“Truth and beauty have always been the main thing in human life...” Philosophical issues in A. Chekhov’s story “Student”

The work of A.P. Chekhov talks about Ivan Velikopolsky, a student at the theological seminary. He was going home. It seemed to the student that there was darkness and hunger all around, it was so cold and eerie on the street. But then he saw a fire and went up to it to warm himself.

Two women were sitting near the fire: a mother and a daughter. They were widows. And then Ivan told them a story from the Bible. The story really touched Vasilisa, the mother of a young widow. She began to cry, feeling sorry for Jesus. And her daughter, Lukerya, did not shed a single tear, but when she raised her head and looked at the student, the expression on her face depicted severe pain. It was very difficult, tense and mournful.

Plunging into the atmosphere of the story, the reader has dual feelings. First, the feeling of simple human fear. It penetrates the main character to the bone. Because of fear, everything around Ivan seems gloomy and cold. On the other hand, the narrator shows a student inspired by faith. The student narrates a passage of scripture in such a joyful and instructive manner that the reader finds himself in the atmosphere of a man who truly believes in God and loves his work.

Reading the story, you can see two ways a person fights fear: practical and spiritual. The first way is a fire. When the student approached the fire, he already felt better and simpler. He calmed down and began to warm up. Here you can see a practical way to deal with fear. The student, like any person who has received comfortable conditions, immediately relaxes and all the bad thoughts that were in his head at that moment disappear by themselves.

The other side of a person’s struggle with fear is the spiritual one. Almost at all times, in a difficult situation, a person turns to God. It is a recognized fact that there are situations and circumstances with which a person cannot fight only physical forces. Then he turns to faith.

Warming up by the fire, the student starts talking about the “Last Supper.” Citing this example, he talks about betrayal. Why Ivan Velikopolsky told this story to two widows remains unclear. But only one thing is clear: no one: neither the narrator, nor the listeners, this story did not leave indifferent. Everyone learned their lesson and revealed far hidden thoughts. And the student, who was crossing on the ferry home, was overcome with a feeling of happiness. Comprehensive, perfect and at the same time unexpected. He was glad about the power of his teaching, in which he saw high meaning.

Analysis 2

Thanks to his brevity, which is akin to talent, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov creates magnificent works that excite the soul and minds of people who read. In many of the writer’s stories, the problem of the meaning of life is raised; this riddle always worried the young doctor, because everyone living is faced with a similar problem. "Student" clearly reveals eternal questions, the answers to which you can find yourself, you just have to understand the essence of the matter. For Anton Pavlovich, this work was his favorite, because it reflects everything that is most intimate, personal, and exciting.

The main character of the story is student Ivan Velikopolsky, who is twenty-two years old, he returns home on a dark evening, he is troubled by thoughts about life itself, its orders, its way of life. The world around us The character seems too gloomy, harsh and negative. Ivan Velikopolsky assumed that only hopelessness and poverty emanated from Peter and Rurik. Dark thoughts envelop the hero's head, preventing him from looking sensibly at the beautiful and amazing world. As Ivan believed: “another thousand years will pass, life will not get better.”

However, the central episode of the work is the meeting of the protagonist with widows named Vasilisa and Lukerya (her daughter), whom he visits with the goal of warming up by the fire, where Ivan Velikopolsky remembers a moment from the Gospel. The character imagines an episode when the Apostle Peter denies Jesus three times. Interpreting this story to the heroines, tears come to their eyes, because the event that Ivan Velikopolsky narrated is too deplorable and tragic.

After the hero sees the emotional pain of the widows, his consciousness completely changes, his soul simply turns over, and other thoughts begin to fill the character’s head. He now understands that the story that was conveyed to the heroines penetrated into the depths of the girls’ minds and hearts, they felt every detail, every moment that was conveyed using words about the past. One way or another, Ivan realizes that the past is inextricably linked with the present, because memories are preserved, they somehow emerge. And it couldn't get any better than this. If people remember everything negative and positive from those long ago years, analyze certain actions of individuals, then they are not afraid of the future.

Chekhov suggests that the world is controlled by knowledge, which readers have no right to refuse, because events that happened once are not forgotten, which means that it is connected with the present, and inextricably. And this is the main thing!

So, Ivan Velikopolsky begins to accept the fact that he is not alone, he is not just a speck of dust in a harsh world. No, he is a person who is capable of understanding the great meaning of existence, of searching for the meaning of life.

Thus, Chekhov's story is incredibly wonderful, it is filled important knowledge, belongs in the direction, undoubtedly, to realism. Anton Pavlovich is trying to convey to readers that the main thing in life is to improve, to realize how wonderful the world is, to learn the history of your country, to be educated. Then and only then is the spiritual enrichment of a person possible!

Vladimir Dubrovsky is one of the main characters of the work, who throughout the narrative turns from a young rake into a noble and honest young man.

Description of Dubrovsky's appearance from the novel Dubrovsky

In the novel “Dubrovsky” by A.S. Pushkin main character Vladimir Dubrovsky is presented in the image of a noble robber. The author draws the features of his appearance quite briefly and laconically.

At first the weather was good and calm. The blackbirds were calling, and in the swamps nearby something living was humming pitifully, as if blowing into an empty bottle. One woodcock held out, and the shot at it sounded loud and cheerful in the spring air. But when it got dark in the forest, a cold, piercing wind blew inopportunely from the east, and everything fell silent. Ice needles stretched across the puddles, and the forest became uncomfortable, deaf and unsociable. It smelled like winter. Ivan Velikopolsky, a student at the Theological Academy, the son of a sexton, returning home from work, walked all the time along a path through a flooded meadow. His fingers were numb and his face was hot from the wind. It seemed to him that this sudden cold had disrupted the order and harmony in everything, that nature itself was terrified, and that is why the evening darkness thickened faster than necessary. All around it was deserted and somehow especially gloomy. Only in the widows' gardens near the river did the fire glow; Far all around and where the village was, about four miles away, everything was completely buried in the cold evening darkness. The student remembered that when he left home, his mother, sitting on the floor in the hallway, barefoot, was cleaning the samovar, and his father was lying on the stove and coughing; On the occasion of Good Friday, nothing was cooked at home, and I was painfully hungry. And now, shivering from the cold, the student thought that exactly the same wind blew under Rurik, and under Ivan the Terrible, and under Peter, and that under them there was exactly the same severe poverty, hunger, the same leaky thatched roofs, ignorance, melancholy, the same desert all around, darkness, a feeling of oppression - all these horrors were, are and will be, and because another thousand years will pass, life will not get better. And he didn't want to go home. The gardens were called widow's gardens because they were maintained by two widows, a mother and daughter. The fire burned hotly, with a crackling sound, illuminating the plowed ground all around. The widow Vasilisa, a tall, plump old woman in a man's sheepskin coat, stood nearby and thoughtfully looked at the fire; her daughter Lukerya, small, pockmarked, with a stupid face, sat on the ground and washed the cauldron and spoons. Apparently they had just had dinner. heard male voices; It was the local workers who watered the horses on the river. “So winter has come back to you,” said the student, approaching the fire. - Hello! Vasilisa shuddered, but immediately recognized him and smiled welcomingly. “I didn’t recognize it, God be with you,” she said. - To be rich. We talked. Vasilisa, an experienced woman who once served as a mother for her masters and then as a nanny, expressed herself delicately, and a soft, sedate smile never left her face; her daughter Lukerya, a village woman, beaten down by her husband, only squinted at the student and was silent, and her expression was strange, like that of a deaf-mute. “In exactly the same way, on a cold night, the Apostle Peter warmed himself by the fire,” said the student, stretching out his hands to the fire. “So it was cold then too.” Oh, what a terrible night it was, grandma! An extremely dull, long night! He looked around at the darkness, shook his head convulsively and asked: — Probably, you were at the twelve gospels? “It was,” Vasilisa answered. - If you remember, during the Last Supper Peter said to Jesus: “I am ready with you both to prison and to death.” And the Lord answered this: “I tell you, Peter, today the rooster will not crow until you deny three times that you do not know me.” After the supper, Jesus was mortally sad in the garden and prayed, and poor Peter was weary in soul, weakened, his eyelids became heavy, and he could not overcome sleep. Slept. Then, you heard, Judas kissed Jesus that same night and handed him over to his tormentors. They led him bound to the high priest and beat him, and Peter, exhausted, tormented by melancholy and anxiety, you know, not getting enough sleep, sensing that something terrible was about to happen on earth, followed after... He passionately, madly loved Jesus , and now I saw from afar how they beat him... Lukerya left the spoons and fixed her fixed gaze on the student. “They came to the high priest,” he continued, “they began to interrogate Jesus, and meanwhile the workers lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard, because it was cold, and warmed themselves.” Peter stood with them near the fire and also warmed himself, just like I am now. One woman, seeing him, said: “And this one was with Jesus,” that is, that he, too, should be brought in for questioning. And all the workers who were near the fire must have looked at him suspiciously and sternly, because he became embarrassed and said: “I don’t know him.” A little later, again someone recognized him as one of Jesus’ disciples and said: “And you are one of them.” But he again denied. And for the third time someone turned to him: “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden today?” He denied for the third time. And after this time, the rooster immediately crowed, and Peter, looking at Jesus from afar, remembered the words that he had said to him at the supper... He remembered, woke up, left the yard and wept bitterly and bitterly. The Gospel says: “And he went out, weeping bitterly.” I imagine: quiet, quiet, dark dark garden, and in the silence you can barely hear muffled sobs... The student sighed and thought. Continuing to smile, Vasilisa suddenly sobbed, large, abundant tears flowed down her cheeks, and she shaded her face from the fire with her sleeve, as if ashamed of her tears, and Lukerya, looking motionless at the student, blushed, and her expression became heavy, tense, like a person who is holding back severe pain. The workers were returning from the river, and one of them on horseback was already close, and the light from the fire trembled on him. The student wished the widows Good night and moved on. And darkness came again, and my hands began to feel cold. A fierce wind was blowing, winter was indeed returning, and it didn’t look like the day after tomorrow was Easter. Now the student was thinking about Vasilisa: if she cried, then it means that everything that happened to Peter on that terrible night has something to do with her... He looked back. A lone fire blinked calmly in the darkness, and no people were visible near it. The student again thought that if Vasilisa cried and her daughter was embarrassed, then, obviously, what he was just talking about, which happened nineteen centuries ago, has something to do with the present - with both women and, probably, with this deserted village, to himself, to all people. If the old woman began to cry, it was not because he knew how to tell a touching story, but because Peter was close to her, and because she was interested with all her being in what was happening in Peter’s soul. And joy suddenly stirred in his soul, and he even stopped for a minute to catch his breath. The past, he thought, is connected with the present by an unbroken chain of events that flow from one another. And it seemed to him that he had just seen both ends of this chain: he touched one end, and the other trembled. And when he crossed the river on a ferry and then, climbing the mountain, looked at his native village and to the west, where a cold crimson dawn shone in a narrow strip, he thought that the truth and beauty that guided human life there, in the garden and in the courtyard of the high priest, continued uninterruptedly to this day and, apparently, always constituted the main thing in human life and in general on earth; and the feeling of youth, health, strength - he was only 22 years old - and the inexpressibly sweet expectation of happiness, unknown, mysterious happiness took possession of him little by little, and life seemed to him delightful, wonderful and full of high meaning.

The main character of this work is 22-year-old student Ivan Velikopolsky, returning late evening home and reflecting on life. Everything around him seems gloomy, frightening and dull. He does not want to return home, and all of life and even all of history appears before him as something invariably negative. Ivan thinks that under Rurik, and under Ivan the Terrible, and under Peter, everything was the same: poverty and hopelessness. There is only darkness and bitterness in his head and soul, because “... all these horrors were, are and will be, and because another thousand years will pass, life will not get better.”

By the end of the work, the thoughts and moods of Ivan Velikopolsky change to the exact opposite. What influenced the young student so much? Maybe this was the effect of meeting two widows on him? Or a story from the Gospel? Or perhaps Vasilisa’s tears and Lukerya’s embarrassment?

The meeting with the widows Vasilisa and her daughter Lukerya is the central episode of the entire story. Ivan approaches the women to say hello and warm up a little by the fire, and at that moment he remembers an episode from the Gospel about how the Apostle Peter denied Jesus three times. He tells this to two women, and this story brings tears and pain to them. And, probably, it is these emotions that turn everything in a student’s soul.

He continues on his way and reflects. He thinks that Vasilisa was crying, and Lukerya looked embarrassed and tense because they felt sorry for Peter, because they were imbued with his fate, and perhaps she is very close to them and somehow relates to them. An event that happened nineteen centuries ago is not forgotten, and, moreover, is continuously connected with the present. Ivan realizes that one thing follows from the other, the present is a continuation of the past. And these thoughts fill him with joy, make him take a fresh look at everything around him. The world is ruled by truth and beauty, and he himself is young and full of strength, which means that unknown happiness awaits ahead.

Perhaps the realization that he is not alone, that after all he is not just a grain of sand in this huge world, fills Ivan Velikopolsky with a feeling of happiness. An understanding of the “high meaning” of existence descends upon him. A person gains inner harmony and harmony between yourself and the outside world. And harmony brings peace.

The mood of the main character A.P. Chekhov conveys through description surrounding nature. The reader sees the landscape through the prism of Ivan's feelings, and it is easy to notice how different these pictures are at the beginning and at the end of the story. At first everything is gloomy and dull, the darkness is scary. The entire environment: forest, meadow, village is literally drowning in darkness. And this is precisely the mood that possesses the student: pessimistic and hopeless. But afterwards the surroundings are transformed - illuminated by the emerging light of a new day. The morning dawn symbolizes the renewal of the soul of Ivan Velikopolsky.

The story “The Student” is very different from the writer’s other works. Here the hero finds harmony, peace, understands that life has a huge and great meaning; The plot has a positive dynamic. It was not without reason that critics at one time said that this story was a new turn in Chekhov’s work, and the writer himself claimed that this was his favorite work. Most likely, “Student” was influenced by the influence of A.P.’s father. Chekhov - a pious man who forced his children to sing in the church choir at night.

“Student” is a work of art that is more related to realism. In this story the author describes the change life position person and calls on everyone to follow the example of the main character - a student, the son of the sexton Ivan Velikopolsky, even whose surname hints at his acquiring a new spiritual status...

• Analysis of the story by A.P. Chekhov's "Ionych"
• “Tosca”, analysis of Chekhov’s work, essay

Literature lesson in 9th grade

Topic: Analysis of A. P. Chekhov’s story “Student”

Lesson objectives:

1. Introduce students to the time when the story was written and published, read the story expressively, influencing feelings and emotional sphere students; continue to develop the ability to analyze text, focusing students’ attention on the vocabulary and syntax of the work.

2. To cultivate in students such moral traits as spirituality, the ability to analyze the actions of others, as well as their own; Using this story as an example, teach children to forgive people’s weaknesses.

3. Develop speech culture skills; teach to find the main thing in the text, the common and distinctive in the phenomena described in the story of A.P. Chekhov, formulate conclusions, summarize facts, summarize; continue to instill interest in Russian literature and, in particular, in the work of Chekhov.

It was the melancholy of an exceptionally subtle, charming and sensitive soul, which suffered disproportionately from vulgarity, rudeness, boredom, idleness, violence, savagery - from all the horror and darkness of modern everyday life.

A. I. Kuprin

Chekhov caught a deeply valuable and necessary note for us - a note of cheerfulness and love for life.

M. Gorky

What kind of pessimist am I? After allOf my things, my favorite story is “Student”.

Updating knowledge. What do we know about A.P. Chekhov.

Individual message “The role of metaphor in the story “Chameleon”.

The story “The Student” was written by the already mature Chekhov, a brilliant writer. It was written in 1894 - this is almost the turn of the century. At the same time, Chekhov wrote novels and stories “Lights” (1888), “Kiss”, “Bet” (1889). When the story “Student” was published in the newspaper, it was called “Evening”. At home you read the story, what do you think, what is it about, what is its idea?

Students express their opinions.

We read the epigraphs for the lesson. Do they confirm your guesses or not?

In order to confirm or refute the hypotheses,

Let's analyze the story and understand what we read. Anyone can write a review.

Read the first paragraph. We find keywords- description of nature.

At first the weather was good, quiet, the shot sounded cheerful - day.

The night got dark - a cold, piercing wind blew inopportunely, icy needles, uncomfortable, deaf, unsociable.

In the second paragraph, find confirmation that the earth is “uncomfortable, deaf and unsociable”

“ ... this sudden cold disrupted order and harmony in everything,

...nature itself is creepy, and that’s why the evening darkness thickened faster than necessary.”

What is the main character's mood? Confirm with text.

He didn't want to go home.

State of Nature, Good Friday.

What is Good Friday?

This is the day Jesus Christ was crucified; the wind blew from the east and brought news of this event; the world is worried.

- The church day begins in the evening, in our opinion on Thursday, for believers it is already Friday. Student Ivan Velikopolsky comes from woodcock hunting, which happens in the morning or evening dawn. He reflects on life and comes to the conclusion: as it was thousands of years ago, so it will be, nothing will change, an unbroken circle of life.

2) what does the student notice and highlight in this gloomy picture? Where is it going? Why

going there?

“Only in the widows’ gardens did the fire glow.”

"The fire burned hot"

Who does the student see by the fire? Find portraits of women in the text. What is their beauty?

These women whom Ivan met are probably spiritually beautiful, they are faithful

God, these women are similar to both the sufferers at the cross of Jesus and the myrrh-bearing women who came with the joyful news of the resurrection of Christ.

What is the student telling these women? Why does he start a story about

Apostle Peter and his denial of Christ?

“In the same way, on a cold night, the Apostle Peter warmed himself by the fire,” said the student, stretching out his hands to the fire. “So it was cold then too.” This is nothing more than preparation for a very important observation that the student will make later. Now we are warming ourselves by the fire, then Peter was warming himself, now it is cold, and then it was cold. And then the student says words that bring together not only the external signs of two nights, between which no less or more, but nineteen centuries have passed, but also the moods of people.
“Oh, what a terrible night it was, grandma! An extremely dull, long night!”
The student felt as if he was no longer in this night, but in that night, imbued with the horror of that night.
“He looked around at the darkness, shook his head convulsively and asked...”
This phrase was not in the first edition of the story. Why did Chekhov insert it? This question can be answered if you pay attention to only one small word in this phrase - the preposition standing before the worddarkness . It is said: noV looked in the darkness" and "on darkness." The preposition makes a lot of sense here. If it were saidin the dark , then, that means into those darknesses into which he will then have to go, moving away from the warmth and light of the fire. So to speak, I looked at it for a business purpose. Ain the dark - this is already as if detached, because the young and ardent imagination of the student has already taken him far, far away, into the depths of centuries. He is no longer only there with his thoughts, but with all his feelings. And these darknesses now, which he is looking at, seem to confirm his phrase about the dull and long night then. And the obsession is so strong that he even shakes his head to free himself from it. In addition, the future preacher naturally asks himself whether what he is saying to these dark women is clear. And he clarifies:
“I suppose you were at the Twelve Gospels?”

What are the twelve gospels?

passages from the Gospel - a description of the “passion of Christ”, which

read in the Orthodox Church on Holy Thursday.

What do you know from the Bible about Peter's denial? Why does Peter deny his Teacher?

Individual task. Reading passages from the Children's Bible.

“That Peter was willing to die for Jesus was very moving, but he did not know his own heart when he said this. He thought himself stronger than he really was. Because of this, the Lord warned Peter that he was making a mistake.
Peter could not imagine that he would decide to deny his Lord. Therefore, he said even more insistently: “Lord! I am ready to go with You to prison and to death.” The other disciples told Jesus the same thing.
...Peter had every opportunity to hide from the people who possessed Jesus, but he wanted to prove his readiness to suffer with Jesus and therefore remained with him.
...It was cold in the courtyard, and the servants lit a fire here and warmed themselves near it. Peter also went to warm himself by the fire. He wanted to know quickly what had happened to his Lord, and he hoped that no one would recognize him, because he was afraid that he would also be detained as a disciple of Jesus. He had already completely forgotten about his readiness to suffer with his Teacher.
...Peter, fearing to fall into the hands of the servants, pretended that he did not know Jesus at all, although in his soul he loved Him deeply.
The look of Jesus was filled with love and deep sorrow and penetrated into the soul of Peter. He could not bear this look, so he went out, weeping bitterly, realizing how ungratefully he had acted in denying his Savior.”

What does Ivan call Peter? Why?

Poor; Ivan feels sorry for Peter, because Peter is closer to himself and his listeners. “... Peter stood near the fire and also warmed himself, just like I am now.”

Why did Vasilisa cry? How does the student explain this?

The story of Peter is the story of all people livingnineteen centuriesago and living today. Maybe these women remembered something they had done - betrayal, apostasy, in a word, something bad, known not only to them, but to the entire village. Here the student realizes that, probably, he is not without some kind of sin, and each of the people keeps in his memory some act that is ashamed to remember.

3) How does Ivan’s mood change? What is this connected with? Reading the text from the words

“The workers were returning from the river...” to the end.

So what is the main idea, the idea of ​​this story?

The past is inextricably linked with the future, these are linksendsone chain, and not

a vicious circle, namely a chain of events that followed one from the other. The unity of truth and beauty, indeed, is relevant to every person. Ivan “thought that truth and beauty... apparently have always been the main thing in human life and on earth in general...”. Ivan is only 22 years old, and he expects happiness and earthly prosperity. He is still on his way, but he will find a home (not only the parental one, where he returns from hunting, but in a higher sense, he will build his life, because there is a whole life path ahead).

1) Why did Chekhov change the title of the story? Choose an associative series

“In the evening” - sunset, darkness, old age...

“Student” - youth, future, development...

Make a chain that will help you determine the main idea of ​​the story.

Feeling of disharmony Mental cleansing “unspeakably sweet”

(evening) (Apostle Peter) expectation of happiness"

Let's return to the epigraphs of the lesson.

How do epigraphs help reveal the main idea of ​​a story? Has your

opinion about the story?

Those who wrote the review read their essay.

Homework(optional):

Read A.P. Chekhov's story "The Bet". Write a review about the story.

The story was written in 1894. From the memoirs of the writer’s relatives and friends it is known that “The Student” was Chekhov’s favorite work. It reflects some of the author's childhood impressions, raised in a family that strictly observed church traditions. At the same time, the story is distinguished by features characteristic of Chekhov’s later works: deep spiritual content, philosophicalness and at the same time pronounced lyricism.
In Chekhov's stories. dedicated to the Easter holiday (“Bishop”, “On Holy Week", "Cossack", etc.) even non-believers are awakening. Chekhov believed in the possibility of internal transformation of a person, the author, like many writers, was afraid of "spiritual blackness", he was convinced that by losing faith, a person loses the highest ethical ideals.

“The Student” stands out for its brevity even among Chekhov’s short stories. Before reading a story in class, it is useful to pay attention to the meaning of individual words and expressions.

For example, some words associated with hunting require explanation - say, the name of one of the migratory birds – woodcock. It is usually hunted in the spring, on traction – In the morning and evening dawn, the male woodcock begins to pull: he rises on the wing and flies around a small territory in search of a female. At this moment, the hunters are just shooting at the bird (cf. Chekhov: “One woodcock held out, and the shot at it sounded loud and cheerful in the spring air”). Analysis Church Slavonic vocabulary- we find it mainly in Ivan Velikopolsky’s retelling of the gospel story about Peter’s threefold denial. Ivan retells a passage from the Gospel of Luke, including in his speech certain words in Slavic ( supper, dungeon, loops). However, some other lexical units contained in Chekhov’s story are of Church Slavonic origin ( sobbing, abundant etc.).

Note that some Slavic words are commented on in Chekhov’s text itself: in the student’s story the word loops is explained through a synonym: “The rooster will not crow today…” Another example: Peter “ left the yard and bitter-bitter cried. The Gospel says: “And gone there, crying bitterly"".

In the story “Student” it is also important to analyze the elements of artistic speech: metaphors ( ice needles; chain of events; smelled of winter; the face flared up; everything was completely buried in the cold evening darkness), metaphorical epithets ( piercing wind, fierce poverty, sweet anticipation of happiness), personifications ( nature is creepy) comparisons (... something living hummed pitifully, as if blowing into an empty bottle...). In addition to the fact that students clarify for themselves the direct and figurative meaning words and expressions, they become familiar with artistic techniques Chekhov, in particular with the means of allegory.

As you know, symbolism plays a special role in Chekhov’s work. Words and expressions that have a symbolic meaning are analyzed separately.

Researchers have repeatedly written about the symbolism of light and fire in Chekhov’s works. Such words and phrases in the story “Student” as light, fire,bonfire, crimson dawn and some others, are interpreted not only at the level lexical meaning. Their symbolic meaning is revealed in close connection with the analysis of the content of the entire work.

The word, Church Slavonic in origin, acquires symbolic meaning in Chekhov’s text desert, as well as derivatives from it: deserted, deserted, which appear repeatedly in the analyzed story (“there were all around deserted", "...the same desert all around...", " deserted village").

As you know, the word desert has several meanings in Russian. The first, most common in modern language, - arid, waterless area with sparse vegetation or even absence thereof (for example, sandy desert; Wed from Pushkin in “Anchar”: “In desert stunted and stingy...").

The second (or rather, the first - in its origin) meaning, less common in modern language, is a deserted area. It is in this sense that the word is used desert in Chekhov's story, as in many other works of Russian classical literature. This is the meaning of the word desert goes back to the texts Holy Scripture, to patristic and hagiographical texts on Church Slavonic language. By the way, this is where the image of the monk comes from - hermit in Russian poetry (cf. Pushkin: “Fathers- hermits…»).

Moreover, the word desert metaphorically reflects the state of a person’s soul. Pushkin writes about the spiritual desert in his “Prophet” (“We are tormented by spiritual thirst, / In desert I was languishing gloomily...").

However, the image of the desert in Pushkin’s poem, as in Chekhov’s story, cannot be called bleak. This is not only a vale of sorrow, but also a place of a mysterious meeting between man and God: for Pushkin - the poet-prophet, for Chekhov - the theological student.

The interpretation of the names of historical figures is fundamentally important to understand Chekhov's story. There aren't many of them. These are the “key” figures in Russian history: Rurik, Ivan the Terrible, Peter(meaning Peter I). In addition, these are the persons and events of the Sacred History of the New Testament: Jesus Christ, Apostle Peter,Pontius Pilate,Last Supper - in their correlation with reality church life Russia - such as Good Friday, Twelve Gospels, Easter.

Having analyzed the meaning of words, expressions, historical figures and events, we move on to a sequential analysis of the story.

The story takes place on the evening of Good Friday, when thousands of years ago Christ spoke in prayer about the cup of suffering that he had to drink for human sins. Ivan Velikopolsky was returning home from the water meadow along the path ( significant image the road, which becomes a place for understanding life).
It is advisable to break the work into semantic parts and comment on each fragment.

At first the weather was good and calm. The blackbirds were calling, and in the swamps nearby something living was humming pitifully, as if blowing into an empty bottle. One woodcock held out, and the shot at it sounded loud and cheerful in the spring air. But when it got dark in the forest, a cold, piercing wind blew inopportunely from the east, and everything fell silent. Ice needles stretched across the puddles, and the forest became uncomfortable, deaf and unsociable. It smelled like winter.

The second paragraph introduces us to the main character of the story and his thoughts about Russian history. The author pushes the boundaries of time and space. The story combines two planes: everyday and historical. The hero's internal monologue emphasizes the pessimism of the hero's ideas.
It is important to comment on the hero's social background. He's from clergy (clergy), and from the poorest part of it: son sexton - clergyman, not having holy orders. Even if priests(priests) And deacons were in Russia at that time, as a rule, poor people, then sextons (scribes, psalm-readers) lived extremely poorly, often on the verge of poverty. This is exactly the picture of the life of the main character’s parents that is painted in the quoted passage. Metaphorical epithet " fierce poverty" reflects in Ivan’s thoughts not only a characteristic phenomenon historical life Russia, but also the harsh reality of his own youth.

Theological Academy, where Ivan, in all likelihood, entered after successfully graduating theological seminary, gave an excellent education at that time. Many graduates of theological academies became priests, some, taking monastic tonsured, - church hierarchs: bishops, archbishops, metropolitans. But not always. Sometimes a graduate of a theological seminary or even an academy remained layman and chose a different career - for example, the profession of a teacher at a theological school, seminary, or the same academy without a priestly sana; could have preferred a purely secular path. The point is that reality everyday life spiritual educational institutions In Russia at that time, the life of the clergy was often far from ideal, sometimes even causing rejection from young people. It is no coincidence that not only devotees of piety and martyrs for the faith emerged from seminaries, but also “fiery” revolutionaries.

Both the unfavorable change in weather and the painful hunger lead Ivan to sad thoughts about Russian history. It is important to emphasize here that there are three historical figures mentioned in the hero’s thoughts: Rurik, Ivan the Terrible And Peter- symbolic figures. Historians associate the appearance of the legendary Varangian (Scandinavian) prince Rurik with the name of Kievan Rus - an East Slavic state, from which, in fact, the history of Russia began. Ivan the Terrible is also a symbolic person, personifying both the greatness and suffering of the people in the era Moscow kingdom – Third Rome. Finally, Peter I is a symbol new Russia with its capital in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire . Thus, the three mentioned persons personify the entire thousand-year history of Russia.

So, in the history of Russia, Chekhov’s hero sees only hopeless poverty and immeasurable suffering of the common people. “Severe poverty, hunger... ignorance, melancholy... darkness, a feeling of oppression” are interpreted by him not as random phenomena related only to his own family, but as an essential, natural and irresistible feature of the historical existence of his homeland.

However, Chekhov’s hero did not discover anything fundamentally new in his view of the history of the Russian people. Pain about suffering ordinary people Many of Chekhov's contemporaries experienced this. Chekhov himself created the story “The Student” several years after he returned from a trip to Sakhalin, where he saw terrible pictures of the life of the convict population.

But besides this, it is important to understand something else: in the presentation Orthodox man poverty, misery - the best way to holiness rather than wealth. It is no coincidence that F.I. Tyutchev, in his famous poem about Russia “These poor villages...” saw in the poverty, patience and humility of the Russian people a special blessing of the King of Heaven. The student at the Theological Academy could not help but know that poverty is a trait of holiness. This is essentially different: how to approach this? Should I sympathize with the people, trusting in the mercy of God, prepare myself to serve people through difficult priestly feats, or should I give in to despondency? It is quite obvious that at the beginning of the story the hero’s mood is pessimistic. Why? This is worth looking into.

Ivan went for spring lifting not on an ordinary day, but on Good Friday. Here, before moving on to the analysis of the next episode of the story, it is important to explain to students what the following liturgical realities mean for an Orthodox person and church services: Maundy Thursday(Holy Thursday, Maundy Thursday in Slavic) and memories of Last Supper; reading Twelve Gospels at the evening service (at matins) under Good Friday (Good Friday, Good Friday); in the morning on Good Friday – reading Royal Clock ; in the afternoon - vespers with rank Deletions(takeaway) Holy Shroud; Friday evening - Matins Holy Saturday(Most Blessed Saturday) with rank Burial of the Shroud. Apparently At the end of these services, student Ivan decided to have a little fun and hunt woodcock.

For a deeply religious person who sincerely loves Christ and sympathizes with His suffering on the cross, any entertainment, such as hunting, on Good Friday is impossible. Especially for a student at a theological academy - probably a future clergyman. It is in this frivolous activity that, apparently, consists main reason Ivan's gloomy mood. And disharmony in nature, bad weather and sad reflections on the centuries-old suffering of the Russian people only increase the hero’s despondency.
But then, in the depths of the darkness, a light began to shine. Fire is a source of light. The idea of ​​purification, the victory of light over darkness is associated with fire.

The central episode of the story is the student’s meeting with two widows, Vasilisa and her daughter Lukerya. Chekhov notes the common people, poverty, and deprivation of women. In a few words, the writer talks about their difficult life.

It is worth paying attention to the symbolic meaning of the image of two widows. These women represent in Chekhov's story the same poor and disadvantaged Russian people whose eternal suffering the student was just reflecting on. At the same time, Vasilisa and Lukerya remind the reader about the gospel widows, about the myrrh-bearing women, about Martha and Mary - the sisters of the righteous Lazarus - in a word, about those women devoted to Christ who were next to the Savior, sympathizing with His torment on the cross, and then were rewarded with the sight of Him resurrected

It is no coincidence that it is in a conversation with Vasilisa and Lukerya that Ivan finds consolation, retelling to them the Gospel story of Peter’s threefold denial. In Ivan’s words we find exact quotes from the Gospel. They are interspersed in the free presentation of the events of Sacred History. In his retelling, the hero combines phrases colloquial speech and Church Slavonic text. This, undoubtedly, reflected Chekhov’s own childhood impressions: reading aloud the texts of the Holy Scriptures, as well as the perception of church vocabulary and phraseology in the living everyday speech of the writer’s father and uncle.

If the student's story can be called sermon, as some researchers of Chekhov claim, then, of course, it does not fully correspond to the genre of a church sermon delivered by a priest in a church; This is still a casual conversation between familiar people, in which, indeed, you can see some elements of a sermon.

Let us pay attention to the obvious parallels between the gospel realities in the student’s story and the details of the situation surrounding the narrator and his interlocutors: in both cases there is cold, a fire, workers. These parallels, as we will see later, are not accidental.
The legend told by the young man performed a miracle: women touched the secret of human history.
It is not by chance that Chekhov turns to the story of Peter: he is attracted by the human weakness of the apostle. Meanwhile, as we know, the gospel story of the Apostle Peter has its continuation, which is important for understanding Chekhov’s story. By his renunciation, Peter deprived himself of apostolic dignity, but the Savior’s love for the fallen disciple did not weaken. True, the risen Christ, in the words of the Angel who appeared to the myrrh-bearing women, had not yet called Peter His disciple: “Tell His disciples And Peter, that He goes before you into Galilee" [Mk. 16:8]. And yet, the Lord, after His resurrection, appeared to Peter, and during a meal on Lake Tiberias (also at the fire) restored His disciple to apostolic dignity - asking him three times about his love for Himself and predicting his martyrdom on the cross [John. 21:15–18]. Undoubtedly, both Ivan Velikopolsky and Vasilisa and Lukerya know about the end of the Gospel story about Peter, about the Savior’s forgiveness of His disciple. Chekhov’s contemporaries, the readers of his story, also remembered this episode of Sacred History.

For a believer, the mentioned gospel events have a special meaning. If the Lord forgave His disciple who showed spiritual weakness and did not stop loving him, then, without a doubt, He will forgive every person who repented of his sin. It is no coincidence that a student at the Theological Academy, also a disciple of Christ, remembered precisely Peter while warming himself by the fire in the company of two widows; he even compared himself to Peter: “In the same way, on a cold night, the Apostle Peter warmed himself by the fire,” said the student, stretching out his hands to the fire...” In this regard, the words of Ivan Velikopolsky, telling the story of Peter’s abdication, can hardly be called a sermon. Here, rather, something reminiscent confession, repentance…

The following fragment of Chekhov's story describes the reaction of the listeners to the student's words

Lively, emotional response kind women the story about Peter struck the hero, set him up for painful thoughts (the text from the words “The workers were returning from the river” to the words “... has something to do with it”); their result was spiritual insight. It does not happen immediately, but a little later, after Ivan broke up with the widows.

The moment of spiritual insight, enlightenment of the hero becomes the culmination in Chekhov's narrative. This moment is no longer associated with external circumstances, but with a description of the character’s internal state. In fact: nothing has changed around him. It is no coincidence that the writer again returns to the theme of bad weather, bad weather: “A cruel wind was blowing, winter was actually returning, and it didn’t look like the day after tomorrow was Easter.” Chekhov thereby emphasizes that the turning point event occurs not in the surrounding world, which is still in a state of disharmony, but in the soul of the hero. Ivan is trying to establish a connection between the gospel story and the feeling that it evoked in the hearts of two women.
The movement of the hero in the story is the path from the emptiness of loneliness to people. At the end Good Friday the young man discovered the truth: it is never too late to go to the light of divine love. Ivan Velikopolsky discovered the spiritual connection of times. Here special meaning acquires a symbolic image chains: “The past, he thought, is connected with the present in a continuous chain of events, following one from the other. And it seemed to him that he saw both ends of this chains: touched one end, as the other trembled.”

Let's look at the last fragment of Chekhov's story, where the reader is revealed to the hero's new, optimistic attitude.

And when he crossed the river on a ferry and then, climbing the mountain, looked at his native village and to the west, where a cold crimson dawn shone in a narrow strip, he thought that the truth and beauty that guided human life there, in the garden and in the courtyard of the high priest, continued continuously to this day and, apparently, always constituted the main thing in human life and in general on earth; and the feeling of youth, health, strength - he was only 22 years old - and the inexpressibly sweet expectation of happiness, unknown, mysterious happiness took possession of him little by little, and life seemed to him delightful, wonderful and full of high meaning.

The hero’s meeting with God was completed: Divine love and true faith returned to his heart. It is noteworthy that in the story “Student” these spiritual values ​​are interpreted in a special way, in Chekhov’s way. The key concepts become in Chekhov Truth And beauty. It is clear that we are talking here about the truth of Christ and the beauty of His life and teaching, inseparable from true love: “The truth and beauty that guided human life there in the garden and in the courtyard of the high priest continued uninterrupted to this day and, apparently, have always been the main thing in human life and on earth in general.” Chekhov's hero suddenly realized and felt that true love that lives in the hearts of ordinary people, despite all the hopelessness of their earthly life - in the past and in the present.

The story ends with the hero's thoughts about happiness and about the truth revealed to him meaning of life. It is clear that Ivan Velikopolsky anticipates happiness not as material well-being, but as the possibility of all-encompassing love, which, according to the Apostle Paul, “never fails...”. Life seems to him full of “high meaning.” Epithet high emphasizes here a certain spiritual content, inseparable from true faith and Divine love.

In Chekhov's story the motive is very important Sveta. The image of light, fire (as, indeed, the images darkness, haze, darkness) has a symbolic meaning in the work. Mentioned at the beginning of the story is distant fire in widows' gardens cannot dispel the evening darkness. It emphasizes the desolation and gloominess the terrain through which the student is walking is shaded darkness in the soul of the hero himself. Then the hero approaches bonfire. This fire reminds the student of another bonfire which is spoken of in the Gospel. His fire illuminated consciousness of Chekhov's character, illuminated his soul.

Let’s return once again to the text of the last fragment of Chekhov’s story and pay attention to two details left without comment: “... when he was crossing by ferry through river and then, climbing up mountain..." It would be inappropriate to talk about any unambiguous parallels and associations here, but one of the interpretations of this place in the story “Student” may be like this. Crossing the river, climbing the mountain... These details of the landscape in Chekhov's story again amazingly remind us of the events that took place nineteen centuries ago in Jerusalem: about the crossing of the Savior and His disciples on that “terrible night” across the Kidron stream [John. 18:1] and their ascent to the Mount of Olives [Lk. 22:39], where the Lord prayed until bloody sweat, and then was captured by his torturers.

How will the future life of Ivan Velikopolsky develop? What is his own place in the thousand-year history of Russia and the centuries-old history of all mankind, what was he just thinking about? Will this Chekhovian hero become a priest or choose a different path? What next? We should not forget that the mature years of a student at a theological academy will coincide with a time of terrible, unprecedented persecution of the Church and Christians. Will he, like the Apostle Peter, suffer the crucifixion? Or will his faith again be shaken, and his love become scarce, and this Russian disciple of Christ will renounce his Teacher?

In Chekhov's story we do not find the answer to these questions. But they will inevitably be asked by a young reader who is trying to comprehend the history of Russia, the history of mankind, and the historical existence of an individual in the spiritual channel that the great Russian writer reveals to us in his brilliant work.