Oblomovism as social. Is Oblomovism a character, a way of life or a worldview? Oblomovism is a social evil

The very concept of “Oblomovism” appeared with the publication of Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” in 1859. The novel is socio-psychological, clearly depicting the crisis of the serfdom system and its detrimental impact on the development of man as an individual. The meaning of Oblomovism means this very influence. Since the landowners did not have to work to provide for themselves, in some estates life froze in melancholy and inaction. People were not interested in anything, did nothing, and let themselves go to such an extent that they could no longer get off the couch either psychologically or physically. Thus, the meaning of the concept of Oblomovism is the blues and apathy that captured not a person, but an entire class represented by the main character of the novel, Goncharov.

Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is a nobleman. As a child, he was an inquisitive boy, keenly interested in the world around him and the people around him. Later, he was a young man who received an education and entered the service as an official in St. Petersburg. Now he is a recluse, fenced off from the whole world with a Persian robe. All day long Oblomov lies on the sofa, whiling away the time in dreams and reflections. Neither the active businessman Stolz nor the decisive, bright Olga can stir him up. Apathy and laziness destroy the hero, lead him into a moral impasse, depriving him of hope for further development.

By the age of 32, Ilya Ilyich had turned into a driven man, indifferent to everything, confined to a small apartment on Gorokhovaya. This condition does not allow positive qualities to develop. Unfortunately, love, the most wonderful feeling that pushes people to exploits and changes, does not save the hero. Oblomov finds his place in the house of Agafya Pshenitsyna, which reminds him of his native Oblomovka. He is well aware of his spiritual fall, he suffers, but cannot resist it. The hero himself gives the name “Oblomovism” to the disease that struck him and many other serf-owners throughout Russia.

I. A. Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” was published in 1859, at a time when the issue of abolition of serfdom was extremely acute in the country, when Russian society was already fully aware of the destructiveness of the existing order. A deep knowledge of life and the accuracy of social analysis of characters allowed the writer to find a surprisingly correct definition of the way of Russian life of that time - “Oblomovism.”
The author's main task in the novel is to show how a person gradually dies in a person, how unadapted a landowner is to life, not accustomed to doing anything. The main qualities of the kind, sweet Ilya Ilyich Oblomov are his inertia, apathy, and aversion to any activity. True to the traditions of realism, I. A. Goncharov shows that these qualities were the result of Oblomov’s upbringing; they were born from the confidence that any of his desires would be fulfilled and no effort needed to be made for this. Oblomov is a nobleman, he does not have to work for a piece of bread - hundreds of Zakharov serfs work for him on the estate and completely ensure his existence. This means that he can lie on the couch all day long, not because he is tired, but because “this was his normal state.” He almost merged with his soft, comfortable robe and long, wide shoes, which he masterfully slipped into the first time, as soon as he dangled his feet from the sofa.
In his youth, Oblomov “was full of all sorts of aspirations, hopes, he expected a lot from fate and himself, he was always preparing for some field, for some role.” But time passed, and Ilya Ilyich kept getting ready, preparing to start a new life, but did not advance a single step towards any goal. In Moscow he received a good education, but his head “was like a library, consisting of only knowledge scattered in parts.” Entering the service, which had previously seemed to him in the form of some kind of family occupation, he did not even imagine that life would immediately be divided into two halves for him, one of which would consist of work and boredom, which for him were synonymous, and the other - from peace and peaceful fun. He realized that “it would take at least an earthquake to prevent a healthy person from coming to work,” and therefore he soon resigned, then stopped going out into the world and completely shut himself up in his room. If Oblomov recognizes some kind of work, it is only the work of the soul, since dozens of generations of his ancestors “endured labor as a punishment imposed on our forefathers, but they could not love, and where there was a chance, they always got rid of it, finding it possible and due."
There were moments in Oblomov’s life when he thought about the reasons that prompted him to lead such a life, when he asked himself the question: “Why am I like this?” In the climactic chapter of the novel “Oblomov’s Dream,” the writer answers this question. He creates a picture of provincial landowner life and shows how lazy hibernation gradually becomes the normal state of a person.
In a dream, Oblomov is transported to his parents’ estate Oblomovka, “to a blessed corner of the earth,” where there is “no sea, no high mountains, rocks, abysses, no dense forests - there is nothing grandiose, wild and gloomy.” An idyllic picture appears before us, a series of beautiful landscapes. “The annual circle is performed there correctly and calmly. Deep silence lies in the fields. Silence and peace of life also reign in the morals of the people in that region,” writes I. A. Goncharov. Oblomov sees himself as a little boy, striving to look into the unknown, ask more questions and get answers. But only caring for food becomes the first and main concern of life in Oblomovka. And the rest of the time is taken up by “some
an all-consuming, invincible dream,” which I. A. Goncharov makes a symbol that characterizes people like Oblomov, and which he calls “the true likeness of death.” From childhood, Ilya was accustomed to the fact that he did not have to do anything, that for any job there was “Vaska, Vanka, Zakharka,” and at some point he himself realized that it was “much calmer” this way. And therefore, all those “seeking manifestations of strength” in Ilyusha “turned inward and sank, withering away.” Such a life deprived the hero of the novel of any initiative and gradually turned him into a slave of his position, his habits, and even a slave of his servant Zakhar.
In his article “What is Oblomovism?” N.A. Dobrolyubov wrote: “Oblomov is not a stupid apathetic figure without aspirations and feelings, but a person who is also looking for something in life, thinking about something.” He is endowed with many positive qualities, and he is not stupid. There is a sad truth in his judgments - also a consequence of Russian life. What are all these Sudbinskys, Volkins, Penkovs striving for? Indeed, is it worth getting up from the couch for the sake of the petty fuss that his former comrades are busy with?
In the spirit of the tradition created by Russian writers, I. A. Goncharov subjects his hero to the greatest test - the test of love. A feeling for Olga Ilyinskaya, a girl of enormous spiritual strength, could resurrect Oblomov. But I. A. Goncharov is a realist, and he cannot show a happy ending to the novel. “Why did everything die? Who cursed you, Ilya? What ruined you? - Olga bitterly tries to understand. And the writer gives the answer to these questions, absolutely precisely defining the name of this evil - Oblomovism. And Ilya Ilyich was not the only one who became her victim. "Our name is legion!" - he says to Stolz. And indeed, almost all the heroes of the novel were amazed by the “Oblomovism”; almost all the heroes of the novel became its victims: Zakhar, Agafya Pshenitsyna, Stolz, and Olga.
The greatest merit of I. A. Goncharov is that he surprisingly accurately depicted the disease that struck Russian society in the mid-19th century, which N. A. Dobrolyubov characterized as “the inability to actively want something,” and pointed out the social causes of this phenomenon.

WHAT IS OBLOMOVSHCHINA? In his novel “Oblomov” I.A. Goncharov told us a story about “how the good-natured sloth Oblomov lies and sleeps and how neither friendship nor love can awaken and raise him...” wrote N. A. Dobrolyubov in the article “What is Oblomovism?” “God knows what an important story,” the critic notes, and nevertheless, he considers Goncharov’s novel a valuable acquisition for Russian literature. Valuable because in this story “Russian life is reflected, in it a living, modern Russian type appears before us, minted with merciless severity and correctness; it expressed a new word of our own development, pronounced clearly and firmly, without despair and without childish hopes, but with a full consciousness of the truth. This word is Oblomovism; it serves as a key to unraveling many phenomena of Russian life, and it gives Goncharov’s novel much more social significance than all our accusatory stories have.” Dobrolyubov saw in Oblomov’s type and in Oblomovism something more than just the successful creation of a strong talent, he saw in him “a work of Russian life, a sign of the times.”

So who is this Oblomov and why is such a vast phenomenon of Russian life named after him? Let's try to figure it out by taking a short tour through the pages of his biography.

Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is a nobleman and has the rank of collegiate secretary. When he was a little over twenty years old, he came from Oblomovka, a family estate located in one of the provinces, to St. Petersburg and since then he lived in the capital without a break. We learn that once, in his youth, he “was full of various aspirations, he kept hoping for something, he expected a lot both from fate and from himself.” But what exactly was he waiting for? Apparently, nothing concrete, if even in the features of his face there is no definite idea, any concentration, and “the dominant and main expression not only of the face, but of the whole soul” is softness. Carelessness and gentleness permeate the entire appearance of the hero. Oblomov’s portrait complements the description of his home suit, which suits “his calm features and his pampered body!” As Oblomov’s social circle narrowed, the robe acquired in his eyes “a darkness of invaluable merits: it is soft, flexible; the body does not feel it on itself; he, like an obedient slave, submits to the slightest movement of the body.”

The costume in the biography of the hero acquires a symbolic meaning. Oblomov loves spacious clothes: he imagines himself in a dressing gown, a spacious frock coat or jacket in his dreams. But as soon as Oblomov’s life changes, its rhythm changes, so does his clothes: when he falls in love with Olga, he stops wearing a robe, wears a housecoat, wears a light scarf around his neck, a snow-white shirt, a beautifully tailored frock coat, and a smart hat. In an attempt to keep up with life, Oblomov strives to follow fashion, but in his soul he still compares himself to an old, worn-out caftan.

Although the novel says that Ilya Ilyich was not like either his father or his grandfather, many situations of Oblomov’s life are repeated in his St. Petersburg life, and it is clear that the origins of Ilya Ilyich’s character, his attitude to life and to himself must be sought in the family nest. It was in Oblomovka that he received his first concepts and impressions of life, which, “like a calm river,” flows by and in which the ideal is peace and inaction. He was a developed child, but the boy’s inquisitive mind was still unable to resist the simplicity of morals, the silence and stillness that reigned in Oblomovka. Since childhood, Oblomov “will forever have the disposition to lie on the stove, walk around in a ready-made, unearned dress and eat at the expense of the good sorceress.” And as an adult, Ilya Ilyich retains faith in miracles and unconsciously sadness about “why a fairy tale is not life, and life is not a fairy tale.” The boarding school where Ilyusha studied was not much different from his parents' home. Both at home and in the boarding house he was cherished, “like an exotic flower in a greenhouse, and just like the last one under glass, he grew slowly and sluggishly,” and therefore the forces that sought their manifestation “turned inward and faded, withering.” After studying at the boarding school, Ilyusha’s parents sent him to Moscow, “where he, willy-nilly, followed the course of study to the end.”

After completing the course of study, Oblomov goes to St. Petersburg, dreaming of success in his career, a worthy position in society, family happiness, but even in St. Petersburg he leads a lifestyle familiar to him since childhood. Ten years passed, and Oblomov “didn’t advance a single step in any field... he kept getting ready and preparing to start life, he kept drawing a pattern of his future in his mind.”

Although Ilya Ilyich does not strive for communication, different people visit him every now and then. Some, like Volkov, Sudbinsky, Penkin, do not come often and not for long. Others - Alekseev, Tarantiev - diligently visit him. They come to eat, drink, smoke good cigars, finding at Oblomov’s “a warm, peaceful shelter and always the same, if not cordial, then indifferent welcome.” Alekseev shared “equally in agreement with his silence, and his conversation, and excitement, and way of thinking, whatever it was.” Tarantiev brought “life, movement, and sometimes news from the outside” into Oblomov’s kingdom of sleep and peace. In addition, Oblomov innocently believed that Tarantiev “was really capable of advising him of something worthwhile.”

The rest of the time, nothing disturbed the hero’s normal state, and this state was “rest” and “lying down.” In solitude and loneliness, Oblomov “loved to withdraw into himself and live in the world he created”: to imagine himself as an invincible commander, a thinker, a great artist, to solve world problems, to be imbued with sympathy for all the disadvantaged and unfortunate... And when imaginary worries became insurmountable, he became lost and began to “pray fervently, fervently, begging the sky to somehow ward off the threatening storm.” After prayer, he became “calm and indifferent to everything in the world,” entrusting the care of his fate to heaven. Only in his dreams was Oblomov truly happy: he felt “a vague desire for love, quiet happiness.” True, returning to reality, he strove to realize his ideals and thoughts, but these aspirations instantly disappeared, often without even taking shape verbally. A loud call to Zakhar, without having time to turn into a request or an order, was quickly replaced by the usual thoughtful mood.

Although there were no shocks and storms in Oblomov’s real life, his fate was tragic. He understood everything about himself perfectly. In a confession to Stoltz, Ilya Ilyich admitted that he was pained “for his underdevelopment, the stop in the growth of moral forces, for the heaviness that interferes with everything.” He felt “that some good, bright beginning was buried in him, as in a grave... like gold in the depths of a mountain” and envied people who lived “so fully and widely,” but he did nothing. Behind the softness, carelessness and effeminacy there actually lies a solid and integral nature that remains true to itself. He breaks ties with those who understand life differently, and sincerely loves only Stolz. The friends were connected by romantic youthful dreams. With Stolz, Oblomov was going to “travel the length and breadth of Europe, walk through Switzerland, burn his feet on Vesuvius, go down to Herculaneus.” But if for Stolz traveling is not a feat, but a simple and common thing, then Oblomov made in his life “the only trip from his village to Moscow.” And, nevertheless, it was Stolz who awakened vitality in his friend for some time.

The attempt to fulfill the youthful dream of traveling was not crowned with success, but the “awakened vital forces” rushed to fulfill another dream - the dream of love.

Stolz introduced Ilya to Olga Ilyinskaya, and the rhythm of his life changed. Oblomov seemed to see himself and his life from the outside and was horrified. “And the robe seemed disgusting to him, and Zakhar was stupid and unbearable, and the dust and cobwebs were unbearable.” Just as violently and passionately as his novel began, Oblomov “shakes off the dust and cobwebs” from his entire life, boldly and bravely rushes into a world full of movement, excitement, passions. Soon he confesses his love to Olga, feeling that Olga is exactly the ideal of “happiness in life.”

Love filled Oblomov’s life with meaning. He dreams of traveling abroad, intends to leave with Olga to his green paradise - Oblomovka, but... suddenly inflamed with love passion, Oblomov just as suddenly sobers up. When the poetic time in love has passed and “a strict story has begun: a ward, then a trip to Oblomovka, building a house, a mortgage to the council, building a road, an endless discussion of cases with men... reaping, threshing... the caring face of the clerk... a court hearing,” love becomes her “summer, blooming poem” ends with duty. Having delved into the “practical side of the wedding issue,” Oblomov sees in it “an official step towards significant and serious reality and a number of strict responsibilities,” and this depresses him.

Time passes, while waiting for the attorney's report on the state of his affairs, Oblomov is looking for an apartment in St. Petersburg, closer to the Ilyinskys, and while an apartment is found, he settles in the house of Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna. Life in this house reminds the hero of life in his beloved Oblomovka. Silence and calm, the hostess’s constant worries about the kitchen in which she reigns, lead Oblomov to despair. He understands that life with Olga does not promise him “peaceful happiness and peace.” He needs at least a temporary respite from constant shocks and worries, so the wedding with Olga is postponed. Their romantic love did not stand the test of real life, but during that year, the period for which the wedding was postponed, Pshenitsyna’s house became for Ilya Ilyich that blessed paradise to which he had always strived.

After Stoltz manages to settle matters in Oblomovka, Oblomov regularly receives income, and peace and silence reign in Pshenitsyna’s house. As in Oblomovka, in the newfound corner of paradise there is talk about holidays, cuisine, and food. As in Oblomovka, here the master can sit without moving from his place, and may “the sun not rise tomorrow, whirlwinds will cover the sky, a stormy wind will rush from the ends of the universe, and soup and roast will appear on his table, and his linen will be clean and fresh, and the cobwebs have been removed from the wall...”

The loving eye of Agafya Matveevna’s wife vigilantly guarded every moment of Ilya Ilyich’s life, but “eternal peace, eternal silence and lazy crawling from day to day quietly stopped the machine of life.” Oblomov “died, apparently, without pain, without suffering, as if a watch had stopped and they had forgotten to wind it.” This is how his life ended ingloriously...

According to D.I. Pisarev, “Oblomov... personifies that mental apathy to which Mr. Goncharov gave the name Oblomovism.” “This apathy... is expressed in the most diverse forms and is generated by the most diverse causes; but everywhere in it the main role is played by the terrible question: “Why live? Why bother? - a question to which a person often cannot find a satisfactory answer. This unresolved question, this unsatisfied doubt depletes strength and ruins activity; a person gives up, and he gives up work, not seeing a goal in it...” The reason for apathy lies partly in the external situation of a person, and partly in the manner of his mental and moral development. In terms of his external position, Oblomov is a gentleman: “he has Zakhar and three hundred more Zakharovs,” who provide him with a carefree idle life.

N.A. wrote superbly about the exceptional typicality of Oblomovism. Dobrolyubov, but in the novel itself its vitality and prevalence are shown quite convincingly. Stolz speaks angrily about it, and Oblomov’s own confession testifies to it: “Am I alone? Look: Mikhailov, Petrov, Semenov, Alekseev, Stepanov... you can’t count them: our name is legion!” Oblomovism was found not only in the village on the Volga, but also in other places of feudal Russia, and in the capital; it manifested itself not only in the behavior of the bar, but also in the inertia of officials, serfs, people of intelligent professions, who would gladly leave their occupations if everything that they earn with their labor went to them for free.

The Oblomov principle, as we have seen, lives in Zakhara, at the hero’s house, in social salons, in the life of the widow Pshenitsyna... That is why the word and concept “Oblomovism”, according to D.I. Pisarev, will never “die in our literature”, “will penetrate the language and come into general use.”

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 the conditions and 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 buried deep and heavily 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 is 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.

1. The plot outline of the novel “Oblomov”.
2. Stolz is the antipode of Oblomov.
3. The significance of I. L. Goncharov’s novel in our time.

I. A. Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” was completed in 1857, at a time when new social relations began to replace the serfdom era. In Russia, the “third estate”, the bourgeois class, began to emerge. The development of industry dictated a different rhythm of life, but the old semi-feudal relations and “lordship” hampered the development of the new.

These problems worried I. A. Goncharov when he was working on the novel. He was interested in “lordship” from a social and psychological point of view. We are talking about the “lordship of the soul.” The plot outline of the work is as follows. In the first part, Ilya Oblomov lies on the sofa. In the second part, he falls in love with Olga Ilyinskaya. In the third part, Olga realizes that she was mistaken about Oblomov. In the final part, Olga marries Oblomov’s friend Andrei Stolts, and Ilya Ilyich marries the owner of the house in which he rents an apartment. The summary of the novel fits in a few lines. But the events are not that important. Their absence is important. This work is about the fact that neither love, nor friendship, nor work awakens the main character of the novel, Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, to active activity.

The first part of the novel is devoted to a detailed description of Oblomov’s lifestyle. The main character lies on the sofa all day and listlessly quarrels with Zakhar (his servant). “On the walls, near the paintings, cobwebs, saturated with dust, were molded in the form of festoons; mirrors, instead of reflecting objects, could have served more... for writing down on them, due to the dust, some notes for memory... on the table, rarely in the morning, there was not a plate with a salt shaker and gnawed on it that had not been cleared away from yesterday's dinner there were no bones and no bread crumbs lying around... one would have thought that no one lived here - everything was so dusty, faded and, in general, devoid of traces of human presence.”

Friends cannot take Oblomov out for a walk: he makes excuses, looks for all sorts of excuses to lie down on the couch at home. Ilya Ilyich learns everything that happens around him from hearsay, but despite this, his judgments are very reasonable. He doesn’t do housework, his affairs are extremely complicated. Oblomov hopes that everything will be resolved by itself and is waiting for the arrival of his friend Andrei Stolts, who will help sort out all the problems.

The writer is trying to understand the reason for the characters of such people as Oblomov and Stolz. We learn about their childhood years, about how and under the influence of what their life views were formed. Oblomov, who grew up surrounded by mothers and nannies, absorbed the idea that it was better and easier not to work. And to receive all the benefits of life at the expense of others. N. A. Dobrolyubov in his article “What is Oblomovism?” said that Oblomov’s character was shaped by “Zakhar and 300 other Zakharovs.” The laziness of the soul, which is ingrained in the main character of the novel, guides all his actions. When Ilya Ilyich came to the city to take up a position, he was stalling for time and carelessly coping with his duties. After this, he “falls ill” and does not show up for work. Stolz’s attempts to awaken Oblomov also ended unsuccessfully, but even the love for Olga Ilyinskaya that arose in Ilya Ilyich’s heart cannot bring him out of his state of sleep.

The image of Oblomov is contrasted with the image of Andrei Stolz. His upbringing was fundamentally different from the upbringing of Ilya Ilyich. The German father taught his son from an early age to take responsibility for his own actions. I told him that only hard work and work bring personal and social well-being. Let us remember the episode when his father throws him out of the house “in public”, Andrei turns to rich acquaintances not for help, but as an equal to equal. He earns his own "one hundred thousand in income and a two-story stone house." I. A. Goncharov embodied in the image of Stolz his ideal of an active and at the same time rich internally person. According to the writer, this symbiosis of German practicality and Russian spirituality should replace the reigning idlers.

I. A. Goncharov saw the danger of “Oblomovism” as it penetrated into Russian life. As noted by N.A. Dobrolyubov, “it has long been noticed that all the heroes of the most remarkable Russian stories and novels suffer because they do not see a goal in life and do not find decent activity for themselves. As a result, they feel boredom and disgust from every activity, in which they are strikingly similar to Oblomov.” We are reminded of the characters of Evgeny Onegin and Grigory Pechorin. They take on a lot, but achieve nothing worthwhile. They don’t know how to love, they don’t know what to look for in love and in life. The only difference between them and Oblomov is that Goncharov laid his hero on the sofa, put an old robe on him and assigned Zakhar to him, who took care of his master.

In his work, Goncharov, in the image of Oblomov, showed the Russian human type, showed the style of Russian life, one of the characteristic aspects of its reality. The writer raises the image of his hero to the level of a symbol, deducing from it a social phenomenon that is destructive for a person - “Oblomovism”, which stifles any undertakings, the efforts of the individual suppresses the will of a person. So, after all, “Oblomovism” is an innate or acquired state of mind? Of course, purchased. After all, human life lies in action, in the desire to introduce something new, in the desire to give meaning to one’s life, and, ultimately, in an attempt to speed up the process of development of both one’s existence and the development of society. These are the natural needs of people. But all these aspirations and qualities can perish if they are not developed, if you do not work on yourself. And this is not easy, it is a constant process of thought. And although we understand that I. A. Goncharov sincerely regrets his hero and sympathizes with him, the future belongs to heroes like Andrei Stolts. By the way, the writer himself said that the image of Stolz “is not alive, but just an idea.” And yet, the novel “Oblomov” caused and continues to cause a lot of controversy among readers, because the problems that the author solved are topical in our difficult mobile times.