"Poor people" Dostoevsky. Summary of the novel

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

Today we will talk about one of the most fascinating and wise novels in the history of Russian literature. As you already understood, this is Dostoevsky's Poor People. The summary of this work, although it will not allow you to fully feel the characters, feel the atmosphere, but will allow you to get acquainted with the main characters and key plot points. So let's get started.

Meet the main characters

Makar Alekseevich Devushkin is the protagonist of the novel "Poor People" by Dostoevsky. A brief summary allows you to get a general idea about it. Devushkin, a forty-seven-year-old titular adviser, is engaged in copying papers in one of the St. Petersburg departments for a modest salary. By the time the story begins, he is just moving into a new apartment not far from the Fontanka, in a "capital" house. Along a long corridor are the doors of the rooms of other residents, and Devushkin himself huddles behind a partition in the common kitchen. His previous dwelling was an order of magnitude better, but now for the adviserin the first place - cheapness, because he also has to pay for an expensive and comfortable apartment in the same courtyard for Varvara Alekseevna Dobroselova, his distant relative. The poor official also takes care of a seventeen-year-old orphan, for whom, apart from Devushkin himself, there is simply no one to intercede.

The beginning of tender friendship between Varenka and Makar

Varvara and Makar live nearby, but see each other infrequently - Devushkin is afraid of gossip and gossip. However, both need sympathy and warmth. How do the heroes of Dostoevsky's novel "Poor People" manage to find it? The summary does not mention how the correspondence between Makar and Varenka began, but very soon they begin to write to each other almost every day. 31 letters from Makar and 24 from Vari, written during the period from April 8 to September 30, 184 …, reveal their relationship. The official denies himself clothes and food in order to allocate funds for sweets and flowers for his "angel". Varenka, in turn, is angry with her patron for the high costs. Makar claims that he is driven only by paternal affection. The woman invites him to visit more often, they say, who cares? Varenka also takes home work - sewing.

More letters to come. Makar tells his friend about his home, comparing it with Noah's Ark in terms of the abundance of a diverse audience, draws portraits of his neighbors for her.

Here comes a new difficult situation in the life of the heroine of the novel "Poor People" by Dostoevsky. The summary in general terms tells us about how Varenka learns about her distantrelative, Anna Feodorovna. For some time, Varya and her mother lived in the house of Anna Fedorovna, and after that, in order to be able to cover expenses, the woman offered the girl (at that time already an orphan) to the we althy landowner Bykov. He dishonored her, and now Varya fears that Bykov and the matchmaker will find out her address. Fear undermined the he alth of the poor thing, and only Makar's care saves her from the final "death". The official sells his old uniform in order to get out his "yasochka". By the summer, Varenka is getting better and sends notes to his caring friend, in which he talks about his life.

Vary's happy childhood passed in the bosom of rural nature, in the circle of his family. However, soon the father of the family lost his job, followed by a series of other failures that brought him to the grave. Fourteen-year-old Varya and her mother were left alone in the whole world, and the house was forced to be sold to cover debts. At that moment, Anna Fedorovna sheltered them. Varya's mother worked tirelessly and thereby ruining her already precarious he alth, but the patroness continued to reproach her. Varya herself began to study with Peter Pokrovsky, a former student who lived in the same house. The girl was surprised that a kind and worthy man treats his father with disrespect, who, on the contrary, tried to see his adored son as often as possible. This man was once a petty official, but by the time of our story he had already completely drunk himself. The landowner Bykov married Peter's mother to him with an impressive dowry, but soon the young beauty died. The widower remarried. Peter himself grew up separately, Bykov became his patron, and it was he who decided to place the young man, who was forced to leave the institute due to his state of he alth, “on bread” to Anna Fedorovna, his “short acquaintance.”

Young people get close while caring for Varya's mother, who doesn't get out of bed. An educated acquaintance introduced the girl to reading, helped her develop a taste. But after some time, Pokrovsky falls ill with consumption and dies. On account of the funeral, the hostess takes all the few things of the deceased. The old father managed to take a few books from her, he filled his hat, pockets, etc. with them. It began to rain. The old man, in tears, ran after the cart that was carrying the coffin, and books fell from his pockets into the dirt. He picked them up and continued to run after them. In anguish, Varya returned home to her mother, but she, too, was soon overtaken by death.

As you can see, there are many topics that Dostoevsky touches on in his creation. “Poor people”, the summary of which is the topic of our conversation today, also describes the life of Devushkin himself. In letters to Varenka, he says that he has been serving for thirty years. A “kind”, “quiet” and “quiet” person becomes the subject of ridicule of others. Makar is indignant, and considers Varenka the only joy in his life - as if “the Lord blessed me with the house committee and family!”.

Sick Varya gets a job as a governess, as Makar's inability to take care of himself financially becomes obvious to her - even servants and watchmen no longer look at him without contempt. The official himself is against this, since he believes that in order toto be useful, it is enough for Varenka to continue to have a beneficial effect on him, on his life.

Varya sends Devushkin books - Pushkin's "Station Master", and then - Gogol's "Overcoat". But if the first allowed the official to rise in his eyes, then the second, on the contrary, offends him. Makar identifies himself with Bashmachkin and believes that the author brazenly spied on and made public all the little things in his life. His dignity is hurt, he believes that "after this one should complain."

Unexpected difficulties

Before the beginning of July, Makar had spent all his savings. More than poverty, he is only worried about the endless ridicule of the tenants over him and Varenka. However, the worst thing is that one day one of her former neighbors, a “searcher” officer, comes to her and makes an “unworthy offer” to the woman. Surrendering to despair, the hero goes on a drinking binge for several days, disappears and misses the service. Devushkin meets with the offender and makes an attempt to shame him, but in the end he himself is thrown down the stairs.

Varya tries her best to console her defender and urges him to ignore gossip and come to her for lunch.

Starting from August, Makar seeks to borrow money at interest, but all his attempts end in failure. A new one was added to all the previous problems: at the instigation of Anna Feodorovna, a new “seeker” appeared at Varenka. Soon Anna herself visits the girl. There is a need to move as soon as possible. From impotence, Devushkin started drinking again, but Varya helps him again.regain self-respect and desire to fight.

Varenka's he alth is rapidly deteriorating, the woman is no longer able to sew. On a September evening, to dispel his anxiety, Makar decides to take a walk along the Fontanka embankment. He begins to reflect on why, if labor is considered the basis of human dignity, so many idlers never feel the need for food and clothing. He comes to the conclusion that happiness is not given to a person for any of his merits, and therefore the rich should not ignore the complaints of the poor.

September 9, fortune smiled at Makar. The official made a mistake on paper and was sent to the general for "reproach". The pathetic and humble official aroused sympathy in the heart of "His Excellency" and received a hundred rubles from the general personally. This is a real salvation in Devushkin's plight: he manages to pay for an apartment, clothes, a table. The boss's generosity makes Makar feel ashamed of his recent "liberal" musings. The official is again full of hope for the future, he spends his free time reading "Northern Bee".

Here wedged into the plot again the character that Dostoevsky has already mentioned. “Poor people”, the summary of which is approaching the conclusion, continues when Bykov learns about Varenka and on September 20 begins to woo her. He seeks to have legitimate children so that the "unfit nephew" does not receive an inheritance. Bykov prepared a fallback: if Varya refuses him, he makes an offer to a merchant from Moscow. However, despite the fact that the offer was made in a rude andunceremonious manner, Varya agrees. Makar tries to dissuade his girlfriend (“your heart will be cold!”), But the girl is adamant - she believes that only Bykov can save her from poverty and return her honest name to her. Devushkin falls ill from grief, but until the last day he continues to help Varenka with packing for the journey.

End of story

The wedding took place on September 30th. On the same day, just before leaving for the Bykov estate, the girl writes a farewell letter to her old friend.

Girl's answer is full of despair. He will not be able to change anything, but he considers it his duty to say that all this time he has been depriving himself of all benefits only because "you … lived here, nearby, on the contrary." Now the formed syllable of the letter, and Makar himself, is of no use to anyone. He does not know by what right it is possible to destroy a person's life.