"Oblomov's Dream", summary

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

Oblomov from the novel of the same name by I. A. Goncharova - the personification of petty-bourgeois life. This is a young man, a landowner, leading a "contemplative" lifestyle, which implies complete inaction. The hero is burdened by this state of affairs, however, to fight

with himself he is not capable. In the first part of the novel, in chapter 9, the author talks about the formation of Oblomov's worldview, about his life ideals. The chapter is called "Oblomov's Dream", its summary is as follows: Ilya Ilyich fell asleep, and in a dream he dreamed of episodes of his distant childhood: his native estate, the village of Oblomovka. The village was located in the wilderness, it was about twenty miles to the nearest town, and therefore all the trends of progress were alien to the Oblomovites, for centuries people lived in a patriarchal system, seriously believed in signs and fairy tales. Life flowed sleepily, as usual, the peasants lived carefree, like children, not striving for anything, and did not know and did not want another life.

The owner of the estate, Oblomov Sr., was no different from his serfs, was lazy and lethargic. His daily activities are walking or sitting by the window. All family interests -

delicious food and good sleep, in between leisurely doing household chores. Parents forbade Ilyusha to do any business himself, which subsequently formed in him that indestructible character trait with which Oblomov struggled to no avail - laziness. In the parental home, they did not attach any importance to the upbringing and education of the heir, Oblomov went to school reluctantly, his closest friend, Andrey Stolts, the teacher's son, helped him do his homework.

"Oblomov's Dream", summarized above, is an ironic description of "heaven on Earth". In this chapter, the author mercilessly ridicules the self-satisfied, inactive lifestyle of most landowners of that time.

At the same time, Goncharov portrayed his hero by no means as a negative character. The author's attitude towards him, of course, is sharp in places, but at the same time compassionate. Oblomov had all the makings for the development of an active and educated personality. In the chapter "Oblomov's Dream", a summary speaks of this, it is mentioned that Ilya Ilyich was a very inquisitive child in childhood, with a poetic mindset, but parental education

destroyed in him all the talents given by nature and left only the opportunity to watch the whirlpool of life events from a comfortable sofa. The real life of the hero can be described in the same words from the chapter "Oblomov's Dream". The text summarized above is in fullcharacterizes the way of life of the grown-up Ilyusha, only the place of action has changed. He repeatedly made attempts to change his character, overcome apathy, engage in self-education, but all his intentions remained as such. The ordered books lay on the shelves, never opened, the cleanliness of the room depended entirely on the servant Zakhar, the visit to his native Oblomovka was postponed indefinitely.

"Oblomov's Dream", a brief summary of which gives an idea of the atmosphere surrounding the little boy, is considered by many critics to be the overture of the novel, since this chapter briefly describes the whole future life of the protagonist, it is even impossible to imagine his other fate. Unlike sleep, Oblomov's death is described sparingly in the novel, probably because the worst thing in his life has already happened. It was not even death, but only the end of existence, "as if one fine day they forgot to wind the clock."

Summary "Oblomov's Dream" describes to us the stages of development of an inferior personality, shows one of the many examples of how an unfavorable environment destroys the best human qualities in the bud.