Is Oblomov's image tragic? Characteristics of the main character and definition of techniques for creating an image.

Introduction

The work “Oblomov” by Goncharov is a socio-psychological novel that was published in 1859. In the book, the author touches on a number of eternal topics: parents and children, love and friendship, the search for the meaning of life and others, revealing them through the biography of the main character - Ilya Ilyich Oblomov - a lazy, apathetic man, overly dreamy and completely unadapted to real life. The image of Oblomov in Goncharov’s novel is the central and most striking male image of the work. According to the plot of the book, the reader meets Ilya Ilyich when the hero has already reached over thirty years of age and is a fully formed personality. Like many men of his age, he dreams of a large family, children, a sweet, thrifty wife and a prosperous end of life in his native estate - Oblomovka. However, all these ideas about the distant wonderful future remain only in the hero’s dreams; in real life, Ilya Ilyich does absolutely nothing that would bring him even one step closer to the idyllic picture that he had long planned in his dreams.

Oblomov's days pass in continuous idleness; he is even too lazy to get out of bed to greet guests. His whole life is a sleepy kingdom, a dreamy half-asleep, consisting of the continuous stringing and creation of unrealizable illusions that exhausted him morally and from which he sometimes got tired and fell asleep exhausted. In this monotonous life leading to degradation, Ilya Ilyich hid from the real world, fenced himself off from it in every possible way, fearing its activity and not wanting to take responsibility for his actions, much less work and confidently step over failures and defeats, continuing forward movement.

Why is Oblomov trying to escape from real life?

To understand the reasons for Oblomov’s escapism, it is worth briefly describing the atmosphere in which the hero was brought up. Ilya Ilyich’s native village, Oblomovka, was located in a picturesque and quiet area remote from the capital. Beautiful nature, a calm, measured life on the estate, the lack of need to work and excessive parental care led to the fact that Oblomov was not ready for the difficulties of life outside Oblomovka. Brought up in an atmosphere of love and even adoration, Ilya Ilyich thought that he would encounter a similar attitude towards himself in the service. Imagine his surprise when, instead of a semblance of a loving family, where everyone supports each other, a team with a completely different attitude was waiting for him. At work, no one was interested in him, no one cared about him, since everyone thought only about increasing their own salary and moving up the career ladder. Feeling uncomfortable after his first mistake in the service, Oblomov, on the one hand, fearing punishment, and on the other, having found a reason for dismissal, he leaves his job. The hero no longer tried to get a job somewhere, living on the money that was sent to him from Oblomovka and spending all his days in bed, thus reliably hiding from the worries and problems of the outside world.

Oblomov and Stolz are antipodal images

The antipode of the image of the main character in the novel “Oblomov” by Ilya Ilyich is his childhood friend, Andrei Ivanovich Stolts. In terms of character and life priorities, Stolz is the complete opposite of Oblomov, although they come from the same social class. Unlike the lazy, apathetic, dreamy Ilya Ilyich, who lives exclusively in his past, Andrei Ivanovich always strives forward, he is not afraid of failures, since he knows that in any case he will be able to achieve his goal, to reach ever greater heights. And if the meaning of Oblomov’s life is the illusory world that he builds in his imagination and for which he lives, then for Stolz this meaning remains hard work.

Despite the fact that in the work the heroes are contrasted as two differently directed principles and two antithetical personality types - introverted and extroverted, Stolz and Oblomov organically complement each other and need each other. Without Andrei Ivanovich, Ilya Ilyich would probably have completely abandoned business in Oblomovka or sold it for pennies to someone like Tarantiev. Stolz most clearly understood the harmful influence of “Oblomovism” on his friend, so he tried with all his might to return him to real life, taking him with him to social events or forcing him to read new books.
The author's introduction into the narrative of such a character as Andrei Ivanovich helps to better understand the image of Ilya Ilyich. Compared to his friend, Oblomov, on the one hand, looks passive, lazy, not wanting to strive for anything. On the other hand, his positive qualities are also revealed - warmth, kindness, tenderness, understanding and sympathy for loved ones, because it was in conversations with Ilya Ilyich that Stolz found peace of mind, lost in the constant race of life.

Revealing the image of Oblomov through love

In the life of Ilya Ilyich there were two different loves - a spontaneous, all-encompassing, stormy and revitalizing love for Olga Ilyinskaya and a quiet, pacifying, respect-based, full of calm and monotony love for Agafya Pshenitsyna. The image of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is revealed differently in relationships with each of the women.

Love for Olga was that bright ray that could pull the hero out of the “swamp of Oblomovism”, because it was for the sake of Ilyinskaya that Oblomov forgets about his favorite robe, begins to read books again, it’s as if his wings grow, since a real goal appears - a possible happy future with Olga, family and her own comfortable estate. However, Ilya Ilyich was not ready to completely change; Ilyinskaya’s aspirations for constant development and achieving new heights were alien to him. In a relationship with Olga, Oblomov is the first to retreat and the first writes her a letter in which he says that her love is not true feelings. This act can be considered not only as the hero’s weakness, his fear of change and internal passivity, but also as a better understanding of the sphere of feelings, excellent intuitive sense and understanding of the psychology of other people. Ilya Ilyich subconsciously felt that their life paths were too different, that Olga needed much more than he was ready to give her. And even if he tries to become for her the very ideal of a gentle, kind, sensual, but at the same time continuously developing, active person, he will be unhappy for the rest of his life, never having found the desired happiness.

After the difficult but predetermined separation of Oblomov and Olga, the hero finds solace surrounded by the care of Pshenitsyna. Agafya, by nature, is the ideal of the “Oblomov” woman - poorly educated, but at the same time very kind, sincere, economic, caring for the comfort and satiety of her husband and adoring him. Ilya Ilyich’s feelings for Pshenitsyna were built on respect, which gradually grew into warmth and understanding, and then into calm but strong love. Let us remember that when Stolz tried to take Oblomov with him, he did not want to go, not because he was lazy, but because it was important for him to stay with his wife, who was able to give him the happiness that he had dreamed of for so long.

Conclusion

An analysis of Oblomov’s image makes it clear that it is impossible to interpret Ilya Ilyich as a uniquely positive or negative hero. He attracts the reader in his own way, but also causes antipathy with his laziness and passivity, which indicates the versatility of the character’s nature, his inner depth and, possibly, powerful unrealized potential. Oblomov is a composite image of a typical Russian person, a dreamy, contemplative personality who always hopes for the best and sees true happiness in monotony and tranquility. As critics point out, Goncharov largely copied Ilya Ilyich from himself, which makes the novel even more interesting for a modern reader interested in the work of the great Russian writer.

A detailed analysis of the image of the hero of Goncharov’s novel will be useful for 10th graders when writing an essay on the topic “The Image of Oblomov in the novel “Oblomov”.”

Work test

Russian literature has given the world many beautiful images. The pampered Onegin and the suffering egoist Pechorin, the judicious Bolkonsky and the emotional Bezukhov, the individualist Raskolnikov and the nihilist Bazarov - this is not a complete list of the names of our favorite heroes. One can put Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, the hero of the magnificent novel by I. A. Goncharov, on a par with them.

Oblomov deserves respect and indignation equally, a kind smile and an evil laugh. The positive qualities of this person are much brighter than the advantages in the character of Onegin or Pechorin. Even Oblomov’s appearance not only makes a pleasant impression, but also puts him in a calm mood. Goncharov emphasizes the gentleness that was “the dominant and main expression, not only of the face, but of the entire soul” of the protagonist. Ilya Ilyich is very kind and noble. He is completely incapable of doing vile deeds. This is well understood by those who love the main character of the novel. His old friend Stolz says about Oblomov: “This is a crystal, transparent soul!”

According to Olga Ilyinskaya, Ilya Ilyich resembles a dove with his tenderness and gentle disposition. One has only to remember how sincerely Oblomov rejoices at the unexpected arrival of Stolz. The hero is very sensitive to the feelings of his beloved girl. When he comes to the conclusion that he will not bring Olga happiness, Oblomov decides to give up his love for the sake of Ilyinskaya’s happiness. Ilya Ilyich shouts to himself: “I’m stealing someone else’s property! I am a thief! This is the act of a sensitive person who has experienced a deep feeling. Ilya Ilyich was excited not by Olga’s appearance, but by her soul. The hero fell in love with Ilyinskaya when she was singing. Oblomov is greatly influenced by music; he understands truly great art. In his youth, Ilya Ilyich cried while looking at paintings by Italian artists. He can be called an educated and cultured person. Oblomov compares favorably with the secular slacker Volkov and the careerist Sudbinsky. In comparison with the scoundrel Tarantiev, the honest and good-natured nature of the protagonist is more clearly visible. Oblomov evokes great sympathy and love from people as smart and decent as him. That’s why Stolz and Ilyinskaya have been trying to save Oblomov for so long, we sympathize so much with the main character.

However, already in the first description of Ilya Ilyich, when Goncharov gives a detailed portrait of his hero, we are alarmed by Oblomov’s stunning carelessness, complete serenity. He lies on the couch all day, no sign of any idea visible on his face. Gradually, the image of a lazy and weak-willed person is revealed to us. Oblomov doesn’t do anything, he can’t take care of himself. It's surprising that even the most urgent matters do not cause a surge of energy in the hero. Ilya Ilyich wants to live his life as if he happily slept through it. He even “feels sleepy in his dreams.” Oblomov consciously moves away from big life, limiting himself to the confines of his own apartment. Stolz calls this existence the word “Oblomovism.” Ilya Ilyich himself understands that he is not living as he should, as he dreamed of living in his youth. However, all attempts to change the usual way of life lead nowhere. Oblomovism robbed the hero of his strength and ability to live independently. This phenomenon has deep roots. The reason for Oblomov’s behavior must be sought in the childhood of Ilya Ilyich. He was born in a small patriarchal village, where laziness and inertia of views reigned. For the residents of Oblomovka, work was a “severe punishment,” and their favorite pastimes were eating and sleeping. Ilyusha grew up as a lively and inquisitive boy, asking adults a lot of questions. But the parents wanted their son to eat a lot and sleep sweetly, to be ruddy and plump. Oblomov tried to do everything on his own, but soon realized that there was no need to work when there were three hundred serfs around. The environment gradually killed Oblomov’s desire to live a full-blooded life. In his youth, Ilya Ilyich believed that “all life is thought and work,” but he quickly realized that his ideas about life were very far from reality. Oblomov is used to being a gentleman; He was proud of the fact that he did not work; he never even put on his own stockings. Therefore, the hero’s life turned out to be gray and unnoticed. Once in Pshenitsyna’s house, Oblomov found a well-fed and calm life there, when you can sleep a lot and not worry about anything. Ilya Ilyich is worthy of sympathy and pity, but one cannot but agree with the words of Stolz: “It began with the inability to put on stockings, and ended with the inability to live.”

Oblomov continues the gallery of “superfluous” people in Russian literature, begun by Onegin and Pechorin. He was unable to realize his best qualities and make his dreams come true. Serfdom, which allowed Ilya Ilyich not to work and live, ruined this very kind and good man, a typical hero of his time.

I. A. Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” is a socio-psychological novel, depicting the destructive influence of the noble-landowner environment on the human personality. "Oblomov" appeared when the feudal system was increasingly revealing its insolvency. Goncharov worked on this work for many years. The novel was published in 1859 in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski and immediately attracted the attention of readers.

Goncharov, like few others, managed to touch the most intimate strings of the “Russian soul” with the artist’s pen. The writer created a hero who, oddly enough, embodies the main features of the Russian national character, although in a form that is not the most attractive, but at the same time evokes love and sympathy. Goncharov's merit lies in the fact that he revealed the socio-historical reasons for the emergence of such a character as Oblomov. That is why in the novel an important place is occupied by the depiction of those conditions and the environment in which the formation of its hero took place.

The writer with amazing depth reproduced the life of a provincial noble estate, the life of middle-class landowners, their psychology, morals, customs, and views. In the chapter “Oblomov’s Dream” the author depicts the stillness, the soporific peace and silence of the “peaceful corner”. “The annual circle is completed there correctly and calmly”; “neither terrible storms nor destruction can be heard in that region”; “life, like a calm river, flowed past them” such phrases characterize the life of the hero and his environment.

By the age of 32, Ilya Ilyich Oblomov had turned into a “baibak”, an apathetic and inert creature, whose life was limited to an apartment on Gorokhovaya Street, a robe made of Persian fabric and lying on the sofa. This condition kills Oblomov’s positive human qualities, of which there are many in him. He is honest, humane, smart. The writer more than once emphasizes the “dove’s meekness” in him. Stolz recalls that once, about ten years ago, he had spiritual ideals. He read Rousseau, Schiller, Goethe, Byron, studied mathematics, studied English, thought about the fate of Russia, and wanted to serve his homeland. Stolz reproaches Oblomov: “In this same corner lie your plans to “serve” until you have strength, because Russia needs hands and heads to develop inexhaustible sources.”

The ideological confrontation between Andrei Ivanovich and Ilya Ilyich is one of the main semantic elements of Oblomov. The last meeting of the two friends mirrors their first meeting in the novel. Their dialogue develops in the following generalized form: Stolz’s questions about health, Oblomov’s complaints, Stolz’s reproaches about his wrong lifestyle, calls for change. But the outcome of the conversation differs significantly: at the beginning of the novel, Ilya Ilyich succumbs to the persuasion of his friend and goes out into the world, but in the finale he remains in his familiar place.

The German Stolz is “constantly on the move.” His credo is an active life position, distrust of “the dream, the mysterious, the mysterious.” Stolz's character is associated with the new, bourgeois-entrepreneurial reality and embodies the traits of a businessman. Andrei Ivanovich is hardworking, smart, honest, noble, but he works not for a high goal, but for the sake of personal success. To Oblomov’s question: “For what are you working?” he finds nothing to say except: “For the work itself, for nothing else.” Stolz is not drawn to a positive hero, because he is “weak, pale, and the idea is too bare of an idea.”

It is very important that we actually look at what is happening through the eyes of Stolz. But this character does not at all represent the author’s position and he does not convince us of everything. Essentially, Oblomov is a mystery for the author himself.

Oblomov’s tragedy is not in the lack of universal education and not in the desolation of his family estate. The break with Olga Ilyinskaya led to him losing the content of his life. The best moments of Ilya Ilyich’s life were associated with Olga. This loss brings him to the house of Agafya Pshenitsyna. At the end of the novel, Oblomov "...was a complete and natural reflection of peace, contentment and serene silence."

The energetic Stolz tried to bring Oblomov out of his state of deadening calm and to include him in life. Unfortunately, nothing came of this, because Ilya Ilyich was too firmly rooted in peace: “I’ve grown to this hole with a sore spot: try to tear it off - there will be death.”

Oblomov understands his spiritual fall, the stronger his spiritual drama. “He painfully felt that some good, bright beginning was buried in him, as in a grave, perhaps now dead, or it lay like gold in the depths of a mountain... But the treasure was deeply and heavily littered with rubbish, alluvial rubbish." Oblomov also understands the reasons for his spiritual death. When Olga asked him: “Why did everything die?.. Who cursed you, Ilya?.. What ruined you? There is no name for this evil...”, “There is,” he said barely audibly... Oblomovism!”

Perhaps, Goncharov managed to embody positive traits in Olga Ilyinskaya. Olga is an independent, strong, determined person. She is characterized by a desire for an active and meaningful life. Therefore, having fallen in love with Oblomov, she is imbued with the desire to revive him, to save him from spiritual and moral death. Realizing that Oblomov will not be able to shake off his apathy and laziness, she irrevocably breaks with him. Olga’s farewell words to Oblomov speak of her high demands on the one she loves: “You are meek, honest, Ilya; you are gentle... dove, you hide your head under your wing and don’t want anything more; you I’m ready to coo under the roof all my life... yes, I’m not like that: that’s not enough for me...” It’s interesting that Olga becomes Stolz’s wife. But, naturally, this marriage does not bring her happiness.

The unconscious motives and aspirations that determine Oblomov’s behavior are a kind of “abyss”. In many ways, Oblomov’s personality remains unsolved.

N. A. Dobrolyubov in the article “What is Oblomovism?” gave a brilliant and still unsurpassed analysis of the novel. He notes that the social significance of the novel “Oblomov” lies in the fact that it shows Russian life, created a “modern Russian type” and in one word defines the characteristic phenomenon of noble-serfdom reality: “This word is Oblomovism; it serves as the key to unraveling many phenomena of Russian life."

Dobrolyubov showed that the image of Oblomov represents a socio-psychological type that embodies the features of a landowner of the pre-reform period. The state of lordship gives rise to moral slavery in him: “... the vile habit of receiving satisfaction of his desires not from his own efforts, but from others, developed in him an apathetic immobility and plunged him into a pitiful state of moral slavery. This slavery is intertwined with Oblomov’s lordship, since they penetrate each other into each other and one is conditioned by the other.” The Oblomovs are all those whose words are at odds with deeds, who in words only wish for the best and are not able to translate their desire into action.

This is the genius of Goncharov, that in his wonderful work he raised one of the most important questions of Russian life. Answering this question means changing your life radically for the better.

Didn't like the essay?
We have 9 more similar essays.

The most obvious; The reader finds an explanation of Oblomov’s character and everyday behavior in the chapter “Oblomov’s Dream.” Here the author describes the childhood of Ilya Ilyich. It is impossible not to feel sympathy for a living, active child, all of whose natural impulses are suppressed. He wants to run to the ravine, explore the surrounding area - in response, they scare him with ghosts and all sorts of evil spirits. He wants to play snowballs with the boys - they wrap him in a fur coat and take him home. From childhood, initiative was suppressed in Oblomov. He was not given the most valuable thing that every person should have - freedom. He had never put on stockings himself in his life. If Zakhar puts on different stockings for him, he will walk like that all day without even noticing. Ilya Ilyich’s laziness is rooted precisely in Oblomov’s way of life. In Oblomovka he was taught not to do anything, not to bother himself, to enjoy life. Fortunately, several hundred servants will make sure that the boy does not need anything. Looking ahead, we can say that Ilya Ilyich’s choice was natural and predictable when he stayed to live on the Vyborg side. Pshenitsyna gave him the same thing that his parents once gave him: a calm, carefree existence. He could not feel the need, the lack of anything, simply because he was not allowed to feel it. All his life Oblomov chose the easier path, went with the flow. And he changed this principle only once - when he met Olyu Ilyinskaya.

The love story for Olga is extremely dramatic, if only because this feeling is obviously doomed to failure. These two people knew how to understand and support each other, they had the same ideals, the same spiritual needs. They were incompatible only in that they pursued different goals in life.

The relationship between Oblomov and Olga is pure and sincere, they evoke amazement and admiration. Both of them are spiritual and very pure people. Both strive for all-forgiving and all-encompassing love, and as a result, to create a family. But on the way to this there is an insurmountable obstacle - Oblomov’s apathy. No matter how funny and frivolous these words may sound, this is exactly the case. Ilya Ilyich’s apathy is not at all a mild form of indifference to life, but rather a serious illness when life itself is a burden. The pursuit of such a high goal as happiness in love always requires the expenditure of physical and spiritual strength. Oblomov greatly breaks himself in connection with his feelings for Olga, he commits acts that are incredible to him. This is an invaluable sacrifice on his part (Olga hardly feels it). Oblomov’s only trouble is that he cannot fight his illness, whose name is Oblomovism. The family estate pulls towards itself with great force, and the hero returns to Oblomovka again. Only now Pshenitsyna’s house has become its embodiment. Ilya Ilyich alone should not be blamed for this moral decline. Perhaps not the least role was played by the soulless and soulless social reality, which Oblomov is so indignant after returning with Stolz from another hospitable home.

To some extent, Oblomov’s fate is a protest against existing reality. Yes, for him it was the only way to fight. Active struggle is not in Ilya Ilyich’s nature. He has only a few strong-willed and courageous actions to his name: a slap in the face to Tarantiev, calmly saying “wife” to Stoltz in response to the question of who he is related to Pshenitsyna. These actions do not contradict his character, but, due to the same character, cannot be repeated too often.

Oblomov's character is ideal in literary terms, that is, he is natural, there is not a single false or inaccurate detail in his description. The hero commits only those actions that are characteristic of him and stem from his worldview. His spiritual and then physical death are completely natural consequences of his lifestyle, behavior, and character. Oblomov himself realizes with stunning clarity the whirlpool into which he is being drawn faster and faster. And with the same clarity of mind, he claims that there is no way back. If even Olga could not save him, pull him out of the captivity of Oblomovism, then no one will succeed.