The image of Onegin in the novel "Eugene Onegin"

The image of Onegin ... How many times have different people taken up and will take up his coverage? .. Probably not even hundreds of thousands (taking into account the school curriculum and special directions of higher education). Most likely, millions of times Russians and foreigners tried to write about him. This iconic image not only enchants with its artistry and aesthetics; He at one time really inspired the intelligentsia of the beginning of the nineteenth century to get Russia out of the impasse of social development on the high road of social and industrial progress.

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Place "Eugene Onegin" in the work of Pushkin

I remember the words of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin: "I erected a monument to myself not made by hands ..." The classic considered the seven-year work on the novel in verse "Eugene Onegin" a feat. It was an extremely honest view of "the poet, the first in Russian Parnassus" to the surrounding Russian society, including the upper world. He wrote about his generation, and this gave him strength ... For the first time the domestic literary writer rose to Golgotha of realism and tried to represent honestly and highly artistic what worried at that time the most advanced people of Russia. It was his favorite creation. Especially he Pushkin invented a specific "Onegin" stanza - 14 lines of a four-legged iamba with rhyme according to the formula CCddEffEgg.

Objectivity in the display of the nobility of the early XIX century

Alexander Sergeevich, following the principles of realism, honestly and frankly showed that the social layer of the nobles, in fact - the Russian power, ceased to be the driving force of progress. The nobility of the last century - people who were formed in the Catherine's era, in which the hot blood was seen and the determination to do things for the Fatherland and deeds - degenerated. It is a glorious time for victories and approval of the glory of Russia in the golden age of the eighteenth century. Service in the rank of officer no longer attracted the nobility. Representatives of the high world carried away the race for ranks and awards. They enthusiastically engaged in various intrigues, intrigues. Often the nobles put personal well-being and their private life above the interests of society. In addition, they were the main political force interested in preserving serfdom. After all, it was the right to rule the destinies of millions of people that formed the basis of their influence in the state.

Passivity Onegin - a product of high society education

Eugene Onegin is a representative of another, unskilled generation of the nobility estate of the early XIX century. Onegin is an officer in the past, but he was disappointed and quit (according to Pushkin, he was bored with "and swearing, and sabers, and lead"). Serving the Fatherland as the idea of creating a layer of society close to the monarch, characteristic of the golden XVIII century, a hundred years later ceased to be relevant for the nobility. Although they were the most educated people at that time.

This is precisely what helps readers to understand the extremely honest image of Onegin

The attempt of Pushkin, this amazing master of the word, creating the image of Eugene, to capture, bring to readers the typical features of the contradictory contemporary from the educated youth of Russia, in which the forces are boiling, the thoughts sparkle, which, after all, has certain capital and connections, To realize something progressive and necessary. However, it is passive. He took on the role of an intelligent observer of the surrounding life, and not its participant. He is somewhat reminiscent of a marble boy from Andersen's fairy tale The Little Mermaid. His charm, beauty, and mind are cold. Perhaps, therefore, the image of Onegin is tragic ...

What could Eugene do?

This person with his economic knowledge, based on the historical situation, really had much to do with the forces. The economy of Russia lagged behind. There were no railways. The capitalist enterprises were in a rudimentary state. Serfdom hindered the human resource of a huge country. However, it is inactive and, what is striking, society does not push or mobilize it (a person, undoubtedly, the foremost) to solve these important tasks. Russian society is amorphous, it is subordinated to the influence of the higher world. Noble youth, receiving education in Europe (more precisely, pro-French), completely socially disoriented from the very beginning! How deeply sucked it artificial, ephemeral, a world of high society, divorced from Russian reality!

The gendarmerie suppression of the Decembrist movement

And the higher world, on a large scale, is subordinated to the personal selfish interests of particular individuals. As we can see, the circle is closed. This "trick - 22"! Was not this the impetus for the creation of the Decembrist movement? In response to the excitement of progressive thought, Emperor Nicholas I, and then Alexander I (the latter, to a lesser extent) chose a plan for the construction of a police power, a plan alien to the interests of Russians. The victim of this type of state was Pushkin, exiled to southern exile. "Onegin", a novel in verse, began to be created precisely in the southern exile of the poet, thanks to friends, the stay of his Siberia for "outrageous verses that flooded Russia" was replaced at the last minute by softening the punishment.

Pushkin's novel is a harbinger of changes

Let us recall what kind of words begins the famous trilogy written by Professor Tolkien. It begins with an exciting thought that throughout the world there are changes, in all its elements, that these changes are close, that they are about to come.

It seems to us that Alexander Sergeyevich felt the same before, on the eve of the creation of his outstanding work. The means of expressing and giving to feel the forty millionth Russia's need for reform was the image of Onegin in the novel in verse, a symbolic artistic and realistic work of Russia in the early 19th century.

Pushkin's novel was a powerful intellectual blow to obsolete serfdom.

"Onegin" is a popular work

There is one more aspect in the work of Pushkin. Recall that for Alexander Sergeevich "Eugene Onegin" was his favorite work. The poet, following the adventures of his protagonist, creates an extremely broad picture of the Russian state. In the book we meet both characters of the upper world, and local nobles, and the peasantry. In addition to the actual display of all layers of society, Alexander Sergeyevich demonstrates the tastes, the fashion of that time, the trends of social thought. That's why Peter Pletnev, a friend of the poet, called the novel a "pocket mirror", and Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky - a product of the highest degree of folk. And this is despite the fact that Onegin's image in the novel is in many respects tied to the higher world. On the one hand, he despises him, neglecting his conventions, clearly showing the reader that people "from there" do not differ either in profound knowledge or in selfless labor for the Fatherland. And on the other hand, he can not move away from him enough to completely disregard his opinions and assessments. Alexander Sergeevich wrote about his hero, that the high-society "melancholy ... ran after him ... like a faithful wife."

Onegin becomes a landed nobleman

We get acquainted with Eugene at the very beginning of the novel, when he, a poor nobleman, in the winter of 1819 suddenly becomes an heir to the deceased landowner, his uncle. The image of Onegin in Pushkin's novel, brought up by the French tutor, is indifferent to everything that the poet himself loved: the Russian language, Russian nature, folk culture, folklore. He speaks fluent French, is able to kindly talk, owns "the science of tender passion." Alexander Sergeyevich paints a story about Onegin's visit to theaters and restaurants.

Before the adoption of the inheritance, he led the usual life for the youth of his circle, spending it on salons, balls, parties, theaters. However, he was disgusted with salon morals. He began to avoid invitations.

The image of Onegin in Pushkin's novel is a type of educated nobleman who is aware of the corrupting nature of serfdom. It is distinguished by a cold logical mind and nobility of the soul. It is characteristic that when he entered the possession of the estate, he replaced the corvée, which was hard for the peasants, with "a lump in the lungs". However, he did not become an active owner of the peasant farm. As a typical representative of the ruling class, he does not feel the slightest need for any work that is useful to society. Attempting to do literary work, he soon cooled to this occupation, as Pushkin sarcastically wrote. Onegin, becoming a local nobleman, remained a great man. All previous education did not instill Eugene adaptation to any activity. For him, the whole way of life of people creating public goods is alien, does not cause interest, and also the desire to participate in it actively. This extraordinary, deep mind man, like the Greek hero Anteus, devoid of connection with his native land, looks powerless and useless, without any purpose in life.

Love Test

It was during Yevgeny's stay in the village that his character manifested itself. On the one hand, he avoids the society of empty and limited surrounding landlords. On the other hand, as the analysis of Onegin shows, he does not stand the test of love.

The internal contradictoriness of the main character of the novel is most prominently displayed in his relations with Tatyana Larina. Tatyana is the most beloved character for Alexander Sergeevich himself, among all that he ever created. She, brought up on novels, saw in Eugene "the same" type of romantic hero and sincerely fell in love with him. Her letter of confession, written in the summer of 1820, is a masterpiece of the literary expression of human feelings.

It should be recognized that the female images in the novel "Eugene Onegin", and in particular Tatiana Larina, are much more natural than the protagonist of the novel, detached from the real people's reality, soaring in their reflections. She, unlike the protagonist, has such a personality trait as the closeness to the people's perception of the world, sincerity. The noise and bustle of light she calls "rags masquerade." Vissarion Belinsky called this display of "Russianness" in the image of Tatiana (which was completely absent in Eugene) - a feat.

Indeed, before the Pushkin Tatiana in art, the people and representatives of the nobility were rather opposed, but not associated in principle.

Testing with friendship

The literary hero Onegin distinguishes "the soul by direct nobility". As Pushkin writes about him, Eugene is a "kind fellow" and his personal friend. Moreover, on one of the illustrations he himself portrays to the novel, he shows himself next to Onegin at the railing of the Nevsky Bridge. Evgeny is attached to his friends by his soul. An example is his friendly relationship with Vladimir Lensky, enthusiastic eighteen-year-old poet. He, having received an education in Germany, was imbued with the spirit of Romanticism. Being a poet, he is energetic, briskly composes enthusiastic poems. However, the analysis of "Onegin" shows that this friendship stems from the laws of the higher world. In addition to sharing pleasant pastime at balls and parties, as well as friendly advice to each other, this friendship implied a huge ego of each of the young people. This is quite possible and nurturing mutual resentment, and the opportunity to take revenge on a friend for some minor and temporary inconvenience.

Quite stupid from the point of view of elementary common sense is the story of the duel of Onegin and Lensky on January 14, 1821, which ended tragically for the latter. Following the concepts of light, afraid of being called a coward, Eugene Onegin did not abolish the duel with the cold sharp mind. Heroes of the novel, of course, could settle their relationship and not resorting to arms. The mores of the upper world imposed on them from the outside a depressive and inadequate pattern of behavior.

Eugene Onegin after the duel

In the winter of 1821 Onegin goes on a journey. So it was instituted among the duelists - to leave, so that later, upon arrival, the gossips subsided. And Tatyana at the same time is getting married. Onegin in 1823/1824 lives in Odessa (the chronology coincides with Pushkin's stay there). In the winter of 1824-18, he returned to St. Petersburg.

Here he meets with Tatyana. He is already sincere. The ice of his heart is melted. Evgenie is explained in love ... However, Tatyana is another ... Mother of the family, husband wife, keeper of the hearth. Over the movements of her soul, she feels personal responsibility for the preservation of her family.

Pushkin ... Onegin ... Tatiana ... What a wonderful picture of feelings portrayed by the great master of the word!

Significance of the image

Since Pushkin's Eugene Onegin, Russian literature has a tradition of portraying "the heroes of the times." Classics, starting with Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, began to wonder about who he is - a typical person for this time, determining the progress of society. Following Pushkin's hero, Lermontov's Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin appeared before the public. The comparative characteristic of Onegin and Pechorin shows that they are both noblemen, their skepticism, unbelief in many respects - the fruits of Russia's domestic gendarmer policy after the events of December 14, a policy of distrust toward people. The essence of both these personalities is a protest against the surrounding reality, the desire to find and realize oneself.

Conclusion

The image of Onegin - a landmark for the work of Pushkin. His beauty and artistry were admired and admired. This is not a gray person, he is a textured character. He is distinguished by a deep mind, the ability to analyze and determine the real motives and levers of the process. He is well versed in people. Different images in the novel "Eugene Onegin" seem to be attracted by the magnetism of the main character of the novel.

It has autobiographical features. However, the poet does not fully associate himself with Onegin. He does not idealize Eugene, pointing to the inherent disadvantages. He calls him his friend. He associates himself with "voice from the author".

Pushkin's novel, as you know, ends with unfinished action. Therefore, every reader has the right to think independently of himself - whether Eugene can find himself, or whether life will live - aimlessly.