In the touching story “Olesya” by Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin, the main characters are Ivan Timofeevich and Olesya. Minor characters - Yarmola, Manuilikha, Evpsikhy Afrikanovich and others, less significant. This mystical story O pure love and cruel human ignorance, capable of destroying a bright feeling.
Olesya
A young girl, about twenty-four, stately, tall and beautiful. She was raised by her grandmother and grew up in the forest. But, despite the fact that she is not taught to read and write, she does not know how to write and read - she has the natural wisdom of centuries, deep knowledge human nature and curiosity. She calls herself a witch, has supernatural powers and predicts by the person’s face his imminent death.
Olesya realizes her destiny and is ashamed of it. She does not go to church in the belief that all her powers are from the unclean. She bizarrely combines modesty and timidity with independence and self-sufficiency. But behind the witch’s bravado, you can guess a gentle, dreamy girl who is afraid of people and, at the same time, dreams of love.
Ivan Timofeevich
An aspiring writer, in search of inspiration, came from the city to the village on official business. He is young, educated and smart. In the village he has fun hunting and getting to know local residents, who soon bored him with their serf ways. Panych is from a good family, but, despite his origins, he behaves simply and without pathos. Ivan is a kind and sympathetic young man, noble and soft-spoken.
Getting lost in the forest, he meets Olesya, which greatly enlivens his dull stay in the village of Perebrod. A man of a dreamy nature, he quickly becomes attached and then falls in love with a girl who predicted a joyless and dull life for him. He is honest and sincere, loves and has the courage to confess his feelings to Olesya. But with all his love, it is difficult for him to accept his beloved for who she is.
How can I tell you, Olesya? - I began hesitantly. - Well, yes, perhaps I would be pleased. I’ve told you many times that a man can not believe, doubt, and finally even laugh. But a woman... a woman should be pious without reasoning. In the simple and tender trust with which she places herself under the protection of God, I always feel something touching, feminine and beautiful.
Manuilikha
Olesya's grandmother, angry with people elderly woman, who is forced to live and raise her granddaughter in the forest. Manuilikha has the same abilities as her granddaughter, for which she paid quiet life. Rude, unrestrained in language, but sincerely loving and protecting her granddaughter.
Grandmother is old, strict and grumpy. He doesn’t trust people, he’s always waiting for a trick and he curses his difficult fate. When she sees that Olesya has seriously fallen in love, she tries with all her might to prevent the union, foreseeing how it will all end. But at the end of the story she still shows her soft, suffering nature.
Yarmola
A narrow-minded, uneducated simple man, Ivan's servant. Yarmola is reputed to be the laziest drinker in the village. But at the same time, he is an excellent hunter who knows the area and has deep knowledge of nature, the forest and its inhabitants.
He becomes very attached to Ivan, although he is taciturn and gloomy. Yarmola insists on spelling lessons with the gentleman, which shows his contradictory nature. On the one hand, he is a lazy person and a drunkard, on the other, he is an experienced and inquisitive person.
Evpsikhy Afrikanovich
Local police officer, guardian of order and the threat of the entire Polesie. A typical "boss", impudent and important. Not averse to bribes, but cowardly man. He insists on evicting Manuilikha and her granddaughter from their house, but when Ivan tries to convince him to wait, he agrees only through expensive gifts.
Bloated with realization self-importance, a rude and arrogant nobleman. And, at the same time, a caring husband. Which clearly shows the gap in his consciousness between him, and people like him, and commoners.
The story "Olesya" (Kuprin) is based on the author's autobiographical memories of 1897, when he lived in Polesie. At that time, disillusioned with his reporting career, Kuprin left Kyiv. Here he was involved in managing the estate located in the Rivne district, and became interested in Church Slavonic language. However, Kuprin's greatest passion was hunting. Among the vast swamps and forests, he spent whole days with peasant hunters.
The impressions received from meetings and conversations, local legends and “tales” provided rich food for the writer’s mind and heart, suggested the specifics and form of his early stories - a description of “local” history,
Love in the works of Kuprin
Alexander Ivanovich was always interested in the topic of love, believing that it contained the most exciting mystery of man. He believed that individuality is expressed not in colors, not in voice, not in creativity, not in gait, but precisely in love.
“He and she in Kuprin’s story “Olesya” is the most important theme of the work. Love as the highest measure of a person’s personality, ennobling and elevating him above life’s circumstances, was revealed with great skill in this story. In it, Alexander Ivanovich poetizes the nobility of the soul, the ability to enjoy the beauty and harmony of nature. The landscapes of Polesie lovingly and generously described in the story give a major, bright tone to the story about the fate of Ivan Timofeevich and Olesya - the main characters.
Image of Olesya
The content of Kuprin's story "Olesya" is based on the story of a young girl's bright feelings for an aspiring writer. From the very first phrase about “hungry finches,” the heroine wins over readers. She amazed Ivan Timofeevich with her original beauty. The girl was a brunette, about twenty to twenty-five years old, tall and slender. Pure curiosity brought Ivan Timofeevich together with her and her grandmother Manuilikha. The village treated these two women unkindly, sending them away to live because Manuilikha was considered a witch. The main character, accustomed to being wary of people, did not immediately open up to the writer. Her fate is determined by exclusivity and loneliness.
The narration is told on behalf of Ivan Timofeevich, a city intellectual. All other characters (uncommunicative peasants, Yarmola, the narrator himself, Manuilikha) are connected with the environment, constrained by its laws and way of life, and therefore are very far from harmony. And only Olesya, brought up by nature itself, its mighty strength, managed to preserve her innate talents. The author idealizes her image, but Olesya’s feelings, behavior, and thoughts are embodied real abilities, therefore the story is psychologically truthful. For the first time in Alexander Ivanovich’s character, Olesya’s selflessness and pride, sophistication of feelings and effectiveness of actions merged together. Her gifted soul amazes with the flight of feelings, devotion to her lover, attitude towards nature and people.
Did Ivan Timofeevich love Olesya?
The heroine fell in love with the writer, a “kind, but only weak” person. Her fate was sealed. Superstitious and suspicious Olesya believes what the cards told her. She knew in advance how the relationship between them would end. Mutual love it didn't work out. Ivan Timofeevich experienced only an attraction to Olesya, which he mistakenly took for love. This interest arose due to originality and spontaneity main character. The opinion of society meant a lot to the weak-willed hero. He could not imagine life outside of it.
He and she in Kuprin's story "Olesya"
Oles embodied the image of Mother Nature. She treats finches, hares, starlings with care and love, takes pity on her grandmother, the thief Trofim, forgives even the brutal crowd that beat her. Olesya is a serious, deep, integral person. There is a lot of spontaneity and sincerity in her. Kuprin's hero, under the influence of this forest girl, experiences, albeit temporarily, a special enlightened state of soul. Kuprin (the story "Olesya") analyzes the characters' characters by contrast, based on contrast. This is very different people belonging to different strata of society: the hero is a writer, educated person, who came to Polesie to “observe morals.” Olesya is an illiterate girl who grew up in the forest. She was aware of all the shortcomings of Ivan Timofeevich and understood that their love would not be happy, but, despite this, she loved the hero with all her soul. For his sake, she went to church, which was a difficult test for the girl, since she had to overcome fear not only of the villagers, but also of God. Ivan Timofeevich, despite the fact that he loved Olesya (as it seemed to him), was at the same time afraid of his feelings. This fear ultimately prevented Ivan Timofeevich from marrying her. As can be seen from the comparison of the images of the two heroes, he and she in Kuprin’s story “Olesya” are completely different people.
Dream of a wonderful person
The story "Olesya" (Kuprin) is the embodiment of the dream of wonderful person, healthy and free life in harmony with nature. It is no coincidence that the development of love took place against its background. The main idea of the work: only far from an indifferent city, from civilization, can you meet a person who has retained the ability to love faithfully, unselfishly. Only in harmony with nature can we achieve nobility and moral purity.
The true meaning of love
He and she in Kuprin's story "Olesya" are completely different people, so they are not destined to be together. What is the meaning of this love, for the sake of which Olesya, knowing that their relationship was doomed, still did not push the hero away from the very beginning?
True meaning Alexander Ivanovich sees love in the desire to give the beloved the fullness of feelings. Man is imperfect, but great power this feeling can, at least temporarily, return to him the naturalness and sharpness of sensations that people like Olesya managed to preserve. This heroine is able to bring harmony to such contradictory relationships as those described by Kuprin (the story "Olesya"). Analysis of this work allows us to conclude that her love is contempt for human suffering and even death. It is a pity that only a select few are capable of such a feeling. Love in Kuprin's story "Olesya" is special gift, as rare as the main character possessed. This is something mysterious, mysterious, inexplicable.
Olesya is like the delightful beauties of fairy tales, who, in addition to unwritten beauty, were gifted with various rare talents. A girl who grew up in the forest loves nature. She stands out noticeably from ordinary girls. The narrator notes the following: “There was nothing like the locals about her.” The faces of those girls were similar to each other scared expression. Olesya gave the impression of being calm and confident person. And Olesya’s face was originally beautiful.
Main character, which is not surprising, is fascinated by her: “...with thin, strong invisible threads my heart was tied to this charming girl, incomprehensible to me.”
The villagers consider Olesya a witch. She herself said that her family was cursed and her soul was sold to the devil. However, Olesya, who grew up outside of society, is kind. She is not cynical, not prude and not hypocritical. Although the locals consider her and her grandmother to be the plague of these places, meanwhile, compared to Olesya, they themselves look cruel, rude and callous.
The anger of the villagers is opposed moral qualities Olesya. She is strong-willed and close to nature and its purity. There is bad talk about Oles and his grandmother. They are even blamed for any problems that happen to the villagers. Although they don't actually have a relationship with each other. Olesya is surprised: “Are we touching anyone!”
Observant, Olesya is inquisitive.
She asks about everything that the young master could tell. Love arises between her and Ivan Timofeevich, pure and true. Olesya is worthy of such love - she is lively, attentive, pure. She gives her all.
Olesya readily fulfills the stupid demand - to go to church, and this has led to tragic consequences.
The villagers attacked the heroine, believing that they were punishing the “witch.” The threat posed by Olesya hotly is taken seriously by the locals. Now any incident, for example a random hailstorm, seems to them like a curse sent by a witch. This poses a threat to Olesya. She suddenly leaves with her grandmother.
The image of Olesya is pure and noble. It’s a pity for the heroine when you read about the hardships she experienced. For example, about her separation from her beloved. But Olesya has this too young man- a master committed to the opinion of society cannot have a future.
Updated: 2017-03-17
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The story of Oles Kuprin
Analysis of the story “Olesya” by Kuprin.
A spring fairy tale that has become the drama of life—that’s exactly what I want to say about A.I. Kuprin’s story “Olesya.” In fact, on the one hand, there is a charming heroine, reminiscent of a fairy-tale forest maiden, the unusual circumstances of her fate, inspired beautiful nature, and on the other hand, the down-to-earth, primitive, aggressive in their manifestations and cruel inhabitants of the Polesie village, “kind, but weak” and a rather ordinary Ivan Timofeevich, by chance a participant in this dramatic story.
The conflict between fairy tales and reality is inevitable, and it will focus primarily not on the visiting guest of Polesie, Ivan Timofeevich, but on the local resident Olesya, who dared to stand out from the ordinary, limited world. Is a fairy tale capable of living in harsh conditions? real world, resist in a duel with reality? These questions will become the starting point for the analysis of A.I. Kuprin’s story “Olesya”.
Can Kuprin's story be called a realistic work?
“Olesya” has all the signs of a realistic work: the Polesie peasants, their morals, and way of life are truthfully described, convincing portraits are given of the forest worker Yarmola, the police officer Evpsikhy Afrikanovich, the old Manuilikha. Even Olesya is devoid of idealization and is perceived as a living, real, not a book heroine.
And yet, is there anything unusual in the story?
Only the fate of Olesya, her forced isolation from the world of people and the love story described in the story can be called unusual. The hero himself more than once calls it a fairy tale - “magical”, “enchanting”, “charming”.
As soon as he heard from Yarmola about the “witchers,” Ivan Timofeevich began to expect something extraordinary, and his expectations were not in vain: he met an amazing girl who first struck him with her originality and wealth inner world, and then bestowed a deep feeling of selfless love. It is the love, unexpectedly found by the hero in the deep Polesie forest, that seems to him a “charming fairy tale.”
So, in Kuprin’s work, the harsh, sometimes unsightly reality and the fairy tale born in the souls of the heroes, a beautiful fairy tale of love, collide. It’s as if two rivers are flowing inside Kuprin’s story: either they run side by side, then suddenly they unexpectedly merge, turning into one mighty river, then they diverge again. One of them originates in the human soul, and its innermost current is not open to everyone; the other has its source in reality itself - and everything is in plain sight. At first glance, they are independent, but in fact they are tightly connected to each other.
Find a description of Olesya's appearance. What does the author pay special attention to?
“There was nothing about her like the local “girls”... My stranger, a tall brunette of about twenty to twenty-five years old, carried herself easily and slenderly. A spacious white shirt wrapped freely and beautifully around her young, healthy breasts. The original beauty of her face, once seen, could not be forgotten, but it was difficult, even after getting used to it, to describe it. His charm lay in those large, shiny, dark eyes, to which the thin eyebrows, broken in the middle, gave an elusive hint of slyness, power and naivety; in the dark-pink tone of the skin, in the willful curve of the lips, of which the lower, somewhat fuller, protruded forward with a decisive and capricious look.” The author emphasizes the originality of her beauty, under which one can discern her independent, strong and willful character. What is Olesya’s charm?
Here is an example of one of these works: “A pensive dark-haired girl stands at the edge of the forest, hugging the golden trunk of a pine tree with her hand and pressing her cheek to it. It seems that she is whispering something to the “attentive” tree: who else should tell her her secret, which makes her cheeks glow and her heart pound, as if a caught bird is beating under her shirt? .. The beauty’s big eyes are dreamily directed into the distance, as if she is waiting for someone, peering into the deserted country road, along which businesslike, important rooks walk. There is an unusual silence in the air, promising a wonderful fairy tale. The young fir trees froze behind Olesya’s back, tall fresh grasses gently clung to her feet, and quiet wildflowers bowed their heads. Even the light mauve clouds slowed down their rapid flight, admiring from above beautiful girl. It seems that all nature froze along with her in anticipation of happiness...”
What, in spite of everything, attracted her attention to this man?
Ivan Timofeevich is not like those around him: he knows a lot, subtly senses the beauty of nature, is delicate and well-mannered, sincere and kind; he showed real interest in the girl's personality, not just her beauty. Olesya meets such a person for the first time in her life. One must think that he should make a strong impression on her, who grew up in the thicket of the Polesie forest, and arouse her keen interest. And it is not surprising that the hero notices that every time “she rejoices” at his arrival and perks up, expecting interesting communication.
What happens to the heroine? Why did her attitude towards Ivan Timofeevich change?
She feels the birth of love in her heart and is afraid of it, because intuition tells her that this love will bring her suffering and pain, that Ivan Timofeevich is not capable of great feeling and action. The girl tries to fight with herself, to move away from her lover, and this gives rise to alienation in the relationship of young people. Only the hero’s unexpected illness and his long absence force Olesya to make a bold decision.
Why, despite her premonition, did she not overcome love? How does this characterize her?
Love turned out to be stronger than the fear of misfortune, and it defeated it.
Why does Olesya then refuse Ivan Timofeevich’s proposal? Is she doing the right thing?
Olesya understands: they are too different life values, the idea of happiness, not to mention social differences. She knows that Ivan Timofeevich “will not love anyone ... with his heart,” and therefore his feeling cannot be durable, the passionate words of her lover touch her, but she continues to “stand her ground”: “You are young, free,” she tells him. “Would I really have the courage to tie you hand and foot?” After all, you will hate me then, you will curse that day and hour when I agreed to marry you.
Why did Olesya decide to go to church?
The girl wanted to do “something very, very nice” for her beloved. It seems to her that her coming to church will make him happy, because for his sake she will step on her own fear, reject the curse of her family and somehow join the faith: after all, “Vanechka” convinces her that God accepts everyone, that He is merciful.
How did this coming to church turn out for Olesya and why?
The women of Perebrod caught the poor girl and tried to smear her with tar, which was “the greatest, indelible shame.” For the rabid crowd, Olesya was, first of all, a witch from whom only trouble could be expected, and her appearance in the church was regarded as a challenge or even sacrilege.
She is a pagan who holds the secrets of nature and worships it. She is from the same family of witches, sorceresses, and mermaids with whom the peasants “fought” on Mermaid Week on the eve of Trinity. Therefore, in their opinion, her coming to church is a crime.
Note that everything happens on the feast of the Holy Trinity - the day when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, who strengthened them in their faith and gave them the power to preach the doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity. The next Spiritual Day, Mother Earth’s “name day” was celebrated.
Is it a coincidence that the story's climax occurs on Trinity Sunday?
Olesya’s attempt to join faith precisely on the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit is deeply symbolic (he should help her turn to God), but she does this out of earthly motives - out of love for Ivan Timofeevich, out of a desire to do something “pleasant” for him. And this attempt is doomed. Although according to Christian ideas, any sinner is given the opportunity to repent and mourn their sins. The Perebrod peasants, who consider themselves believers, deny Olesya such an opportunity. And they not only refuse, but also punish her for trying to join the faith. Who is more of a pagan - the “witch” Olesya, who leaves Perebrod so as not to introduce more people into sin, - or the peasants, ready to tear a girl to pieces just because she crossed the threshold of the church, and threatening Ivan Timofeevich for his love for the “witcher”?
It is noteworthy that the “pagan” Olesya does not hold a grudge against her offenders and does not complain about God. And the peasants are aggressive and irreconcilable. “Now the whole community is rebelling,” Yarmola tells Ivan Timofeevich. “In the morning, everyone got drunk again and is screaming... And, sir, they are shouting bad things about you.” And his words sound like an echo of Olesya’s story about the death of the horse thief Yashka: “... the men caught Yakov when he wanted to bring the horses... They beat him all night... We have an evil people here, merciless...”
It is no coincidence that the culmination of the story occurs at Trinity: it is intended to show us the inevitability of the collision of Love and Hate, Good and Evil, Heavenly and Earthly. A naive fairy tale of love, which with an open heart And pure soul brought Olesya to the temple, trampled by a rude crowd, unable to comprehend the commandments of Love and Forgiveness. But Olesya is rewarded with a great gift - the ability to love, forgive and renounce her happiness for the sake of others. She abandons her beloved forest, breaks up with Ivan Timofeevich, telling him: “I think about you most of all, my dear.< … >I’m not afraid for myself, I’m afraid for you, my dear.” Olesya is grateful to her lover for happy Days, does not reproach him for the trouble that happened to her - she accepts everything as it is.
Could Ivan Timofeevich have prevented the disaster? Why didn't he do this?
It was within his power. Indeed, in Olesya’s question about the church it was impossible not to feel an inevitable danger, especially since Ivan Timofeevich already knows the attitude of the Perebrod peasants towards the “witchers”. A sensitive heart should have foreseen trouble. It seemed to feel her: “Suddenly a sudden horror of foreboding gripped me. I uncontrollably wanted to run after Olesya, catch up with her and ask, beg, even demand, if necessary, that she not go to church.” But he “restrained his unexpected impulse.” He did not have enough depth of feeling to prevent events. If he had done this, the disaster probably would not have happened.
Why do you think the happiness of these people did not work out?
The fairy tale lives in Olesya’s soul, she is part of the forest fairy tale with its wonderful herbs and trees, animals and birds, the hut on chicken legs and Grandma Yaga. She is able to give the hero a magical gift - love, to give all of herself without reserve. And her fairy tale is not fictional, but real - it’s a fairy tale.
Ivan Timofeevich dreams of poetic legends and creates his own fairy tale according to bookish, artificial canons: he looks around for the unusual, finds echoes of folklore, literature, and art in everything.
Note that Olesya constantly sacrifices herself, her interests, her beliefs, and risks her life for the sake of her loved one. Ivan Timofeevich does not sacrifice anything, he only accepts the sacrifice. Olesya thinks only about her lover, his interests and happiness - Ivan Timofeevich thinks more about himself. He does not know how to completely surrender to another person and feelings for him, there is no inner freedom from prejudices and circumstances. And therefore his fairy tale is not destined to become a reality. He is left with only “a string of cheap red beads, known in Polesie as “corals” - the only thing” that reminds “of Olesya and her tender, generous love”...
Olesya Analysis of Kuprin's story
5 (100%) 1 voteThe image of Olesya makes the reader remember amazing fairy-tale beauties who, in addition to their beauty, had many talents. This amazing character combines intelligence, beauty, responsiveness, selflessness and willpower. The image of the forest witch is shrouded in mystery. Her fate is unusual, life away from people in an abandoned forest hut. The poetic nature of Polesie has a beneficial influence on the girl. Isolation from civilization allows her to preserve the integrity and purity of nature. On the one hand, she is naive because she does not know basic things, inferior in this to the intelligent and educated Ivan Timofeevich. But on the other hand, Olesya has some kind of highest knowledge , which is inaccessible to an ordinary person. .Olesya compares favorably with local village girls. This is how the author says about it: “There was nothing in her like the local “girls”, whose faces, under ugly bandages covering the forehead on top, and the mouth and chin below, wear such a monotonous, frightened expression. My stranger, a tall brunette of about twenty to twenty-five years old, carried herself easily and slenderly. A spacious white shirt hung freely and beautifully around her young, healthy breasts. The original beauty of her face, once seen, could not be forgotten...” Olesya grew up away from society, so lies, hypocrisy, and hypocrisy are alien to her. Local residents consider Olesya a witch, but how ignoble, cruel and heartless they themselves are compared to her! The main character of the story, upon closer acquaintance with Olesya, becomes convinced of how pure, sublime, and kind the girl is. She has an amazing gift, but she would never use it for evil. The girl is as pure as the nature around her, Olesya says that she and her grandmother do not maintain relationships with the people around her at all. Thus, the girl kind of draws the line between themselves and others. The hostile wariness of others towards the “witchers” leads to such withdrawal. Olesya and her grandmother agree not to maintain relationships with anyone at all, just to remain free and independent of the will of others. Olesya is very smart. Despite the fact that she received virtually no education, she is very knowledgeable about life. She is very inquisitive, she is interested in everything that a new acquaintance can tell her. The love that arose between Ivan Timofeevich and Olesya is a sincere, pure and beautiful phenomenon. The girl is truly worthy of love. She is a completely special creature, full of life, tenderness, compassion. Olesya gives all of herself to her beloved, without demanding anything in return. In the love of the “savage” and the civilized hero, from the very beginning there is a feeling of doom that permeates the story with sadness and hopelessness. The ideas and views of lovers turn out to be too different, which lead to separation, despite the strength and sincerity of their feelings. When the urban intellectual Ivan Timofeevich, who got lost in the forest while hunting, saw Olesya for the first time, he was struck not only by the bright and original beauty of the girl. He unconsciously felt her unusualness, her difference from the other village girls. There is something magical in Olesya’s appearance, her speech, and behavior that cannot be explained logically. She willingly sacrifices herself in order to fulfill his absurd, in general, demand - to attend church. Olesya commits this act, which entails such tragic consequences. Local residents were hostile to the “witch” because she dared to appear in a holy place. Olesya's random threat is taken too seriously by local residents. And now, as soon as something bad happens, Olesya and her grandmother will be to blame.
The girl also sacrifices herself when she decides to suddenly leave without telling her beloved anything. This also reveals the nobility of her character. The whole image of Olesya testifies to her purity, kindness and nobility. This is why it becomes so difficult when you find out that a girl has separated from her lover. Nevertheless, this ending is the pattern. The love between Olesya and the young master has no future, the girl understands this perfectly and does not want to be an obstacle to the well-being of her loved one.
