Fidelity to feeling in the story garnet bracelet. Garnet bracelet: main characters, issues, analysis

The theme of love in the story “Garnet Bracelet”

“Unrequited love does not humiliate a person, but elevates him.” Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich

According to many researchers, “everything in this story is masterfully written, starting with its title. The title itself is surprisingly poetic and sonorous. It sounds like a line of a poem written in iambic trimeter.”

The story is based on a real incident. In a letter to the editor of the magazine “God’s World” F.D. Batyushkov, Kuprin wrote in October 1910: “Do you remember this? - the sad story of a small telegraph official P.P. Zholtikov, who was hopelessly, touchingly and selflessly in love with Lyubimov’s wife (D.N. is now the governor in Vilna). So far I’ve just come up with an epigraph..." (L. van Beethoven. Son no. 2, op. 2. Largo Appassionato). Although the work is based on real events, the ending of the story - Zheltkov's suicide - is the writer's creative speculation. It was no coincidence that Kuprin ended his story with a tragic ending; he needed such an ending to further highlight the power of Zheltkov’s love for a woman almost unknown to him - a love that happens “once in a thousand years.”

Working on the story greatly influenced Alexander Ivanovich’s state of mind. “I recently told one good actress,” he wrote in a letter to F.D. Batyushkov in December 1910, “about the plot of his work - I’m crying, I’ll say one thing, that I have never written anything more chaste.”

The main character of the story is Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina. The action of the story takes place at the Black Sea resort in the fall, namely on September 17 - Vera Nikolaevna’s name day.

The first chapter is an introduction, which has the task of preparing the reader for the necessary perception of subsequent events. Kuprin describes nature. In Kuprin's descriptions of nature there are many sounds, colors and, especially, smells. The landscape is highly emotional and unlike any other. Thanks to the description of the autumn landscape with its empty dachas and flower beds, you feel the inevitability of the withering of the surrounding nature, the withering of the world. Kuprin draws a parallel between the description of the autumn garden and the internal state of the main character: the coldish autumn landscape of fading nature is similar in essence to the mood of Vera Nikolaevna Sheina. From it we predict her calm, unapproachable character. Nothing attracts her in this life, perhaps that is why the brightness of her being is enslaved by everyday life and dullness.

The author describes the main character as follows: “...she took after her mother, a beautiful Englishwoman, with her tall flexible figure, gentle but cold and proud face, beautiful, although rather large hands, and that charming sloping shoulders that can be seen in ancient miniatures...” Vera could not be imbued with a sense of beauty in the world around her. She was not a natural romantic. And, having seen something out of the ordinary, some feature, I tried (even if involuntarily) to ground it, to compare it with the world around me. Her life flowed slowly, measuredly, quietly, and, it would seem, satisfied the principles of life without going beyond them.

Vera Nikolaevna's husband was Prince Vasily Lvovich Shein. He was the leader of the nobility. Vera Nikolaevna married the prince, an exemplary, quiet man like herself. Vera Nikolaevna's former passionate love for her husband turned into a feeling of lasting, faithful, true friendship. The couple, despite their high position in society, barely made ends meet. Since she had to live above her means, Vera saved unnoticed by her husband, remaining worthy of her title.

On her name day, her closest friends come to visit Vera. According to Kuprin, “Vera Nikolaevna Sheina always expected something happy and wonderful from her name day.” Her younger sister, Anna Nikolaevna Friesse, arrived before everyone else. “She was half a head shorter, somewhat broad in the shoulders, lively and frivolous, a mocker. Her face was of a very Mongolian type with quite noticeable cheekbones, with narrow eyes... captivating with some elusive and incomprehensible charm...” She was the complete opposite of Vera Nikolaevna. The sisters loved each other very much. Anna was married to a very rich and very stupid man who did absolutely nothing, but was registered with some charitable institution. She could not stand her husband, Gustav Ivanovich, but gave birth to two children from him - a boy and a girl. Vera Nikolaevna really wanted to have children, but she didn’t have them. Anna constantly flirted in all capitals and at all resorts in Europe, but she never cheated on her husband.

On her name day, her younger sister gave Vera a small notebook in an amazing binding as a gift. Vera Nikolaevna really liked the gift. As for Vera’s husband, he gave her earrings made of pear-shaped pearls. writer kuprin story love

The guests arrive in the evening. All the characters, with the exception of Zheltkov, the main character who is in love with Princess Sheina, are gathered by Kuprin at the dacha of the Shein family. The princess receives expensive gifts from her guests. The name day celebration was fun until Vera notices that there are thirteen guests. Since she was superstitious, this alarms her. But so far there are no signs of trouble.

Among the guests, Kuprin singles out the old General Anosov, a comrade in arms with the father of Vera and Anna. The author describes him as follows: “A corpulent, tall, silvery old man, he climbed heavily from the step... He had a large, rough, red face with a fleshy nose and with that good-natured, stately, slightly contemptuous expression in his narrowed eyes... which is characteristic of courageous and ordinary people..."

Also present at the name day was Vera’s brother, Nikolai Nikolaevich Mirza-Bulat-Tuganovsky. He always defended his opinion and was ready to stand up for his family.

According to tradition, the guests played poker. Vera did not join the game: she was called by the maid, who handed her a package. Having unwrapped the package, Vera discovered a case containing a gold bracelet with stones and a note. “...gold, low-grade, very thick... on the outside completely covered... with garnets” bracelet. It looks like a tacky trinket next to the expensive, elegant gifts that guests gave her. The note tells about the bracelet, that it is a family jewel with magical powers, and that it is the most expensive thing the giver owns. At the end of the letter were the initials G.S.Zh., and Vera realized that this was the secret admirer who had been writing to her for seven years. This bracelet becomes a symbol of his hopeless, enthusiastic, selfless, reverent love. Thus, this person is at least somehow trying to connect himself with Vera Nikolaevna. It was enough for him just that her hands touched his gift.

Looking at the deep red garnets, Vera felt alarmed; she sensed the approach of something unpleasant and saw some kind of omen in this bracelet. It is no coincidence that she immediately compares these red stones with blood: “Exactly blood!” - she exclaims. Vera Nikolaevna's calm was disturbed. Vera considered Zheltkov “unfortunate”; she could not understand the tragedy of this love. The expression “happy unhappy person” turned out to be somewhat contradictory. After all, in his feeling for Vera, Zheltkov experienced happiness.

Before the guests leave, Vera decides not to talk about the gift to her husband. Meanwhile, her husband entertains the guests with stories in which there is very little truth. Among these stories is the story of an unhappy lover in Vera Nikolaevna, who allegedly sent her passionate letters every day, and then became a monk; after dying, he bequeathed to Vera two buttons and a bottle of perfume with his tears.

And only now we learn about Zheltkov, despite the fact that he is the main character. None of the guests have ever seen him, do not know his name, it is only known (judging by the letters) that he serves as a minor official and in some mysterious way always knows where Vera Nikolaevna is and what she is doing. The story says practically nothing about Zheltkov himself. We learn about it thanks to small details. But even these minor details used by the author in his narrative indicate a lot. We understand that the inner world of this extraordinary person was very, very rich. This man was not like others, he was not mired in wretched and dull everyday life, his soul strived for the beautiful and sublime.

Evening is coming. Many guests leave, leaving General Anosov, who talks about his life. He tells his love story, which he will remember forever - short and simple, which in the retelling seems like just a vulgar adventure of an army officer. “I don’t see true love. I haven’t seen it in my time either!” - says the general and gives examples of ordinary, obscene unions of people concluded for one reason or another. “Where is the love? Is love unselfish, selfless, not waiting for reward? The one about which it is said “strong as death”?.. Love should be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world! No life conveniences, calculations or compromises should concern her.” It was Anosov who formulated the main idea of the story: “Love must be...” and to some extent expressed Kuprin’s opinion.

Anosov talks about tragic cases similar to such love. A conversation about love led Anosov to the story of a telegraph operator. At first he assumed that Zheltkov was a maniac, and only then decided that Zheltkov’s love was real: “...maybe your path in life, Verochka, was crossed by exactly the kind of love that women dream about and that men are no longer capable of.”

When only Vera’s husband and brother remained in the house, she told about Zheltkov’s gift. Vasily Lvovich and Nikolai Nikolaevich treated Zheltkov’s gift with extreme disdain, laughed at his letters, mocked his feelings. The garnet bracelet causes violent indignation in Nikolai Nikolaevich; it is worth noting that he was extremely irritated by the act of the young official, and Vasily Lvovich, due to his character, took it more calmly.

Nikolai Nikolaevich is worried about Vera. He does not believe in Zheltkov’s pure, platonic love, suspecting him of the most vulgar adultery. If she had accepted the gift, Zheltkov would have begun to brag to his friends, he could have hoped for something more, he would have given her expensive gifts: “... a ring with diamonds, a pearl necklace...”, wasting government money, and then everything could have ended court, where the Sheins would be called as witnesses. The Shein family would have found themselves in a ridiculous position, their name would have been disgraced.

Vera herself did not attach special significance to the letters and did not have feelings for her mysterious admirer. She was somewhat flattered by his attention. Vera thought that Zheltkov’s letters were just an innocent joke. She does not attach the same importance to them as her brother Nikolai Nikolaevich does.

Vera Nikolaevna's husband and brother decide to give the gift to the secret admirer and ask him to never write to Vera again, to forget about her forever. But how to do this if they did not know the name, surname, or address of the admirer of the Faith? Nikolai Nikolaevich and Vasily Lvovich find a admirer by their initials in the lists of city employees. Now they become aware that the mysterious G.S.Zh. is a petty official Georgy Zheltkov. Vera’s brother and husband go to his home for an important conversation with Zheltkov, who subsequently decides Georgy’s entire future fate.

Zheltkov lived under the roof in one poor house: “the spit-stained staircase smelled of mice, cats, kerosene and laundry... The room was very low, but very wide and long, almost square in shape. Two round windows, quite similar to steamship portholes, barely illuminated her. And the whole place looked like the wardroom of a cargo ship. Along one wall there was a narrow bed, along the other a very large and wide sofa, covered with a frayed beautiful Tekin carpet, in the middle there was a table covered with a colored Little Russian tablecloth.” Kuprin notes such an accurate detailed description of the atmosphere in which Zheltkov lives for a reason; the author shows the inequality between Princess Vera and the petty official Zheltkov. Between them there are insurmountable social barriers and partitions of class inequality. It is Vera’s different social status and marriage that makes Zheltkov’s love unrequited.

Kuprin develops the traditional theme of the “little man” in Russian literature. An official with the funny surname Zheltkov, quiet and inconspicuous, not only grows into a tragic hero, he, with the power of his love, rises above the petty vanity, life's conveniences, and decency. He turns out to be a man in no way inferior in nobility to aristocrats. Love elevated him. Love gives Zheltkov “tremendous happiness.” Love has become suffering, the only meaning of life. Zheltkov did not demand anything for his love; his letters to the princess were just a desire to speak out, to convey his feelings to his beloved being.

Finding themselves in Zheltkov’s room, Nikolai Nikolaevich and Vasily Lvovich finally see Vera’s admirer. The author describes him as follows: “...he was tall, thin, with long fluffy, soft hair... very pale, with a gentle girlish face, blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle; He must have been about thirty, thirty-five years old...” Zheltkov, as soon as Nikolai Nikolaevich and Vasily Lvovich introduced themselves, became very nervous and scared, but after a while he calmed down. The men return his bracelet to Zheltkov with a request not to repeat such things again. Zheltkov himself understands and admits that he committed a stupidity by sending Vera a garnet bracelet.

Zheltkov admits to Vasily Lvovich that he has loved his wife for seven years. By some whim of fate, Vera Nikolaevna once seemed to Zheltkov to be an amazing, completely unearthly creature. And a strong, bright feeling flared up in his heart. He was always at some distance from his beloved, and, obviously, this distance contributed to the strength of his passion. He could not forget the beautiful image of the princess, and he was not stopped at all by the indifference on the part of his beloved.

Nikolai Nikolaevich gives Zheltkov two options for further actions: either he forgets Vera forever and never writes to her again, or, if he does not give up the persecution, measures will be taken against him. Zheltkov asks to call Vera to say goodbye to her. Although Nikolai Nikolaevich was against the call, Prince Shein allowed it to be done. But the conversation failed: Vera Nikolaevna did not want to talk to Zheltkov. Returning to the room, Zheltkov looked upset, his eyes were filled with tears. He asked permission to write a farewell letter to Vera, after which he would disappear from their lives forever, and again Prince Shein allows this to be done.

Those close to Princess Vera recognized Zheltkov as a noble man: brother Nikolai Nikolaevich: “I immediately recognized a noble man in you”; husband Prince Vasily Lvovich: “this man is incapable of deceiving and knowingly lying.”

Returning home, Vasily Lvovich tells Vera in detail about his meeting with Zheltkov. She was alarmed and uttered the following phrase: “I know that this man will kill himself.” Vera already foresaw the tragic outcome of this situation.

The next morning, Vera Nikolaevna reads in the newspaper that Zheltkov committed suicide. The newspaper wrote that the death occurred due to embezzlement of government money. This is what the suicide wrote in his posthumous letter.

Throughout the entire story, Kuprin tries to instill in readers “the concept of love on the brink of life,” and he does this through Zheltkov, for him love is life, therefore, no love, no life. And when Vera’s husband persistently asks to stop loving, his life ends. Is love worthy of the loss of life, the loss of everything that can be in the world? Everyone must answer this question for themselves - does he want this, what is more valuable to him - life or love? Zheltkov answered: love. Well, what about the price of life, because life is the most precious thing we have, it is what we are so afraid of losing, and on the other hand, love is the meaning of our life, without which it will not be life, but will be an empty phrase. One involuntarily recalls the words of I. S. Turgenev: “Love... is stronger than death and the fear of death.”

Zheltkov fulfilled Vera’s request to “stop this whole story” in the only way possible for him. That same evening, Vera receives a letter from Zheltkov.

This is what the letter said: “... It so happened that I am not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people - for me, my whole life lies only in you... My love is not an illness, not a manic idea, it is a reward from God... If you ever think of me, then play the sonata by L. van Beethoven. Son No. 2, op. 2. Largo Appassionato...” Zheltkov also deified his beloved in the letter; his prayer was addressed to her: “Hallowed be Thy name.” However, with all this, Princess Vera was an ordinary earthly woman. So her deification is a figment of poor Zheltkov’s imagination.

It’s a pity that nothing in life interested him except her. I think you can’t live like this, you can’t just suffer and dream about your beloved, but unattainable. Life is a game, and each of us must play our role, manage to do it in such a short period of time, manage to become a positive or negative hero, but in no case remain indifferent to everything except her, the only one, the beautiful one.

Zheltkov thinks that this is his destiny - to love madly, but unrequitedly, that it is impossible to escape from fate. If it weren’t for this last thing, he would undoubtedly have tried to do something, to escape from the feeling doomed to death.

Yes, I think I should have run. Run without looking back. Set a long-term goal and plunge headlong into work. I had to force myself to forget my crazy love. It was necessary to at least try to avoid its tragic outcome.

With all his desire, he could not have power over his soul, in which the image of the princess occupied too large a place. Zheltkov idealized his beloved, he knew nothing about her, so he painted a completely unearthly image in his imagination. And this also reveals the originality of his nature. His love could not be discredited or tarnished precisely because it was too far from real life. Zheltkov never met his beloved, his feelings remained a mirage, they were not connected with reality. And in this regard, the lover Zheltkov appears before the reader as a dreamer, romantic and idealist, divorced from life.

He endowed the best qualities of a woman about whom he knew absolutely nothing. Perhaps if fate had given Zheltkov at least one meeting with the princess, he would have changed his opinion about her. At the very least, she would not seem to him an ideal creature, absolutely devoid of flaws. But, alas, the meeting turned out to be impossible.

Anosov said: “Love must be a tragedy...”, if you approach love with exactly this yardstick, then it becomes clear that Zheltkov’s love is exactly like that. He easily puts his feelings for the beautiful princess above everything else in the world. In essence, life itself does not have much value for Zheltkov. And, probably, the reason for this is the lack of demand for his love, because Mr. Zheltkov’s life is not decorated with anything except feelings for the princess. At the same time, the princess herself lives a completely different life, in which there is no place for the lover Zheltkov. And she doesn't want the flow of these letters to continue. The princess is not interested in her unknown admirer; she is happy without him. All the more surprising and even strange is Zheltkov, who consciously cultivates his passion for Vera Nikolaevna.

Can Zheltkov be called a sufferer who lived his life uselessly, giving himself up as a sacrifice to some amazing soulless love? On the one hand, he appears exactly like that. He was ready to give the life of his beloved, but no one needed such a sacrifice. The garnet bracelet itself is a detail that even more clearly emphasizes the whole tragedy of this man. He is ready to part with a family heirloom, an ornament passed down by inheritance from the women of his family. Zheltkov is ready to give his only jewel to a completely stranger, and she did not need this gift at all.

Can Zheltkov’s feeling for Vera Nikolaevna be called madness? Prince Shein answers this question in the book: “... I feel that I am present at some enormous tragedy of the soul, and I cannot clown around here... I will say that he loved you, and was not crazy at all...”. And I agree with his opinion.

The psychological climax of the story is Vera’s farewell to the deceased Zheltkov, their only “date” is a turning point in her internal state. On the face of the deceased she read “deep importance, ... as if, before parting with life, he had learned some deep and sweet secret that resolved his entire human life,” a “blessed and serene” smile, “peace.” “At that second she realized that the love that every woman dreams of had passed her by.”

You can immediately ask the question: did Vera love anyone at all? Or the word love in its interpretation is nothing more than the concept of marital duty, marital fidelity, and not feelings for another person. Vera probably loved only one person: her sister, who was everything to her. She did not love her husband, not to mention Zheltkov, whom she had never seen alive.

Was there a need for Vera to go and look at the dead Zheltkov? Perhaps it was an attempt to somehow assert herself, not to torment herself for the rest of her life with remorse, to look at the one she abandoned. Understand that there will be nothing like this in her life. What we started from is what we came to - before he was looking for meetings with her, and now she came to him. And who is to blame for what happened - himself or his love.

Love dried him up, took away all the best that was in his nature. But she gave nothing in return. Therefore, the unhappy person has nothing else left. Obviously, by the death of the hero, Kuprin wanted to express his attitude towards his love. Zheltkov is, of course, a unique, very special person. Therefore, it is very difficult for him to live among ordinary people. It turns out that there is no place for him on this earth. And this is his tragedy, and not his fault at all.

Of course, his love can be called a unique, wonderful, amazingly beautiful phenomenon. Yes, such selfless and amazingly pure love is very rare. But it’s still good that it happens this way. After all, such love goes hand in hand with tragedy, it ruins a person’s life. And the beauty of the soul remains unclaimed, no one knows about it or notices it.

When Princess Sheina came home, she fulfilled Zheltkov’s last wish. She asks her pianist friend Jenny Reiter to play something for her. Vera has no doubt that the pianist will perform exactly the place in the sonata that Zheltkov asked for. Her thoughts and music merged together, and she heard as if the verses ended with the words: “Hallowed be Thy name.”

“Hallowed be Thy name” sounds like a refrain in the last part of “Garnet Bracelet”. A person has passed away, but love has not left. It seemed to dissipate in the surrounding world and merged with Beethoven’s Sonata No. 2 Largo Appassionato. Under the passionate sounds of music, the heroine feels the painful and beautiful birth of a new world in her soul, feels a feeling of deep gratitude to the person who put love for her above all else in his life, even above life itself. She understands that he has forgiven her. The story ends on this tragic note.

However, despite the sad ending, Kuprin’s hero is happy. He believes that the love that illuminated his life is a truly wonderful feeling. And I no longer know whether this love is so naive and reckless. And maybe she really is worth giving up your life and desire for life for her. After all, she is beautiful like the moon, clear like the sky, bright like the sun, constant like nature. Such is Zheltkov’s chivalrous, romantic love for Princess Vera Nikolaevna, which consumed his entire being. Zheltkov departs this life without complaints, without reproaches, saying like a prayer: “Hallowed be Thy name.” It is impossible to read these lines without tears. And it’s unclear why tears are rolling from my eyes. Either it’s just pity for the unfortunate Zheltkov (after all, life could have been wonderful for him too), or admiration for the splendor of the little man’s enormous feelings.

I would really like this fairy tale about all-forgiving and strong love, created by I. A. Kuprin, to penetrate into our monotonous life. I would like so much that cruel reality could never defeat our sincere feelings, our love. We must multiply it, be proud of it. Love, true love, must be studied diligently, like the most painstaking science. However, love does not come if you wait for its appearance every minute, and at the same time, it does not flare up out of nothing.

Introduction
“The Garnet Bracelet” is one of the most famous stories by Russian prose writer Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin. It was published in 1910, but for the domestic reader it still remains a symbol of unselfish, sincere love, the kind that girls dream about, and the one that we so often miss. Previously, we published a summary of this wonderful work. In this same publication we will tell you about the main characters, analyze the work and talk about its problems.

The events of the story begin to unfold on the birthday of Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina. They celebrate at the dacha with their closest people. At the height of the fun, the hero of the occasion receives a gift - a garnet bracelet. The sender decided to remain unrecognized and signed the short note only with the initials of the HSG. However, everyone immediately guesses that this is Vera’s long-time admirer, a certain petty official who has been inundating her with love letters for many years. The princess's husband and brother quickly figure out the identity of the annoying suitor and the next day they go to his home.

In a wretched apartment they are met by a timid official named Zheltkov, he meekly agrees to take the gift and promises never to appear in front of the respectable family again, provided that he makes a final farewell call to Vera and makes sure that she does not want to know him. Vera Nikolaevna, of course, asks Zheltkov to leave her. The next morning the newspapers will write that a certain official took his own life. In his farewell note, he wrote that he had squandered government property.

Main characters: characteristics of key images

Kuprin is a master of portraiture, and through appearance he draws the character of the characters. The author pays a lot of attention to each character, devoting a good half of the story to portrait characteristics and memories, which are also revealed by the characters. The main characters of the story are:

– princess, central female image;
- her husband, the prince, the provincial leader of the nobility;
- a minor official of the control chamber, passionately in love with Vera Nikolaevna;
Anna Nikolaevna Friesse– Vera’s younger sister;
Nikolai Nikolaevich Mirza-Bulat-Tuganovsky– brother of Vera and Anna;
Yakov Mikhailovich Anosov- general, military comrade of Vera’s father, close friend of the family.

Vera is an ideal representative of high society in appearance, manners, and character.

“Vera took after her mother, a beautiful Englishwoman, with her tall, flexible figure, gentle but cold and proud face, beautiful, albeit rather large hands and that charming sloping shoulders that can be seen in ancient miniatures.”

Princess Vera was married to Vasily Nikolaevich Shein. Their love had long ceased to be passionate and moved into that calm stage of mutual respect and tender friendship. Their union was happy. The couple did not have children, although Vera Nikolaevna passionately wanted a baby, and therefore gave all her unspent feelings to the children of her younger sister.

Vera was royally calm, coldly kind to everyone, but at the same time very funny, open and sincere with close people. She was not characterized by such feminine tricks as affectation and coquetry. Despite her high status, Vera was very prudent, and knowing how poorly things were going for her husband, she sometimes tried to deprive herself so as not to put him in an uncomfortable position.

Vera Nikolaevna’s husband is a talented, pleasant, gallant, noble person. He has an amazing sense of humor and is a brilliant storyteller. Shein keeps a home journal, which contains true stories with pictures about the life of the family and those close to them.

Vasily Lvovich loves his wife, perhaps not as passionately as in the first years of marriage, but who knows how long passion actually lasts? The husband deeply respects her opinion, feelings, and personality. He is compassionate and merciful to others, even those who are much lower in status than him (this is evidenced by his meeting with Zheltkov). Shein is noble and endowed with the courage to admit mistakes and his own wrongness.

We first meet Official Zheltkov towards the end of the story. Until this moment, he is present in the work invisibly in the grotesque image of a klutz, an eccentric, a fool in love. When the long-awaited meeting finally takes place, we see before us a meek and shy person, such people are usually not noticed and called “little”:

“He was tall, thin, with long, fluffy, soft hair.”

His speeches, however, are devoid of the chaotic whims of a madman. He is fully aware of his words and actions. Despite his apparent cowardice, this man is very courageous; he boldly tells the prince, Vera Nikolaevna’s legal husband, that he is in love with her and cannot do anything about it. Zheltkov does not fawn over the rank and position in society of his guests. He submits, but not to fate, but only to his beloved. And he also knows how to love – selflessly and sincerely.

“It so happened that I am not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people - for me life lies only in you. I now feel that I have crashed into your life like some kind of uncomfortable wedge. If you can, forgive me for this"

Analysis of the work

Kuprin got the idea for his story from real life. In reality, the story was more of an anecdotal nature. A certain poor telegraph operator named Zheltikov was in love with the wife of one of the Russian generals. One day this eccentric was so brave that he sent his beloved a simple gold chain with a pendant in the shape of an Easter egg. It's hilarious and that's it! Everyone laughed at the stupid telegraph operator, but the inquisitive writer’s mind decided to look beyond the anecdote, because behind the apparent curiosity there can always be a real drama hidden.

Also in “The Pomegranate Bracelet,” the Sheins and their guests first make fun of Zheltkov. Vasily Lvovich even has a funny story about this in his home magazine called “Princess Vera and the telegraph operator in love.” People tend not to think about other people's feelings. The Sheins were not bad, callous, soulless (this is proven by the metamorphosis in them after meeting Zheltkov), they just did not believe that the love that the official admitted could exist..

There are many symbolic elements in the work. For example, a garnet bracelet. Garnet is a stone of love, anger and blood. If a feverish person picks it up (a parallel with the expression “love fever”), the stone will take on a more saturated hue. According to Zheltkov himself, this special type of pomegranate (green pomegranate) gives women the gift of foresight, and protects men from violent death. Zheltkov, having parted with his amulet bracelet, dies, and Vera unexpectedly predicts his death.

Another symbolic stone - pearls - also appears in the work. Vera receives pearl earrings as a gift from her husband on the morning of her name day. Pearls, despite their beauty and nobility, are an omen of bad news.
The weather also tried to predict something bad. On the eve of the fateful day, a terrible storm broke out, but on the birthday everything calmed down, the sun came out and the weather was calm, like a calm before a deafening clap of thunder and an even stronger storm.

Problems of the story

The key problem of the work is the question “What is true love?” In order for the “experiment” to be pure, the author gives different types of “love”. This is the tender love-friendship of the Sheins, and the calculating, convenient love of Anna Friesse for her indecently rich old man-husband, who blindly adores her soul mate, and the long-forgotten ancient love of General Amosov, and the all-consuming love-worship of Zheltkov for Vera.

The main character herself cannot understand for a long time whether it is love or madness, but looking into his face, albeit hidden by the mask of death, she is convinced that it was love. Vasily Lvovich draws the same conclusions after meeting his wife’s admirer. And if at first he was somewhat belligerent, then later he could not be angry with the unfortunate man, because, it seems, a secret was revealed to him, which neither he, nor Vera, nor their friends could comprehend.

People are selfish by nature and even in love, they think first of all about their feelings, masking their own egocentrism from their other half and even themselves. True love, which occurs between a man and a woman once every hundred years, puts the beloved first. So Zheltkov calmly lets Vera go, because that’s the only way she will be happy. The only problem is that he doesn’t need life without her. In his world, suicide is a completely natural step.

Princess Sheina understands this. She sincerely mourns Zheltkov, a man whom she practically did not know, but, oh my God, perhaps true love, which occurs once every hundred years, passed her by.

“I am eternally grateful to you just for the fact that you exist. I checked myself - this is not a disease, not a manic idea - this is love with which God was pleased to reward me for something... Leaving, I say in delight: “Hallowed be Thy name.”

Place in literature: Literature of the 20th century → Russian literature of the 20th century → Works of Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin → The story “Garnet Bracelet” (1910)

Love is a feeling known to everyone firsthand. But if you ask exactly what it is, everyone will answer differently. For some, love is constant thoughts about the chosen one, for others it is marriage and family, for others it is a second flash and an unimaginably strong attraction. Love is multifaceted and manifests itself not only in relationships between a man and a woman. It is also love for nature, homeland, and child. Is courage needed in love, and does cowardice affect it? Let's see what the classics of Russian literature thought about this and select arguments for the final essay.

The heroine of the story “Olesya” by A.I. Kuprina fights for love to the end. Ivan Timofeevich comes to the village on business. There he meets Olesya, they fall in love with each other. But she is an unusual girl, she lives with Manuilikha, apart from the entire village, and the residents call her a witch. Olesya, for the sake of her beloved, decides to go to church and defend mass. After the service, she is beaten by superstitious women. But the brave savage still takes a difficult step towards her beloved. Moreover, she chooses love, despite the prediction of misfortune that the cards showed, but Olesya really believes in this. Even despite the sad ending of the story, the heroine is shown as a strong woman, ready to defend her feelings.
Ivan Timofeevich (from the same story by Kuprin) can serve as an example of cowardice. He thinks soberly about Olesya and admits to himself that he doesn’t imagine her in his living room, talking with his friends. She can neither read nor write, and the hero of the story is a coward because his chosen one will look funny in secular society. He does not imagine her among the wives of his colleagues or as his bride, although he proposes to her. It is because of his fears and doubts that their union collapses, which means that love and cowardice are not on the way.
Masha Mironova, the heroine of A.S.’s story, also shows courage. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter". It seems that Peter spends the entire story saving her, but his bride also takes a brave step. She, a simple girl raised in a fortress, was not afraid to go alone with a request to the capital to the empress herself. By her act, Marya saves Grinev from exile, because she manages to persuade Catherine to forgive and pardon the dutiful officer. At the same time, one cannot dare to call the heroine brave; she has always been distinguished by timidity and shyness. Thus, love works wonders in inspiring people to be courageous.
Pyotr Grinev, like a real lover, fights for the girl dear to him. When he receives a letter from Masha, where she reports that Shvabrin is forcing her to marry, Grinev immediately goes to the general and asks for a company of soldiers to liberate the Belgorod fortress. They refuse him. And here the hero does not wait, does not think about his own future (after all, he was threatened with exile for his “friendship” with Pugachev), but goes alone to help Marya Mironova. Grinev shows courage in his conversation with the rebel, does not act hypocritically in front of him, does not humiliate himself, and therefore takes the bride with him, because Emelyan likes the valor and courage of his enemy. Only brave people are capable of strong feelings and can defend them.
In "The Captain's Daughter" there is also a character - a coward. This is Shvabrin. He did not expect to hear a refusal from Masha, whom he also loved. Not ready to come to terms, he took advantage of the situation when Pugachev took the fortress. Alexey kept his beloved girl locked up, took revenge on her and Grinev, winning her hand through meanness and cunning. This behavior can hardly be called a “struggle for love”, because he does not sacrifice himself, but tries to do well for himself personally. Such aversion to refusal can be called cowardice, because Shvabrin is afraid to face the truth. In addition, he feels the fear of a fair fight for the heart of a beauty; he prefers dishonest paths rather than a direct confrontation. All this ensures that the hero fails in love.
In the epic novel War and Peace, an example of courage in love is Natasha Rostova. Perhaps, thoughtlessly and childishly, she believes that Anatol Kuragin loves her. She makes a decision and writes a letter to Andrei Bolkonsky, refusing the offer. Natasha is ready to run away with Anatole. But their plan is discovered, she cannot leave the house. This, although rash act, shows what the heroine is ready for for the sake of a feeling that she considers love. In addition, it is nice to see that she does not play with the affections of the groom, does not lie to him, but openly breaks off the engagement as soon as she falls in love with another person. This distinguishes her favorably from Helen Kuragina, who hid her hobbies for profit and deceived her husband.
We should also mention Pierre Bezukhov, another hero of War and Peace. He loved Natasha even when she was the bride of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky. However, the hero does not interfere with their future marriage. After Rostova refuses Bolkonsky’s proposal, Pierre does not condemn her, but sympathizes with her. He tries to convince Andrei that this was an impetuous act of a young girl in love. The hero always supports his beloved, but almost never talks about his love for her. He places his own feelings below the happiness of his loved one, and this also requires courage.
The heroine from Bulgakov's novel "The Master and Margarita" sacrifices everything, even her soul, for the sake of the Master, whom she loves. She turns into a witch and helps Satan host the spring ball. She takes revenge on the critics who took up arms against the novel of her loved one. Of course, revenge can hardly be called a “positive” act, but, nevertheless, a woman is courageous in her feelings and fights for her chosen one, protecting him to the end. She gives up a comfortable and wealthy life for him, burns all the bridges of her dull, unloved past. Not everyone will do such an act, but only courageous and decisive actions can save a high feeling in an indifferent and petty world.
In the story “Dark Alleys” by I.A. Bunin's hero, Nikolai Alekseevich, accidentally met the owner of the inn, whom he had previously loved. Nadezhda is the first to recognize him. They remember their affair, which ended in nothing. The heroine still has not forgiven him for leaving her, although she says that there was nothing more expensive than him in her life. And Nikolai Alekseevich is embarrassed. He, in fact, shows cowardice in love, because driving away from the inn, he cannot imagine how this innkeeper could be the mother of his children. Thus, the opinion of society and stereotypes are more important for the hero than love. The fear of being misunderstood and ridiculed by those who are nobody to him made the lives of these people, and not only them, miserable. On the other hand, this fear may have brought him together with a woman whom he really loved deeply, and in her case he was not afraid to act. Fear cannot be interpreted unambiguously; perhaps it is a sign of an imaginary feeling, but a sign of weakness of character.
The hero of the story “The Raven” by I.A. also shows cowardice. Bunina. A young man comes home after graduating from the lyceum, where Elena Nikolaevna, a young and beautiful girl, works as a nanny. Of course, sympathy arises between her and the hero. But his father, himself in love with Elena, once seeing her with his son and hearing that they love each other, calls him to a conversation and sends him to the village, even threatening to deprive him of his inheritance. And the son does not rebel, he does not fight for his love, but leaves Elena, who later marries his father.

Based on the examples, we can say that love and cowardice are not compatible. In any case, a person, firstly, must reveal his love to another, and secondly, without fear of society or the opinions of others, protect it.

Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin is an outstanding Russian writer of the early twentieth century. In his works, he sang love: genuine, sincere and real, not demanding anything in return. Not every person is given the opportunity to experience such feelings, and only a few are capable of discerning them, accepting them and surrendering to them among the abyss of life events.

A. I. Kuprin - biography and creativity

Little Alexander Kuprin lost his father when he was only a year old. His mother, a representative of an old family of Tatar princes, made a fateful decision for the boy to move to Moscow. At the age of 10, he entered the Moscow Military Academy; the education he received played a significant role in the writer’s work.

Later, he would create more than one work dedicated to his military youth: the writer’s memories can be found in the stories “At the Turning Point (Cadets)”, “Army Ensign”, and in the novel “Junker”. For 4 years, Kuprin remained an officer in an infantry regiment, but the desire to become a novelist never left him: Kuprin wrote his first known work, the story “In the Dark,” at the age of 22. The life of the army will be reflected more than once in his work, including in his most significant work, the story “The Duel.” One of the important themes that made the writer’s works classics of Russian literature was love. Kuprin, masterfully wielding the pen, creating incredibly realistic, detailed and thoughtful images, was not afraid to demonstrate the realities of society, exposing its most immoral sides, as, for example, in the story “The Pit”.

The story “Garnet Bracelet”: history of creation

Kuprin began working on the story in difficult times for the country: one revolution ended, the funnel of another began to spin. The theme of love in Kuprin’s work “The Garnet Bracelet” is created in opposition to the mood of society; it becomes sincere, honest, and selfless. “The Garnet Bracelet” became an ode to such love, a prayer and a requiem for it.

The story was published in 1911. It was based on a real story, which made a deep impression on the writer; Kuprin almost completely preserved it in his work. Only the ending was changed: in the original, Zheltkov’s prototype abandoned his love, but remained alive. The suicide that ended Zheltkov’s love in the story is just another interpretation of the tragic ending of incredible feelings, which makes it possible to fully demonstrate the destructive power of the callousness and lack of will of the people of that time, which is what “Garnet Bracelet” is about. The theme of love in the work is one of the key ones; it is worked out in detail, and the fact that the story was created based on real events makes it even more expressive.

The theme of love in Kuprin’s work “The Garnet Bracelet” is at the center of the plot. The main character of the work is Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, the prince’s wife. She constantly receives letters from a secret admirer, but one day an admirer gives her an expensive gift - a garnet bracelet. The theme of love in the work begins here. Considering such a gift indecent and compromising, she told her husband and brother about it. Using their connections, they can easily find the sender of the gift.

He turns out to be a modest and petty official Georgy Zheltkov, who, having accidentally seen Sheina, fell in love with her with all his heart and soul. He was content with allowing himself to write letters occasionally. The prince came to him with a conversation, after which Zheltkov felt that he had failed his pure and immaculate love, betrayed Vera Nikolaevna, compromising her with his gift. He wrote a farewell letter, where he asked his beloved to forgive him and listen to Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 2 goodbye, and then shot himself. This story alarmed and interested Sheina; she, having received permission from her husband, went to the apartment of the late Zheltkov. There, for the first time in her life, she experienced those feelings that she had not recognized throughout the eight years of the existence of this love. Already at home, listening to that same melody, she realizes that she has lost her chance at happiness. This is how the theme of love is revealed in the work “Garnet Bracelet”.

Images of the main characters

The images of the main characters reflect the social realities not only of that time. These roles are characteristic of humanity as a whole. In pursuit of status and material well-being, a person again and again abandons the most important thing - a bright and pure feeling that does not need expensive gifts and loud words.
The image of Georgy Zheltkov is the main confirmation of this. He is not rich, unremarkable. This is a modest person who does not demand anything in return for his love. Even in his suicide note, he indicates a false reason for his action, so as not to bring trouble to his beloved, who indifferently abandoned him.

Vera Nikolaevna is a young woman accustomed to living exclusively in accordance with the principles of society. She does not shy away from love, but does not consider it a vital necessity. She has a husband who was able to give her everything she needed, and she does not consider the existence of other feelings possible. This happens until she encounters the abyss after the death of Zheltkov - the only thing that can excite the heart and inspire turned out to be hopelessly missed.

The main theme of the story “Garnet Bracelet” is the theme of love in the work

Love in the story is a symbol of the nobility of the soul. This is not the case with the callous Prince Shein or Nikolai; Vera Nikolaevna herself can be called callous - until the moment of her trip to the deceased’s apartment. Love was the highest manifestation of happiness for Zheltkov, he did not need anything else, he found the bliss and splendor of life in his feelings. Vera Nikolaevna saw only tragedy in this unrequited love, her admirer evoked only pity in her, and this is the main drama of the heroine - she was unable to appreciate the beauty and purity of these feelings, this is noted in every essay on the work “Garnet Bracelet”. The theme of love, interpreted differently, will invariably appear in every text.

Vera Nikolaevna herself committed a betrayal of love when she took the bracelet to her husband and brother - the foundations of society turned out to be more important to her than the only bright and selfless feeling that took place in her emotionally meager life. She realizes this too late: that feeling that occurs once every few hundred years has disappeared. It touched her lightly, but she could not see the touch.

Love that leads to self-destruction

Kuprin himself earlier in his essays once expressed the idea that love is always a tragedy, it contains equally all emotions and joys, pain, happiness, joy and death. All these feelings were contained in one little man, Georgy Zheltkov, who saw sincere happiness in unrequited feelings for a cold and inaccessible woman. His love had no ups and downs until brute force in the person of Vasily Shein intervened. The resurrection of love and the resurrection of Zheltkov himself symbolically occurs at the moment of Vera Nikolaevna’s epiphany, when she listens to the very music of Beethoven and cries by the acacia tree. This is the “Garnet Bracelet” - the theme of love in the work is full of sadness and bitterness.

Main conclusions from the work

Perhaps the main line is the theme of love in the work. Kuprin demonstrates a depth of feelings that not every soul is able to understand and accept.

Kuprin's love requires a rejection of morals and norms forcibly imposed by society. Love does not require money or a high position in society, but it requires much more from a person: unselfishness, sincerity, complete dedication and selflessness. I would like to note the following, concluding the analysis of the work “Garnet Bracelet”: the theme of love in it forces one to renounce all social values, but in return bestows true happiness.

Cultural heritage of the work

Kuprin made a huge contribution to the development of love lyrics: “Garnet Bracelet,” analysis of the work, the theme of love and its study became mandatory in the school curriculum. This work has also been filmed several times. The first film based on the story was released 4 years after publication, in 1914.

Them. N. M. Zagursky staged the ballet of the same name in 2013.

In the eleventh chapter of the story, the author emphasizes the motive of fate. Princess Vera, who never read newspapers for fear of getting her hands dirty, suddenly unfolds the very sheet on which the announcement of Zheltkov’s suicide was printed. This fragment of the work is intertwined with the scene in which General Anosov says to Vera: “...Who knows? “Maybe your path in life, Verochka, has been crossed by exactly the kind of love that women dream about and that men are no longer capable of.” It is no coincidence that the princess recalls these words again. It seems that Zheltkov was really sent to Vera by fate, and she could not discern selfless nobility, subtlety and beauty in the soul of a simple telegraph operator.

A unique plot structure in the works of A.I. Kuprin lies in the fact that the author makes peculiar signs to the reader that help to predict the further development of the story. In “Oles” this is a motive of fortune-telling, in accordance with which all further relationships between the characters develop; in “The Duel” it is a conversation between officers about a duel. In “The Garnet Bracelet,” the sign foreshadowing the tragic outcome is the bracelet itself, the stones of which look like droplets of blood.

Upon learning of Zheltkov’s death, Vera realizes that she foresaw a tragic outcome. In his farewell message to his beloved, Zheltkov does not hide his all-consuming passion. He literally deifies Faith, turning to her the words from the prayer “Our Father...”: “Hallowed be Thy name.”

The literature of the “Silver Age” had strong anti-God motives. Zheltkov, deciding to commit suicide, commits the greatest Christian sin, because the church prescribes to endure any spiritual and physical torment sent to a person on earth. But with the entire course of development of the plot, A.I. Kuprin justifies Zheltkov’s action. It is no coincidence that the main character of the story is called Vera. For Zheltkov, thus, the concepts of “love” and “faith” merge together. Before his death, the hero asks the landlady to hang a bracelet on the icon.

Looking at the late Zheltkov, Vera is finally convinced that there was truth in Anosov’s words. By his action, the poor telegraph operator was able to reach the heart of the cold beauty and touch her. Vera brings Zheltkov a red rose and kisses him on the forehead with a long, friendly kiss. Only after death did the hero receive the right to attention and respect for his feelings. Only with his own death did he prove the true depth of his experiences (before that, Vera considered him crazy).

Anosov's words about eternal, exclusive love become the running theme of the story. The last time they are remembered in the story is when, at Zheltkov’s request, Vera listens to Beethoven’s second sonata (“Appassionata”). In the finale of the story, A.I. Kuprin sounds another repetition: “Hallowed be Thy name,” which is no less significant in the artistic structure of the work. He once again emphasizes the purity and sublimity of Zheltkov’s attitude towards his beloved.

Putting love on a par with such concepts as death, faith, A.I. Kuprin emphasizes the significance of this concept for human life as a whole. Not all people know how to love and remain faithful to their feelings. The story “The Garnet Bracelet” can be considered as a kind of testament to A.I. Kuprin, addressed to those who are trying to live not with their hearts, but with their minds. Their life, correct from the point of view of a rational approach, is doomed to a spiritually devastated existence, for only love can give a person true happiness.