Meaning "What to do?" in the history of literature and the revolutionary movement. What to do?" N.G. Chernyshevsky

Nikolai Chernyshevsky’s novel “What to do?” contemporaries perceived it ambiguously. Some considered him an “abomination,” others considered him a “charm.” This is due to the complex composition, attempts to hide the main idea behind the dreams of the main character and the love triangle, and, finally, to the peculiarities of the language design. Nevertheless, the novel had a serious influence on Russian society in the 19th century. Schoolchildren study it in 10th grade. We offer a brief analysis of the work “What to do?”, which will help you prepare qualitatively for the lessons and for the Unified State Exam.

Brief Analysis

History of creation- N. Chernyshevsky created the novel while he was in the Peter and Paul Fortress. The writer was arrested for radical ideas. The work was conceived as a response to Turgenev’s “Fathers and Sons,” so there is a certain similarity between the images of Evgeny Bazarov and Rakhmetov.

Subject– In the work, two main themes can be distinguished - love and life in a new society built on the basis of the laws of labor and equality.

Composition- The structure of the work has its own peculiarities. The through lines of the novel are the life of Vera Pavlovna, the fates of Lopukhov and Kirsanov. Love twists and turns play a major role in these storylines. Vera Pavlovna’s dreams are closely intertwined with reality. With the help of them, the author encrypted socio-political motives.

Genre– A novel in which one can notice the features of several genre varieties - a utopian novel, socio-political, love and philosophical novels.

Direction– Realism.

History of creation

The writer worked on the analyzed work for several months: from December 1862 to April 1863. At that time he was under arrest in the Peter and Paul Fortress. He was imprisoned for his radical views. The novel was conceived as a response to Turgenev’s “Fathers and Sons,” so there is a certain similarity between the images of Yevgeny Bazarov and Rakhmetov.

While working on the novel, N. Chernyshevsky understood that censorship would not allow it to be published if it noticed an acute political subtext. To deceive the regulatory authorities, the writer resorted to artistic techniques: he framed social motives with a love context and introduced dreams into the plot. He managed to publish his work in Sovremennik, but soon the authorities prohibited not only distributing the novel, but even imitating it. Permission was granted to publish Chernyshevsky’s work “What is to be done?” only in 1905

Subject

The novel displays motifs characteristic of Russian literature of the 19th century. The writer implemented them in an extraordinary, intricate plot. He presented situations that should push the reader to independent conclusions.

N. Chernyshevsky revealed several topics, among which the following stand out: love, which is nourished by common interests and mutual respect; dreams of a new life. These topics are closely intertwined and determine Problems“What to do?”: marriage without love, friendship, equality of men and women, the role of work in human life.

A significant part of the novel is devoted to the life of Vera Pavlovna. The heroine's mother wanted to marry her to a rich man. She considered the owner's son to be a profitable match. The mother did not even think that he was a womanizer with whom her daughter would not find happiness. Verochka was saved from an unsuccessful marriage by medical student Dmitry Lopukhov. A tender feeling arose between the young people and they got married. Vera became the owner of a sewing workshop. However, she did not use hired labor. The heroine made the girls who worked for her co-owners, and they shared the income equally. In the story about Vera Pavlovna’s workshop, the author embodied the idea of ​​equal labor.

The marriage with Lopukhov soon broke up: Verochka fell in love with her husband’s friend, Kirsanov. To untie the love knot, Lopukhov decided to shoot himself. It turns out that he left the note discussed at the beginning of the novel. In the message, he stated that no one was to blame for his death, and Vera Pavlovna calmly married Kirsanov.

The married couple lived happily. Vera Pavlovna was passionate about her favorite activity - sewing workshops; she began to study medicine, and her husband helped her in every possible way. In the descriptions of the family life of these people, the idea of ​​​​equality of men and women is manifested. At the end of the novel we learn that Lopukhov is alive. Now he took the surname Beaumont and married Ekaterina Vasilievna Polozova. The Kirsanov and Beaumont families begin to become friends and spread the ideas of a “new” life.

Composition

In “What to do?” the analysis should be supplemented with a characterization of the composition. Features of the formal and semantic organization of the text allow the author to reveal several topics and veil forbidden motives. At first glance, love twists and turns play the main role in the novel. In fact, they are a mask that hides socio-political problems. To reveal the latter, the author used the description of Vera Pavlovna’s dreams.

The components of the plot are placed inconsistently: the author presents the event from the development of actions before the exposition, and only then the plot elements are arranged in a logical chain. Both at the beginning and at the end of the novel the image of Lopukhov appears. This creates a kind of frame.

Main characters

Genre

The genre of the work is a novel, as it has several plot lines, and the central problem remains open. The work is characterized by genre syncretism: it intertwines the features of love, philosophical, socio-political novels and utopia. The direction of the work is realism.

Work test

Rating Analysis

Average rating: 4 . Total ratings received: 42.

Composition

Nikolai Gavrilovich Chernyshevsky was born into the family of a priest, but in his youth he freed himself from religious ideas, becoming a leading thinker of his time. Chernyshevsky was a utopian socialist. He developed a coherent system of social liberation in Russia. For revolutionary activities, journalistic articles, and work in the Sovremennik magazine, Chernyshevsky was arrested and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress. In such unusual conditions, in 1862, the novel “What is to be done?” was written.

Nekrasov published the novel in Sovremennik, after which the magazine was closed and the novel was banned. The work was published a second time only after the first Russian revolution. Meanwhile, the popularity of the “objectionable novel” was enormous. He caused a storm, became the center around which passions boiled. It’s hard for us to imagine, but the novel was copied by hand and distributed in lists. The power of his power over the minds of his young contemporaries knew no bounds. One of the professors at St. Petersburg University wrote: “During the sixteen years of my stay at the university, I never met a student who had not read the famous essay back in the gymnasium.”

The novel “What to do?” written with a young reader in mind, one who is faced with the problem of choosing a path. The entire content of the book was supposed to indicate to a person entering life how to build his future. Chernyshevsky creates a novel that was called a “textbook of life.” The heroes of the work had to teach them to act correctly and according to their conscience. It is no coincidence that Lopukhov, Kirsanov, Vera Pavlovna are called “new people” by the writer himself, and the author speaks of Rakhmetov as a “special person.” Let's remember Chatsky, Onegin, Pechorin... They are romantics, dreamers - people without goals. All these heroes are not perfect. They have traits that are difficult for us to accept. Chernyshevsky's heroes rarely doubt; they firmly know what they want in life. They work, they are not familiar with idleness and boredom. They do not depend on anyone, because they live by their own labor. Lopukhov and Kirsanov are busy with medicine. Vera Pavlovna opens her workshop. This is a special workshop. Everyone is equal in it. Vera Pavlovna is the owner of the workshop, but all income is distributed among the girls working in it.

“New people” do not confine themselves only to their own business. They have many other interests. They love the theater, read a lot, and travel. These are comprehensively developed individuals.

They also solve their family problems in a new way. The situation that has developed in the Lopukhov family is very traditional. Vera Pavlovna fell in love with Kirsanov. Anna Karenina, having fallen in love with Vronsky, finds herself in a hopeless situation. Tatyana Larina, continuing to love Onegin, decides her fate unambiguously: “... I was given to another; I will be faithful to him forever.” Chernyshevsky's heroes resolve this conflict in a new way. Lopukhov “leaves the stage”, freeing Vera Pavlovna. At the same time, he does not consider that he is sacrificing himself, because he acts according to the theory of “reasonable egoism,” popular among the “new people.” Lopukhov brings himself joy by doing good to people close to him. Mutual understanding and respect reign in the new Kirsanov family. Let us remember the unfortunate Katerina, Ostrovsky’s heroine. The boar's wife forces her daughter-in-law to follow the rule: “let the wife fear her husband.” Vera Pavlovna not only is not afraid of anyone, but it is possible for her to independently choose her life path. She is an emancipated woman, free from conventions and prejudices. She is given equal rights in work and family life.

The new family in the novel is contrasted with the environment of “vulgar people” in which the heroine grew up and from which she left. Suspicion and money-grubbing reign here. Vera Pavlovna's mother is a family despot.

Rakhmetov is also close to the “new people”. This is a man preparing himself for a decisive struggle, for a revolution. He combines the features of a folk hero and a highly educated person. He sacrifices everything for the sake of his goal.

These people dream of common joy and prosperity coming to Earth. Yes, they are utopians; in life it is not always so easy to follow the proposed ideals. But it seems to me that man has always dreamed and will dream of a wonderful society where only good, kind and honest people will live. Rakhmetov, Lopukhov and Kirsanov were ready to give their lives for this.

The morality of the new people is revolutionary in its deep, inner essence; it completely denies and destroys the officially recognized morality, on the foundations of which Chernyshevsky’s contemporary society rests - the morality of sacrifice and duty. Lopukhov says that “a victim is soft-boiled boots.” All actions, all deeds of a person are only truly viable when they are performed not under compulsion, but according to internal attraction, when they are consistent with desires and beliefs. Everything that is done in society under duress, under the pressure of duty, ultimately turns out to be inferior and stillborn. Such, for example, is the noble reform “from above” - the “sacrifice” brought by the upper class to the people.

The morality of new people frees up the creative possibilities of the human personality, joyfully realizing the true needs of human nature, based, according to Chernyshevsky, on the “instinct of social solidarity.” In accordance with this instinct, Lopukhov enjoys doing science, and Vera Pavlovna enjoys working with people and running sewing workshops on reasonable and fair socialist principles.

New people are solving love problems and problems of family relationships that are fatal to humanity in a new way. Chernyshevsky is convinced that the main source of intimate dramas is inequality between men and women, a woman’s dependence on a man. Emancipation, Chernyshevsky hopes, will significantly change the very nature of love. A woman’s excessive concentration on love feelings will disappear. Her participation on an equal basis with a man in public affairs will remove drama in love relationships, and at the same time destroy the feeling of jealousy as purely selfish in nature.

New people resolve the most dramatic conflict in human relationships, the love triangle, differently, less painfully. Pushkin’s “how God grant your beloved one to be different” becomes for them not an exception, but an everyday norm of life. Lopukhov, having learned about Vera Pavlovna’s love for Kirsanov, voluntarily gives way to his friend, leaving the stage. Moreover, on Lopukhov’s part this is not a sacrifice - but “the most profitable benefit.” Ultimately, having made a “calculation of benefits,” he experiences a joyful feeling of satisfaction from an act that brings happiness not only to Kirsanov and Vera Pavlovna, but also to himself.

Of course, the spirit of utopia emanates from the pages of the novel. Chernyshevsky has to explain to the reader how Lopukhov’s “reasonable egoism” did not suffer from the decision he made. The writer clearly overestimates the role of the mind in all human actions and actions. Lopukhov’s reasoning smacks of rationalism and rationality; the introspection he carries out gives the reader a feeling of some thoughtfulness, implausibility of a person’s behavior in the situation in which Lopukhov found himself. Finally, one cannot help but notice that Chernyshevsky makes the decision easier by the fact that Lopukhov and Vera Pavlovna do not yet have a real family, no child. Many years later, in the novel Anna Karenina, Tolstoy will rebut Chernyshevsky about the tragic fate of the main character, and in War and Peace he will challenge the excessive enthusiasm of the revolutionary democrats for the ideas of women's emancipation.

N” one way or another, and in the theory of “reasonable egoism” of Chernyshevsky’s heroes there is an undeniable appeal and an obvious rational grain, especially important for the Russian people, who for centuries lived under the strong pressure of autocratic statehood, which restrained initiative and sometimes extinguished the creative impulses of the human personality. The morality of Chernyshevsky’s heroes, in a certain sense, has not lost its relevance in our times, when society’s efforts are aimed at awakening a person from moral apathy and lack of initiative, at overcoming dead formalism.

Other works on this work

On July 11, 1856, a note left by a strange guest is found in the room of one of the large St. Petersburg hotels. The note says that its author will soon be heard on the Liteiny Bridge and that no one should be suspicious. The circumstances become clear very soon: at night a man shoots himself on the Liteiny Bridge. His bullet-ridden cap is fished out of the water.

That same morning, at a dacha on Kamenny Island, a young lady sits and sews, singing a lively and bold French song about working people who will be freed by knowledge. Her name is Vera Pavlovna. The maid brings her a letter, after reading which Vera Pavlovna sobs, covering her face with her hands. The young man who entered tries to calm her down, but Vera Pavlovna is inconsolable. She pushes the young man away with the words: “You are covered in blood! His blood is on you! It’s not your fault - I’m alone...” The letter received by Vera Pavlovna says that the person writing it is leaving the stage because he loves “both of you” too much...

The tragic outcome is preceded by the life story of Vera Pavlovna. She spent her childhood in St. Petersburg, in a multi-story building on Gorokhovaya, between Sadovaya and Semenovsky Bridge. Her father, Pavel Konstantinovich Rozalsky, is the manager of the house, her mother gives money as bail. The only concern of the mother, Marya Alekseevna, in relation to Verochka: to quickly marry her to a rich man. A narrow-minded and evil woman does everything possible for this: she invites a music teacher to her daughter, dresses her up and even takes her to the theater. Soon the beautiful dark girl is noticed by the owner’s son, officer Storeshnikov, and immediately decides to seduce her. Hoping to force Storeshnikov to marry, Marya Alekseevna demands that her daughter be favorable to him, but Verochka refuses this in every possible way, understanding the true intentions of the womanizer. She somehow manages to deceive her mother, pretending that she is luring a suitor, but this cannot last long. Verochka's position in the house becomes completely unbearable. It is resolved in an unexpected way.

A teacher and final year medical student, Dmitry Sergeevich Lopukhov, has been invited to Verochka’s brother Fedya. At first, young people are wary of each other, but then they begin to talk about books, about music, about a fair way of thinking and soon feel affection for each other. Having learned about the girl’s plight, Lopukhov tries to help her. He is looking for her to become a governess, which would give Verochka the opportunity to live separately from her parents. But the search turns out to be unsuccessful: no one wants to take responsibility for the girl’s fate if she runs away from home. Then the student in love finds another way out: shortly before the end of the course, in order to have enough money, he leaves his studies and, taking private lessons and translating a geography textbook, proposes to Verochka. At this time, Verochka has her first dream: she sees herself released from a damp and dark basement and talking with an amazing beauty who calls herself love for people. Verochka promises the beauty that she will always release other girls from the basements, locked in the same way she was locked.

The young people rent an apartment, and their life is going well. True, their relationship seems strange to the landlady: “darling” and “darling” sleep in different rooms, enter each other only after knocking, do not show themselves to each other undressed, etc. Verochka has difficulty explaining to the landlady that this is how they should be be a relationship between spouses if they do not want to bore each other.

Vera Pavlovna reads books, gives private lessons, and runs the household. Soon she starts her own enterprise - a sewing workshop. The girls do not work in the workshop for hire, but are its co-owners and receive their share of the income, just like Vera Pavlovna. They not only work together, but spend their free time together: go on picnics, talk. In her second dream, Vera Pavlovna sees a field in which ears of corn grow. She sees dirt on this field - or rather, two dirt: fantastic and real. Real dirt is caring for the most necessary things (the kind with which Vera Pavlovna’s mother was always burdened), and ears of corn can grow from it. Fantastic dirt - caring for the superfluous and unnecessary; Nothing worthwhile comes out of it.

The Lopukhov couple often has Dmitry Sergeevich's best friend, his former classmate and spiritually close person to him, Alexander Matveevich Kirsanov. Both of them “made their way through their breasts, without connections, without acquaintances.” Kirsanov is a strong-willed, courageous man, capable of both decisive action and subtle feeling. He brightens up Vera Pavlovna's loneliness with conversations when Lopukhov is busy, takes her to the Opera, which they both love. However, soon, without explaining the reasons, Kirsanov stops visiting his friend, which greatly offends both him and Vera Pavlovna. They do not know the true reason for his “cooling”: Kirsanov is in love with a friend’s wife. He reappears in the house only when Lopukhov falls ill: Kirsanov is a doctor, he treats Lopukhov and helps Vera Pavlovna take care of him. Vera Pavlovna is in complete confusion: she feels that she is in love with her husband’s friend. She has a third dream. In this dream, Vera Pavlovna, with the help of some unknown woman, reads the pages of her own diary, which says that she feels gratitude to her husband, and not that quiet, tender feeling, the need for which is so great in her.

The situation in which three smart and decent “new people” find themselves seems insoluble. Finally Lopukhov finds a way out - a shot on the Liteiny Bridge. On the day this news was received, an old acquaintance of Kirsanov and Lopukhov, Rakhmetov, a “special person,” comes to Vera Pavlovna. The “higher nature” was awakened in him at one time by Kirsanov, who introduced the student Rakhmetov to books “that need to be read.” Coming from a wealthy family, Rakhmetov sold his estate, distributed the money to his scholarship recipients and now leads a harsh lifestyle: partly because he considers it impossible for himself to have something that an ordinary person does not have, partly out of a desire to cultivate his character. So, one day he decides to sleep on nails to test his physical capabilities. He doesn't drink wine, doesn't touch women. Rakhmetov is often called Nikitushka Lomov - because he walked along the Volga with barge haulers in order to get closer to the people and gain the love and respect of ordinary people. Rakhmetov's life is shrouded in a veil of mystery of a clearly revolutionary nature. He has a lot to do, but none of it is his personal business. He is traveling around Europe, planning to return to Russia in three years, when he “needs” to be there. This “example of a very rare breed” differs from simply “honest and kind people” in that it is “the engine of engines, the salt of the earth.”

Rakhmetov brings Vera Pavlovna a note from Lopukhov, after reading which she becomes calm and even cheerful. In addition, Rakhmetov explains to Vera Pavlovna that the dissimilarity between her character and Lopukhov’s character was too great, which is why she was drawn to Kirsanov. Having calmed down after a conversation with Rakhmetov, Vera Pavlovna leaves for Novgorod, where a few weeks later she gets married to Kirsanov.

The dissimilarity between the characters of Lopukhov and Vera Pavlovna is also spoken of in a letter that she soon receives from Berlin. A certain medical student, supposedly a good friend of Lopukhov, conveys to Vera Pavlovna his exact words that he began to feel better after parting with her, because had a penchant for solitude, which was in no way possible during his life with the sociable Vera Pavlovna. In this way, love affairs are arranged to everyone's satisfaction. The Kirsanov family has approximately the same lifestyle as the Lopukhov family before. Alexander Matveevich works a lot, Vera Pavlovna eats cream, takes baths and is engaged in sewing workshops: she now has two of them. In the same way, there are neutral and non-neutral rooms in the house, and spouses can enter non-neutral rooms only after knocking. But Vera Pavlovna notices that Kirsanov not only allows her to lead the lifestyle that she likes, and is not just ready to lend her a shoulder in difficult times, but is also keenly interested in her life. He understands her desire to do something “that cannot be put off.” With the help of Kirsanov, Vera Pavlovna begins to study medicine.

Soon she has a fourth dream. Nature in this dream “pours aroma and song, love and bliss into the chest.” The poet, whose brow and thought are illuminated by inspiration, sings a song about the meaning of history. Vera Pavlovna sees pictures of the lives of women in different millennia. First, the female slave obeys her master among the tents of the nomads, then the Athenians worship the woman, still not recognizing her as their equal. Then the image of a beautiful lady appears, for whose sake the knight is fighting in the tournament. But he loves her only until she becomes his wife, that is, a slave. Then Vera Pavlovna sees her own face instead of the goddess’s face. His features are far from perfect, but he is illuminated by the radiance of love. The great woman, familiar to her from her first dream, explains to Vera Pavlovna what the meaning of women's equality and freedom is. This woman also shows Vera Pavlovna pictures of the future: citizens of New Russia live in a beautiful house made of cast iron, crystal and aluminum. They work in the morning, have fun in the evening, and “whoever has not worked enough has not prepared the nerve to feel the fullness of the fun.” The guidebook explains to Vera Pavlovna that this future should be loved, one should work for it and transfer from it to the present everything that can be transferred.

The Kirsanovs have a lot of young people, like-minded people: “This type has recently appeared and is quickly spreading.” All these people are decent, hardworking, with unshakable life principles and possessing “cold-blooded practicality.” The Beaumont family soon appears among them. Ekaterina Vasilievna Beaumont, née Polozova, was one of the richest brides in St. Petersburg. Kirsanov once helped her with smart advice: with his help, Polozova figured out that the person she was in love with was unworthy of her. Then Ekaterina Vasilievna marries a man who calls himself an agent of an English company, Charles Beaumont. He speaks Russian perfectly - because he allegedly lived in Russia until he was twenty. His romance with Polozova develops calmly: both of them are people who “don’t get mad for no reason.” When Beaumont meets Kirsanov, it becomes clear that this man is Lopukhov. The Kirsanov and Beaumont families feel such spiritual closeness that they soon settle in the same house and receive guests together. Ekaterina Vasilievna also sets up a sewing workshop, and the circle of “new people” thus becomes wider.

Retold

In literature classes, as a rule, attention is not often paid to Chernyshevsky’s work “What is to be done.” This is partly correct: delving into the endless dreams of Vera Pavlovna, analyzing the plot, which serves only as a frame for the main idea of ​​the work, trying through the gnashing of teeth to make out the author’s not the most highly artistic and easy language, stumbling over almost every word - the exercise is long, tedious and not completely justified. From a literary point of view, this is not a good choice to consider. But what an influence this novel had on the development of Russian social thought of the 19th century! After reading it, you can understand how the most progressive thinkers of that time lived.

Nikolai Chernyshevsky was arrested and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress for his radical statements against the government in force at that time. His work was born there. The history of the novel “What to Do” began in December 1862 (its author completed it in April 1863). Initially, the writer conceived it as a response to Turgenev’s book “Fathers and Sons,” where he portrayed a man of a new formation - the nihilist Bazarov. Evgeniy suffered a tragic ending, but in contrast to him, Rakhmetov was created - a more perfect hero of the same mentality, who no longer suffered for Anna Odintsova, but was busy with business, and very productively.

In order to deceive the vigilant censors and the judicial commission, the author introduces a love triangle into the political utopia, which takes up most of the volume of the text. With this trick, he confused the officials, and they gave permission for publication. When the deception was revealed, it was already too late: the novel “What to Do” was distributed throughout the country in editions of Sovremennik and handwritten copies. The ban did not stop either the spread of the book or its imitation. It was removed only in 1905, and a year later individual copies were officially released. But for the first time in Russian it was published long before that, in 1867 in Geneva.

It is worth citing some quotes from contemporaries to understand how significant and necessary this book was for the people of that time.

The writer Leskov recalled: “They talked about Chernyshevsky’s novel not in a whisper, not quietly, but at the top of their lungs in the halls, on the porches, at Madame Milbret’s table and in the basement pub of the Stenbokov Passage. They shouted: “disgusting,” “charming,” “abomination,” etc. - all in different tones.”

The anarchist Kropotkin spoke enthusiastically about the work:

For Russian youth of that time it was a kind of revelation and turned into a program, became a kind of banner

Even Lenin awarded her his praise:

The novel “What is to be done?” completely plowed me deeply. This is a thing that gives a charge for life.

Genre

There is an antithesis in the work: the direction of the novel “What is to be done” is sociological realism, and the genre is utopia. That is, truth and fiction closely coexist in the book and give rise to a mixture of the present (objectively reflected realities of that time) and the future (the image of Rakhmetov, the dreams of Vera Pavlovna). That is why it caused such a resonance in society: people were sensitive to the prospects that Chernyshevsky put forward.

In addition, “What is to be done” is a philosophical and journalistic novel. He earned this title thanks to the hidden meanings that the author gradually introduced. He was not a writer either, he simply used a literary form that was understandable to everyone to disseminate his political views and express his deep thoughts about the just social structure of tomorrow. In his work, the journalistic intensity is obvious, philosophical issues are illuminated, and the fictional plot serves only as a cover from the close attention of the censors.

What is the novel about?

It's time to tell you what the book “What to do?” is about. The action begins with an unknown man committing suicide by shooting himself and falling into the river. He turned out to be a certain Dmitry Lopukhov, a progressive-minded young man who was pushed to this desperate act by love and friendship.

The essence of the backstory of “What to do” is this: the main character Vera lives with an ignorant and rude family, where her calculating and cruel mother has established her own rules. She wants to marry her daughter to the rich son of the owner of the house where her husband works as a manager. A greedy woman does not disdain any means, she can even sacrifice her daughter’s honor. A moral and proud girl seeks salvation from her brother’s tutor, student Lopukhov. He is secretly engaged in her education, pitying her bright head. He arranges her escape from home under the auspices of a fictitious marriage. In fact, young people live like brother and sister, there are no feelings of love between them.

The “spouses” often hang out with like-minded people, where the heroine meets Lopukhov’s best friend, Kirsanov. Alexander and Vera develop mutual sympathy, but cannot be together because they are afraid of hurting their friend’s feelings. Dmitry became attached to his “wife”, discovered a multifaceted and strong personality in her, and was involved in her education. The girl, for example, does not want to sit on his neck and wants to arrange her own life by opening a sewing workshop where women in trouble could earn honest money. With the help of true friends, she realizes her dream, and before us opens a gallery of female images with life stories that characterize a vicious environment where the weaker sex has to fight for survival and defend honor.

Dmitry feels that he is disturbing his friends and fakes his suicide so as not to stand in their way. He loves and respects his wife, but understands that she will only be happy with Kirsanov. Naturally, no one knows about his plans; everyone sincerely mourns his death. But from a number of hints from the author, we understand that Lopukhov calmly went abroad and returned from there in the finale, reuniting with his comrades.

A separate semantic line is the company’s acquaintance with Rakhmetov, a man of a new formation who embodies the ideal of a revolutionary, according to Chernyshevsky (he came to Vera on the day she received a note about her husband’s suicide). It is not the hero’s actions that are revolutionary, but his very essence. The author talks about him in detail, saying that he sold his estate and led a Spartan lifestyle in order to help his people. The true meaning of the book is hidden in his image.

The main characters and their characteristics

First of all, the novel is notable for its characters, and not for its plot, which was needed to distract the attention of the censors. Chernyshevsky in his work “What to Do” draws images of strong people, the “salt of the earth,” smart, decisive, brave and honest, people on whose shoulders the frantic machine of the revolution will later rush at full speed. These are the images of Kirsanov, Lopukhov, Vera Pavlovna, who are the central characters of the book. All of them are constant participants in the action in the work. But the image of Rakhmetov stands apart above them. In contrast with him and the trinity “Lopukhov, Kirsanov, Vera Pavlovna,” the writer wanted to show the “ordinariness” of the latter. In the last chapters, he brings clarity and literally spells out his plan for the reader:

“At the height at which they stand, all people should stand, can stand. Higher natures, which you and I cannot keep up with, my pathetic friends, higher natures are not like that. I showed you a slight outline of the profile of one of them: you see the wrong features.”

1. Rakhmetov- the main character of the novel “What is to be done?” Already in the middle of the 17th year he began his transformation into a “special person”; before that he was “an ordinary, good, high school student.” Having managed to appreciate all the “charms” of a free student life, he quickly lost interest in them: he wanted something more, meaningful, and fate brought him together with Kirsanov, who helped him take the path of rebirth. He began to greedily absorb knowledge from all sorts of fields, read books voraciously, train his physical strength through menial hard work, gymnastics, and lead a Spartan lifestyle to strengthen his will: refuse luxury in clothing, sleep on felt, eat only what ordinary people can afford. For his closeness with the people, determination, and developed strength among people, he acquired the nickname “Nikitushka Lomov”, in honor of the famous barge hauler, distinguished by his physical capabilities. Among his friends, they began to call him a “rigorist” because “he accepted original principles in material, moral, and mental life,” and later “they developed into a complete system, which he strictly adhered to.” This is an extremely purposeful and fruitful person who works for the benefit of others’ happiness and limits his own, being content with little.
2. Vera Pavlovna- the main character of the novel “What to Do”, a beautiful dark-skinned woman with long dark hair. She felt like a stranger in her family, because her mother tried to get her married at any cost. Although she was characterized by calm, poise and thoughtfulness, in this situation she showed cunning, inflexibility and willpower. She pretended to favor the courtship, but in fact she was looking for a way out of the trap set by her mother. Under the influence of education and a good environment, she transforms and becomes much smarter, more interesting and stronger. Even her beauty blossoms, as does her soul. Now we have before us a new type of confident and intellectually developed woman who runs a business and provides for herself. This is the ideal of a lady, according to Chernyshevsky.
3. Lopukhov Dmitry Sergeevich- medical student, husband and liberator of Vera. He is distinguished by composure, sophisticated intelligence, cunning, and at the same time responsiveness, kindness, and sensitivity. He sacrifices his career to save a stranger, and even limits his freedom for her sake. He is prudent, pragmatic and restrained; those around him value his efficiency and education. As you can see, under the influence of love, the hero also becomes a romantic, because he again radically changes his life for the sake of a woman, staging suicide. This act reveals him to be a strong strategist who calculates everything in advance.
4. Alexander Matveevich Kirsanov- Vera's lover. He is a kind, intelligent, sympathetic young man, always ready to help his friends. He resists his feelings for his friend’s wife and does not allow him to destroy their relationship. For example, he stops visiting their house for a long time. The hero cannot betray Lopukhov’s trust; both of them “made their way with their breasts, without connections, without acquaintances.” The character is decisive and firm, and this masculinity does not prevent him from having subtle tastes (for example, he loves opera). By the way, it was he who inspired Rakhmetov to the feat of revolutionary self-denial.

The main characters of “What is to be done” are noble, decent, and honest. There are not so many such characters in literature, there is nothing to say about life, but Chernyshevsky goes further and introduces an almost utopian character, thereby showing that decency is far from the limit of personal development, that people have become shallow in their aspirations and goals, that you can be even better, harder, stronger. Everything is learned by comparison, and by adding the image of Rakhmetov, the writer raises the level of perception for readers. This is exactly what, in his opinion, a real revolutionary looks like, capable of leading the Kirsanovs and Lopukhovs. They are strong and smart, but not mature enough for decisive independent action.

Subject

• Love theme. Chernyshevsky in the novel “What to Do” reveals a favorite motif of writers in a new role. Now the extra link in the love triangle self-destructs and sacrifices its interests to the reciprocity of the remaining parties. A person in this utopia controls his feelings as much as possible, and sometimes even seems to abandon them altogether. Lopukhov ignores pride, male pride, and feelings for Vera, just to please his friends and at the same time provide them with happiness without guilt. This perception of love is too far from reality, but we accept it due to the innovation of the author, who presented a well-worn topic in such a fresh and original way.
• Strength of will. The hero of the novel “What Is to Be Done” curbed almost all his passions: he gave up alcohol, the company of women, and stopped wasting time on entertainment, doing only “other people’s business or no one’s business in particular.”
• Indifference and responsiveness. If Vera’s mother, Marya Aleksevna, was indifferent to her daughter’s fate and thought only about the material side of the family’s life, then an outsider, Lopukhov, without any second thought sacrifices his bachelor’s peace and career for the girl. So Chernyshevsky draws a line between the old regime philistines with a petty greedy soul and representatives of the new generation, pure and unselfish in their thoughts.
• Revolution theme. The need for change is expressed not only in the image of Rakhmetov, but also in the dreams of Vera Pavlovna, where in symbolic visions the meaning of existence is revealed to her: it is necessary to bring people out of the dungeon, where they are imprisoned by conventions and a tyrannical regime. The writer considers enlightenment to be the basis of the new free world; it is with this that the heroine’s happy life begins.
• Theme of education. The new people in the novel What Is To Be Done are educated and smart, and they devote most of their time to learning. But their impulse does not end there: they try to help others and invest their strength in helping the people in the fight against centuries-old ignorance.

Issues

Many writers and public figures mentioned this book even after a while. Chernyshevsky understood the spirit of that time and successfully developed these thoughts further, creating a real memo to the Russian revolutionary. The issues in the novel “What to Do” turned out to be painfully relevant and topical: the author touched upon the problem of social and gender inequality, topical political problems and even imperfections of mentality.

• Women's question. The problems in the novel “What to Do” primarily concern women and their social disorder in the realities of Tsarist Russia. They have nowhere to go to work, nothing to feed themselves without a humiliating arranged marriage or even more humiliating earnings on a yellow ticket. The position of the governess is little better: no one will do anything to the owner of the house for harassment if he is a noble person. So Vera would have fallen victim to the officer’s lust if she had not been saved by progress in the person of Lopukhov. He treated the girl differently, as an equal. This attitude is the key to prosperity and independence of the weaker sex. And the point here is not about rabid feminism, but about the banal opportunity to provide for oneself and family in case the marriage did not work out or the husband died. The writer complains about the lack of rights and helplessness of women, and not about the underestimated superiority of one sex over the other.
• The crisis of the monarchy. Ever since the uprising on Senate Square in 1825, ideas about the failure of the autocracy had been ripening in the minds of the Decembrists, but the people were not ready for revolutions of such a scale. Subsequently, the thirst for revolution only strengthened and became stronger with each new generation, which could not be said about the monarchy, which fought against this dissent as best it could, but, as you know, by 1905 it itself was shaken, and in the 17th it voluntarily gave up its positions To the Provisional Government.
• The problem of moral choice. Kirsanov encounters her when he realizes his feelings for his friend’s wife. Vera constantly feels it, starting with a failed “profitable marriage” and ending with her relationship with Alexander. Lopukhov also faces a choice: leave everything as it is, or do what is fair? All the heroes of the novel “What to Do” stand the test and make an impeccable decision.
• The problem of poverty. It is the depressing financial situation that leads Vera’s mother to moral degradation. Marya Alekseevna cares about the “real dirt”, that is, she thinks about how to survive in a country where she is not considered anything without a title and wealth? Her thoughts are burdened not by excesses, but by worries about her daily bread. Constant need reduced her spiritual needs to a minimum, leaving neither space nor time for them.
• The problem of social inequality. Vera's mother, not sparing her daughter's honor, lures officer Storeshnikov to make him her son-in-law. There was not a drop of dignity left in her, because she was born and lived in a rigid hierarchy, where those who are lower are dumb slaves for those who are higher. She would consider it a blessing if the master's son dishonored her daughter, as long as he got married after that. Such upbringing disgusts Chernyshevsky, and he caustically ridicules it.

The meaning of the novel

The author created a role model for youth to show how to behave. Chernyshevsky gave Russia the image of Rakhmetov, in which most of the answers to the burning questions “what to do,” “who to be,” “what to strive for” were collected - Lenin saw this and took a number of actions that led to a successful coup, otherwise he would not have spoke so enthusiastically about the book. That is, the main idea of ​​the novel “What is to be done” is an enthusiastic hymn to a new type of active person who can solve the problems of his people. The writer not only criticized his contemporary society, but also suggested ways to resolve the conflict situations that tore him apart. In his opinion, it was necessary to do as Rakhmetov did: abandon selfishness and class arrogance, help ordinary people not only with words, but with rubles, participate in large and global projects that could really change the situation.

A real revolutionary, according to Chernyshevsky, is obliged to live the life that a simple person lives. People in power should not be elevated to a separate elite caste, as is often the case. They are servants of the people who appointed them. This is roughly how one can express the author’s position, which he conveyed to his “special” hero and which he wants to convey to the reader through him. Rakhmetov is the accumulation of all the positive qualities of, one might say, a “superman”, like Nietzsche. With its help, the idea of ​​the novel “What is to be done” is expressed - bright ideals and a firm determination to defend them.

Nevertheless, Chernyshevsky warns the reader that the path of these people, “to which they are calling you,” is thorny and “poor in personal joys.” These are people trying to be reborn from a person into an abstract idea, devoid of personal feelings and passions, without which life is difficult and joyless. The writer warns against admiring such Rakhmetovs, calling them ridiculous and pathetic, because they are trying to embrace the immensity, to exchange a fate full of earthly blessings for duty and unrequited service to society. But meanwhile, the author understands that without them, life would completely lose its taste and “sour.” Rakhmetov is not a romantic hero, but a very real person, whom the creator examines from different angles.

To the question What is the meaning of the title of N. G. Cherneshevsky’s novel “What to do?” asked by the author Insomnia the best answer is this: If there are “catch” phrases in the world, then there must be “catch” questions. They forever float in the air that Homo sapiens breathes. It seems to me that the ability to correctly pose a question is just as important as answering it. For example, English literature was interested in: “To be or not to be? ” in general, and Russian literature of the mid-nineteenth century specifically asked: “Who is to blame? ” and “What should I do? “The world is arranged unfairly: rich and poor, good and evil, happy and unhappy... What did the Russian writer, publicist, but most of all public figure Nikolai Gavrilovich Chernyshevsky propose to do in order for the structure of human society to become fair? Is it possible to rid the earth of poverty, misfortune and atrocities? It seems to me that if a person lives badly and incorrectly, then first he must realize this. Such people have been found in all historical times and in all countries. In Russian literature of the nineteenth century, they first appeared under the name of “superfluous” people, whose best qualities do not find application in modern life. Onegin, Pechorin, and Chatsky suffered from this. Then the “nihilist” Bazarov appeared with his complete denial of all the values ​​of the old world, but without the desire to offer anything constructive. And at the end of the fifties, the “special man” Rakhmetov and the “new people” described by N.G. Chernyshevsky entered the literature. Who are they and where are they from? In nineteenth-century Russia, a new class began to form. These people were called “raznochintsy”, apparently because they were children of various ranks and titles: from county doctors and priests to judges and first engineers. Chernyshevsky saw in them people not only educated and capable of work. Among them there were many who were not indifferent to the fate of the Russian people. It is for these people that the book “What to do? ” was supposed to become a guide to action. The first thing we need to do is educate the soul and mind of the Russian people, the author believes. The soul needs to be given freedom and the realization that acting honestly and nobly is much more profitable than deceiving and being a coward: “Your human nature is stronger and more important to you than each of your individual aspirations... be honest.. . this is the whole set of laws for a happy life.” The mind needs to be given a wide field of knowledge so that it, too, is free in its choice: “Of course, no matter how firm the thoughts of a person in error, but if another person, more developed, more knowledgeable, better understanding the matter, constantly works on that to lead him out of error, error will not stand.” This is what Doctor Kirsanov says to his patient, but the reader understands that the author is addressing him specifically. The next necessary step in moving towards a new society is, of course, free and fairly rewarded labor: “Life has as its main element labor... and the surest element of reality is efficiency.” The economic program of N. G. Chernyshevsky is described in sufficient detail in the novel. The pioneer of its practical implementation is Vera Pavlovna, who opens a sewing workshop and, through her personal example, awakens her workers to a happy life. In this way, the number of “new” people should gradually increase until there are no evil, dishonest and lazy people left on earth. The author paints a picture of the future society for us in Vera Pavlovna’s fourth dream. Unfortunately, much in this picture, from the height of subsequent historical experience, looks utopian. But the People’s Will educators played their positive role in the fate of Russia, although they were unable to achieve the desired result. There is another, more radical answer to the question in the novel: “What to do? “For censorship reasons, Nikolai Gavrilovich could not describe this path further. The essence of the idea is the same - the establishment of a just human society, but the path to it lies through the revolutionary struggle against the old order.

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