The attitude of Oblomov and Stolz to St. Petersburg life. Oblomov and Stolz: comparative characteristics

Annex 1

Comparative characteristics of Oblomov and Stolz

I. A. Goncharov worked on the novel “Oblomov” for ten years. In this (best!) work, the author expressed his beliefs and hopes; depicted the problems of contemporary life that worried and deeply affected him, and revealed the causes of these problems. Therefore, the image of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov and Andrei Ivanovich Stolts acquired typical features, and the word “Oblomovism” itself began to express a very specific, almost philosophical concept. We cannot exclude the image of Olga Sergeevna Ilyinskaya, without which the characters of the men would not be fully illuminated.

To understand the character of a person, the motives of his actions, you need to turn to the sources of personality formation: childhood, upbringing, environment, and finally, the education received.

It seems that the strength of all generations of his ancestors was concentrated in Ilyusha; in him were felt the makings of a man of a new time, capable of fruitful activity. But Ilya’s aspirations to independently explore the world were thwarted by a nanny who did not take her eyes off him, from whose supervision he escaped only during the afternoon nap, when all living things in the house, except Ilya, fell asleep. “It was some kind of all-consuming, invincible dream, a true likeness of death.”

An attentive child observes everything that is happening in the house, “feeds a soft mind with living examples and unconsciously draws a program for his life based on the life around him,” the “main concern of life” of which is good food, and then a sound sleep.

The quiet flow of life was disturbed only occasionally by “illnesses, losses, quarrels and, among other things, labor.” Labor was the main enemy of the inhabitants of Oblomovka, a punishment imposed “on our forefathers.” In Oblomovka they always got rid of work when the opportunity presented itself, “finding it possible and proper.” This attitude towards work was brought up in Ilya Ilyich, who accepted a ready-made standard of life, passed on from generation to generation without change. The ideal of inaction was reinforced in the child’s imagination by nanny’s tales about “Emelya the Fool,” who receives various gifts from the magic pike, and undeserved ones at that. Fairy tales penetrate deeply into Ilya’s consciousness, and he, already an adult, “is sometimes unconsciously sad, why is a fairy tale not life, and why is life not a fairy tale?”

The desire for independence, young energy was stopped by the friendly cries of the parents: “What are servants for?” Soon Ilya himself realized that it was calmer and more convenient to give orders. The dexterous, active child is constantly stopped by his parents and nanny for fear that the boy will “fall, hurt himself” or catch a cold; he was cherished like a hothouse flower. “Those seeking manifestations of power turned inward and sank, withering away.”

In such conditions, Ilya Ilyich’s apathetic, lazy, difficult-to-rise nature developed. He was surrounded by the excessive worries of his mother, who made sure that the child ate well, did not overwork himself in studying with Stolz, and was ready, under any, even the most insignificant pretext, not to let Ilyushenka go to the German. She believed that education is not such an important thing, for the sake of which you need to lose weight, lose your blush and skip holidays. But still, Oblomov’s parents understood the need for education, but saw in it only a means for career advancement: they began to receive ranks and awards at that time “no other way than through study.” The parents wanted to present Ilyusha with all the benefits “somehow cheaper, with various tricks.”

His mother's worries had a detrimental effect on Ilya: he was not accustomed to systematic studies, he never wanted to learn more than the teacher asked.

Oblomov’s peer and friend, Andrei Ivanovich Stolts, loved Ilya, tried to stir him up, instill an interest in self-education, set him up for activities that he himself was passionate about, for which he was disposed, because he was brought up in completely different conditions.

Andrei's father, a German, gave him the upbringing that he received from his father, that is, he taught him all the practical sciences, forced him to work early and sent away his son, who had graduated from the university, as his father had done to him in his time. But the father’s rough burgher upbringing constantly came into contact with the tender, affectionate love of his mother, a Russian noblewoman, who did not contradict her husband, but quietly raised her son in her own way: “... taught him to listen to the thoughtful sounds of Hertz, sang to him about flowers, about the poetry of life , whispered about the brilliant calling of either a warrior or a writer...” The proximity of Oblomovka with its “primitive laziness, simplicity of morals, silence and immobility” and the princely “with the wide expanse of lordly life” also prevented Ivan Bogdanovich Stoltz from becoming the son of the same burgher, what he was like. The breath of Russian life “took Andrei away from the straight path outlined by his father.” But nevertheless, Andrei adopted from his father a serious outlook on life (even at all its little things) and pragmatism, which he tried to balance “with the subtle needs of the spirit.”

Stolz kept all emotions, actions and actions under the “never dormant control” of the mind and spent strictly “according to the budget.” He considered himself the cause of all his misfortunes and suffering; he “did not hang guilt and responsibility, like a caftan, on someone else’s nail,” unlike Oblomov, who did not find the strength to admit himself guilty of his troubles, of the worthlessness of his fruitless life: “. ..the burning reproaches of his conscience stung him, and he tried with all his might... to find the culprit outside himself and turn their sting on him, but on whom?”

The search turned out to be useless, because the reason for Oblomov’s ruined life was himself. It was very painful for him to realize this, since he “painfully felt that some good, bright beginning was buried in him, as in a grave, perhaps now dead...”. Oblomov was tormented by doubts about the correctness and necessity of his life. However, over the years, unrest and repentance appeared less frequently, and he quietly and gradually settled into a simple and wide coffin for the rest of his existence, made with his own hands...”.

Stolz and Oblomov have a different attitude towards the imagination, which has two opposite incarnations: “... a friend - the less you believe him, and an enemy - when you fall asleep trustingly under his sweet whisper.” The latter happened to Oblomov. Imagination was his favorite companion in life; only in his dreams did he embody the rich, deeply buried abilities of his “golden” soul.

Stolz did not give free rein to his imagination and was afraid of any dream; it “had no place in his soul”; he rejected everything that “was not subject to the analysis of experience, practical truth,” or accepted it behind“a fact to which experience has not yet reached.” Andrei Ivanovich persistently “went towards his goal,” he valued such persistence above all else: “... it was a sign of character in his eyes.” He only retreated “from the task when a wall appeared on his way or an impassable abyss opened up.” He soberly assessed his strength and walked away, not paying attention to the opinions of others.

Oblomov was afraid of any difficulties; he was too lazy to make even the slightest effort to solve not the great, but the most pressing problems. He found solace in his favorite “conciliatory and soothing” words “maybe”, “maybe” and “somehow” and protected himself from misfortunes with them. He was ready to shift the matter to anyone, without caring about its outcome or the integrity of the chosen person (this is how he trusted the scammers who robbed his estate). Like a pure, naive child, Ilya Ilyich did not allow even the thought of the possibility of deception; elementary prudence, not to mention practicality, was completely absent from Oblomov’s nature.

Ilya Ilyich’s attitude to work has already been discussed. He, like his parents, avoided work in every possible way, which was in his mind a synonym for boredom, and all the efforts of Stolz, for whom “work is the image, content, element and goal of life,” to motivate Ilya Ilyich to some kind of activity were in vain, the matter did not progress beyond words. Figuratively speaking, the cart stood on square wheels. She needed constant pushes of considerable force to move from her place. Stolz quickly got tired (“you fiddle around like a drunkard”), this activity also disappointed Olga Ilyinskaya, through her love for whom many sides of the characters of Oblomov and Stolz are revealed.

In introducing Ilya Ilyich to Olga, Stolz wanted to “introduce into Oblomov’s sleepy life the presence of a young, pretty, intelligent, lively and partly mocking woman,” who could awaken Ilya to life and illuminate his dull existence. But Stolz “did not foresee that he would bring fireworks, Olga and Oblomov - even more so.”

Love for Olga changed Ilya Ilyich. At Olga's request, he gave up many of his habits: he did not lie on the couch, did not overeat, and traveled from the dacha to the city to carry out her instructions. But he could not finally enter into a new life. “To go forward means suddenly throwing off a wide robe not only from your shoulders, but from your soul, from your mind; together with the dust and cobwebs from the walls, sweep the cobwebs out of your eyes and see clearly!” And Oblomov was afraid of storms and changes, he absorbed the fear of the new with his mother’s milk, compared to. which, however, went ahead (Ilya Ilyich had already rejected “the only use of capital is to keep it in a chest,” realizing that “the duty of every citizen is to maintain the general well-being through honest work”), but he achieved little, given his abilities.

He was tired of Olga’s restless, active nature, and therefore Oblomov dreamed that she would calm down and quietly, sleepily vegetate with him, “crawling from one day to another.” Realizing that Olga will never agree to this, Ilya decides to break up with her. For Oblomov, the break with Olga meant a return to previous habits, a final spiritual decline. In his life with Pshenitsa, Ilya Ilyich found a pale reflection of his dreams and “decided that the ideal of his life had come true, although without poetry...”.

Having made a lot of efforts to awaken Oblomov’s desire for activity, Olga soon becomes convinced, as Dobrolyubov puts it, “of his decisive worthlessness,” that is, of his inability for spiritual transformation, and abandons him.

Having gone through love and disappointment, Olga began to take her feelings more seriously; she grew so morally that Stolz did not recognize her when he met a year later, and suffered for a long time, trying to unravel the reason for the dramatic changes in Olga.

It does not lose its relevance even today, being a brilliant socio-psychological work in Russian literature of the 19th century. In the book, the author touches on a number of eternal topics and questions, without giving clear answers, inviting the reader to independently find solutions to the described conflicts. One of the leading eternal themes in the novel is the theme of family, revealed through the example of the biography of the main characters of the work - Ilya Ilyich Oblomov and Andrei Ivanovich Stolts. According to the plot of the novel, Oblomov’s attitude towards family and parents, on the one hand, is similar, but on the other hand, it is radically different from Stolz’s attitude towards family. Andrei Ivanovich and Ilya Ilyich, although they come from the same social system, adopted different family values ​​and received completely different upbringings, which later left an imprint on their fate and development in life.

Oblomov family

The reader encounters a description of Oblomov’s family in the novel “Oblomov” in the final chapter of the first part of the work - “Oblomov’s Dream”.
Ilya Ilyich dreams of beautiful landscapes of his native Oblomovka, his calm childhood, parents and servants. The Oblomov family lived by its own norms and rules, and their main values ​​were the cult of food and relaxation. Every day, the whole family decided what dishes needed to be prepared, and after lunch the whole village plunged into sleepy, lazy idleness. In Oblomovka, it was not customary to talk about anything lofty, argue, discuss serious issues - conversations between family members were meaningless exchanges of words that did not require additional energy and emotions.

It was in such a calming and, in its own way, depressing atmosphere that Ilya Ilyich grew up. The hero was a very curious, interested in everything and an active child, but the excessive care of his parents and their attitude towards him as a greenhouse plant led to the fact that he was gradually swallowed up by the swamp of “Oblomovism”. Moreover, education, science, literacy and all-round development in Oblomov’s family were considered rather a whim, an excess, a fashionable trend, which one could easily do without. That is why, even after sending their son to study, Ilya Ilyich’s parents themselves found many reasons for him to skip classes, staying at home and indulging in idle pastime.

Despite the excessive guardianship on the part of Oblomov’s entourage, Oblomov’s attitude towards his family and parents was the most favorable; he actually loved them with the calm love with which it was customary to love in Oblomovka. And even dreaming about how he would establish his family happiness, Ilya Ilyich imagined his future relationship with his wife exactly as it was between his father and mother - full of care and tranquility, representing the acceptance of his other half for who she is. Perhaps this is why the love of Oblomov and Olga was doomed to parting - Ilyinskaya only at first glance looked like the ideal of his dreams, but in fact she was not ready to devote her life to ordinary everyday joys, which for Ilya Ilyich represented the basis of family happiness.

Stolz family

Andrei Stolts in the novel is Oblomov’s best friend, whom they met during their school years. Andrei Ivanovich grew up in the family of a Russian noblewoman and a German burgher, which could not leave its mark on the already receptive, active and purposeful boy to the world around him. His mother taught Andrei the arts, instilled in him a wonderful taste for music, painting and literature, and dreamed of her son becoming a prominent socialite. The parents of Oblomov and Stolz knew each other, so Andrei was often sent to visit the Oblomovs, where that landowner calm and warmth always reigned, which were acceptable and understandable to his mother. His father raised Stolz to be the same practical and businesslike person as himself. He, undoubtedly, was the most important authority for Andrei, as evidenced by the moments when the young man could leave home for several days, but at the same time complete all the tasks assigned by his father.

It would seem that sensual maternal and rational paternal upbringing should have contributed to the formation of Stolz as a comprehensively developed, harmonious and happy personality. However, this did not happen due to the early death of his mother. Andrei, despite his strong-willed character, loved his mother very much, so her death became a real tragedy for the hero, complemented by an episode of forgiveness with his father, when he, sending him to St. Petersburg to live an independent life, could not even find words of encouragement for his own son . Perhaps this is why the attitude towards Oblomov’s and Stolz’s own family was different - Andrei Ivanovich rarely remembered his parents, unconsciously seeing the ideal of family life in “Oblomov’s”, spiritual relationships.

How did upbringing influence the characters’ future lives?

Despite their different upbringings, the attitude towards Oblomov and Stolz’s parents is more similar than different: both heroes respect and love their parents, strive to be like them and appreciate what they gave them. However, if for Andrei Ivanovich, upbringing became a springboard for achieving career heights, establishing himself in society and helped develop will and practicality, the ability to achieve any goals, then the “greenhouse” upbringing made Oblomov, who was already dreamy by nature, even more introverted and apathetic. Ilya Ilyich’s first failure in the service leads to his complete disappointment in his career, and he quickly replaces the need to work with continuous lying on the couch and pseudo-experience of real life in dreams and unrealistic illusions about the possible future of Oblomovka. It is noteworthy that both heroes see the ideal of a future wife in a woman similar to their mother: for Ilya Ilyich, Agafya becomes thrifty, meek, quiet, agreeing with her husband in everything, while Stolz, having first seen in Olga an image similar to his mother, later years of his life he understands that this is not entirely true, because he needs to constantly develop in order to remain an authority for his demanding, selfish wife.

The theme of family in “Oblomov” is one of the most important, so it is through understanding the peculiarities of the upbringing and development of the characters that the reader begins to understand their life goals and motives. Perhaps if Ilya Ilyich grew up in a family of progressive bourgeois or Stolz’s mother had not died so early, their fates would have turned out differently, but the author, accurately depicting the social realities of that time, leads the reader to eternal questions and themes.

By depicting two different types of personality in the novel, two opposite paths, Goncharov provided readers with a vast field for reflection on issues of family and education that are still relevant in our time.

The attitude of Stolz and Oblomov to family and parents - an essay based on the novel by Goncharov |

I.A. Goncharov in his novel touches on a very relevant topic: the confrontation between work and laziness, which for centuries has remained the most discussed and debatable. Nowadays, this topic is very problematic, since in our modern society technology is progressing and people stop working, laziness develops into the meaning of life.

The heroes of the novel, Oblomov and Stolz, have been friends since early childhood. Their acquaintance occurs while studying in the house of Stolz’s father, who taught the basics of the most important sciences.

Ilya Oblomov comes from a noble family; from early childhood, little Ilya is pampered and cherished. Parents and nannies forbid him to show any independent activity. Ilyusha, seeing this attitude toward himself, immediately realized that he could do nothing, since other people would do it all for him. His education took place in Stolz's house; he did not particularly want to study and his parents indulged him in this. This is how Oblomov’s entire youth passed. Adult life was no different from childhood and adolescence; Oblomov continues to lead a calm and lazy lifestyle. His passivity and idleness affect his daily life. He woke up at lunchtime, slowly climbed out of bed, lazily ate his food and was not interested in any business. Laziness, ingrained from childhood, did not give Oblomov the slightest chance to strive for science, to understand the world around him. Despite all this, his imagination was very well developed, since due to idleness Oblomov’s imaginary world was very rich. Oblomov was also a very trusting person, and the main person Ilya trusted was Andrei Stolts. Shtolz is the complete antipode of Oblomov. From early childhood, Andrei was accustomed to order and to work. His parents raised him strictly but fairly. His father, a German by nationality, instilled in Andrei precision, hard work and punctuality. From a young age, Andrei carried out various assignments from his father, strengthening his character. He studied with Ilya; from his father, unlike Oblomov, Andrei was good at science, and he studied them with curiosity. Stolz made the transition from childhood to adulthood very early, so Andrei was a very active person. He strived for constant replenishment of knowledge, because “learning is light, and ignorance is darkness. He had a sober and practical view of events, he never did anything hastily without thinking about the issue that he needed to solve. The prudence and punctuality inherent in childhood found a place in Stolz’s adult life. Mobility and energy contributed to him in any endeavors. Considering the life positions of Oblomov and Stolz in relation to Olga Ilyinskaya, the following conclusions can be drawn: Oblomov, living in his own world - “Oblomovshchina,” was a romantic who took a long time to decide on concrete steps in real life. Their acquaintance with Olga Ilyinskaya occurs thanks to Stolz. Their relationship was not strong from the very beginning. Olga, knowing a lot about Oblomov from Stolz’s stories, tries to bring Oblomov back to life through the means of her love, but she fails to do this and “Oblomovism” wins. The relationship between Olga and Andrey develops naturally throughout life, “she laughs at his jokes, and he listens to her singing with pleasure.” They had a lot in common, but the most important thing was that they strived for life, this contributed to their rapprochement and the formation of a family.

Be that as it may, the fates of both heroes turn out relatively well. Stolz finds his happiness with Olga, and Oblomov finds his Oblomovka in a house on the Vyborg side and lives out his life there with the woman he always dreamed of. This denouement shows that the author’s position towards both of his heroes is positive.

After reading the novel by I.A. Goncharov “Oblomov”, I am inclined to think that the events described in this work can be applied to our time, since in modern society there are many people like Stolz and Oblomov. And their confrontation will be eternal.

Introduction

Goncharov’s work “Oblomov” is a socio-psychological novel built on the literary method of antithesis. The principle of opposition can be traced both when comparing the characters of the main characters, as well as their basic values ​​and life path. Comparing the lifestyles of Oblomov and Stolz in the novel “Oblomov” allows us to better understand the ideological concept of the work and understand the reasons for the tragedy of the destinies of both heroes.

Features of the heroes' lifestyle

The central character of the novel is Oblomov. Ilya Ilyich is afraid of life’s difficulties and does not want to do or decide anything. Any difficulty and the need to act causes sadness in the hero and plunges him even deeper into an apathetic state. That is why Oblomov, after his first failure in the service, no longer wanted to try his hand at a career and took refuge from the outside world on his favorite sofa, trying not only not to leave the house, but not even to get out of bed unless absolutely necessary. Ilya Ilyich’s way of life is similar to slow dying - both spiritual and physical. The hero's personality gradually degrades, and he himself is completely immersed in illusions and dreams that are not destined to come true.

On the contrary, difficulties spur Stolz on; any mistake for him is only a reason to move on, achieving more. Andrei Ivanovich is in constant motion - business trips, meetings with friends and social evenings are an integral part of his life. Stolz looks at the world soberly and rationally; there are no surprises, illusions or strong shocks in his life, because he has calculated everything in advance and understands what to expect in each specific situation.

The lifestyle of the heroes and their childhood

The development and formation of the images of Oblomov and Stolz is shown by the author from the very early years of the heroes. Their childhood, adolescence and adulthood proceed differently, they are instilled with different values ​​and life guidelines, which only emphasizes the dissimilarity of the characters.

Oblomov grew up like a greenhouse plant, fenced off from the possible influences of the surrounding world. The parents spoiled little Ilya in every possible way, indulged his desires, and were ready to do everything to make their son happy and contented. The very atmosphere of Oblomovka, the hero’s native estate, requires special attention. Slow, lazy and poorly educated villagers considered labor to be something similar to punishment. Therefore, they tried to avoid it in every possible way, and if they had to work, they worked reluctantly, without any inspiration or desire. Naturally, this could not help but influence Oblomov, who from an early age absorbed the love of an idle life, absolute idleness, when Zakhar, as lazy and slow as his master, can always do everything for you. Even when Ilya Ilyich finds himself in a new, urban environment, he does not want to change his lifestyle and start working intensively. Oblomov simply closes himself off from the outside world and creates in his imagination some idealized prototype of Oblomovka, in which he continues to “live.”

Stolz's childhood is different, which is due, first of all, to the roots of the hero - a strict German father tried to raise his son as a worthy bourgeois, who could achieve everything in life on his own, without fear of any work. Andrei Ivanovich’s sophisticated mother, on the contrary, wanted her son to achieve a brilliant secular reputation in society, so from an early age she instilled in him a love of books and the arts. All this, as well as the evenings and receptions regularly held at the Stoltsev estate, influenced little Andrei, forming an extroverted, educated and purposeful personality. The hero was interested in everything new, he knew how to confidently move forward, so after graduating from university he easily took his place in society, becoming an irreplaceable person for many. Unlike Oblomov, who perceived any activity as an aggravating necessity (even university studies or reading a long book), for Stolz his activity was an impulse for further personal, social and career development.

Similarities and differences in the characters' lifestyles

If the differences in the lifestyles of Ilya Oblomov and Andrei Stolts are noticeable and obvious almost immediately, correlating respectively as a passive lifestyle leading to degradation and an active one aimed at comprehensive development, then their similarities are visible only after a detailed analysis of the characters. Both heroes are “superfluous” people for their era; they both do not live in the present time, and therefore are in constant search for themselves and their true happiness. The introverted, slow Oblomov holds on with all his might to his past, to the “heavenly”, idealized Oblomovka - a place where he will always feel good and calm.

Stolz strives exclusively for the future. He perceives his past as a valuable experience and does not try to cling to it. Even their friendship with Oblomov is full of unrealizable plans for the future - about how to transform the life of Ilya Ilyich, make it brighter and more real. Stolz is always one step ahead, so it is difficult for him to be an ideal husband for Olga (however, Oblomov’s “extra” nature in the novel also becomes an obstacle to the development of relations with Olga).

Such isolation from others and internal loneliness, which Oblomov fills with illusions, and Stolz fills with thoughts about work and self-improvement, become the basis of their friendship. The characters unconsciously see in each other the ideal of their own existence, while completely denying their friend’s lifestyle, considering it either too active and intense (Oblomov was even upset by the fact that he had to walk for a long time in boots, and not in his usual soft slippers), or excessively lazy and inactive (at the end of the novel, Stolz says that it was “Oblomovism” that ruined Ilya Ilyich).

Conclusion

Using the example of the lifestyle of Oblomov and Stolz, Goncharov showed how the fates of people who come from the same social class but who received different upbringings can differ. Depicting the tragedy of both characters, the author shows that a person cannot live hiding from the whole world in illusion or giving himself overly to others, to the point of mental exhaustion - in order to be happy, it is important to find harmony between these two directions.

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