What made Biryuk unsociable and gloomy. The image of Biryuk in the story of the same name I
Russia is shown simply, poetically and lovingly in “Notes of a Hunter” by I. S. Turgenev. The author admires the simple folk characters, fields, forests, meadows of Russia. No matter how one views the stories, this is first and foremost poetry, not politics. WITH great love and written by observation short story cycle "Biryuk". The depth of the content is combined with the perfection of the form, which speaks of the writer’s ability to subordinate all the components of the work, all of his artistic techniques a single creative task.
Biryuk in the Oryol province was called a gloomy and lonely person. Forester Foma lived alone in a smoky, low hut with two young children; his wife left him; family grief and hard life made him even more gloomy and unsociable.
The main and only event of the story is the forester’s capture of a poor peasant who cut down a tree in the master’s forest. The conflict of the work consists of a clash between a forester and a peasant.
The image of Biryuk is complex and contradictory, and in order to understand it, let’s pay attention to the artistic means that the author used.
The description of the situation shows how poor the hero is. This dwelling was a sad sight: “I looked around - my heart ached: it’s not fun to enter a peasant’s hut at night.”
The psychological portrait of the forester testifies to Biryuk’s exceptional strength; it becomes clear why all the surrounding men were afraid of him. "He was tall, broad-shouldered and beautifully built. ...A black curly beard covered half of his stern and courageous face; from under the fused wide eyebrows small brown eyes" In appearance this man is rude and formidable, but in reality he is good and kind. And the narrator clearly admires his hero.
The key to understanding the character of Thomas is the nickname that the peasants give him. From them we receive an indirect description of the forester: “a master of his craft”; “the fagots will not be allowed to be dragged away”; “strong... and as dexterous as a devil... And nothing can take him: neither wine, nor money; doesn’t take any bait.”
The plot, consisting of two episodes (the forester met the hunter during a thunderstorm and helped him; he caught the peasant at the scene of the crime, and then set him free), reveals the best features of the hero’s character. It is difficult for Foma to make a choice: to act according to the dictates of duty or to take pity on the man. The despair of the caught peasant awakens the best feelings in the forester.
Nature in the story serves not just as a background, it is an integral part of the content, helping to reveal Biryuk’s character. Combinations of words depicting the rapid onset of bad weather, sad pictures of nature emphasize the drama of the situation of the peasants: “a thunderstorm was approaching,” “a cloud was slowly rising,” “clouds were rushing.”
Turgenev helped not only to see the life of the peasants, to sympathize with their troubles and needs, he turned us to the spiritual world of the Russian peasant, noticed many unique, interesting individuals. “Still, my Rus' is dearer to me than anything else in the world...” I. S. Turgenev would later write. “Notes of a Hunter” is a writer’s tribute to Russia, a kind of monument to the Russian peasantry.
Essay on the topic “Characteristics of Biryuk”The work was completed by a student of class 7 “B” Balashov Alexander
The main character of the story is I.S. Turgenev's "Biryuk" is the forester Foma. Foma is a very interesting and unusual person. With what admiration and pride the author describes his hero: “He was tall, broad-shouldered and beautifully built. His powerful muscles bulged out from under the wet manner of his shirt.” Biryuk had a “manly face” and “small brown eyes” that “looked boldly from under fused wide eyebrows.”
The author is struck by the wretchedness of the forester’s hut, which consisted of “one room, smoky, low and empty, without floors ...”, everything here speaks of a miserable existence - both “a tattered sheepskin coat on the wall” and “a pile of rags in the corner; two large pots that stood near the stove...” Turgenev himself sums up the description: “I looked around - my heart ached: it’s not fun to enter a peasant’s hut at night.”
The forester's wife ran away with a passing tradesman and abandoned their two children; Maybe that’s why the forester was so stern and silent. Foma was nicknamed Biryuk, that is, a gloomy and lonely man, by the surrounding men, who feared him like fire. They said that he was “strong and dexterous like a devil…”, “he won’t let you drag fagots of brushwood” out of the forest, “no matter what time it is... he’ll come out of the blue” and don’t expect mercy. Biryuk is a “master of his craft” who cannot be conquered by anything, “neither wine nor money.” However, despite all his sorrows and troubles, Biryuk retained kindness and mercy in his heart. He secretly sympathized with his “wards”, but work is work, and the demand for the stolen goods will first of all be from himself. But this does not prevent him from doing good deeds, releasing the most desperate ones without punishment, but only with a fair amount of intimidation.
Biryuk's tragedy stemmed from the understanding that it was not because of a good life that peasants came to steal timber. Often, feelings of pity and compassion prevail over his integrity. So, in the story, Biryuk caught a man chopping down a forest. He was dressed in tattered rags, all wet, with a disheveled beard. The man asked to let him go or at least give him the horse, because there were children at home and there was nothing to feed them. In response to all the persuasion, the forester kept repeating one thing: “Don’t go stealing.” In the end, Foma Kuzmich grabbed the thief by the collar and pushed him out the door, saying: “Get to hell with your horse.” These in rude words he seems to be covering up his generous act. So the forester constantly oscillates between principles and a sense of compassion. The author wants to show that this gloomy, unsociable person actually has a kind, generous heart.
Describing the forced people, dispossessed and oppressed, Turgenev especially emphasizes that even in such conditions he was able to maintain his living soul, the ability to empathize and respond with your whole being to kindness and affection. Even this life does not kill humanity in people - that is what is most important.
The story “Biryuk” by I. S. Turgenev was written in 1847 and was included in the writer’s series of works about the life, traditions and way of life of the Russian people “Notes of a Hunter”. The story refers to literary direction realism. In “Biryuk” the author described his memories of the life of peasants in the Oryol province.
Main characters
Biryuk (Foma Kuzmich)- a forester, a stern-looking man.
Narrator- master, the story is narrated on his behalf.
Other characters
Man- a poor man who cut down trees in the forest and was caught by Biryuk.
Julitta- Biryuk’s twelve-year-old daughter.
The narrator was driving alone from hunting in the evening, on treadmills. There were about eight miles left to his house, but a severe thunderstorm unexpectedly caught him in the forest. The narrator decides to wait out the bad weather under a wide bush, and soon, with the flash of lightning, he sees a tall figure - as it turned out, it was the local forester. He took the narrator to his house - “a small hut in the middle of a vast yard, surrounded by fences.” The door was opened for them by “a girl of about twelve, in a shirt, belted with a hem” - the daughter of the forester, Ulita.
The forester’s hut “consisted of one room,” a tattered sheepskin coat hung on the wall, a torch was burning on the table, and “in the very middle” of the house there was a cradle hanging.
The forester himself “was tall, broad-shouldered and beautifully built,” with a black curly beard, wide fused eyebrows and brown eyes. His name was Thomas, nicknamed Biryuk. The narrator was surprised to meet the forester, as he had heard from friends that “all the surrounding men were afraid of him like fire.” He regularly guarded the forest goods, not allowing even a bundle of brushwood to be taken out of the forest. It was impossible to bribe Biryuk.
Foma said that his wife ran away with a passing tradesman, leaving the forester alone with two children. Biryuk had nothing to treat the guest with - there was only bread in the house.
When the rain stopped, Biryuk said that he would see the narrator out. Coming out of the house, Foma heard the distant sound of an ax. The forester was afraid that he would miss the thief, so the narrator agreed to walk to the place where the forest was being cut down, although he did not hear anything. At the end of the path, Biryuk asked to wait, and he went on. Through the noise of the wind, the narrator heard Thomas' cry and the sounds of a struggle. The narrator rushed there and saw Biryuk near a fallen tree, who was tying a man with a sash.
The narrator asked to let the thief go, promising to pay for the tree, but Biryuk, without answering anything, took the man to his hut. It started to rain again, and they had to wait out the bad weather. The narrator decided “to free the poor man at all costs” - by the light of the lantern he could see “his wasted, wrinkled face, drooping yellow eyebrows, restless eyes, thin limbs.”
The man began to ask Biryuk to free him. The forester sullenly objected that in their settlement everything was “thief after thief” and, not paying attention to the thief’s plaintive requests, ordered him to sit quietly. Suddenly the man straightened up, blushed and began to scold Thomas, calling him “an Asian, a bloodsucker, a beast, a murderer.” Biryuk grabbed the man by the shoulder. The narrator already wanted to protect the poor man, but Foma, to his amazement, “with one turn he tore the sash from the man’s elbows, grabbed him by the collar, pulled his hat over his eyes, opened the door and pushed him out,” shouting after him to get the hell out .
The narrator understands that Biryuk is actually a “nice fellow.” Half an hour later they said goodbye at the edge of the forest.
Conclusion
In the story “Biryuk” Turgenev portrayed an ambiguous character - forester Foma Kuzmich, whose personality is fully revealed only towards the end of the work. It is with this hero that the main conflict of the story is connected - the conflict between public duty and humanity, which occurs within Biryuk himself. Despite the outward severity and integrity of Foma Kuzmich, who closely protects the forest entrusted to him, in his soul he is a kind, sympathetic person - a “nice fellow.”
A brief retelling of “Biryuk” will be useful for familiarizing yourself with the plot of the story; for a better understanding of the work, we recommend reading it in its entirety.
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The main character of the work, included in the collection of stories “Notes of a Hunter,” is the serf forester Foma Kuzmich, popularly nicknamed Biryuk.
The writer presents Biryuk in the image of a tall, broad-shouldered man with a thick beard, bushy eyebrows and small brown eyes, reminiscent of a Russian fairy-tale hero living in a poor forest lodge with two children left to be raised by their father by their unlucky mother.
By nature, Foma Kuzmich is distinguished by strength, honesty, dexterity, severity, justice, but he has a tough and unsociable character, for which he received the nickname Biryuk among the local residents.
Biryuk sacredly observes his own principles of good and evil, which are subordinated to clear service job responsibilities, careful attitude towards other people's property, although in his own family he has complete poverty, lack of basic household furniture and utensils, poor food and children left without maternal affection and care.
Indicative of this is the example of a man caught in the forest by Biryuk, who decided on a stormy night to cut firewood without proper permission in order to feed his large family. A sense of duty prevails among the forester, he is very strict about theft, not allowing himself to commit unseemly acts even out of despair, but at the same time, compassion, pity and generosity towards a beggar, a wretched little peasant who decided to do a bad deed because of hungry children, wins In Biryuk’s soul there is a need to correctly carry out official duties.
Narrating an episode that happened on a rainy night with Biryuk, the writer reveals the character of Foma Kuzmich as an integral and strong nature, adhering to firm principles in life, but forced to deviate from them in order to demonstrate true human qualities.
The entire cycle of stories “Notes of a Hunter,” including the work in question, is dedicated by the writer to a description of the difficult life of Russian serfs, each of whom is a strong, powerful characteristic image, bearing the manifestation of true human qualities, such as love, patriotism, justice, mutual assistance, kindness and sincerity.
Essay about Biryuk
Turgenev is one of those poets for whom love for Russia comes almost first. This can be seen throughout his entire career. The work “Biryuk” is very prominent among Turgenev’s works. This work was not a manifestation of love for native land and not issues of politics, but exclusively moral values.
Main character Biryuk, he's a forester. Turgenev in the story tries to show that his life is not sweet and there are enough problems for his soul. The main character broke up with his wife, or rather she left him, and the two children remained to live with their father. If you imagine Biryuk, you get the impression of a person who is always sad and gloomy. But how can you rejoice when family life ended. In addition, the place of residence was an old hut. When the author describes the state of the home, it becomes gloomy, poverty is all around. Even when he had a guest at night, he didn’t really want to be in such a terrible hut.
The people who met Thomas were afraid of him, and this is understandable. He is a tall and strong man, his face is stern, even angry. A beard grew on his face. But, as you know external signs This is only the first impression of a person, because, in essence, he is a kind and sympathetic person. Fellow villagers said about Biryuk that he was an honest man and did not like deception. He was an incorruptible forester, he did not need benefits, he simply minded his own business and lived honestly.
One day Thomas caught a thief at night and he was faced with the question of what to do with him? The first thing on the forester's mind was punishment for the thief. Biryuk took the ropes and tied up the criminal, then led him into the hut. The thief was a little dumbfounded by the living conditions of the forester. But you can’t deceive your soul and heart. Although Thomas looked stern, kindness won in this situation. The forester decides that the criminal needs to be released, although he has doubts about this. It was difficult for Biryuk to understand that theft is not such a terrible crime. In his concepts, every crime must be punished.
Throughout the story, Turgenev tries to present Foma as a simple man from Russia. He is honest and just lives and does what he is supposed to do. He is not looking for illegal ways to make money. Turgenev describes Thomas in such a way that you really understand that life can throw you into trouble. He is burdened by his existence in poverty and no joy. Nevertheless, the hero accepts what is and continues to live proudly and fight problems.
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Writers of the previous era rarely wrote about peasants, and if they did, they depicted them as a common gray mass. Despite this, Turgenev undertook to note the features peasant life, thanks to which the collection “Notes of a Hunter” presented a bright and multifaceted composition of the life of peasants. The stories immediately attracted readers and allowed them to gain special fame.
Features of the stories “Notes of a Hunter”
Each story features one main character, whose name is Pyotr Petrovich. He is a nobleman from the village of Spassky and is actively involved in hunting and hiking. Ivan Turgenev talks about various stories that happened during hunting trips. The main character has acquired such valuable character traits as observation and attention, thanks to which the narrator better understands various life situations and successfully conveys them to the reader.
“Biryuk” is a story included in the collection “Notes of a Hunter.” The work was written in 1848 and corresponds to the general literary composition. The main character again finds himself in interesting story, which he talks about in the form of a monologue.
The plot of the story "Biryuk"
One evening Pyotr Petrovich was returning from hunting and got caught in a downpour. A further trip turned out to be impossible: we had to wait out the bad weather. Fortunately, Peter saw a forester who invited the master to his house. An important conversation took place in Biryuk’s hut. As it turned out, the forester was nicknamed Biryuk because he has a gloomy and unsociable character. Despite such harsh character traits, Biryuk decided to tell a lot about his life interesting facts.
After the rain ended, the hospitable owner of the forest hut heard the sound of an ax and decided to catch the intruder. Pyotr Petrovich supported the idea, so the two of them went in search of the intruder. The thief turned out to be a beggar man, dressed in rags and with a disheveled beard. Most likely, the violation was due to a difficult life situation. Pyotr Petrovich took pity on the beggar and asked Biryuk for an important favor, or rather, to let the poor peasant go. However, the forester did not agree and led the man into his hut. The offender was released only after repeated requests for mercy from the master.
Biryuk as a person
Biryuk is an interesting and integral person, but, unfortunately, tragic. The main tragedy lies in the presence of special views on life, which sometimes have to be sacrificed. The story noted that many peasants in the middle XIX century They considered theft commonplace. This was precisely the main tragedy of Biryuk.
It is important to note that the peasants’ worldview was explained by serious social problems:
Insecurity of the peasant people;
Lack of good education;
Immorality of behavior due to lack of education.
Forester Biryuk was different from ordinary peasants. He is ready to live as a beggar even if such a situation turns out to be difficult. Any life circumstances could not induce theft.
It is important to note that Biryuk’s poor position was confirmed by the description of his house in the forest:
One room;
Smoky;
Low and empty hut;
No floors or partitions.
You can understand how difficult Biryuk’s life turns out to be. It can be assumed that if a poor man sacrificed his principles, he, being in the forest, could build a beautiful hut for himself.
Biryuk understands that if every peasant steals, general situation will only get worse. The forester is confident that he is right, so it is difficult for him to deviate from existing principles. Despite such character traits and the desire to walk firmly through life, sometimes you have to face challenges. The situation described in the story clearly demonstrates the struggle between feelings of pity and compassion with clear principles and the desire to improve the world. The essay shows how difficult it is to fluctuate between feelings and existing principles, don't know what to choose.
“Biryuk” is a fascinating story that reveals the characters of each participant in the story. Ivan Turgenev understood the peculiarities of peasant life in the 19th century, and therefore successfully reflected them in his works. The logic of life is a worthy basis, without which it is impossible to change realities.
“Biryuk” is a story that reflected the unfair situation of many serfs. Each reader has the right to independently place emphasis on those feelings that arise when comparing heroes from the same peasant environment, but differing in their life principles and character traits.
The plot of the story is based on a direct conflict between the forester Biryuk, who is considered lonely and gloomy, and the poor peasant. Biryuk honestly fulfills his duties and tries to protect the forest. The peasant got into a difficult situation life situation, so he steals firewood. The master hunter, Pyotr Petrovich, stopped in a forest hut due to a sudden downpour, so he becomes an accidental witness conflict situation. He sees how during bad weather Biryuk decides to go into the forest and tries to catch the unfortunate thief.
Biryuk lives poorly and raises his children himself. His wife went to a passing tradesman, leaving her family. Despite such life circumstances, theft is still the last thing, so Biryuk tries to identify violators and punish them... But you need to understand how fair such behavior turns out to be. Growing up children are hungry and eat bad bread... Biryuk shows distrust and gloominess, says little and behaves insincerely. Biryuk, of course, invites the hunter to his place and is ready to take him home, but still shows a merciless judicial attitude towards the beggar.
Biryuk is ready to justify his actions with the following point: he is a forced laborer, so they can exact a penalty from him... At the same time, during the plaintive explanations of the poor peasant, the forester remains silent. Such moments reflect serious internal struggle. The forester wants to justify the unfortunate thief, realizing that in bad weather he steals wood from the master to fire the stove and prepare food for a hungry family, but still leaves the offender locked up. The attitude changes only after the unfortunate man at the very end of the story calls Biryuk a “beast,” a “damned murderer.” The offender is ready to accept any punishment, because even death does not frighten him. However, accusing the forester of inhumanity immediately leads to a different effect, because Biryuk lets him go. In an unexpected way, a serious internal conflict was resolved:
Cruelty and duty of service;
Clear life principles;
Sincere sympathy and understanding of the misfortune of a stranger.
At the same time, the master, Pyotr Petrovich, contributed to the successful resolution of the current situation, since he was immediately imbued with the explanations of the unfortunate thief. The situation is better revealed through detailed descriptions of the landscape. Throughout history, a thunderstorm rages, representing state of mind Biryuka. In addition, many serfs consider the forester a manifestation of a thunderstorm. But nevertheless, Biryuk is freed from the sense of duty, since he commits a human act and goes to meet the unfortunate person. According to the law that was in force at that ominous time, the forester. who did not catch the thief had to reimburse the entire cost of the illegally cut down trees. If this could not be done, there was a risk trial with further exile to Siberia, but the fear of punishment loses... Biryuk still releases the thief and gives him his horse.
The meaning of the story “Biryuk”
Biryuk is a special hero in Ivan Turgenev’s story, because he has unique life principles and is sometimes ready to sacrifice them. Mental struggle allows you to understand how difficult it is sometimes to accept the right decision. Detailed description bad weather and thunderstorms contribute to a better understanding of the life principles and feelings and emotions of the forester. It is important to understand that a person who is in need and cannot find the right path is forced to decide on hopelessness. The oscillation between feelings and principles is the best reflection of humanity.
The story has numerous artistic merits, which have been confirmed by critics:
Real and picturesque descriptions of nature;
A special style of storytelling;
Unusual heroes.
“Biryuk” is a worthy representative of the legendary collection “Notes of a Hunter,” which made it possible to strengthen the position of Ivan Turgenev in Russian literature.
