Main character N.I. Chimsha-Himalayan story “Gooseberry” is a petty official who grew up in a village, but moved to the city. He has the brightest memories of his childhood, so buying his own estate becomes his goal in life. The presence of gooseberry bushes near his future home seems especially important to him. He makes many sacrifices, infringes on himself in small things, and marries a wealthy widow without love. As a result, he acquires an estate in a dilapidated state. He plants gooseberries to next year I eat sour berries with pleasure, without noticing that they are not tasty at all.
The story shows the degradation of one person who forgot about everything on his way to his goal. At the beginning, the dream itself looks romantic and touching: a man wants to find happiness in own home, enjoy gooseberries on the terrace. However, the methods and means that the hero uses to achieve his goal make him forget about basic humanity, conscience, and sympathy for his neighbor. For the sake of an unsightly estate, he actually kills his wife.
Is any goal worth such sacrifices? During the time that Nikolai Ivanovich spent in pursuit of his dream, he grew old, flabby, became an insensitive, unscrupulous person who did not notice the general desolation of the estate, who forgot about the death of his wife. His brother, seeing him in this state, is upset that he has turned into such a pitiful person. For the main character, his dream becomes a “cocoon”, a “case” in which he fences himself off from the whole world. In his small world The most important thing is the satisfaction of personal, egoistic needs.
The story teaches, first of all, not to forget about humanity, to evaluate your actions not only from the perspective of your own benefit. Also, do not forget that the purpose of life is not material wealth. Nikolai Ivanovich, tasting sour and hard berries, does not notice their taste. For him, what is important is the external manifestation of his achievements, and not the internal, spiritual fulfillment from the path he has taken.
Analysis 2
The amazing and unique Anton Pavlovich Chekhov is famous for his unsurpassed stories that touch to the core. The work “Gooseberry” is not deprived of deep meaning, where the writer decided to raise important problem V modern world: the problem of understanding happiness.
The thought that prompted Anton Pavlovich to write a story is an interesting incident told to the writer by one person. Chekhov was told about the official that all his life he had dreamed of a smart uniform, as soon as he acquired it, there was nothing left to wish for. And there was nowhere to go in clothes, since no one organized formal receptions. As a result, the suit sat until the gilding on it faded over time. Thus, such a story prompted the writer to create an unusual work, in which it makes the reader think about how meaningless happiness can be, especially the pursuit of it.
What is special about this work? It is a “story within a story.” Chekhov introduces us to a character who is far from the concept of the meaning of life. Nikolay Ivanovich - a common person, not requiring particularly high desires, only the only thing that interests him: gooseberries. The character looked through many newspapers about where to find a good estate for growing gooseberries. He didn’t even marry for love, because the money that Nikolai Ivanovich received for the marriage was such a decent amount that he could realize his intentions for a comfortable estate. In the garden, he longs to sprout this beautiful creation.
Such activities became the meaning of his life. The hero completely devoted himself to his favorite pastime. On the one hand, it’s wonderful: to devote yourself to an exciting business, to immerse yourself in it headlong. But on the other hand: it is very sad to realize what your hobbies lead to, because by paying attention to hobbies, moving away from people, you are abstracting yourself from the world around you. But such an approach to life does not lead to anything positive, because, like a hero, leaving your thoughts for your low goal, after achieving it you no longer strive for something worthwhile.
Nikolai Ivanovich, considering that the gooseberry was his main achievement, was so happy and glad for this that he did not set any further goals. Very tragic... It’s the same in our lives: we often have false ideas about happiness, about the true meaning of life. And this needs to be corrected by reading Chekhov’s stories and analyzing them!
Thus, Chekhov showed the degradation of the character to the readers. It was clear how in the process of achieving the intended goal, Nikolai Ivanovich’s soul hardened. He was so indifferent to the life around him that he lived alone, withdrawn, spending his time uselessly. Looking at the spiritual fall of the hero, it is worth doing correct conclusions! Happiness should be sublime! No one should be complacent!
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Hello, Anton. Half a year has passed since you moved to another city. A lot has changed in the class since you left.
The works of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov are a panoramic picture of human morals, vices and virtues, shortcomings and virtues.
The prose writer was prolific in Balzac style, trying to discern and describe all the smallest features on the skin of human nature. Only, unlike his French predecessor, Chekhov put his observations into a short story.
Over the course of 25 years, the author created about 9 hundred works, including larger plays and stories. The story “Gooseberry” is of particular research interest. It is part of the so-called “Little Trilogy”, the leitmotif of which is the theme of “life in a case”, or simply “caseness”.
The Big Idea of the Little Trilogy
In 1998, in the eighth issue of the magazine “Russian Thought”, two short stories by Chekhov “Gooseberry” and “About Love” appeared. They were preceded by “The Man in a Case,” published on the pages of the same “Russian Thought.”
The works were perceived holistically even without a deep dive into the meaning, if only because they had adjacent characters. These are three friends - veterinarian Ivan Ivanovich Chimsha-Gimalaysky, teacher Burkin and landowner Alekhine. From story to story, each character acts as a narrator. Thus, Burkin talks about the amazing fate of the teacher Belikov from his hometown (“Man in a Case”), Chimsha-Himalayan tells about his brother-landowner (“Gooseberry”), Alekhine is nostalgic about romantic story which happened to him (“About Love”).
In fact, Anton Pavlovich did not write any trilogy. The works were combined into a cycle and called the “Little Trilogy” by researchers of his work. Then, in the 90s, Chekhov’s plan was much larger.
He wanted to create a novel in stories united by common themes and characters. There was even a technical title ready: “Stories from the Life of My Friends.” However, the large-scale work did not come out. First, illness prevented me from working, then my enthusiasm disappeared. The writing was fast and tasteless, Chekhov himself recalls, “as if in the sixth week of fasting.”
From the great plan the reader is left with only three short stories, which, however, were included in the number best works Russian classic and became programmatic. It must be said that they are united by something more than adjacent characters. All three stories are connected by a common philosophy of “case life.”
The story of an official who dreamed of becoming a master
The birth of the idea for “Gooseberry” was inspired by the story of the famous lawyer, Chekhov’s friend, Anatoly Fedorovich Koni. He once told a story about a St. Petersburg official who for a long time I was saving money for a very expensive ceremonial uniform, embroidered with gold. Finally, the uniform was sewn, but there was no proper opportunity to wear it.
The item languished in the closet all winter, and the gold embroidery was tarnished by mothballs. The uniform has lost its original luster. Six months later, his owner died and, by the evil mockery of fate, he was buried in the very uniform that he had saved for so long and which he had not worn during his lifetime.
Chekhov was very touched by this story, and now he is already making the first rough sketches. In them, a St. Petersburg official turns into an employee of the state chamber, who saves all his life for an estate with a pond and gooseberry bushes.
The narrator is veterinarian Ivan Ivanovich Chimsha-Himalayan. Returning from a hunt with his friend, teacher Burkin, he gets caught in the rain. The friends decide to wait out the bad weather at Alekhine's estate, which is located nearby. After bathing and making themselves comfortable in the living room, the men begin to have a leisurely conversation. This is where Ivan Ivanovich talks about his brother Nikolai Ivanovich, who in his declining years became a landowner.
The Chimsha-Himalayan brothers spent their childhood on a noble estate. However, after the death of his father, the estate was taken away for debts. I had to forget about the measured lordly life. Ivan Ivanovich trained to be a doctor, Nikolai Ivanovich became an employee of the state chamber. Despite this, brother Nikolai did not give up his dream of acquiring his own estate with a pond in which ducks would swim and a garden planted with gooseberry bushes.
The dream took such hold of Nikolai Ivanovich that he lived from hand to mouth, walked around in cast-offs, denied himself all the joys of life and saved, saved, saved. He married late and only for the reason that his chosen one (a completely ugly aging widow) had some capital.
Nikolai Ivanovich puts this money in the bank and continues to lead an ascetic lifestyle. Over the course of several years, he starved his wife to death and suffered constant deprivation. The death of Nikolai Ivanovich’s wife doesn’t particularly affect him, because he has great joy - he has finally saved enough money for an estate! Kimcha-Himalayevsky buys land with a house in the Chumboroklova Wasteland and proudly adds “Himalayan identity” to the name.
A few years later, Ivan Ivanovich visits his brother. The “Himalayan identity” makes a depressing impression on him: instead of a clean pond there is a yellow river, there is smog all around due to factories operating nearby, there are pits, ditches, fences, and some awkwardly planted fir trees everywhere.
In the yard he is met by a fat, lazy dog and an unkempt cook, covered in fat. Ivan Ivanovich doesn’t recognize his brother at first. From a modest official he turned into a typical gentleman. Fat, lazy, self-satisfied, he spends his days occupied with litigation with the above-mentioned factories, walking around his possessions and blissful idleness.
Finally, the first gooseberry harvest is brought to the table. The berries are sour and tasteless, but Nikolai Ivanovich does not notice this. He is happy, his dream has come true. And even at night he gets out of bed to eat a berry or two of his beloved, long-awaited gooseberry.
The “case” life of Nikolai Ivanovich
The story of Nikolai Ivanovich Chimshi-Himalayan is an example of the so-called “case” way of life. This is life, constrained by rules, norms, conventions, not accepting anything new, moldy, mothballed. Development and progress are contrasted with stagnation and regression.
Each has its own case. For most of his life, Nikolai Ivanovich was shackled by his own dream. He toiled away at monotonous, uninteresting work, suffered material deprivation, and married without love. All in order to buy an estate in the future.
In fact, his dream was not vile. Nikolai Ivanovich did not crave untold riches, did not dream of being the ruler of the world - only a house, land, a pond, a quiet landowner's life, which, by an absurd whim of fate, was taken away from him in his youth. Oh yes! There are also gooseberry bushes - such a little whim, which goes in addition to the idyllic picture drawn by young Nikolai Ivanovich.
Chekhov condemns not the very dream of the Chimshi-Himalayan official, but the petty, disgusting path to the ideal. As a result, nothing worthwhile could simply come out. And therefore, having become a master, Nikolai Ivanovich puts on a new case. He locks himself in his ugly estate and begins to lead a meaningless existence.
The new landowner does not improve the surrounding area in any way, he only creates blank fences from the outside world. He is not interested in agricultural innovation, the well-being and education of peasants. The master's interaction with the locals boils down to beatings for offenses and small alcoholic gifts on holidays. And even the gooseberries grow tasteless as a symbol of the fact that Nikolai Ivanovich’s life’s work turned out to be useless.
The worst thing is that the “case people” have closed themselves so tightly in their shelters that they cannot objectively assess reality. And Nikolai Ivanovich is happy, completely and blindly.
In the next article we will look at one of the most famous works of A.P. Chekhov's "Death of an Official". This is a short but very deep story.
We invite you to read Chekhov’s short humorous story “Burbot”, in which the author described the habits of this fish, and also made fun of people who always know what to do and convince others of this.
Author's word
The early Chekhov told his stories as if joking. He always stood aloof from his heroes, giving the reader complete freedom for analysis and conclusions. Late prose is bitter irony. The problems of the works acutely affect the writer; he can no longer be an outside observer. However, the author expresses his point of view very delicately, without resorting to deliberate edification.
In “Gooseberry”, Ivan Ivanovich Chimsha-Himalayevsky, the brother of the landowner from the Chumboroclava Wasteland, spoke through the author’s lips. He condemns his brother’s way of life, considers it disastrous not only for a particular person, but for the entire nation.
Selfishness as a vice
Human life cannot be reduced to three arshins of land, one’s own selfish happiness. You cannot exist in your own cozy case, you need to expand your horizons, think about the future. Determination is good, but the goal must be worthwhile.
Ivan Ivanovich’s emotional speech, alas, did not make an impression on those listening. Burkin, far from such a way of thinking, got ready to sleep. Alekhine listened with half an ear, since they were not talking about hay, cereals or tar. And Ivan Ivanovich himself sadly adds that change is the work of the young, and he is too old. Before going to bed, the veterinarian can only pray about the fate of “us sinners.”
This ending is not accidental. Chekhov realizes with bitterness that Russia is still very far from cardinal changes; it is teeming with people in cases of various types. By the end of the story, the rain still does not subside; it continues to knock on the windows all night. But someday, according to the unspoken law of nature, the sun will certainly come out.
Chekhov “Gooseberry”
4.4 (88%) 5 votes", "Gooseberry", "About Love". The story tells about a man who subordinated his entire life to a material idea - the desire to have an estate with gooseberry bushes.
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Friends, if you don’t have the opportunity to read Anton Chekhov’s story “Gooseberry,” watch this video. This is a story about a man who wanted to have an estate with gooseberry bushes. Chekhov wrote the story in 1898. Events take place during the same period. So... From the very morning the sky was covered with rain clouds. The veterinarian Ivan Ivanovich and the gymnasium teacher Burkin walked across the field. Burkin says that Ivan Ivanovich wanted to tell him some story. - Exactly. About your younger brother. And just as he wanted to begin his story, it started to rain. We decided to go to a friend of the landowner Alyokhin, who lived nearby. When they arrived at his estate, they were already wet and dirty. Alyokhin himself, a man of about forty, worked in one of the barns. - Ah, guys! Come into the house. “I’ll be there now,” he invited them. When the owner entered the house, he suggested that the guys first go to the bathhouse to wash. When we had washed, we sat down to drink tea. And then Ivan Ivanovich began his story. (Further from the first person). - We were two brothers: me and Nikolai. He is two years younger. I went into science and became a veterinarian, and Nikolai worked in government agencies from the age of 19. After my father's death, our estate was taken away for debts. But we still remembered our childhood. It took place in the wild - in the village: in fields, forests. That’s why my brother was bored in his sedentary position. Years passed, and he was doing the same thing - writing papers. And all the time I thought about the village. He began to dream of a small estate on the shore of a lake or river. In general, I wanted to buy it. I didn't understand him. I thought that it was not worth locking yourself in the estate. My brother dreamed of eating in nature, sleeping in the sun, looking at the field and forest. He constantly looked through newspapers with advertisements for the sale of estates. And he definitely wanted gooseberries to grow. Nikolai saved money. He was malnourished and wore rags, but he took the money to the bank. The years passed. My brother was transferred to another province. He is already 40 years old. And he kept reading the advertisements and saving money. And then suddenly he got married. On an old ugly widow. Because of the great love for her money. He kept his wife from hand to mouth, and put her money in the bank in his name. The wife began to wither away from such a life and died three years later, to the joy of Nikolai. After her death, her brother began to look at the estate. And finally I bought it. By the river, just like I wanted. I bought 20 gooseberry bushes and planted them. He lived as a landowner. Last year I went to visit him. And he got older and became fat. He showed me his estate. He was no longer a petty timid official, but a real landowner, a gentleman. Already called himself a nobleman. I probably forgot that our grandfather was a man, and our father a soldier. And of course we were served gooseberries for tea. I saw that my brother was happy when he ate it. He achieved what he had strived for all his life. And at night I lay in bed and thought how many unhappy people live on earth. And you never know when misfortune might suddenly come knocking on your door. Ivan Ivanovich approached Alekhine and asked him to continue doing good to people. “The meaning of life is to do good,” he said. This story did not satisfy either Burkin or Alekhine. The owner wanted to sleep, because he was very tired during the day. But he continued to sit with the boys. Finally, Burkin wanted to sleep. The guys went to their rooms. It continued to rain outside the window. This is the story, friends!
History of creation
The story “Gooseberry” was first published in the August 1898 issue of the magazine “Russian Thought”. The stories “Gooseberry” and “About Love,” which continued the “little trilogy” begun by the story “The Man in a Case,” were created by Chekhov in Melikhovo in July 1898.
“Gooseberry” was highly praised by some critics; Nemirovich-Danchenko thought that it contained very good ideas.
Characters
- Ivan Ivanovich Chimsha-Himalayan- the main character of the work, the narrator
- Nikolay Ivanovich- younger brother of Ivan Ivanovich. Nikolai worked in the government chamber.
- Alyokhin- a poor landowner whom Ivan Ivanovich drops in on
- Burkina- friend and interlocutor of Ivan Ivanovich.
Plot
Ivan Ivanovich and Burkin walk through a field near the village of Mironositskoye and decide to visit their friend, landowner Pavel Konstantinych Alyokhin, whose estate is located nearby in the village of Sofiino. Alyokhin, “a man of about forty, tall, plump with long hair, looking more like a professor or an artist than a landowner,” greets guests on the threshold of a barn in which a winnowing machine makes noise. His clothes are dirty, and his face is black with dust. He welcomes the guests and invites them to go to the bathhouse. After washing and changing clothes, Ivan Ivanovich, Burkin and Alyohin go to the house, where over a cup of tea with jam, Ivan Ivanovich tells the story of his brother Nikolai Ivanovich.
The brothers spent their childhood in freedom, on the estate of their father, who served an officer's rank and left the children hereditary nobility. After the death of their father, their estate was seized for debts. From the age of nineteen, Nikolai sat in the government chamber and dreamed of buying himself a small estate and simply could not think of anything else. He kept imagining his future estate, where gooseberries would certainly grow. Nikolai saved money, was malnourished, and married an ugly but rich widow without love. He kept his wife from hand to mouth, and put her money in the bank in his name. The wife could not bear such a life and died, and Nikolai bought himself an estate, ordered twenty gooseberry bushes, planted them and began to live as a landowner. When Ivan Ivanovich came to visit his brother, he was unpleasantly surprised by how he had become depressed, aged and flabby. He became a real master, ate a lot, and sued neighboring factories. Nikolai treated his brother to gooseberries, and it was clear from him that he was satisfied with his fate and with himself.
Seeing this happy person Ivan Ivanovich “was overcome by a feeling close to despair.” The whole night he spent in the estate, he thought about how many people in the world suffer, go crazy, drink, how many children die from malnutrition. And how many other people live “happily”, “eat during the day, sleep at night, talk their nonsense, get married, grow old, complacently drag their dead to the cemetery.” He thought that behind the door of every happy person there should be “someone with a hammer” and remind him with a knock that there are unfortunate people, that sooner or later trouble will befall him, and “no one will see or hear him, just as he is not now.” sees and does not hear others.” Ivan Ivanovich, finishing his story, says that there is no happiness, and if there is meaning in life, then it is not in happiness, but in “doing good.”
Neither Burkin nor Alyohin are satisfied with Ivan Ivanovich's story. Alekhine does not delve into whether his words are fair. It was not about cereals, not about hay, but about something that was not directly related to his life. But he is happy and wants the guests to continue the conversation. However, it is late, the host and guests go to bed.
Story by A.P. Chekhov’s “Gooseberry” is part of the writer’s so-called “little trilogy” (in addition to this work, this includes the stories “About Love” and “The Man in a Case”).
These stories are united by common characters - the veterinarian Ivan Ivanovich Chimsha-Gimalaysky, the gymnasium teacher Burkin and the small landowner Alekhine meet and tell each other life stories. These stories are united by a common theme. In the very in a general sense it can be described as the relationship between a person and life: what a person does to be happy, why he is afraid of life, what role he plays in improving general system life, etc. The writer's conclusion is disappointing - he observes the vulgarization of man, his transformation into a tradesman and philistine in the worst sense of the word.
This, in particular, is what the story “Gooseberry” tells about. Veterinarian Ivan Ivanovich tells a seemingly simple story about his brother. Nikolai Ivanovich had a dream in life - he wanted to buy a house in a village with small area land, become a landowner and live for his own pleasure: “... he will eat his own cabbage soup, from which such a delicious smell emanates throughout the yard, eat on the green grass, sleep in the sun, sit for hours on end on a bench outside the gate and look at the field and forest".
There was one small detail in the hero’s dreams - he dreamed of gooseberries with own plot. This berry became for him a symbol of his quiet, solitary happiness, his life goal, the meaning of life.
We immediately see the negative attitude towards such a dream of the narrator Ivan Ivanovich. Behind his words we guess the thoughts of Chekhov himself: “And they also say now that if our intelligentsia has an affinity for the land and strives for estates, then this is good. But... leaving the city, from the struggle, from the noise of everyday life, leaving and hiding in your estate - this is not life, this is selfishness, laziness ... "
Therefore, it seems to me that it was no coincidence that the writer chose gooseberries - this sour, unsightly looking and tasting berry - to personify the hero’s dream. Gooseberry emphasizes Chekhov’s attitude to Nikolai Ivanovich’s dream and, more broadly, to the tendency of thinking people to escape from life, to hide from it.
Such a “case” existence, the writer shows, leads, firstly, to personality degradation. Let's remember how Nikolai Ivanovich changed when he realized his dream. This change affected him physical fitness- the newly-minted landowner gained weight, began to lead a sedentary lifestyle, and became ugly: “he grew old, plump, flabby; cheeks, nose and lips stretch forward, and just like that, he’ll grunt into the blanket.”
His inner essence also deteriorated. Although, most likely, everything that could not be revealed in the “office” life of the hero simply came out. Nikolai Ivanovich became self-confident, somewhat arrogant, having his own point of view on everything and trying to express it at all costs.
In addition, this hero began to “take care” of his soul. The author writes with irony: “And he took care of his soul solidly, like a lord, and did good deeds not simply, but with importance. And what good deeds? He treated the peasants for all diseases with soda and castor oil, and on his name day he served a thanksgiving prayer service among the village, and then he put half a bucket, I thought it was necessary.”
That's it, the “exploits” of the hero ended there. He was completely satisfied with his life. You can be sure that he will live like this until old age and die in complete contentment with himself.
Ivan Ivanovich and, together with him, Chekhov himself protest against such an attitude to life, against such a spiritual, moral “swimming with fat.” How can you be satisfied with your existence when life around you is full of grief and injustice: “Look at this life: the arrogance and idleness of the strong, the ignorance and bestiality of the weak, impossible poverty all around, overcrowding, degeneration, drunkenness, hypocrisy, lies...”? But around “everything is quiet, calm, and only silent statistics protest: so many people have gone crazy, so many buckets have been drunk, so many children have died from malnutrition...”
It is important that Nikolai Ivanovich received his estate when he was closer to fifty years old. What did he spend his money on? best years, when it was possible to “jump over the ditch or build a bridge over it”, and not stand and wait “for it to be covered with silt”? At first, the Chimsha-Himalayan Sydney sat in his office, closing himself off from everything with the dream of an estate. He read only “gardening” literature and advertisements in newspapers about the sale of estates, and spent time making plans and drawing drawings. Everything else didn't interest him. The hero even got married only at the age of forty just for the sake of money. Instead of at least enjoying life with a loved one, the Chimsha-Himalayan existed next to an unloved creature, practically starving her in order to save money and obtain the coveted “three acres of land.”
In the end, the hero achieved his goal, but what is the value of his life? “Is there any meaning at all in such a petty, insignificant existence?” - asks the author.
In this regard, the conflict in the story “Gooseberry” can be described as a contrast between the capabilities of the Russian intellectual and his real life, between human potential and his real earthly existence, between real life and a fictitious, case-like existence.
The work of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov is largely devoted to “case” life and little people, and many of him short stories and the stories expose society and people in vulgarity, soullessness and philistinism.
Such stories include “Gooseberry,” written by in 1898. It is important to note the time at which this work was written - it was the period of the reign of Nicholas II, who was a follower of his father’s policies and did not want to introduce the liberal reforms necessary at that time.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov's story "Gooseberry" was first published in the magazine "Russian Thought" in 1898.
Together with the story “About Love” he continued "little trilogy", which includes the story “The Man in the Case”.
The basis of the work was a story about a St. Petersburg official, told to the author in different versions by the famous lawyer Anatoly Koni or Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. This official dreamed of an embroidered gold uniform for a long time, and when it was finally delivered, he could not put on the outfit, since there were no formal receptions in the near future. Over time, the gilding on the uniform faded, and six months later the official died. In the story "Gooseberry" Chekhov introduces readers to similar story, but the plot of the work is different.
"Gooseberry" written in story genre and is considered one of the best works of classical prose of the late 19th century. The small volume of the work is not a drawback at all, since almost every line of the story hides considerable semantic richness.
The theme of the need to realize your dreams takes on special shape in “Gooseberry,” and in the image of the main character, Chekhov shows that achieving a goal should not be associated with means that are destructive for other people.
Plot The story is based on the story told by Ivan Ivanovich about his brother Nikolai, who did everything possible and impossible in order to realize his old dream - to buy an estate with gooseberry bushes. To do this, he saved money all his life and even undernourished in order to save as much as possible. Then he married a rich widow and continued to starve her until she gave her soul to God. And Nikolai Ivanovich invested the money in the bank in his name during his wife’s lifetime. Finally, the dream came true and the estate was acquired. But by what means?
To the main character In the story, Nikolai Ivanovich is characterized by such traits as greed and pride, because for the sake of the idea of becoming a rich landowner, he refuses both family happiness and his circle of friends.
Nikolai's brother Ivan Ivanovich tells this story to his friend, the landowner, whom he and his friend come to visit. True, this story should be an edification to all the rich.
The story "Gooseberry" was written under the influence realism in literature and is an example of the use of realistic components, plots and details.
Chekhov has minimalism in style. The author used language sparingly, and even in small amounts of text he managed to invest special meaning, thanks to good expressive means. Chekhov wrote in such a way that the whole life of the characters immediately became clear to the reader.
The composition of the work is based on good reception"a story within a story"”, which is conducted on behalf of one of the heroes.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov in the story “Gooseberry” made emphasis on the need to “do good”. The author believes that everyone successful person there should be a “man with a hammer” behind the door, who would constantly remind him of the need to do good deeds - to help widows, orphans, and the disadvantaged. After all, sooner or later, even the richest person can get into trouble.
The hero's responsibility for choosing a life philosophy
The protagonist's brother is amazed at his spiritual limitations, he is horrified by his brother's satiety and idleness, and his very dream and its fulfillment seem to him to be the highest degree of selfishness and laziness.
After all, during his life on the estate, Nikolai Ivanovich ages and becomes dull, he is proud of the fact that he belongs to the noble class, not realizing that this class is already dying out and is being replaced by a freer and fairer form of life, the foundations of society are gradually changing.
But most of all, the narrator himself is struck by the moment when the Chimsha-Himalayan is served his first gooseberry, and he suddenly forgets about the importance of the nobility and the fashionable things of that time.
In the sweetness of the gooseberries he himself planted, Nikolai Ivanovich finds the illusion of happiness, he comes up with a reason for himself to rejoice and admire, and this amazes his brother.
Ivan Ivanovich thinks about how most people prefer to deceive themselves in order to assure themselves of their own happiness. Moreover, he criticizes himself, finding in himself such disadvantages as complacency and a desire to teach others about life.
The crisis of personality and society in the story
Ivan Ivanovich is thinking about the moral crisis of society and the individual as a whole; he is concerned about the moral state in which modern society finds itself.
And with his words Chekhov himself addresses us, he tells how the trap that people create for themselves torments him and asks him to do only good in the future and try to correct evil.
Ivan Ivanovich addresses his listener - the young landowner Alekhov, and Anton Pavlovich addresses all people with this story and the last words of his hero.
Chekhov tried to show that in fact the purpose of life is not at all an idle and deceptive feeling of happiness. With this short but subtly played out story, he asks people not to forget to do good, and not for the sake of illusory happiness, but for the sake of life itself.
It can hardly be said that the author answers the question about the meaning human life- no, most likely, he is trying to convey to people that they themselves need to answer this life-affirming question - each for himself.
Retelling
The story begins with poetic description of nature, morning rain. At the same time, the voices of the narrators and the author merge in love for their native endless expanses: “And they both knew that this was the river bank, there were meadows, green willows, estates, and if you stood on one of the hills, then from there you could see the same huge field, a telegraph and the train, which from a distance looks like a crawling caterpillar, and in clear weather From there you can even see the city. Now, in calm weather, when all nature seemed meek and thoughtful, Ivan Ivanovich and Burkin were imbued with love for this field, and both thought about how great and how beautiful this country is.”
It is no coincidence that such a significant place is given to the landscape in the story. The earth is wide and amazing, but man, with his petty goals and empty existence, does not correspond to its greatness. What unfolds before us is the “ordinary” story of the spiritual impoverishment of man. From the age of nineteen, Nikolai Ivanovich Chimsha-Himalayan worked as a small official, copying papers. Both brothers grew up outside, in the village. The youngest of them was distinguished by a “meek, kind” disposition. Maybe that's why he missed the open spaces so much. Gradually his melancholy grew into a mania for buying a small estate on the banks of a river or lake. He dreamed that he would eat cabbage soup fresh air, sitting by the fence for hours and looking at the field. Only in these petty-bourgeois, insignificant dreams did he find his only consolation.
The hero really wanted to plant gooseberries on his estate. He made this goal the meaning of his whole life. He didn’t eat enough, didn’t get enough sleep, dressed like a beggar. He saved and put money in the bank. It became a habit for Nikolai Ivanovich to read daily newspaper advertisements about the sale of the estate. At the cost of unheard of sacrifices and deals with conscience, he married an old, ugly widow who had money. In fact, the hero brought her to the grave by starving her to death.
The inheritance allowed Chimshe-Himalayan to buy the long-awaited estate with gooseberries. Nikolai Ivanovich did not even think about the fact that he was guilty of the death of a person. “Money, like vodka, makes a person an eccentric,” says Ivan Ivanovich. In this regard, he remembered two terrible, tragic incidents. In the city there lived a merchant who ate all his money with honey, winning tickets so that no one gets them. The horse dealer at the station is only concerned that there are twenty-five rubles left in the boot of his severed foot.
These isolated cases indicate a person's loss of self-worth. People's lives have lost their meaning. Selfish interests, money, greed come to the fore. This terrible disease struck Nikolai Ivanovich’s soul and turned it to stone. He acquired property for himself, but it turned out to be not what he had imagined in his dreams. There was no orchard, gooseberries, or pond with ducks. On both sides of his land there were two factories, “brick and bone-steel.” But Nikolai Ivanovich did not pay attention to the dirty environment. He planted twenty gooseberry bushes and began to live as a landowner.
The hero solemnly named his acquisition in his honor - “Himalayan identity”. This estate made an unpleasant impression on the narrator. There are ditches and fences everywhere. It was impossible to get through.
Chekhov uses precise everyday and psychological details. Ivan Ivanovich was greeted by a “red dog that looked like a pig.” She was too lazy to even bark. A bare-legged “fat, bare-legged cook, also like a pig,” came out of the kitchen. Finally, the master himself “has grown fat, flabby, and is about to grunt into the blanket.”
The main character is depicted grotesquely. He no longer resembles a human being. Brother talks about his life. On name day, he served a prayer service in the village, then gave the peasants half a bucket of vodka. This is where his good deeds ended. “Oh, these terrible half-buckets!” exclaims the narrator Ivan Ivanovich. “Today the fat landowner drags the peasants to the grass, and tomorrow, on a solemn day, he gives them half a bucket, and they drink and shout hurray, and the drunks bow at his feet.”
If earlier his brother did not dare to express his opinion, now he throws words left and right, talks about corporal punishment, education. The author is right: “A change in life for the better, satiety, and idleness develop in a Russian person conceit, the most arrogant.”
The Chimsha-Himalayan began to consider himself a native nobleman and boasted about it. To top off all this greatness-insignificance, he gives you a taste of the gooseberries he grew. With the “triumph of a child,” the hero greedily ate the berries and repeated: “How delicious!” But in fact, this gooseberry was viscous and sour. It turns out that A.S. Pushkin is right: “the darkness of truths is dearer to us than deception that elevates us.” The narrator comes to this conclusion. But this incident is important to him not just as a moment in his life, an interesting story. This is a measure of the hero's understanding of reality.
After meeting his brother, Ivan Ivanovich changes his attitude towards life and makes deep generalizations: “How, in essence, there are many happy people! What an overwhelming force this is!” What’s scary is not the desire to acquire one’s own estate, but the complacency and isolation in this estate. While his brother is enjoying his immeasurable happiness, there is “impossible poverty, darkness, degeneration, drunkenness, hypocrisy, lies all around... Meanwhile, in all the houses and on the streets there is silence, calm; out of the fifty thousand living in the city, not a single one would cry out or be loudly indignant.”
People are accustomed to complete lack of rights and indifference: “We do not see or hear those who suffer, and what is terrible in life happens somewhere behind the scenes.” According to Chekhov, one person cannot be happy alone among common troubles and suffering, on three arshins of land: “A person needs not three arshins of land, not an estate, but the whole globe, all of nature, where in the open space he could manifest all the properties and the characteristics of your free spirit."
“You can’t live like that!”- to this important outcome Ivan Ivanovich arrives. This idea is supported by the author. He tells the story of his brother, hoping to convince listeners that “silence” is dangerous. A thinking person is unworthy of tranquility, satisfaction with selfish happiness, non-interference in the course of public life. Ivan Ivanovich strives to arouse anxiety and a thirst for justice in his listeners. “How long can you look at the huge moat?” - Ivan Ivanovich asks the listeners. It's time to change your life, think not only about the immediate, but also about the future.
The author surrounds the hero's story various descriptions wide open space and boring, uncomfortable everyday life, a description of a comfortable hotel in Alekhine’s estate. From these contrasts threads stretch to the disharmony of the whole modern life, man’s attraction to beauty and his narrow idea of freedom and happiness: “Don’t calm down, don’t let yourself be lulled to sleep!.. Do good.” These words could be made the main motto of any worthy person.