(2)
The weirdo is Shukshin’s favorite hero. Chudik is the concentration of the best features of the Russian people. There are people, in the city or in the countryside, who seem strange to others. They're called weirdos. And they are not strange or eccentric. The only thing that distinguishes them from ordinary people is that they are talented and beautiful. They are beautiful because their destinies are merged with the fate of the people; they do not live separately. The work of Vasily Makarovich Shukshin is traditionally classified as so-called “village” prose. Indeed, the setting of his stories is a village, the Russian outback, and his heroes are villagers, villagers. However, the writer does not just depict to us a certain way of life with its own traditions and customs. Before us passes a string of images that make up the true Russian national character, beautiful and integral. The main character of V. M. Shukshin’s work is an eccentric, an eccentric simple person, sincere and kind. Those around him most often do not understand him and do not take him seriously.
The hero of the story “Boots” - driver Sergei Dukhanin - bought boots for his wife in the regional center. The very scene of their purchase reveals the character of the hero. The rudeness and impudence of the saleswoman leaves him confused and makes him think about the advisability of the purchase. However, practicality loses out to the hero’s desire to please his wife. A simple villager is characterized by tenderness and care, he reflects philosophically: “This is how you live - forty-five years already - you keep thinking: nothing, someday I will live well, easily. And time goes by... The question is, why the hell should we wait, and not do such joys as can be done? Here you go: you have money, you have some extraordinary boots lying around - take them and make a person happy! " Experiencing discomfort and uncertainty from communicating with the saleswoman, Sergey still makes a purchase. The comrades also did not understand the hero: “Are you crazy? These are winter ones. Did she tell you to buy these? “But most of all, Sergei was afraid of meeting his wife. However, Claudia did not scold her husband at all, but on the contrary, she was worried that the boots were too small for her. Mutual understanding between spouses turned out to be more valuable than expensive boots. The hero internally experiences what is happening, which speaks of the sensitivity of his nature: “Sergey, as usual, sitting down on a small kitchen stool, smoked a cigarette before going to bed... smoked, thought, once again experienced today’s purchase, comprehended its unexpected, great, as it seemed to him now, meaning . I felt good." For the hero of the story, tenderness, human warmth, cordiality, and mutual understanding are very important.
The hero of another story by Shukshin, “The Freak,” did not find understanding either among relatives or strangers. The hero received this nickname for his eccentric, from the point of view of others, character, for his dissimilarity from others. His feelings about the lost banknote are incomprehensible to others. The hero is so sincere and selfless that he cannot even think of taking someone else’s property. The warmth of the eccentric does not find understanding even among the telegraph worker when he composes a warm telegram to his wife. Having arrived at his brother’s and painted his nephew’s crib, the weirdo encountered resistance from his wife. The desire for beauty and the desire to please loved ones turn out to be unnecessary for relatives. And only after returning home to the village and running through the meadow, the hero again feels inner freedom.
The hero of the story “Microscope” is a simple carpenter Andrei Erin. He has a family: a wife and two children. They live modestly, but the hero decides to buy an expensive microscope. Together with their son, they sat near him for a long time, “exploring.” In this desire to understand the world around him, the hero displays the traits of a scientist. It seemed that even his life had changed. There was a purpose and meaning in it. But Andrei does not find understanding with his wife, for whom material values are more important. Zoya Erina ends up handing over the microscope to a second-hand shop. Shukshin's hero is simple-minded and naive. Those around him consider him narrow-minded and impractical, a person “not of this world.” But the eccentric is a kind, sincere person, sensitive to people and the world around him, who combines the best features of the Russian national character.
Shukshin's story "Microscope" is studied in the sixth grade of high school as part of the literature program. As a rule, children are invited to read several other works of the author along with this work. Subsequently, analyzing the stories, schoolchildren need to find similar character traits of the main characters and their differences.
This article will provide a brief summary of Shukshin's "Microscope" and give characteristics of the characters. The story “Space, the Nervous System and Shmata of Lard” will undergo a similar analysis, but in a more condensed form, in order to identify similar points in the storylines, as well as general ideas and character traits of the main characters.
Family quarrel
The main character of the story, carpenter Andrei Erin, came home and told his wife about an unpleasant incident: he had lost the money he had withdrawn from his savings book. The wife, without thinking twice, decided to inflict reprisals on the offender. She used two weapons: psychological (she scolded her husband and called him offensive nicknames - “Krivonosik” and “Well”) and physical - she wielded the handle of a frying pan. Andrey tried to defend himself with a pillow, but still, strong blows reached their goal.
He tried to influence his wife with persuasion. But his attempts to pity her did not lead to the desired result. She stopped only after she dealt a strong blow to Andrei’s head, from which he grabbed the bruised area.
Zoya Erina realized that she had overdone it and, having finished the reprisal against her husband, burst into tears. She began to lament that the funds withdrawn from her savings bank account were supposed to go towards winter clothes for the children. After that, still hoping for a miracle, she asked her husband if he knew where he could leave the money. Andrei replied that he did not lose money at work, since he withdrew the funds from the account after the end of his shift, and he did not go anywhere else, not even to the pub, as his wife suggested. When the last hope was lost, his wife outlined a bleak prospect for his existence in the near future. He will work two shifts to make up for the loss.
In addition, Andrey should forget about his usual drinking of vodka after the bath. The husband calmly replied that he had already agreed on overtime work, and he was also ready to give up drinking. Here, the author of the story "Microscope" Vasily Shukshin gives readers a hint that the plot contains some intrigue. He makes an important point: Andrei let it slip, mentioning that he had already taken on additional workload. However, the main character of Shukshin's story "Microscope" quickly realized his mistake and corrected the situation, explaining that after discovering the loss, he returned to the workshop.
Reward for conscientious work
Some time passed, and passions in the Erin family subsided. My husband, as promised, worked two shifts.
The wife of the main character in Shukshin’s story “Microscope,” although she sometimes remembered the frying pan handle, gradually softened. One day Andrei Erin brought an unusual package from work. He looked very happy at the same time. He opened the package and solemnly took out a microscope. To his wife’s question: where did he get this device from, he said that it was a bonus for labor merits.
Zoya asked: “What are you going to do about it?” To which her husband answered her with some mockery: “Study the Moon.” At the same time, he exchanged glances with his son, who understood his humor and laughed.
Ubiquitous microbes
Shukshin's story "Microscope" continues with the following events. Andrey Erin asked his wife a question about what she thinks she drinks every day. The wife replied that she drinks water. To this, the main character of Shukshin’s story “Microscope” laughed and replied that she was not drinking water, but microbes. He poured some liquid onto the glass and began to examine it. Andrey Erin watched with great enthusiasm the movement of molecules and harmful bacteria into the lens of the optical device. He broke away from the exciting activity only when his wife asked him to let the children have a look. Soon she herself became interested, and she also bent down to the mysterious lenses of the device. But, unlike her husband and children, she didn’t see anything special there.
Andrey Erin enthusiastically studied various liquids and objects. At the same time, his wife stood next to him and asked her son in a quiet voice: “Are microbes specks like little fat in soup?”
A dramatic change
The husband sarcastically said: “You are a fatty!” From this moment on, this hero of Shukshin’s story “Microscope” begins, according to the author, to turn into a real master of the house. His speech takes on a commanding tone. He becomes loud and hot-tempered. All his free time from work Andrey spends time at the microscope, the thought that there are microbes on all things around him, and even on people, haunts him.
Fight harmful bacteria
Shukshin's story "Microscope", briefly retold in this article, continues with the following events. One day, Andrei Erin made his son jog down the street, after which he examined a drop of sweat taken from his forehead. Numerous microbes were also present in this substance.
Frustrated by this state of affairs, the mechanic decided to study a drop of his blood. He pricked his finger and squeezed some red liquid onto the glass of the microscope.
Analysis showed that microbes were also present there. Erin was extremely excited. Andrei was sure that this was a bad sign. However, he asked his son not to tell his mother anything yet. He refused to study the blood of children - he was afraid of getting an undesirable result. The thought of the presence of microbes in the bodies of people close to him frightened him.
One day he brought a thin needle from work, onto which he tried to prick several harmful bacteria. His efforts were not crowned with success. But he did not despair and said that you can try to influence the microbes with electric current.
Serving Humanity
The main character of Shukshin's story "Microscope" was captivated by the idea that if you learn to destroy microbes, you can increase human life expectancy to 120 years. He worked to realize his idea, sparing no effort. In his character, as has already been said, a significant change took place.
From a henpecked man, this character turned into the head of the family. While doing what he loved - experimenting with bacteria - Andrey stopped drinking. Even the sight of his friend, who came to visit him while drunk, disgusted him.
Uninvited guest
This comrade was Erin’s colleague, Sergei. He had already heard about his friend’s “scientific activities” and began to rant about what benefits he could bring to humanity. Sergei also said that Erin would certainly be immortalized for his work - a monument would be erected to him in the city.
From pride to disappointment
The uninvited guest, while in the Erins' house, continued drunken speeches about the importance of his colleague's scientific achievements. Andrei's wife was also present. Deep down, she felt proud of her husband.
She was flattered that her husband was considered a great scientist. Zoya decided to once again focus the guest’s attention on the microscope, which was the cause of significant changes in the life of the family. She said: “They could have given the bonus something more useful, like a refrigerator.”
Sergei said that he did not understand what they were talking about. They were not given any bonus. And it is unlikely that the company will ever reward anyone. It's stupid to expect this. Andrei tried to make a sign with his eyes that his drunken comrade should not talk about this. However, Sergei was in such a state that he could not perceive any hints. Erin realized that something irreparable had happened. This moment in Shukshin’s short story “Microscope” is the culmination of the entire work. The wife understood everything. Andrey did not lose the money, but used it to buy an optical instrument for his research.
Finale of the work
The story ends with two friends, the heroes of Shukshin’s “Microscope,” getting very drunk, having borrowed money from friends. They don't come home all night. Andrey comes only after lunch. His son meets him. He asks his father if he drank a lot of money here. He says that he spent a significant amount on alcohol. In turn, Andrei asks where his wife is. The child replies that she went to a thrift store. When asked if she swore, the boy answers in the negative - she didn’t. He said he understood his father and his sadness that his mother would sell the microscope. Andrei sadly says that, most likely, this will happen. But he also recognizes the need to buy fur coats for the children for the winter.
Shukshin's story "Microscope": analysis
This work belongs to the short story genre, which abounds in the work of Vasily Makarovich Shukshin. Despite the fact that this author wrote two novels, several film scripts and much more, some literary critics say that the story is one of the most significant phenomena in his work.
Many literary scholars in their works turned to, for example,
The heroes of "Microscope", as well as the characters of other works, can be characterized as "eccentrics". This is what the main characters of his literary creations are called. This word denotes a person whose actions go beyond the understanding of ordinary average people. Andrei Erin can also be counted among those with this character. He, unlike his wife, who lives only with everyday worries and mundane interests, also has lofty aspirations. The story does not mention his life before acquiring the microscope, but it can be assumed that his wife did not allow him to devote attention to his own hobbies, explaining that family needs came first. The character of Andrei Erin is dynamic. That is, it undergoes changes as the plot develops. From a weak-willed man who completely submits to the will of his wife, he turns into the master of the house. This change occurs in parallel with the beginning of his "scientific research". One could even say that the realization of creative potential contributed to the improvement of his personality. However, under the influence of unforeseen circumstances, he again becomes the same Andrei Erin.
The second most important hero of the story “Microscope” by V. M. Shukshin is Andrei’s wife. She personifies the mundane world, the ideals of philistinism. The way she dealt with her husband when he lost money speaks of the toughness of her character. However, in Shukshin’s “Microscope,” as in many of his other works, the personality of each of the characters is not unipolar, but contains both positive and negative traits.
Confirmation of this can be found at the end of the story: the wife did not swear or make scandals when it turned out that her husband had deceived her. It can be assumed that she realized that this act was committed under the influence of an irresistible craving for scientific research, and this circumstance earned her respect. As for the compositional features of Shukshin's story "Microscope", they can be characterized as follows.
There is no exposition in the work. The reader is immediately immersed in the cycle of events taking place. The plot develops quite quickly. The climax is the moment when Andrei's friend betrayed his secret. The author uses the method of indirect characterization of heroes. That is, he does not give readers open comments about the personality traits of this or that hero. This can be judged by the actions that he commits.
In many of Shukshin's stories, the ending is open. The author does not talk about how further events developed, giving the reader the opportunity to imagine for himself the options for subsequent incidents in the lives of the heroes. This feature of the works, as well as the presence of numerous long dialogues and monologues, can be partly explained by the fact that Shukshin was a professional film director and built his stories according to the rules of scripts.
The collision of two elements
“Compare fragments of Shukshin’s stories “Microscope” and “Space, the Nervous System and Shmata of Lard,” says one of the literature assignments.
The second story raises a similar problem - the collision of two worlds: the mundane, ordinary, bourgeois and the sublime, creative. In “Cosmos,” eighth-grade student Yurka rents a corner in an old man’s house. The boy is passionate about science. He enjoys doing his homework because he wants to become a surgeon.
The old man does not understand him, since doctors earn little. All the ideals of Naum Evstigneich are determined only by everyday needs, such as good food, alcohol, and so on. Yurka often gets into lengthy arguments with the old man about the role of science in modern society. He passionately defends the need for such research. His senior friend considers such an activity a waste of time, and all the information from textbooks is a lie.
Nevertheless, he was interested in the story of the young lodger about Academician Pavlov, who, even in his dying state, thought about other people and, for the sake of the development of science, wrote down information about what was happening to his body.
The old man asks to show him a photograph of the scientist who committed such a heroic act, and wonders if the scientist had relatives.
This character in the story was distinguished by his greed. He sometimes lent Yurka food from his cellar, but always asked to pay for it whenever possible. It was a surprise when, after talking about Pavlov, he suddenly brought the boy a piece of lard completely free of charge.
A parallel can be drawn with the story "Microscope", in which the protagonist's wife is a character similar to Naum Evstigneich from "Cosmos". There is also a kind of recognition of the importance of science here. And we can say that the old man also understands the main character, just like Zoya’s wife Erina.
However, in both works, the main characters achieve sympathy, but still they are not completely accepted by the outside world.
The problem of the collision of two different worldviews is not new for Russian literature. It was first touched upon back in the nineteenth century in the works of such writers as Goncharov, Griboyedov and others. In foreign literature one can also find examples of addressing this problem. Thus, the novel “The Moon and a Penny” shows the image of an artist who abandoned his family for the sake of art. He led a miserable existence, wandered around the world, but was happy because he devoted himself to his favorite work - creating paintings.
Conclusion
The article provides a brief summary of one of the most famous stories by Vasily Makarovich Shukshin. This material may be useful for schoolchildren in preparing for lessons, as well as for literature teachers.
During the lesson we will get acquainted with the story “Microscope” by Vasily Makarovich Shukshin (Fig. 1).
Rice. 1. V.M. Shukshin
Stories by V.M. Shukshin are written in folk language. The author takes oral folk art as the basis of the language (Fig. 2).
Rice. 2. Words by V.M. Shukshina about folk art
In the work we will get acquainted with the characteristic hero of Shukshin’s stories - the “eccentric”.
“Crank” is a strange-looking person, not like others, but possessing a kind soul, drawn to beauty, to knowledge, art, and therefore alien and incomprehensible to the average person. V.M. Shukshin in an interview with the newspapers “Trud” and “Soviet Culture” said (Fig. 3):
Rice. 3. Words from an interview with V. Shukshin
In the story, an ordinary family appears before us. The head of the family, carpenter Andrei Erin, is more of a craftsman than a master. His work does not interest him; he works to get a salary. He has three children, his wife does not work. Money is not enough, but Erin spares no expense on vodka. There are no hobbies in his life.
The eldest son, a fifth grader, often learned his lessons out loud. One day, having heard from him about microbes, Erin became interested and really wanted to buy himself a microscope (Fig. 4):
Rice. 4. Excerpt from the story
One hundred and twenty rubles in those days was a serious amount, the wife’s reaction was appropriate (Fig. 5):
Rice. 5. Excerpt from a story
The reader does not suspect that the money was spent on an idea that had been brewing in Andrei Erin’s head for a long time. Each of the heroes has his own opinion, his own truth. Wife's opinion (Fig. 6):
Rice. 6. Wife's truth
It’s possible to understand his wife, but Erin’s life changes with the advent of a microscope. His education ended in the seventh grade of school; he could not count on anything in life except an uninteresting job. The researcher’s interest awakens in him (Fig. 7):
Rice. 7. Excerpt from the story
This light is from the appearance of joy in his life (Fig. 8):
Rice. 8. Excerpt from a story
The reader watches the dialogue (Fig. 9):
Rice. 9. Excerpt from a story
Andrei Erin's life has changed: interest has returned. After a microscope appeared in the house, a passion arose, something that the hero of the story lost in his work (Fig. 10):
Rice. 10. Excerpt from the story
Emotions appear in his life, respect from others appears. The village people perceive him as a scientist (Fig. 11):
Rice. 11. Excerpt from the story
Everything falls apart when the wife finds out that the microscope is not a bonus, but money withdrawn from a savings account.
For the hero, the story ends almost tragically (Fig. 12):
Rice. 12. Excerpt from the story
On the pages of stories by V.M. Shukshin continues to live his favorite hero - the weirdo. A person with unusual thoughts, hobbies, his own perception of the world, strange and incomprehensible to others.
Bibliography
1. Merkin G.S. Literature. 8th grade. Textbook in 2 parts - 9th ed. - M.: 2013., Part 1 - 384 p., Part 2 - 384 p.
2. Kurdyumova T.F. and others. Literature. 8th grade. Textbook-reader in 2 parts, Part 1 - 12th ed., 2011, 272 pp.; Part 2 - 11th ed. 2010, 224 p.
3. Korovina V.Ya. and others. Literature. 8th grade. Textbook in 2 parts - 8th ed. - M.: Education, 2009. Part 1 - 399 pp.; Part 2 - 399 p.
4. Buneev R.N., Buneeva E.V. Literature. 8th grade. A house without walls. In 2 parts. - M.: 2011. Part 1 - 286 pp.; Part 2 - 222 p.
2. Internet portal “InfoLesson” ()
3. Internet portal “Russian Historical Library” ()
Homework
1. What language is typical for V.M.’s stories? Shukshina?
2. What is the theme of the story “Microscope”?
3. What can you say about the character of the main character?
The story “Microscope” is the fate of a person outlined in one episode, taking only two weeks. According to Shukshin's classification, this is a “story-fate”.
Issues
The story raises the philosophical problem of the purpose and meaning of life. The main idea of the story is that life without a goal is empty, it is not life at all. Other problems are mutual understanding between people and family relationships, the moral problem of human dignity and self-respect.
Heroes of the story
The main character of the story is Andrey Erin, who worked as a carpenter in a small workshop nine kilometers from the village. This is Shukshin’s favorite type of hero, the so-called weirdo, that is, an absurd and inconvenient person who has an idea that has become a life goal.
Shukshin singles out only two portrait features of the hero: a yellow face and a nose red with excitement. The nose is a characteristic feature of the hero. It is broken, crooked, with a hump. For this, the wife calls the hero a crooked nose. One might think that this is an affectionate nickname, but, despite the diminutive suffix, crooked nose is a curse word. The wife's other curse words are also offensive and well-aimed. She calls her husband a woodpecker (because of his appearance) and a well (into which her money, happiness and life flow). The wife despises her husband, considers him a nonentity and is sure that he does not know how to joke.
The hero is soft and indecisive. He humbly endures his wife’s scolding, does not answer her when she fights, but defends himself with a pillow and tries to persuade her. He agrees to all his wife’s conditions because he feels guilty: he’s ready to walk to work, work two shifts for a month, and not drink “little drink” after the bath.
Andrei Erin is transformed after he brings home a secretly purchased microscope, saying that he received it for his shock work. Andrei was so happy that he “stood and quietly glowed.” And his wife compares him to a bare bottom that glows in the moonlight. At the moment the dream comes true, Andrei receives a first and last name from the author. His character changes. He fusses not guiltily, as usual, but condescendingly. It turns out that he knows how to joke and laugh. Having become the owner of a microscope, he feels surprisingly brave. Now Andrei is rude to his wife: “You’re glaring!.. You’re a fat woman yourself. Whole ham." He criticizes her for finding any penny in her pocket, but doesn’t see any germs. Erin became the “loud boss of the house.” He improved his relationship with his wife, who respected him, and had a common cause with his fifth-grader son. Andrei stopped drinking himself and even disdained drunks.
During the week that Andrei had a microscope in the house, he became the main person in the house. He talked about microbes, about science, and made plans for humanity’s fight against microbes. Andrei was shocked when he saw through a microscope that there were microbes in the blood. He tried to kill them with a thin needle, and figured out how to destroy them with electric shock. All his ideas were far from science, but Andrei became famous in the village, so his fellow villagers talked about his microscope and science.
When Sergei Kulikov, who worked with Andrei, let slip to Andrei’s wife Zoya that they had not been given any bonus, Andrei, deprived of his dream, turned into the same drinking, timid person who depended on his wife for everything. He became unhappy again.
Andrey's wife Zoya sees the meaning of life in the well-being of the family. She holds both her husband and children under a tight rein. The wife not only calls her husband names, but also hits him with a frying pan in order to “take away his darling.” Zoya received a name in the story (as if in passing, in parentheses) only when she became interested in the microscope.
Zoya is the voice of many Russian women who are forced to carry weirdos like Erin on their shoulders. This is what her cry is about, her lament, telling about Zoya’s difficult fate, that she denied herself and her children, saved money to... buy them fur coats. At the end of the story, having taken the microscope to the commission shop, she actually goes to buy fur coats.
Immersed in everyday worries, Zoya missed her happiness: her husband, carried away by his “business,” again lost his purpose in life and turned into a nonentity. Zoya chose material things – fur coats for the children and a vacuum cleaner.
Plot and composition
The story “Microscope” has no compositional beginning and end. In the first paragraph we are talking about the fact that “he” (there is no name or even nickname of the hero) decided on something. From the next paragraph it becomes clear that the hero lost 120 rubles of money and decided to tell his wife about it. But soon the reader realizes that Andrei Erin decided on an adventure: he deceived his wife, lost money, and he himself bought his lifelong dream - a microscope. Understanding comes to the reader after the phrase: “Andrey was waiting. Finally he decided that it was possible.”
Andrey's life is divided into life without a microscope and with a microscope.
The microscope is the meaning of the hero’s existence; it becomes the title of the story. Erin's life is transformed thanks to a microscope. But the reader understands that the microscope in the hero’s hands is just a toy. Erin sees no more through a microscope than his fifth-grader son. The whole story is a metaphor that has lost its imagery: Andrei literally hammers nails with a microscope, just plays with it. For him, the microscope is a source of intense emotions and deep thoughts. Are the most important moments in life worth 120 rubles?
At the end of the story, Andrei is forced to become “normal” again; he realizes that he cannot spend money intended for family needs, because, of course, he needs to buy fur coats.
Stylistic features
Shukshin conveys the change in the relationship between the spouses by changing their speech. Having asserted himself, Andrey begins to speak in complex sentences and tries to draw conclusions that are accessible to him. But he remains the same simple man, calls microbes dogs, claims that they walk around, snoop around, and beat up the body. Having lost his microscope, Andrey again speaks in short, incomplete sentences.
The events of the story are depicted from the hero's point of view. For example, his excitement on the evening of the microscope’s appearance is conveyed through unfinished sentences with ellipses and repetition of the main word “microscope.”
