The night before Christmas images of heroes. “Fantastic and comic in Gogol’s story “The Night Before Christmas”

Analysis of folklore elements in the story “The Night Before Christmas”

The artistic world of the story “The Night Before Christmas” is filled with evil spirits, witches and devils. Solokha, the mother of the main character, appears to be a witch. One of the traditionally described skills of witches in folklore is the ability to fly. To prove this, one can recall Baba Yaga, who can fly on a broom, or Western European witches, who also “practice” flying on brooms. This supernatural skill allows witches to feel free in the air (and therefore heavenly) elements. This is not available to a mere mortal. Among other things, Solokha is very attractive, her feminine charms extend not only to people, but also to otherworldly creatures (devils). This reveals another feature of the folklore idea of ​​witches: they are very beautiful and capable of winning the heart of any man.

The motif in which a woman hides her numerous lovers and the incidental situations associated with this are traditional in folklore and literature. An example is the fairy tale “The Clever Wife” or “The Tale of Pyotr Sutulov and his Wise Wife,” in which the heroines showed their cunning, ingenuity and can turn difficult life situations to their advantage. A similar plot and characters can be found in Boccaccio’s “Decameron” and in other works of world literature.

It should be assumed that Vakula’s strength and cunning are largely due to the fact that he is the son of a witch, and therefore has some kind of power, an advantage over other people.

The motif of the abduction of heavenly bodies by evil forces should be considered traditional. The devil is stealing the month; this element can be interpreted as an attempt to encroach on divine powers. In apocryphal literature, the plot of the appearance of the so-called fallen angels, who were expelled from paradise for certain offenses, is quite common. The connection between divine and demonic forces, as well as the human world, transformation and possible transition to other worlds is found, for example, in the story “Sorochinskaya Fair” when describing the appearance of the “red scroll”: the devil was expelled from hell for some offense, drank in peace people, drank everything he had in a tavern, and pawned the “red scroll”. Or, for example, a person’s journey into the demonic world in “The Missing Letter,” where Foma Grigorievich’s grandfather not only witnesses the Sabbath of evil spirits, but also enters into communication with it.

It should be assumed that the artistic world of the stories under consideration is based on three worlds: the world of people (habitual, everyday life for most heroes), the world of evil spirits (where a person can get under certain circumstances) and the divine world (which assumes its existence as a kind of opposition) . However, divine power almost does not manifest itself in the stories under consideration; its presence is only assumed. While the distance between the world of evil spirits and the human world is minimized, they come into contact and constantly interact. Evil spirits turn out to be closer, more understandable and “more humane” to a person. It should be noted that most representatives of evil spirits are either anthropomorphic or have a completely human appearance.

Also, quite often, otherworldly power is depicted using zoomorphic details: shaggy arms, dog mouths, and so on. In the story under consideration, the devil has a “dog’s snout,” an analysis of the conspiracies of Little Russia shows that the dog (wolf) is often associated with the devil, which is why this metonymic epithet was chosen by N.V. Gogol is not accidental and corresponds to folklore ideas about the image of a demon, combining anthropomorphic features with zoomorphic fantastic features. Devil from “black”, a color characteristic of all evil spirits. The black color symbolizes the presence of the demon in the inferno, his burned soul.

The story depicts carols, Christmas festivities, accompanied by songs traditional to the culture of Little Russia. An integral feature of carols are the mummers, who symbolize the spirits of ancestors; they come during carols and wish a rich harvest, goodness and blessings. Honoring totemic creatures, the symbols of which are the mummers, is traditional for the pagan faith. The treat presented to the mummers seems to be a sacrificial gift and is also rooted in ancient beliefs. However, it should be noted that at Christmas both pagan traditions (carols, fortune telling) and religious (the holiday itself) traditions are closely intertwined. Vakula, who made a deal with the devil for a while, paints the walls of the church with scenes from the Old and New Testaments, that is, he knows what the evil spirit is. Thus, we can conclude that the church is always inseparable from the demonic.

It should be noted that the devil initially disliked Vakula, since he depicted the Last Judgment scene on the church wall, shaming the devil. That is, the demon in Gogol’s artistic world has a very human sense of shame: having left the “unclean” environment, he cannot completely immerse himself in the world of people, but he also cannot return, since he has acquired human traits.

The plot of the story ends with a happy ending, which is typical for the scheme of a fairy tale, in which the hero, having gone through a series of trials, receives a wife as a reward.

State Institution "Zatobolsk Secondary School No. 1"

Kostanay region, Kostanay district

Literature lesson notes
V6 class
« Images of lower Slavic mythology

in the story by N.V. Gogol

"Christmas Eve".

Image of the devil » .

prepared

teacher of Russian language and literature

Ragulina Ksenia Nikolaevna

With. Zatobolsk, 2013

Topic: Images of lower Slavic mythology in N.V. Gogol’s story “The Night Before Christmas.” The image of a devil.

Class:6

Goals:

Revealing the image of the devil in Gogol's story "The Night Before Christmas". Introducing students to the traditions and rituals, life and beliefs of the Slavic peoples through the era reflected in the story “The Night Before Christmas”; contribute to the formation of concepts: “image-symbol”

Creating conditions for students to develop comparative analysis skills, work in creative groups, find information in different sources and process it.

Cultivating in schoolchildren an interest in folk traditions and national culture;

During the classes.

Call. 2 minutes.

Creating a collaborative environment.

Teacher's word. Hello guys and dear guests! I am glad to welcome you to the lesson. Let me congratulate you all on the upcoming holy holidays. After all, New Year and Christmas will come soon. On the eve of these holidays, it is customary to make your deepest wishes; there is a belief that they will definitely come true! There are shining stars on your tables, look at them, make a wish to yourself, lift them higher, look around. What a wonderful picture this creates! Doesn't she remind you of anything?

Students: N.V. Gogol’s story “The Night Before Christmas” begins with a description of such a picture, a starry night.

SLIDE: The last day before Christmas has passed. A clear winter night has arrived. The stars looked out. The month majestically rose into the sky to shine on good people and the whole world, so that everyone would have fun caroling and praising Christ.

Teacher: right! And today we will continue working on this story. Your active work will take place in groups. And we’ll start with a little warm-up on knowing the text of a work of art.

Work to identify knowledge of the content of a literary text. 3 minutes.

You have several pictures scattered in a chaotic order, you need to collect them correctly and consistently, according to the composition of the story! Which of you knows the text better and can do it faster?

The group that completed it the fastest comes out to check the board, the rest check the board. (CONTAINER)

Guys, who did not encounter any difficulties or mistakes, give yourself your first “+” on the self-assessment sheet.

Understanding.

Teacher: Well done! You did a great job! And we can turn to the topic of the lesson. And what it will be like, and what goals we will face in the lesson, you will answer on your own if you connect the key concepts of the lesson: SLAVIC MYTHOLOGY, STORY, “THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS”, DAMMIT. 2 minutes.

Students: Today in the lesson we will look at the image of the devil, a character from Slavic mythology, in Gogol’s story “The Night Before Christmas”.

Teacher: absolutely right! Write the topic in your notebook.

Theatricalization: suddenly The devil himself appears and addresses the guys.

CRAP: dear guys, help me! There are many different opinions about my image, some consider me very harmful and evil, others, on the contrary, funny! I ask you to be as attentive as possible and fully reveal my image. This table will help you with this:

Teacher: that's how! Let's help the hero of our lesson. We already know how the devil is represented in Slavic mythology. Shall we remember?

Students' answers. Students talk about a mythological hero, the rest fill out the column of the table “Image of the devil in Slavic mythology.”

The devil is an evil spirit in Slavic mythology. DEvils are creatures covered with black fur, with horns, tails and hooves. The very origin of evil spirits is associated with the myth of fallen angels (DEvils - angels tired of praising God): thrown from heaven, they fell into the water, into the forest, into the field, turning into spirits of individual tracts.

In popular beliefs, the DEVIL constantly interferes in people’s lives, causes minor troubles, forces them to do unjustified actions (“leads them into sin”), sends chaos, makes drunks wander, provokes them to commit crimes, and tries to get a person’s soul;

DEvils can also send bad weather, a blizzard, they themselves turn into a whirlwind, tearing off roofs, bringing diseases, whirlwinds - raging DEvils, devilish matchmakers (“the devil marries a witch”); DEvils are especially dangerous in “unclean” places and at certain times of the day or year, for example, on Christmastide and on the eve of Ivan Kupala.

Teacher: Well done! We've completed the first column of the table! Mark yourself on the self-assessment sheet. Let's move on to the second column of the table.Work on analyzing the image of the devil in the work. Each group is given a specific episode from the text involving the devil. Questions for analysis are given for the episode, and the task is to compose a syncwine. A3 sheets with a picture of the devil were distributed in advance. Students get acquainted with the episode and make up a sequence based on the image of the devil, color the image of the hero, then explain the choice of colors.

Cinquain is not a simple poem, but a poem written according to the following rules:

Line 1 – one noun expressing the main topiccinkwine.

Line 2 – two adjectives expressing the main idea.

Line 3 – three verbs describing actions within the topic.

Line 4 is a phrase that carries a certain meaning.

Line 5 – conclusion in the form of a noun (association with the first word).

Composecinkwine is very simple and interesting. And besides, working on creating a syncwine develops imaginative thinking.

Crap

Cunning, tenacious

Spinning, sneaking, hiding

“Despite all the failures, the cunning devil did not abandon his mischief.”

"provincial solicitor"

Literary device: comparison (completely German; the muzzle ended, like our pigs,; real provincial attorney); Many verbs are used that convey the hero’s activity.

SOLICITANT, m. 1

Province -

Students: we chose black because in this episode, the hero acts as a prankster who wants to harm Vakula.

Crap

Small, beautiful

Whispers, cares, imagines

“Erysipelas, as Foma Grigorievich says, is an abomination, but he, too, builds love affairs!”

Cavalier

Students: we chose the color red, because in this episode the devil appears before us as a hero in love, and red is considered the color of love and passion.

Literary device: antithesis - opposition (imagine himself to be handsome, while the figure is to look ashamed);

Crap

Confident, cunning

He flew out, ran across, and began to tear apart.

“And the devil flew away again into the chimney, in the firm belief that Chub would return back with his godfather.”

Prankster

Students: we chose the color red-brown because we thought it indicated the hero's cunning.

Literary device: epithet – artistic definition (an agile dandy; With goat beard; stolen month)

-

Students: We chose two colors: turquoise and black, because we think that in our episode, at first the devil appears as a very brave and boastful hero, but then he becomes cowardly and quiet as a lamb.

Literary device: epithet – artistic definition (dog snout); antithesis - opposition (hidden, the concepts of friend-enemy, brave-cowardly are opposed).

Teacher: You did a very good job with this task, now I will ask you to highlight the main, key, similar points of all groups and fill out the second column. What did you get? Tell me, is there anything similar between Gogol’s devil and man?

Student answers: Yes, the devil in the work behaves like a person, he freezes, flirts with Solokha, experiences human feelings, but at the same time, he knows how to transform, and has an appearance corresponding to the mythological hero.

The image of the devil in Slavic mythology.

Teacher: ok, but we have another column, “Image brought to life on screen.” How can you fill it?

Students: if we watch the video clip.

Teacher: look and fill in the third column.Watching a video clip.

Conclusions for the main part of the lesson. Guys, we did it with yougreat jobto identifyand analysis of the image of such a mysterious character in various sources. I think you are ready to draw some conclusions from this part of the lesson. I suggest you present your conclusions in the form of an essay, a reflective essay based on the lesson materials, they are all in your table.

An essay can begin with the words:

As D. Merezhkovsky noted, “Gogol was the first to see the devil without a mask, to see his real face......

N.V. Gogol actively used images from Slavic mythology in his works......

V.G. Belinsky noted: “Gogol does not write, but draws; his images breathe the colors of reality. You see and hear them...”

The writer draws an image of the devil, who in Slavic mythology is an evil spirit.

Include the following expressions:

The author explains the image of the demon in the story, its specific features, endows it with charm, the image does not evoke feelings of disgust or fear in us.

And end like this:

This is the image of the devil, combining real human traits with fantastic ones.

Reflection.

Assessment. Our lesson has come to an end, you did a very good job, you spent the whole lesson filling out self-assessment sheets, count your advantages and give yourself a grade! (Grading in the journal).

Lesson summary. Have you noticed that since the beginning of the lesson, the same stars have been hanging on this board as the ones on your desks - these are my wishes to you! (some students come up, take them off and read aloud, the rest take them off as they leave the office)!

Annex 1.

Group 1. Episode 1. How the devil stole the month.

Suddenly, on the opposite side, another speck appeared, grew larger, began to stretch, and was no longer a speck. From the front it was completely German: a narrow muzzle, constantly twirling and sniffing whatever came its way, ending, like our pigs, in a round snout; the legs were so thin that if Yareskovsky had such a head, he would have broken them in the first Cossack. But behind him he was a real provincial attorney in uniform, because he had a tail hanging, so sharp and long, like today’s uniform coattails; only by the goat beard under his muzzle, by the small horns sticking out on his head, and by the fact that he was no whiter than a chimney sweep, one could guess that he was neither a German nor a provincial attorney, but simply a devil. Meanwhile, the devil was creeping slowly towards the month and was about to reach out his hand to grab it, but suddenly he pulled it back, as if he had been burned, sucked his fingers, swung his leg and ran on the other side, and again jumped back and pulled his hand away. However, despite all the failures, the cunning devil did not abandon his mischief. Running up, he suddenly grabbed the month with both hands, grimacing and blowing, throwing it from one hand to the other, like a man getting fire for his cradle with his bare hands; Finally, he hastily put it in his pocket and, as if nothing had happened, ran on.

SOLICITANT, m. 1 . In Muscovite Rus' - a courtier, serving to carry out various economic duties (historical).

Province - the highest unit of administrative-territorial division in Russia

Tasks: 1. Read the text. 2. Highlight the main idea. 3. Make a syncwine. 4. Explain what literary device the author uses to create the image? 5. Decorate the character. 6. Explain the choice of colors.

Group 2. Episode 2. How the devil courted the witch. Thus, as soon as the devil hid his month in his pocket, suddenly it became so dark all over the world that not everyone could find the way to the tavern, not only to the clerk. The witch, suddenly seeing herself in the darkness, screamed. Then the devil, coming up like a little demon, grabbed her by the arm and began to whisper in her ear the same thing that is usually whispered to the entire female race. Wonderfully arranged in our world! You can bet that many will find it surprising to see the devil who has set himself off in the same place. The most annoying thing is that he probably imagines himself handsome, while his figure is ashamed to look at. Erysipelas, as Foma Grigorievich says, is an abomination, an abomination, but he, too, makes love hens! But it became so dark in the sky and under the sky that it was no longer possible to see anything that happened between them.

Tasks: 1. Read the text. 2. Highlight the main idea. 3. Make a syncwine. 4. Explain what literary device the author uses to create the image? 5. Decorate the character. 6. Explain the choice of colors.

Group 3. Episode 3. How the devil interfered with travelers.

The devil, meanwhile, when he was still flying into the chimney, somehow accidentally turned around and saw Chub hand in hand with his godfather, already far from the hut. He instantly flew out of the stove, ran across their path and began tearing up piles of frozen snow from all sides. A snowstorm arose. The air turned white. The snow rushed back and forth like a net and threatened to cover the eyes, mouths and ears of pedestrians. And the devil flew away again into the chimney, in the firm belief that Chub would return back with his godfather, find the blacksmith and reprimand him so that for a long time he would not be able to pick up a brush and paint offensive caricatures.While the nimble dandy with a tail and a goat's beard was flying out of the chimney and then back into the chimney, the little bag hanging on a sling at his side, in which he hid the stolen month, somehow accidentally got caught in the stove, and the month, using In this case, he flew out through the chimney of Solokhina's hut and smoothly rose through the sky. Everything lit up. The snowstorm was gone.

Tasks: 1. Read the text. 2. Highlight the main idea. 3. Make a syncwine. 4. Explain what literary device the author uses to create the image? 5. Decorate the character. 6. Explain the choice of colors.

Group 4. Episode 4. How the devil made a deal with Vakula.

The devil, tilting his dog's snout towards his right ear, said:

- It’s me, your friend, I’ll do anything for my comrade and friend! “I’ll give you as much money as you want,” he squeaked in his left ear. “Oksana will be ours today,” he whispered, turning his muzzle back to his right ear.

The devil clasped his hands and began to gallop with joy on the blacksmith’s neck. “Now we’ve got a blacksmith! - he thought to himself, - now I’ll take it out on you, my dear, all your pictures and fables, raised against the devils! Here the devil laughed with joy, remembering how he would tease the entire tailed tribe in hell, how the lame devil, who was considered the first among them to come up with inventions, would rage. - I'm ready! - said the blacksmith. - Then he put his hand back and grabbed the devil by the tail. - Wait, my dear! - the blacksmith shouted, - but how does this seem to you? - At this word he created a cross, and the devil became as quiet as a lamb - Have mercy, Vakula! - the devil moaned pitifully, - I’ll do everything you need, just let your soul go to repentance: don’t put a terrible cross on me!

Tasks: 1. Read the text. 2. Highlight the main idea. 3. Make a syncwine. 4. Explain what literary device the author uses to create the image? 5. Decorate the character. 6. Explain the choice of colors.

Appendix 2. Self-assessment sheet.

FI_____________________________________________

Bibliography.

Vislenko L.P. Literature. Grades 5-7: Methodological manual.- St. Petersburg: “Parity”, 2001.- p.84-87

“Literature at school” No. 10, 2006

Belinsky V.G. Collected works: In 9 volumes - M., 1976. - T. 1. -P. 121.

www. Nikolaygogol. org. Ru

en.wikipedia.org

www.liveinternet.ru, Illustration for the story The Night Before Christmas.

www.a4format.ru, Illustrations. "Christmas Eve".

Target:

continue getting acquainted with the story by N.V. Gogol’s “The Night Before Christmas”, its heroes, mythical characters, show their role in the work;

develop thinking, speech, and the ability to creatively perceive text;

to cultivate a caring attitude towards cultural heritage, a love of literature and artistic expression.

During the classes

Organizational stage

Update

Workbook, task 48*.

Which of the characters in the story can be considered an evil spirit? How do they differ from traditional representatives of evil spirits?

Workbook, task 46.

Find out the characters in the story by their descriptions.

“A lean, tall man in a short sheepskin coat with an overgrown beard,

showing that a fragment of a scythe, which men usually use to shave their beards for lack of a razor, had not touched her for more than two weeks.”

“She sat down on the bench and looked in the mirror again and began to adjust her

your head with your braids. She looked at the neck, at the new shirt, embroidered with silk, and subtle self-satisfaction was expressed on the lips, on the fresh cheeks and shone in the eyes.”

“She was neither good-looking nor bad-looking. It's hard to be good in times like these

of the year. However, she knew how to charm the most sedate Cossacks and knew how to skillfully deal with them.”

“Despite his small stature, he was quite weighty in width. Moreover

The trousers he wore were so wide that, no matter how big a step he took, his legs were completely invisible, and it seemed as if the distillery was moving down the street.”

“He saw a woman standing in front of him, somewhat portly, powdered, with blue eyes, and at the same time that majestic smiling appearance, which was so able to conquer everything...” Formation of new concepts and methods of action.

Workbook, task 49.

Previously, it happened that I could bend and straighten a copper coin and a horse's shoe in one hand; and now I won’t lift bags of coal

Formation of new concepts and methods of action.

Workbook, task 49.

To which of the characters in the story do these lines belong?

Go away, your hands are tougher than iron. And you yourself smell of smoke. I

I think I got all covered in soot.

Previously, it happened that I could bend and straighten a copper penny in one hand and

horse shoe; and now I won’t lift bags of coal.

I am your friend, I will do everything for a comrade and friend. I'll give you how much money

“want it,” he squeaked in his left ear. - Oksana will be ours today.

His Serene Highness promised to introduce me today to my people, whom I

I haven't seen it yet.

It's me, a good man! I came to you for fun to carol a little before

windows.

Conversation.

Which character personifies goodness in the story?

Name the heroes who embody evil? Mediators between good and evil?

Which features in the description of the trait are characteristic of a mythological character, and which were added by the author? Is the evil spirit portrayed in the story as scary?

Rather, she is portrayed with humor. Sometimes the devil even seems pitiful. Solokha looks like a flighty, cunning woman, sharp-witted and attractive, which arouses the envy and gossip of the village gossips. Patsyuk also does not make an intimidating impression. He is lazy, gluttonous, although not stupid. Knows all the devils and has the reputation of a healer. Acts as an intermediary between Vakula and the devil.

How do the devil and the witch try to harm “good people”? Why can't they do this?

Which of the heroes exorcises evil spirits outside the farmstead and from the souls of the heroes?

Why does Chub leave home on Christmas night?

He is invited to the clerk for kutya.

Who is trying to stop his plans and why?

The devil steals the month and causes a blizzard so that Chub does not go anywhere, but sits at home and watches over his daughter Oksana. The devil really wanted to annoy Vakula by preventing him from meeting his beloved girl.

Why does Chub still leave home? What traits of his character appear in this?

It was unpleasant for Chub to leave home on such a night, but he acted in defiance of his godfather, who suggested staying at home. Chuba seemed to be compelled by something to go against him. This shows Chub’s stubbornness and self-will.

Why did Solokha quarrel between her son Vakula and Chub?

She wanted to marry Chub and take over his farm. If Vakula had married Chub's daughter Oksana, her plans could not have come true.

What role does the blizzard play in Chub’s fate?

The snowstorm that the devil created confused Chub, clouded his eyes, confused the road and led to Solokha’s house instead of the clerk’s house.

How does Chub behave after getting out of the bag? Why?

Chub pretends that he deliberately pranked his godfather by climbing into the bag. And only when the clerk was pulled out of the bag, he was amazed and decided that Solokha “had 2 people in each bag.”

What happened to Solokha's boyfriends? Why did Chub and the head start talking about the weather and boots?

Chub and the head were confused, they did not expect to see each other. Both found themselves in a stupid position that did not correspond to their authority.

What significance did the incident with the bags have for the fate of Oksana and Vakula?

Chub became convinced of Solokha’s frivolity, and it became impossible for him to marry her.

Application. Formation of skills and abilities.

Determine who these descriptions are talking about.

The narrow muzzle, which constantly twirled and sniffed at everything it came across, ended in a round spot, and the legs were thin. A sharp and long tail hung behind him. He had a goat beard under his muzzle and small horns on his head.

Along with the smoke from the chimney, she rose astride her broom. She rose so high that only a black speck flashed above. Soon she had a full sleeve of stars.

Work with text.

What words in these sentences are used figuratively? What is a metaphor?

The snow caught fire in a wide silver field and was sprinkled with crystal stars;

Cheeks are burning from the cold.

Ethan information about homework

Find examples of the comic in the story (humor, irony).

Prepare a retelling of the episode “Vakula in the Palace.”

Ethan of reflection

In the story by N.V. Gogol's "The Night Before Christmas" the devil appears before the reader, first of all, as the embodiment of evil and deceit. Being a negative hero, at the same time, he involuntarily causes laughter with many of his antics.

Gogol describes the appearance of the devil, comparing him either with a German, because of his “narrow, constantly spinning and sniffing everything that came his way” muzzle, or with a provincial attorney, because of his “sharp and long tail, like uniform tails.” However, from his thin legs, snout, goatee and horns, it becomes clear that “he is not a German or a provincial attorney, but just a devil.”

The author deliberately endowed the devil with qualities inherent in humans: he is cunning and witty, inventive and dexterous, but also cowardly and vindictive. Thanks to his similarity to ordinary people, the devil seems to us to be a more real creature than just a fairy-tale character. But the hero is also not without a magical gift, characteristic of fairy tales: either he transforms into a horse, or suddenly becomes so small that he can easily fit into a pocket.

The main goal of the evil one is revenge on the blacksmith Vakula, who, by painting a picture in the church depicting St. Peter on the Day of the Last Judgment, condemned the evil spirit to expulsion from hell. Vakula has tender feelings for Oksana, a very beautiful girl, the daughter of the rich Cossack Chub. On the night before Christmas, Chub was supposed to go to the clerk for kutya. The devil, knowing this, steals a month from the sky, hoping that because of the impenetrable darkness, Chub will change his mind about visiting the clerk halfway through and return home, where he will find Vakula.

The Cossack did not like the blacksmith and did not approve of his love for Oksana, which means he could not allow them to get married. The cunning devil hoped that Vakula, although very devout, would decide to commit suicide, but his expectations were not justified. On the contrary, no matter what the devil came up with, everything turned against him. At first he ended up in a small bag, in which he sat for a long time, hiding from Solokha’s numerous lovers. Then, discovered by the hated blacksmith, he was forced to carry him on his own back from Dikanka to St. Petersburg and back in order to beg slips from the queen for Chub’s capricious daughter. And finally, as a “thank you,” the devil receives three powerful blows from Vakula with a twig. So, instead of causing trouble for others, the hero harms himself.

The devil plays a very important role in the work: with the help of this image, Gogol shows that evil, no matter what abilities it has, will always be punished according to its deserts.

Option 2

Nikolai Vasilyevich, having written his story, filled it with magic and mythical heroes. He portrays one of them as a devil. He shows him in his work as a negative hero, a cunning and insidious prankster, but at the same time he causes laughter with his behavior.

The author never ceases to compare his appearance, either with a German because of his small and narrow muzzle, or with a provincial attorney because of his sharp and very long tail. But his thin legs, a flattened, ridiculous nose, as well as small goat-like horns, and a long beard. It becomes clear that he does not look like a provincial attorney or a German, but is simply a devil.

Gogol specifically endowed him with qualities characteristic of a person, such as:

1. cunning;
2. ingenuity;
3. dexterity;
4. wit;
5. vindictiveness;
6. cowardice.

Because of its similarity to an ordinary person, the devil appears to the reader as a real creature, and not just a mythical and fairy-tale character. But the author does not deprive him of his magical gift.

The devil's goal is to take revenge on the blacksmith Vakula, and in every possible way tries to harm him and prevent him from marrying the beautiful Oksana, for whom he has feelings. But all his pranks turn against him, and only with his cunning he brings troubles and problems to himself, receiving continuous scoldings.

Summing up Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s story “The Night Before Christmas,” we can say that it is one of his best and most successful works. Filled with magic and a fabulous atmosphere. Thanks to its unobtrusive atmosphere, it is interesting to read to the end. So many years after its publication, it has not lost its relevance and demand to this day. She teaches goodness and, like in any fairy tale, evil defeats goodness and good deeds. So in Gogol’s story, the prankster devil was punished by the kind and positive hero blacksmith Vakula.

Essay about the Devil

The negative character and representative of dark forces in the story is the Devil. The author gives him the qualities of an insidious, evil person, but with some funny habits and amusing antics. The devil plays not only a negative role in the story: he also unwittingly performs good deeds.

The author endows the devil with human character traits so that his motives and actions are clear. He is resourceful, cunning and evil. The devil is very offended by the blacksmith Vakula and is trying to take revenge on him, despite the fact that he is the son of Solokha, whom he is trying to court. On the last day before Christmas, the devil is trying to harm not only him. He steals the month and causes a major snowstorm. However, his actions are not devoid of childishness and cause laughter.

The devil is vindictive. Most of all, he tries to harm Vakula, because he painted a picture of the devil being expelled. He knows that he is in love with Oksana, the daughter of a wealthy Cossack who does not greet the blacksmith. The girl also laughs at Vakula, which drives him to despair. The devil steals a month for Chub to lose his way and return home, finding the blacksmith at his home. However, his trick harms other heroes more than Vakula.

The devil hopes that the blacksmith will commit suicide out of despair. However, he himself ends up in a bag, which Vakula takes out of the house. Having realized who is hiding in it, the blacksmith uses the power of the devil to carry out his plan and bring Oksana the slippers of Empress Catherine. He fails to deceive the young man, despite his cunning and resourcefulness.

The devil is a little cowardly, so he obeys the courageous and decisive Vakula. Having dark power within him, he is still afraid of the blacksmith. It turned out that the devil wanted to get even with him, but with his tricks he punishes himself. Unwittingly, he helps the blacksmith win Oksana’s favor, although he wanted to do something completely different.

Usually the devil is portrayed as a dangerous and treacherous creature, but Gogol adds comic and charming features to him. At some point, the reader begins to laugh at his antics and sympathize when he has to obey Vakula and accept lashes from him as gratitude. He is very touching when he tries to court Solokha. At the same time, the woman herself seduces him, and he humbly succumbs to her charms.

Despite the devil’s cunning and vindictiveness, he does not evoke only negative feelings. You want to laugh and make fun of him, and sympathize a little when he falls into the power of the strong Vakula. But still, the devil is a negative character, and in Gogol’s story he is a representative of evil, which inevitably defeats good in the person of the young blacksmith.

Sample 4

N.V. Gogol’s story “The Night Before Christmas” is one of the best works of the writer, where there are various fairy-tale characters: the devil, the witch Solokha, Patsyuk, they fill a more interesting atmosphere. The author has endowed this wonderful poem with magic, celebration and humor. It is also impossible not to notice that we are reminiscent of a fairy tale with a good instructive ending. All people like to watch a film based on Gogol's poem on New Year's Day.

The work shows the devil as an evil who wants to ruin everything for everyone and at the same time remain a winner. Gogol shows him as cunning, smart and at the time funny. It is through his tricks that the devil becomes a negative and comedic hero. The author compares his appearance to a German or a chimney sweep; his thin legs, goatee and horns are no different from them. Since he is a fairy-tale hero, he has the ability to fly and transform, which makes the reader more interested.

It can be noted that the main character is endowed with those qualities that are inherent in humans: cunning, insidious, intelligent, cowardly, vengeful. At any opportunity, he can take revenge on any person who did not satisfy him, at the same time he rejoices and immediately comes to action. For example, when Vakula painted a picture that the devil didn’t like, he was always preparing mean things for him. Let's remember when at the beginning of the story the devil stole a month to do a dirty trick. Due to the fact that it will be very dark outside, the father will have to return home and find his daughter with Vakula. However, all his plans fail and become against him, since it is known that good always emerges victorious.

I think that the author is once again trying to prove to readers that every bad deed will turn out the opposite, and evil will be defeated by good. As shown in this story, the devil was defeated, and Vakula revived good.

Option 5

In his works, Gogol always tried to achieve the effect of surprise, maybe even shocking his reader, with the help of terrible, mystical stories, which he often took from folklore. And he coped with this task with a bang, since many of his works were reread dozens, if not hundreds of times, which made him so popular. Without a doubt, this author made a great contribution to the development of folklore and culture of our country. An example would be the work “The Night Before Christmas.”

In the work, the narration introduces us to an amazing, magical story, during the development of which we become acquainted with a huge variety of amazing characters, even the mythical Devil. In the work, the Devil plays the role of universal evil, and the other characters play the role of good, which defeats this very evil by any means. Thus, the author creates an amazing picture in which we see the struggle between good and evil itself, in their true manifestations. At the end of the struggle, the author shows that good always defeats evil, in any case, even regardless of the circumstances, which in turn motivates the reader to do only good deeds, which in turn make the world around us better and a little kinder.

The devil appears before us exactly as he is described in folklore, from where Gogol took his prototype. He is small, black, with animal features. Disgusting with his entire appearance, the author thus creates the image of an anti-hero, whose task in the work is to push away the reader’s sympathy with all his might. Which he does quite well.

In character, the Devil as such does not have any human traits, but desperately tries to imitate them, and, moreover, not to imitate the best traits, and not at all virtues. He shows himself as a cunning, malicious, and greedy creature who is ready to do anything, and not sacrifice the most disgusting actions, in order to get what he wants, and thus the external image of the character is formed, which the author filled with many interesting unique features, and which, together with character and his story, create a unique image that is etched in the reader’s memory and leads him into some reflection on what he read.

I believe that it was these character traits and image that were shown in the work “The Night Before Christmas” in the character of the Devil.

Sample 6

“The Night Before Christmas” is a story by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, written in 1830–1831. She saw the light of day in the publication “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” and won the love of the people. Vivid, lively descriptions of the main characters, characters thought out to the smallest detail and a detailed description of evil spirits that presented a picture in the reader’s mind were easily given to the writer.

The image of the devil in this story was no exception to the writer’s rules. The reader is presented with a real devil, with a narrow muzzle like a German’s, ending with a heel like a pig’s, thin legs and a sharp long tail like a real provincial attorney. Such a comparison with people is not simple; it deliberately ridicules and compares them to the devil. The devil is also endowed with small horns on his head and a goatee.

The behavior of the devil is a constant desire to deceive. His heel sniffs all the time, as if looking for someone to fool. The devil is witty and dexterous, cowardly and vindictive. Having seen such a set of qualities, the reader can draw parallels, for example, that only cowards take revenge. Despite this, the devil is not deprived of magical, unusual powers: he turns into a horse, flies through the sky and then decreases in size in order to fit into the pocket of Vakula, the blacksmith. Comparison with people in appearance and behavior makes the image more vivid and understandable. The main goal of this hero of the story is revenge on Vakula for the fact that he painted a picture on the wall of the church at the entrance, where St. Peter casts out evil spirits.

Having stolen the month, the devil hopes that Chub, the father of Oksana, with whom Vakula is in love, will be afraid of the darkness and return home from the clerk. There, according to the devil’s plan, he was supposed to catch Vakula with Oksana and drive him away, since he did not approve of his love for his daughter. But no matter what the devil did, everything went far from his plans. And instead of ruining Vakula’s life, he, on the contrary, helps fulfill his dream - to marry Oksana. He transports the blacksmith on his own back to St. Petersburg to the queen, reaches into his pocket, takes him to an appointment with Catherine the Great and takes him back, again on his back. For all his work, Vakula rewards him with blows of rods and beatings. Good triumphs, because the devil could not interfere with the love and pure heart of the blacksmith.

The devil plays a huge role in the work. Despite his superhuman abilities, he loses to Vakula and follows his orders. The devil is defeated. I believe that in this way the author wanted to show that evil can and should be fought. The main thing is to be honest, kind and strong in spirit and body, like Vakula is a blacksmith.

Essay 7

One of the most notable and truly universal works of the great writer Nikolai Gogol is the story “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”.

Nikolai Vasilyevich meticulously came up with images, trying to show all the advantages and disadvantages, each hero is special in his own way. The writer believed in fantastic, supernatural forces, as well as in folk superstitions, so in his work he found a place for the witch and the devil, who became one of the most striking characters.

The devil is a reasonable and cunning kind of prankster. At the beginning of the story it is said that he has only one night left, when he has the opportunity to wander with impunity in the world of people and teach them to sin. As a result, the devil is trying to come and do mischief everywhere.

Nikolai Gogol gave the mystical creature the negative qualities of people, such as cunning, cowardice and insidiousness. However, he still notes that he is “smart as hell” and “damn handsome.”

This image is close to human, despite the presence of hooves, horns and a tail. The devil tends to freeze, just like ordinary people. It is also worth paying attention to his relationship with Solokha. While caring for her, he behaves like a simple man. Such things make the character not at all scary, but on the contrary, a little funny, bringing a smile to his face.

The hero’s vindictiveness manifested itself when he tried to annoy the blacksmith Vakula for creating a drawing that was offensive to him. However, his revenge resembles that of a small child. But the devil still rejoices, because he still has the opportunity to take revenge. A bright and memorable action was the theft of the moon so that the inhabitants of Dikanka would not find the right path. After a while, she slipped out of the devil’s hands, and everything fell into place.

After reading the entire work, one gets the impression that one of the main characters, the devil, is endowed with a special charm. A coward and a prankster, absolutely not scary, but funny. On top of that, with great moral characteristics.

With the help of the devil, Gogol seems to point out the weaknesses of people. And in the end, it plays out quite interestingly, trying to show that evil is punishable: Vakula manages to outwit the mystical mischief-maker.

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Goals: educational: generalization and systematization of material about N.V. Gogol and his work “The Night Before Christmas”; develop the ability to characterize literary characters, conduct independent research of the text, develop in students the ability to analyze and summarize the text they read;

developmental: development of speech, formation of artistic skills, help students penetrate into the world of N.V. Gogol using the example of the story being studied; teach skills of working in groups, defending your mini-project;

educational: instilling interest in literature; create a situation of success.

Equipment: illustrations for the story, presentation of the lesson in Microsoft Power Point 2007 format, text of the story,

writing on the board:"The Night Before Christmas" has the full picture

the home life of the people, their little joys,

his little sorrows - in a word, here is the whole poetry of his life.”

(V.G. Belinsky.)

During the classes:

1.Organizing moment. Announcement of the topic, goals and objectives of the lesson. Motivation.

· - Psychological attitude.

2. The teacher's word.

Good afternoon guys! Today we will continue our study of N.V. Gogol’s story “The Night Before Christmas.” The topic of our lesson: Heroes of the story. Mythical images and their role in the work. Poeticization of fidelity and selfless love.

You will continue the work you started in groups, tell us about the hero you chose for analysis, i.e. give him a description. And, of course, you and I will continue to enjoy the amazing world of Gogol’s prose, a world in which reality and fantasy are miraculously intertwined. The result of our work will be an express newspaper, which you will publish by the end of the lesson.

You remember that in this book the Ukrainian people, the bearer of noble and high aspirations, with its past and present, original and colorful speech, sprinkled with proverbs and sayings, appeared before the reader. It is no coincidence that many critics and writers admired the extraordinary colorfulness of Gogol’s style.

You can be convinced of this if you immerse yourself in the text of the story “The Night Before Christmas”, about which the critic V.G. Belinsky wrote: “The Night Before Christmas” is a complete picture of the home life of the people, their little joys, their little sorrows - in a word, here all the poetry of his life."

3.Work on the topic of the lesson.

3.1. Conversation.

What do we know about the life of the great Russian writer N.V. Gogol?

What book did we meet? - How many stories are included in it?

What have we learned about the life of the Ukrainian people? - What character traits are inherent in Ukrainians?

List the household items.

3.2. Conversation on the content of the first pages of the story.

-What is said at the beginning of the story? What beauty does the writer plunge us into?

· (The work begins with a description of the winter landscape. The night before the great Christian holiday - the Birth of Jesus Christ)

– What fantastic features does the landscape have?

· (The landscape is animated: “The stars looked out”, “The month majestically rose into the sky to dedicate to good people and the whole world...”, “the month... looked in”).

– Who is disturbing this beauty and why?

· (This silence and beauty is disturbed by evil forces - the devil, the witch. They behave most actively, boldly, try to harm good people, because they have only one night left to wander in this world.)

- So we met the heroes of the story - the devil and the witch. Look at the board and remember what they look like (slides).

-What does a witch do?

· (The witch rises to the sky on her broom and collects stars in her sleeve).

-What is the devil doing? (The devil steals the month).

v View the presentation

· Who are the main characters of the story? (Oksana and Vakula)

· What are they? Let's find descriptions of the characters' character traits in the text.

v Working with text.

3.3. Creation of clusters (work in groups).

Now let's move on to the next part of our lesson. Take the leaves and markers that lie in front of you. Let's make clusters based on the heroes of the story.

v 3.4. Physical education minute.

Let's stop our work and have a little rest. Stand up please. Now we will do several exercises.

1st exercise- stretching. Imagine yourself as the devil. You need to collect as many stars as possible. We take out a star directly above us, to the left, to the right (3 times)

Next exercise- walking in place. You are Chub and godfather, walking through the winter farm to visit Solokha. So, let's start...

Exercise 3- breathing exercises. A strong wind blew. Let's exhale. The wind began to lift snow. Nothing became visible. We closed our eyes. They opened it.

Exercise 4 – squat. Finally you found yourself in Solokha’s house. But someone is constantly knocking on the door of her hut. Solokha is forced to hide you in a bag. And for this you need to sit down. So, we do 10 squats.

3.5.Work on literary theory.

Teacher: Guys! When Pushkin read “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka,” he said: “What a delight these fairy tales are!”

v What fairy tale elements are found in the story?

1) The devil stole the month; 2) Vakula flies on the devil; 3) The queen gave her boots.

v What words are used figuratively?

– The snow caught fire in a wide silver field and was sprinkled with crystal stars;

- My cheeks are burning from the cold.

3.6. Folk traditions.

– What Ukrainian religious holiday does Gogol describe? Answer : Christmas.

– What rituals did you learn about? 1. Caroling. (Masquerade). 2. Post. Hungry Kutya.

– What did you learn about the post?

Answer: You can only eat lean foods. You should not eat meat, sour cream or other fatty foods.

– Yes, the Russian and Ukrainian peoples cannot eat food of animal origin during fasting in order to cleanse the body. And abstinence and prayers cleanse the soul.

Teacher: Guys, we got acquainted with the characteristic features of Gogol’s heroes, which characterize the typical features of the Ukrainian people.

– What features, in your opinion, are characteristic of our people? this is: hospitality, respect for all nationalities and religions.

Yes, guys, for every nation in the world there are typical characteristics that are described by writers in their works.

Guys, the epigraph of today’s cooperation with you will be a statement by a famous writer of the 19th century. V.G. Belinsky “...a whole, complete picture of the home life of the people, their little joys, their little sorrows, in a word, here is the whole poetry of their life.”

4. Reflection.

4.1. Quiz.

Let's check if you managed to immerse yourself in the text of the story and turn out to be observant readers.

(The class is divided into two groups)

Representatives of each team take turns going to the board and removing three stars. On each star is the number of the question that the team has to answer.

v So, the first command...

1) What was the name of the village where Gogol’s character Vakula lived? (Dikanka)

2) How was the witch Solokha related to the blacksmith Vakula? (Mother)

3) what was Vakula’s profession from the story “Night....”? (Blacksmith)

4) Name the “vehicle” of the blacksmith Vakula when flying to St. Petersburg. (Crap)

5) What is the name of Oksana’s father in Gogol’s story “Night...”? (Korny Chub)

6) An official for whom the blacksmith Vakula painted a plank fence in Poltava. (Centurion)

7) A household item in which goods were stored. (Box)

8) What did the devil hide in his pocket? (Month)

9) The man who was the second to visit Solokha. (Secretary)

10) Why did Vakula go to the queen? (Behind the slippers)

11) Songs that were sung on Christmas Eve (Carols)

12) What does the expression “build chickens” mean? (Care)

-Well done!

4.2.Guess the hero.

V.G. Belinsky noted: “Gogol does not write, but draws; his images breathe the colors of reality. You see and hear them."

v Therefore, I think you can easily recognize the heroes of the story by their description.

1) In front he was completely German, in the back he was a real provincial lawyer in a uniform... Narrow muzzle, thin legs. (Crap)

2) A lean, tall man with an overgrown beard in a short sheepskin coat. (Kum)

3) A fresh, childlike face with shiny black eyes and an inexpressibly pleasant smile. (Oksana)

4) She was neither good-looking nor bad-looking. However, she knew how to charm the most sedate Cossacks (Solokha)

5) Crafty, with thin fingers, his other half made the narrowest of his thick braids (Deacon)

6) Despite his small height, he was quite weighty in width (Patsyuk)

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