The story "Gooseberry" by Chekhov: a summary. Analysis of the story "Gooseberry" by Chekhov

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In this article we will introduce you to Chekhov's Gooseberry. Anton Pavlovich, as you probably already know, is a Russian writer and playwright. The years of his life - 1860-1904. We will describe the brief content of this story, its analysis will be carried out. "Gooseberry" Chekhov wrote in 1898, that is, already in the late period of his work.

Summary: the beginning of the story

Burkin and Ivan Ivanovich Chimsha-Gimalayan are walking across the field. The village of Mironositskoye can be seen in the distance. Suddenly it starts to rain, and so they decide to go to Pavel Konstantinych Alekhin, a landowner friend, whose estate is located in the village of Sofyino, nearby. Alekhine is described as a tall man of about 40, stout, looking more like an artist or a professor than a landowner, with long hair. He meets travelers at the barn. The face of this man is black with dust, his clothes are dirty. He is glad to unexpected guests, invites those to go to the bath. Having changed and washed, Burkin, Ivan Ivanovich Chimsha-Gimalaysky and Alekhin go to the house where Ivan Ivanovich tells the story of Nikolai Ivanovich, his brother, over tea and jam.

Ivan Ivanovich begins his story

The brothers spent their childhood on the father's estate, in the wild. Their parent himself was from the cantonists, but left the hereditary nobility to the children, having served the rank of officer. After his death, the estate was sued from the family for debts. From the age of nineteen, Nikolai sat behind papers in the state chamber, but terribly missed there and dreamed of acquiring a small estate. Ivan Ivanovich, on the other hand, never sympathized with the desire of his relative to lock himself up in the estate for the rest of his life. And Nikolai could not think of anything else, all the time imagining a large estate where gooseberries were bound to grow.

Nikolai Ivanovich makes his dream come true

Ivan Ivanych's brother was saving money, he was malnourished, and in the end he married not for love a rich, ugly widow. He kept his wife from hand to mouth, and put her money in his name in the bank. The wife could not bear this life and died soon, and Nikolai, without remorse, acquired the coveted estate, planted 20 gooseberry bushes and lived for his own pleasure as a landowner.

Ivan Ivanovich visits his brother

We continue to describe the story that Chekhov created - "Gooseberry". A summary of what happened next is as follows. When Ivan Ivanovich came to visit Nikolai, he was amazed at how much he sank, flabby and aged him.brother. The master turned into a real tyrant, ate a lot, constantly sued the factories and spoke in the tone of a minister. Nikolai regaled Ivan Ivanovich with gooseberries, and it was evident from him that he was as pleased with his fate as he was with himself.

Ivan Ivanovich reflects on happiness and the meaning of life

The following further events are given to us by the story "Gooseberry" (Chekhov). Brother Nikolai, at the sight of his relative, was seized by a feeling close to despair. He thought, after spending the night in the estate, about how many people in the world go crazy, suffer, drink, how many children die from malnutrition. And others, meanwhile, live happily, sleep at night, eat during the day, talk nonsense. It occurred to Ivan Ivanovich that behind the door of a happy person there must certainly be someone "with a hammer" and knocking to remind him that there are unfortunate people on earth, that someday disaster will happen to him, and no one will hear or see him, just like now he does not hear or notice others.

Finishing the story, Ivan Ivanovich says that there is no happiness, and if there is a meaning in life, then it is not in it, but in doing good on earth.

How did Alekhine and Burkin take the story?

Neither Alekhin nor Burkin are satisfied with this story. Alekhin does not delve into whether the words of Ivan Ivanovich are true, since it was not about hay, not about cereals, but about something that has no direct relation to his life. However, he is very glad to the guests and wants them to continue the conversation. But the time is already late, the guests and the owner go to bed.

"Gooseberries" inChekhov's work

To a large extent, the work of Anton Pavlovich is dedicated to "little people" and the life of a case. The story that Chekhov created, "Gooseberry", does not tell about love. In it, as in many other works of this author, people and society are denounced as philistinism, soullessness and vulgarity.

In 1898 Chekhov's story "Gooseberry" was born. It should be noted that the time when the work was created was the period of the reign of Nicholas II, who continued the policy of his father, not wanting to implement the liberal reforms necessary at that time.

Characteristics of Nikolai Ivanovich

Chekhov describes to us Chimsha-Gimalayan - an official who serves in one chamber and dreams of having his own estate. The cherished desire of this person is to become a landowner.

Chekhov emphasizes how far behind his time this character is, because in the time described, people were no longer chasing a meaningless title, many nobles dreamed of becoming capitalists, it was considered fashionable, advanced.

The hero of Anton Pavlovich marries favorably, after which he takes the money he needs from his wife and finally acquires the desired estate. The hero fulfills one more of his dreams by planting gooseberries in the estate. Meanwhile, his wife is dying of hunger…

Chekhov's "Gooseberry" is built using a "story within a story" - a special literary device. We learn the history of the described landowner from his lips.brother. However, Ivan Ivanovich's eyes are the eyes of the author himself, in this way he shows the reader his attitude towards people like Chimsha-Himalayan.

Attitude towards Ivan Ivanovich's brother

The brother of the protagonist of the story "Gooseberry" by Chekhov is amazed at the spiritual poverty of Nikolai Ivanovich, he is horrified by the idleness and satiety of his relative, and the dream as such and its fulfillment seem to this person the pinnacle of laziness and selfishness.

During the time spent in the estate, Nikolai Ivanovich is growing stupefied and aging, he is proud of his belonging to the nobility, not realizing that this class is already dying off, and a more just and free form of life is coming to replace it, social groups are gradually changing foundations.

However, the narrator is most struck by the moment when Nikolai Ivanovich is served the first harvest of gooseberries. Immediately he forgets about the fashionable things of the time and the importance of the nobility. This landowner, in the sweetness of gooseberries, acquires the illusion of happiness, he finds a reason to admire and rejoice, and this circumstance strikes Ivan Ivanovich, who thinks that people prefer to deceive themselves, just to believe in their well-being. At the same time, he criticizes himself, finding such shortcomings as a desire to teach and complacency.

Ivan Ivanovich is thinking about the moral and moral crisis of the individual and society, he is worried about the moral state of his contemporary society.

Chekhov's Thought

Ivan Ivanovich talks about how he is tormented by the trap that people create for themselves, andasks to do only good in the future and try to eradicate evil. But in fact, Chekhov himself speaks through his character. A person ("Gooseberry" is addressed to each of us!) Should understand that the goal in life is good deeds, and not a feeling of happiness. According to the author, everyone who has achieved success should have a "man with a hammer" behind the door, reminding him that it is necessary to do good - to help orphans, widows, and the destitute. After all, one day even the we althiest person can get in trouble.