart." He is often drawn to escape "from the bright crowd" and calm his "anxious or tired soul" with a conversation with Oblomov on his "wide sofa." And at the same time to experience such a feeling as if he, Stolz, had returned "from the beauties of southern nature to the birch grove, where he walked as a child." But why is all the best that is in Oblomov is compared with a birch grove, why does the writer decorate it with Ilya Ilyich's dreams? After all, Goncharov hated beauty, let alone hackneyed comparisons and cliches?
Looking through the poetry anthologies of the late 18th - early 19th centuries, we noticed one curious feature: the poets did not seem to notice the birch. In their poems, oaks, oak forests, oak forests, olives, laurels reign; linden trees rustle, willows lean, pines turn green; palms, cypresses, myrtles - everything is there, except for birch. In any case, she is a rarity. I remember a birch tree in N. Ibragimov's "Russian Song":
Goncharov saw birch as an integral tree of Russian life, peasant use, ritual rituals, work and recreation. The word itself was still primordially glowing and had some kind of forgotten lost meaning, connecting it with native land. It seems that you can feel it while reading the poem "Birch" by P. Vyazemsky. It was written in 1855.
As you can see, here, too, the subject details are important for Oblomov - both the dressing gown and the web on the walls - all this personifies Oblomov's lifestyle, his worldview, and parting with these attributes of his life means for Oblomov to lose himself.
Then a natural question arises: if Oblomov did not have the ability to work, maybe his personal life flowed like a stormy river? Not at all. Only in the first years of his life in St. Petersburg “the deceased features of his face brightened up more often, his eyes shone for a long time with the fire of life, rays of light, hope, strength flowed from them. In those distant times, Oblomov noticed the passionate looks and promising smiles of beauties. But he did not draw close to women, cherishing peace, and limited himself to worship from a distance at a respectful distance. " (ten)
The desire for peace conditioned Oblomov's views on life - any activity means boredom for him. By his inability to work Oblomov is close to the type of "superfluous person" - Onegin, Pechorin, Rudin, Beltov.
At the end of the first part, Goncharov poses the question of what will win in Oblomov: life, active principles or sleepy "Oblomovism"? In the second part of the novel, Oblomov was shaken by life. He perked up. However, even at this time, an internal struggle takes place in him. Oblomov is afraid of the bustle of the city, looking for peace and quiet. And they again become the personification of peace and quiet: a cozy apartment and a comfortable sofa: Ilya Ilyich confesses to Stolz that only with Ivan Gerasimovich, his former colleague, he feels calm:
“He, you know, is somehow at ease, comfortable in his house. The rooms are small, the sofas are so deep: you leave with your head and not see a person. The windows are completely covered with ivy and cacti, more than a dozen canaries, three dogs, so kind! The appetizer does not leave the table. The prints all depict family scenes. You come, and you don't want to leave. You sit, not caring, not thinking about anything, you know that there is a person next to you ... of course, unwise, there is nothing to exchange with an idea and think, but simple, kind, hospitable, without pretensions and will not hurt you behind the eyes! - What are you doing? - What? Here I come, sit opposite each other on the sofas, with our legs; he smokes ... "(10)
This is Oblomov's life program: enjoying peace, silence. And the objects surrounding Oblomov are all intended exclusively for this purpose: the sofa, the dressing gown, and the apartment; and, which is typical, objects intended for activity, for example, an inkwell, are inactive and are completely unnecessary for Oblomov.
As for Oblomov's "business qualities", they are also revealed through the objective world. So, in the aspect of rebuilding the estate, as well as in his personal life, Oblomovism won - Ilya Ilyich was frightened of Stolz's proposal to lead a highway to Oblomovka, build a pier, and open a fair in the city. This is how the author draws the objective world of this reconstruction:
"- Oh my god! - said Oblomov. - That was still missing! Oblomovka was in such a calm, aside, and now the fair, the big road! The peasants will get into the city, merchants will come to us - everything is lost! Trouble! ...
How is it not a problem? - continued Oblomov. - The peasants were so-so, nothing was heard, neither good nor bad, doing their job, not reaching for anything; and now they will be corrupted! Teas, coffees, velvet pants, harmonica, greasy boots will go ... no use!
Yes, if this is so, of course, it is of little use, 'said Stolz ...' And you start a school in the village ...
Is not it too early? - said Oblomov. - Literacy is harmful to a peasant: teach him, so he, perhaps, will not plow ... "(10)
What a vivid contrast to the world surrounding Oblomov: silence, a comfortable sofa, a cozy robe, and suddenly - greasy boots, pants, harmonica, noise, din.
IA Goncharov's novel Oblomov is a novel about movement and peace. The author, revealing the essence of movement and rest, used many different artistic techniques, about which a lot has been and will be said. But often, speaking about the techniques used by Goncharov in his work, they forget about the important importance of details. Nevertheless, there are many seemingly insignificant elements in the novel, and they are not assigned the last role.
Opening the first pages of the novel, the reader learns that Ilya Ilyich Oblomov lives in a large house on Gorokhovaya Street.
Gorokhovaya Street is one of the main streets of St. Petersburg; representatives of the highest aristocracy lived on it. Having learned later in what environment Oblomov lives, the reader may think that the author wanted to mislead him by emphasizing the name of the street where Oblomov lived. But this is not the case. The author wanted not to confuse the reader, but, on the contrary, to show that Oblomov could still be something other than he is on the first pages of the novel; that he has the makings of a person who could pave his way into life. Therefore, he does not live anywhere, but on Gorokhovaya Street.
Another detail that is rarely mentioned is the flowers and plants in the novel. Each flower has its own meaning, its own symbolism, and therefore the mention of them is not accidental. So, for example, Volkov, who offered Oblomov to go to Kateringof, was going to buy a bouquet of camellias, and Olga's aunt advised Olga to buy ribbons of the color of pansies. During a walk with Oblomov, Olga plucked a branch of lilac. For Olga and Oblomov, this thread was a symbol of the beginning of their relationship and at the same time heralded the end.
But until they thought about the end, they were full of hope. Olga sang Cazla ygua, which, probably, conquered Oblomov completely. He saw in her the very immaculate goddess. Indeed, these words - "the immaculate goddess" - to some extent characterize Olga in the eyes of Oblomov and Stolz. For both of them, she was truly a virgin goddess. In the opera, these words are addressed to Artemis, who is called the goddess of the moon. But the influence of the moon, moonbeams negatively affects lovers. Therefore, Olga and Oblomov are parting. What about Stolz? Does he not succumb to the influence of the moon? But here we see the union weakening.
Olga will outgrow Stolz in her spiritual development. And if for women love is worship, then it is clear that here the moon will have its pernicious effect. Olga will not be able to stay with a person whom she does not worship, whom she does not extol.
Another very significant detail is the opening of bridges on the Neva. Just when Oblomov's soul, who lived with Pshenitsyna, began to turn towards Agafya Matveyevna, her care, her paradise; when he clearly understood what his life with Olga would be like; when he got scared of this life and began to plunge into "sleep", just then the bridges were opened. The communication between Oblomov and Olga was interrupted, the thread that tied them broke, and, as you know, the thread can be tied "forcibly", but you cannot make it grow together, therefore, when the bridges were built, the connection between Olga and Oblomov was not restored. Olga married Stolz, they settled in the Crimea, in a modest house. But this house, its decoration “bore the stamp of thought and personal taste of the owners,” which is already important. The furniture in their house was not comfortable, but there were many engravings, statues, books that turned yellow from time to time, which speaks of education, high culture of the owners, for whom old books, coins, engravings are valuable, who constantly find something new in them for yourself.
Thus, in Goncharov's novel Oblomov there are many details, to interpret which means to understand the novel deeper.
IA Goncharov's novel Oblomov is a novel about movement and peace. The author, revealing the essence of movement and rest, used many different artistic techniques, about which a lot has been and will be said. But often, speaking about the techniques used by Goncharov in his work, they forget about the important importance of details. Nevertheless, there are many seemingly insignificant elements in the novel, and they are not assigned the last role.
Opening the first pages of the novel, the reader learns that Ilya Ilyich Oblomov lives in a large house on Gorokhovaya Street.
Gorokhovaya Street is one of the main streets of St. Petersburg; representatives of the highest aristocracy lived on it. Having learned later in what environment Oblomov lives, the reader may think that the author wanted to mislead him by emphasizing the name of the street where Oblomov lived. But this is not the case. The author wanted not to confuse the reader, but, on the contrary, to show that Oblomov could still be something other than he is on the first pages of the novel; that he has the makings of a person who could pave his way into life. Therefore, he does not live anywhere, but on Gorokhovaya Street.
Another detail that is rarely mentioned is the flowers and plants in the novel. Each flower has its own meaning, its own symbolism, and therefore the mention of them is not accidental. So, for example, Volkov, who offered Oblomov to go to Yekateringof, was going to buy a bouquet of camellias, and Olga's aunt advised Olga to buy ribbons of the color of pansies. During a walk with Oblomov, Olga plucked a branch of lilac. For Olga and Oblomov, this thread was a symbol of the beginning of their relationship and at the same time heralded the end.
But until they thought about the end, they were full of hope. Olga sang Casta diva, which, probably, finally conquered Oblomov. He saw in her the very immaculate goddess. Indeed, these words - "the immaculate goddess" - to some extent characterize Olga in the eyes of Oblomov and Stolz. For both of them, she was truly a virgin goddess. In the opera, these words are addressed to Artemis, who is called the goddess of the moon. But the influence of the moon, moonbeams negatively affects lovers. Therefore, Olga and Oblomov are parting. What about Stolz? Does he not succumb to the influence of the moon? But here we see the union weakening.
Olga will outgrow Stolz in her spiritual development. And if for women love is worship, then it is clear that here the moon will have its pernicious effect. Olga will not be able to stay with a person whom she does not worship, whom she does not extol.
Another very significant detail is the opening of bridges on the Neva. Just when Oblomov's soul, who lived with Pshenitsyna, began to turn towards Agafya Matveyevna, her care, her paradise; when he clearly understood what his life with Olga would be like; when he got scared of this life and began to plunge into "sleep", just then the bridges were opened. The communication between Oblomov and Olga was interrupted, the thread that tied them broke, and, as you know, the thread can be tied "forcibly", but you cannot make it grow together, therefore, when the bridges were built, the connection between Olga and Oblomov was not restored. Olga married Stolz, they settled in the Crimea, in a modest house. But this house, its decoration “bore the stamp of thought and personal taste of the owners,” which is already important. The furniture in their house was not comfortable, but there were many engravings, statues, books that turned yellow from time to time, which speaks of education, high culture of the owners, for whom old books, coins, engravings are valuable, who constantly find something new in them for yourself.
Thus, in Goncharov's novel Oblomov there are many details, to interpret which means to understand the novel deeper.
I.Introduction
When reading a book, we usually pay little attention to details, we are captured by the plot, the very idea of \u200b\u200bthe book. Often we miss some boring, at first glance, description of nature, interior, which, it seems to us, is not important at all. And if you look closely, read a particular description, pay attention to a small detail, a trifle, it turns out that it is not so insignificant as it seems. A simple description of nature can convey the mood of a hero, an interior can reveal character, a fleeting gesture can guess emotional impulses, and a thing or object can become a symbol inseparable from the character.
So, without losing sight of every detail, you can more fully reveal for yourself the hero and the whole meaning of the book, see the hidden, interpret the obvious. This is the most important role of the detail.
II."Through" parts
In Goncharov's novel Oblomov, there are several details that go through the entire novel, so I will call them “through”. This is a robe that went so well “to his deceased features and to his pampered body”, and had “in Oblomov's eyes the darkness of invaluable virtues”, it became not just home clothes, but literally a symbol of the hero himself, his way of life, his soul. He is as wide, free, soft, light as the character of Ilya Ilyich. In him Oblomov's whole life, so spacious, homely, lazy, comfortable.
Before the appearance of Stolz, the main character did not think of himself in any other clothes, just as he never wanted to change his lifestyle. But here and in him a spark of life lights up, the desire to live and act: “What should he do now? Go ahead or stay? For him this Oblomov question was deeper than Hamlet's. Going forward means suddenly throwing off a wide robe not only from your shoulders, but also from your soul, from your mind ... ”. The dressing gown disappeared along with mental apathy and laziness when Olga, love appeared in his life: "You can't see the dressing gown on him: Tarantiev took him with him to his godfather with other things."
Although in love for Olga Oblomov began to feel, burn, live, but she was afraid that he would return to his peaceful, lazy life, again throw on himself a robe of sleepiness, apathy and indifference: “And if,” she began with a hot question, “you you will get tired of this love, as you are tired of books, of service, of light; if over time, without a rival, without another love, you suddenly fall asleep beside me, as if on your sofa, and my voice does not wake you up; if the swelling in the heart goes away, if not even another woman, but your robe will be more dear to you? ... "
Later Pshenitsyna found a dressing gown and offered to wash and fix it, but Ilya Ilyich refused, saying: “In vain! I don’t wear it anymore, I am behind, I don’t need it ”. It was like a warning of things to come. After all, after breaking up with his beloved, immediately that evening, the recently forgotten robe found itself again on his shoulders: "Ilya Ilyich almost did not notice how Zakhar undressed him, pulled off his boots and threw on him - a robe!"
So Oblomov remained to live in laziness, idleness, apathy, wrapped in them, like in a dressing gown, until his death. The robe was worn out, like its owner.
Another, no less important subject in Oblomov's novel is the lilac. For the first time, the smell of lilac appears in Ilya Ilyich's dream. Olga plucked a branch of lilac during a meeting with Oblomov and dropped it in surprise and disappointment. A branch deliberately thrown by Olga becomes a symbol of her annoyance. As a hint of reciprocity and hope for possible happiness, Ilya Ilyich raised her and appeared with her on the next date. As a symbol of revival, a flourishing feeling, Olga embroiders lilacs on the canvas, pretending to have chosen the pattern quite by accident. But for both, the lilac branch became a symbol of their love and happiness. "While between us love in the form of a light, smiling vision, while it sounded in the Casta diva, was worn in the smell of a lilac branch ...", Oblomov wrote in his letter. It seemed to them that love was fading like lilacs:
Well, if you don't want to say, give a sign to some ... branch of lilac ...
Lilacs ... gone, gone! She answered. - Look, you see what remained: faded!
The author also mentions the lilac branches as a symbol of loneliness and departed happiness in the concluding lines: "Lilac branches, planted by a friendly hand, doze over the grave, and wormwood smells serenely ..."
Shoes are another important detail. First, they appear as a piece of Oblomov's clothing, confirming his contentment with his life, comfort, confidence: “His shoes were long, soft and wide; when, without looking, he lowered his feet from the bed to the floor, he would certainly hit them immediately. "
Regardless of whether Ilya Ilyich gets his feet in his shoes, we can guess his thoughts, uncertainty, doubts, indecision: "Now, never!" "To be or not to be!" Oblomov got up from the chair, but did not immediately hit the shoe with his foot and sat down again. " 1 Another time we will read the boredom of inaction: "Ilya Ilyich lay carelessly on the sofa, playing with his shoe, dropped it on the floor, lifted it into the air, turned it over there, it would fall, he would pick it up from the floor with his foot ..." 2
In general, shoes are a very speaking subject. Boots seem to determine Oblomov's social status. This is clearly seen in the scene where Stolz asked Zakhar who Ilya Ilyich was. "Master" - answered the servant, and although Oblomov corrected him, saying that he was a "gentleman", his friend had a different opinion:
No, no, you're a master! Stolz continued with a laugh.
What's the difference? - said Oblomov. - A gentleman is the same gentleman.
A gentleman is such a gentleman, - defined Stolz, - who puts on stockings himself and takes off his boots himself. 3
In other words, the inability to take off and put on his boots on his own speaks of the extreme laziness and spoiledness of the hero. Zakhar was of the same opinion, who learned that the master was going to go abroad: “Who will take off your boots there? - Zakhar remarked ironically. - Girls, or what? You will disappear there without me! " 4
This idea is supported by another detail found throughout the book - stockings. It all started with the fact that as a child, the nanny pulled on Ilya's stockings, and his mother did not allow him to do anything himself, because do not be next to him, Andrei, who knows if he ever got up from the sofa. “… But there is no need, I still don’t know how, and my eyes do not see, and there is weakness in my hands! You lost your skill in childhood, in Oblomovka, among aunts, nannies and uncles. It began with the inability to put on stockings and ended with the inability to live ”6 concluded Stolz and was right. Oblomov's life has worn out, worn out, leaked like a stocking. It was not for nothing that Pshenitsyna, taking apart his stockings, counted "fifty-five pairs, but almost all of them are thin ..." 7
III.Details are tips. Oblomov's dream.
Oblomov's dream is replete with various details, and many of them do not just reproduce the details of the situation, appearance, landscape, but acquire a symbolic meaning. The inhabitants of Oblomovka themselves attached great importance to their dreams: “If the dream was terrible, everyone thought about it, they were afraid not jokingly; if it is prophetic, everyone truly rejoiced or grieved, depending on whether the grievous or comforting one dreamed in a dream. Whether the dream demanded observance of any omen, active measures were immediately taken for this. 1
I think that Ilya Ilyich's dream also has a special, hidden subtext that requires decoding. Although at first glance, it seems that this is just a description of the life of Oblomovka residents, this is still a dream in which almost every item mentioned has a secret meaning.
Throughout the dream, a ravine is mentioned, which so attracted and at the same time frightened little Ilyusha. A ravine, a precipice is considered a symbol of collapse, failure of plans, collapse of hopes. All this happened to our hero soon. Let us also recall the hut, half hanging over the ravine: "As one hut fell on the precipice of the ravine, it has been hanging there since time immemorial, standing with one half in the air and propped up with three poles." 2 It seems to me that this seems to show the state of mind of the hero, says that with one foot he is already in the abyss, with the other - while he is standing on solid ground and has a chance to avoid falling.
Let us now recall the Oblomovs' house itself with its crooked gates, a dilapidated gallery, a swaying porch, "with a wooden roof that sat down in the middle, on which a tender green moss grew." 1 All this foreshadows decline and failure in the future life. A ruined porch in a dream, through the steps of which "not only cats and pigs crawl into the basement," 2 means that "soon you will have to part with your old life and need, failure, hardship, worries and troubles await you." 3 Moss in a dream is "a sign of unfulfilled hopes and sad memories." 4 The steep staircase, which Ilyusha climbed, symbolizes the danger from too hasty and risky actions. This is a warning that could have saved Oblomov from severe doubts, writing a letter to Olga and their serious quarrel and misunderstanding.
If we pay attention to small objects in a dream, we will see that they, too, often predict the sad future of the hero. A dimly burning candle "means a meager existence, dissatisfaction with oneself and the course of affairs", 5 "hours in a dream are a symbol of life, change (good or bad), movement, success or defeat." 6 Twice in a dream, along with the sound of the clock and the sound of the father's footsteps, the sound of a bitten off thread is heard: “Quiet; only the steps of the heavy, homework boots of Ilya Ivanovich are heard, the wall clock in the case still dully taps with a pendulum, and a thread torn from time to time by a hand or teeth<…> breaks deep silence. " 7 I think this is clearly not without reason, because "rough shoes in a dream predict difficulties, discontent, an obstacle in business", 8 and "torn threads are a sign that trouble awaits you due to the treachery of your friends" 9 and a symbol of a torn, broken the life that Oblomov lived, although the fact that Ilya Ilyich heard only the sound softens the difficult prediction.
However, there are also details that promise a pleasant future. The fact that Ilyusha's mother combs and admires his beautiful, soft hair suggests that he will be in love and happiness. The fact that the boy observes sleeping people (during the general afternoon nap) means that "seeking someone's favor, he will sweep away all obstacles in his path." 10 But Oblomov did not even try to delve into the meaning of his dream. Perhaps, having seen at least a couple of symbols, he would have heeded the warnings and predictions, would have tried to change something. However, unlike his relatives, he did not attach any importance to sleep and apathy, ruin, disappointment, and difficulties entered his life.
IV.Detail symbolism. Flowers.
It seemed to me very unusual how the flowers themselves are described in the novel. We do not know if Goncharov put some kind of secret meaning into them, but if you look into the dictionary of flower symbolism, it turns out that each flower seems to be specially selected in order to more fully reveal the state of mind of the hero, convey his hidden thoughts and feelings in that or another episode of the novel.
For the first time flowers are mentioned at the very beginning of the story, when Volkov comes to Oblomov. A young man in love wants to get a camellia for his beloved. Camellias are a rare flower for the Russian tradition, like Volkov himself, all refined, like a "cambric shawl" with "aromas of the East." In the sacred calendar of the Druids, camellia means good looks, sophistication, artistry and, oddly enough, childishness. Therefore, after reading the scene with Volkov's arrival, perhaps, the mood remains somewhat light, fake, a little pretended, theatrical.
Oblomov, in a conversation with Olga, openly declares that he does not like flowers, especially with a pungent smell, his preference is given to field and forest flowers. Lily of the valley has long been considered a symbol of hidden love. The Slavic tradition calls this flower "maiden's tears".
Oblomov gives Olga lilies of the valley, as if assuming that his love will make her cry in the future: “You did so that there were tears, but to stop, but to stop them is not in your power ... You are not so strong! Let me go! She said, waving her handkerchief in her face. " 2
During one of the dates, Olga lists flowers that Ilya might like, and he rejects the lilac, as if he felt that this flower is very symbolic. In contrast to the symbolism of dreams, in the Druidic calendar, lilac meant loneliness. She was generally considered an ominous shrub, which should not even decorate your home. By the catch, he picks up a branch abandoned by Olga and brings it home, as if accepting loneliness.
Ilya Ilyich did not like both mignonette and roses. Rose - the queen of flowers, the favorite flower of the Muses and Queen Aphrodite symbolized innocence, love, health, coquetry and amorous play.
In Oblomov's denial of love for roses, I see a huge contradiction inherent by the author in the character of Ilya Ilyich. He longs for full feelings and is afraid of them, loves and remains a cold observer, sees Olga's love games and dreams and chastely rejects them.
If we describe the love line of Oblomov and Olga in the language of objects, then, of course, we will put flowers in the first place, namely, lilacs, and only then music, letters, books.
There are surprisingly many colors in the scene of Oblomov's acquaintance with Pshenitsyna. Starting from the road to the Vyborg side: "Again Oblomov drove off, admiring the nettles near the fences and the mountain ash peeping out from behind the fences." 1 Nettle symbolizes sadness and betrayal, and mountain ash, which is a symbol of submission, acts here as confirmation of the servility, weakness of Ilya Ilyich, who voluntarily obeys circumstances, without trying to fight. In the house of Agafya Matvevna, the windows were filled with marigolds, symbolizing the commemoration of the dead (as we remember, she was a widow), aloe - a symbol of sadness, marigolds - harbingers of deep mental suffering, and mignonette. Reseda is secrecy, maybe that's why Oblomov, who himself was a very open and sincere person, did not like her smell so much. Above the grave of Ilya Ilyich, “wormwood” 2 - the flower of parting - smells serenely.
Such an unusual detail as flowers, with their hidden meaning, complement even better, reveal more fully the subtleties of relationships, characters and moods of the heroes.
2) Interior details.
Interior details, as well as clothing details, are widely used by Goncharov to visualize and characterize the heroes and their environment.
From the very first pages we see a description of the interior - Oblomov's room.
“The room where Ilya Ilyich was lying, at first glance, seemed beautifully decorated. There was a mahogany bureau, two sofas upholstered in silk, beautiful screens with embroidered flowers and fruits that were unprecedented in nature. There were silk curtains, carpets, several paintings, bronze, porcelain and many other beautiful little things. " 1 All this, it would seem, speaks of the owner's excellent taste, but the author immediately explains to us that this is only an appearance, an illusion of “inevitable decency”.
“On the walls, near the paintings, a cobweb saturated with dust was sculpted in the form of scallops; mirrors, instead of reflecting objects, could rather serve as tablets, for writing on them, by dust, some memorial notes. The carpets were stained. A forgotten towel lay on the sofa; on the table, rarely in the morning, there was not a plate with a salt shaker and a gnawed bone that was not cleaned from yesterday's supper, but there were no bread crumbs lying around. " 2
These two almost contradictory descriptions of one room show us the contradictory nature of its inhabitants. We can say that Ilya Ilyich is not devoid of taste, although he cannot be called delicate and refined. There are such expensive luxury items as porcelain, bronze, mirrors. But all the dirt, dust, cobwebs testify to the carelessness, carelessness, laziness of the owner and his servant, who understands the word "cleanliness" in a very different way. Oblomov launched, one might say, disfigured everything that was beautiful and expensive that he had; such expensive things as mirrors became tablets on which one could write through the dust, knowing that no one would erase it. Noticing such an abundance of small details in the description of Oblomov's room, one involuntarily draws a parallel with the description of the house of Gogol's Plyushkin from “Dead Souls:
“There was even a broken chair on one table, and next to it was a clock with a stopped pendulum, to which a spider had already attached a web. There was also a wardrobe leaning sideways against the wall with antique silver, decanters and Chinese porcelain. " 3
But Oblomov:
“If it were not for the plate, but not for the newly smoked pipe leaning against the bed, or for the owner himself lying on it, one would think that no one lives here - everything was so dusty, faded and generally devoid of living traces of human presence "2 - writes Goncharov.
“In no way could it be said that a living creature lived in this room if it had not been announced by an old, worn cap lying on the table” 3 _ writes Gogol.
Here the influence of Gogol is also clearly visible, since the thought in both passages is the same: both rooms are so uncomfortable and not habitable that they almost do not betray a human presence. Such a feeling is created in one case due to dirt, dust and desolation, in the other - due to the heap of furniture and various unnecessary rubbish.
Oblomov's books are a detail that I would like to draw special attention to.
“On the shelves, however, there were two or three unfolded books,<…> but the pages on which the books were unfolded were covered with dust and turned yellow; it was evident that they had been abandoned long ago. " 4
In the same state, we find the books of another Gogol hero - Manilov: "In his office there was always some kind of book, bookmarked on page fourteen, which he had been constantly reading for two years." five
By this detail, we can determine the common feature of Manilov and Oblomov - the lack of forward movement, interest in life, a tendency to apathy and idleness. However, if we talk about Manilov as a negative character, then I have a feeling of sympathy and participation for Oblomov. Books as one of the things that indicate to us the revival of the hero's soul, the manifestation of an interest in life while communicating with Olga: he reads newspapers, takes the liberty of recommending books to her, having previously familiarized himself with them, “his inkwell is full of ink, on the table there are letters. "
But now Olga has disappeared from his life, interest in life, vigor, activity have disappeared, and the books are gathering dust again, useless to anyone, the filled inkwell is bored idle.
Another very important and eloquent interior detail is the sofa. In the novel, descriptions of sofas are found many times (sofas in Oblomov's room, a sofa in his parents' house, a sofa at Tarantiev's), and this detail has become significant. This piece of furniture means rest, sleep, doing nothing.
By the way, for Oblomov, a sofa is a very important thing in the interior. He had two whole sofas, “upholstered with silk fabric”, but he finds the ideal of comfort in Tarantiev's house: “He, you know, is somehow right, cozy in his house. The rooms are small, the sofas are so deep: you leave with your head and not see a person.<…> The windows are completely covered with ivy and cactus. " 1 Such a situation is conducive to laziness, bliss. A light twilight and soft deep sofas, in which it is so good to hide, create a chamber, cozy atmosphere that Ilya Ilyich loves so much. After all, the house for him is like a shell, in which he hides, like a snail, from the outside world. It seems to me that the reasons for his fears and self-doubt are rooted in childhood.
If we recall the description of the living room in Oblomovka, one can understand why it was so dark, uncomfortable, dusty and neglected in Ilya Ilyich’s room: “Ilya Ilyich is still dreaming of a large dark living room in his parents' house, with old ash-tree armchairs, always covered with covers, with a huge, awkward and a hard sofa upholstered in a faded blue barkan in spots, and one large leather armchair. " 2 Oblomov got used to this from childhood, and it was just as dark in his house, he lived only in one room, and in the other two "the furniture was covered with covers" and was not used either. It seems that he has enough of what he has, so he is too lazy to settle in other rooms, even if they are cleaner, more beautiful and more comfortable. Let us recall a sofa with a broken back, stained carpets in Ilya Ilyich’s room, Ilya Ivanovich’s leather armchair with a scrap of leather on the back, for which they always either spared money or had no desire to put them in order: “Oblomovites agreed to endure all kinds inconveniences, we even got used not to consider them inconveniences than to spend money. " 3
After analyzing the interior of the house of Stolz and Olga, you notice that the objects that filled their house perfectly reflect the psychology of the owners: "All the decoration bore the stamp of the thoughts and personal taste of the owners." 4 The main thing for the owners when choosing the decoration of their home is that the thing is memorable, beloved, meaningful for them. One gets the feeling that they were not guided by fashion and secular taste: “A lover of comfort, perhaps, would have shrugged his shoulders, looking at all the external variety of furniture, dilapidated paintings, statues with broken arms and legs, sometimes bad, but expensive engravings, and trifles ". 5 The individualism and self-sufficiency of the owners of the house is immediately felt.
In all the furnishings "there was either a vigilant thought or the beauty of the human cause shone, as the eternal beauty of nature shone around." 1
As a confirmation of this, among the “ocean of books and notes” there was a “high desk, like Father Andrey had, suede gloves; an oilcloth cloak hung in the corner. " 2 "... And the oilcloth coat, which his father gave him, and the green suede gloves are all rough attributes of working life." 3 These things were so hated by Stolz's mother, and from Andrey they took an honorable place in the house. I would like to note that if Oblomov copied the life of his father, then Stolz took with him only the objects of industriousness and moved away from the “track drawn by his father”. 4
Goncharov I.A.
Composition on the work on the topic: The role of artistic detail in the novel "Oblomov"
IA Goncharov's novel Oblomov is a novel about movement and peace. The author, revealing the essence of movement and rest, used many different artistic techniques, about which a lot has been and will be said. But often, speaking about the techniques used by Goncharov in his work, they forget about the important importance of details. Nevertheless, there are many seemingly insignificant elements in the novel, and they are not assigned the last role.
Opening the first pages of the novel, the reader learns that Ilya Ilyich Oblomov lives in a large house on Gorokhovaya Street.
Gorokhovaya Street is one of the main streets of St. Petersburg; representatives of the highest aristocracy lived on it. Having learned later in what environment Oblomov lives, the reader may think that the author wanted to mislead him by emphasizing the name of the street where Oblomov lived. But this is not the case. The author wanted not to confuse the reader, but, on the contrary, to show that Oblomov could still be something other than he is on the first pages of the novel; that he has the makings of a person who could pave his way into life. Therefore, he does not live anywhere, but on Gorokhovaya Street.
Another detail that is rarely mentioned is the flowers and plants in the novel. Each flower has its own meaning, its own symbolism, and therefore the mention of them is not accidental. So, for example, Volkov, who offered Oblomov to go to Kateringof, was going to buy a bouquet of camellias, and Olga's aunt advised Olga to buy ribbons of the color of pansies. During a walk with Oblomov, Olga plucked a branch of lilac. For Olga and Oblomov, this thread was a symbol of the beginning of their relationship and at the same time heralded the end.
But until they thought about the end, they were full of hope. Olga sang Cazla ygua, which, probably, conquered Oblomov completely. He saw in her the very immaculate goddess. Indeed, these words - "the immaculate goddess" - to some extent characterize Olga in the eyes of Oblomov and Stolz. For both of them, she was truly a virgin goddess. In the opera, these words are addressed to Artemis, who is called the goddess of the moon. But the influence of the moon, moonbeams negatively affects lovers. Therefore, Olga and Oblomov are parting. What about Stolz? Does he not succumb to the influence of the moon? But here we see the union weakening.
Olga will outgrow Stolz in her spiritual development. And if for women love is worship, then it is clear that here the moon will have its pernicious effect. Olga will not be able to stay with a person whom she does not worship, whom she does not extol.
Another very significant detail is the opening of bridges on the Neva. Just when Oblomov's soul, who lived with Pshenitsyna, began to turn toward Agafya Matveyevna, her care, her paradise; when he clearly understood what his life with Olga would be like; when he got scared of this life and began to plunge into "sleep", just then the bridges were opened. The communication between Oblomov and Olga was interrupted, the thread that tied them broke, and, as you know, the thread can be tied "forcibly", but you cannot make it grow together, therefore, when the bridges were built, the connection between Olga and Oblomov was not restored. Olga married Stolz, they settled in the Crimea, in a modest house. But this house, its decoration “bore the stamp of thought and personal taste of the owners,” which is already important. The furniture in their house was not comfortable, but there were many engravings, statues, books that turned yellow from time to time, which speaks of education, high culture of the owners, for whom old books, coins, engravings are valuable, who constantly find something new in them for yourself.
Thus, in Goncharov's novel Oblomov there are many details, to interpret which means to understand the novel deeper.
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