We all think about the meaning of life sooner or later. Despite the depth of this philosophical question, almost every person gives himself a simple answer to it, guided by his values. The meaning of a person's life reflects what is truly important to him.

The main character of Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” at first has difficulty arousing the reader’s sympathy. He is inactive, devoid of aspirations... He has not encountered any special shocks or problems in his lifetime, which is due to his overly caring parents and noble origin. Ilya Ilyich’s life flows calmly, and he is too used to it to change anything. Despite all his inactivity, Oblomov is not empty: he has a living soul and a rich imagination, which is what seriously interested Olga Ilyinskaya.

What is the meaning of such a person's life? Oblomov dreams of finding peace; he does not need the seething energy of everyday life. His ideal is a calm and measured family life, surrounded by his beloved wife and children. Love is his highest value. That is why love for Olga lifted the hero from the sofa. He saw in her what he dreamed of, what he saw as the meaning of his life.

But he found peace not with Olga, but with Agafya Pshenitsyna. It was Agafya who was able to surround Ilya with maternal love and care, as in childhood. Oblomov was able to return to his natural inactive state and devote himself entirely to his wife and children.

Not everyone understands and accepts the ideals of Ilya Ilyich. For some, he will seem lazy and a fading person. Yes, Oblomov lived a short life and unnoticed by the world, but he was happy, living his last days with his family and friends. He died, sincerely mourned by his beloved wife...

The lifestyle of Andrei Ivanovich Stolts sharply contrasts with the lifestyle of his friend. Andrey cannot imagine his days without constant work. At the same time, throughout the entire novel, Goncharov does not write about what exactly this hero is doing. The meaning of his life is activity, self-realization. Like Oblomov, this ideal was instilled in Stoltz as a child by his parents. His father taught him to achieve everything on his own and strive for something.

Despite the huge difference in worldview, both heroes sincerely respect and appreciate each other. And they do the right thing, because all people are different and have different ideals, but this makes them interesting and unique.

What is the meaning of life? This is a question that is difficult to answer.

Sooner or later, there comes a time in every person's life when he asks himself whether there is meaning in life. Despite the global nature of this rhetorical question, almost every inhabitant of the planet gives himself a simple answer to it: the meaning of life is that you live. The meaning of life is that life matters.

The novel “Oblomov” was written by Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov. The main character of this work evokes little sympathy from anyone. He, a man who wastes his life, has no goal. Problems and experiences were rare in his life, which was due to the excessive care of his parents and his noble origin. Ilya's life flows smoothly. Many readers might say that he was empty, but in fact he had a rich inner world. A world of fantasies, beliefs and plans. Earthly plans.

Oblomov longs to find peace and balance. He likes his quiet, inconspicuous life. He doesn't particularly care about what happens around him. His goal is calm and measuredness. Family was important to him. Family values ​​and a life surrounded by a loving wife and healthy children. Love for him is the meaning of life. That is why his attraction to Olga makes him wake up. He saw in her the ideal woman.

But “his woman” turned out to be not Olga, but Agafya. Only with her was he able to find peace of mind and feel truly happy. Family life, a loving wife, children... In this he saw the meaning of his life. Trite, you say. Perhaps, but most people on planet earth live with just such dreams.

Not everyone is impressed by Oblomov’s ideals. Inaction is its main drawback. Almost nothing happens in his life, it stands still, but Oblomov is not oppressed by this, and moreover, he is satisfied. There was no fire or thirst for life in him. He did not have the passion that is present in people who lead an active lifestyle. Oblomov's life was short-lived. She was inconspicuous and boring, but he was happy in his little world, having lived his last days in the circle of people who love him.

When he died, his loved ones sincerely mourned his death and grieved for him. Then they remembered for many years.

But Andey Stolz’s lifestyle is the absolute opposite of Oblomov. Active. Purposeful. Life was seething inside him. Stolz was a workaholic. He was very careful about his work. The meaning of his life was movement. Moving forward. Goncharov in his work does not specify the type of activity of Stolz, but this is not so important. The very fact of his employment already characterizes this hero. This hero is engaged in self-realization and certainly evokes sympathy.

Their worldviews were different, but both heroes sincerely value and respect each other. Their union can be called true friendship. The uniqueness of their friendship lies in the fact that, despite being different, their friendship was strong and unbreakable.

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Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” is a landmark work of literature of the 19th century, touching on both acute social and many philosophical problems, remaining relevant and interesting to the modern reader. The ideological meaning of the novel “Oblomov” is based on the opposition of an active, new social and personal principle with an outdated, passive and degrading one. In the work, the author reveals these principles on several existential levels, therefore, to fully understand the meaning of the work, a detailed examination of each of them is required.

Social meaning of the novel

In the novel “Oblomov,” Goncharov first introduced the concept of “Oblomovism” as a generalized name for outdated patriarchal-landlord foundations, personal degradation, and the vital stagnation of an entire social layer of Russian philistinism, unwilling to accept new social trends and norms. The author examined this phenomenon using the example of the main character of the novel, Oblomov, whose childhood was spent in distant Oblomovka, where everyone lived quietly, lazily, with little interest in anything and caring almost nothing. The hero's native village becomes the embodiment of the ideals of Russian old-time society - a kind of hedonistic idyll, a “preserved paradise” where there is no need to study, work or develop.

Portraying Oblomov as a “superfluous man,” Goncharov, unlike Griboyedov and Pushkin, whose characters of this type were ahead of society, introduces into the narrative a hero who lags behind society, living in the distant past. The active, active, educated environment oppresses Oblomov - the ideals of Stolz with his work for the sake of work are alien to him, even his beloved Olga is ahead of Ilya Ilyich, approaching everything from a practical side. Stolts, Olga, Tarantyev, Mukhoyarov, and other acquaintances of Oblomov are representatives of a new, “urban” personality type. They are more practitioners than theorists, they do not dream, but do, create new things - some by working honestly, others by deception.

Goncharov condemns “Oblomovism” with its gravitation towards the past, laziness, apathy and complete spiritual withering away of the individual, when a person essentially becomes a “plant” lying on the sofa around the clock. However, Goncharov also portrays the images of modern, new people as ambiguous - they do not have the peace of mind and inner poetry that Oblomov had (remember that Stolz only found this peace while relaxing with a friend, and the already married Olga is sad about something distant and is afraid to dream , making excuses to her husband).

At the end of the work, Goncharov does not make a definite conclusion about who is right - the practitioner Stolz or the dreamer Oblomov. However, the reader understands that it was precisely because of “Oblomovism,” as a phenomenon that is sharply negative and has long since become obsolete, that Ilya Ilyich “disappeared.” That is why the social meaning of Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” is the need for constant development and movement - both in the continuous construction and creation of the surrounding world, and in working on the development of one’s own personality.

The meaning of the title of the work

The meaning of the title of the novel “Oblomov” is closely related to the main theme of the work - it was named after the surname of the main character Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, and is also associated with the social phenomenon “Oblomovism” described in the novel. The etymology of the name is interpreted differently by researchers. Thus, the most common version is that the word “Oblomov” comes from the words “Oblomok”, “break off”, “break”, denoting the state of mental and social breakdown of the landowner nobility, when it found itself in a borderline state between the desire to preserve old traditions and foundations and the need to change according to the requirements of the era, from a creative person to a practical person.

In addition, there is a version about the connection of the title with the Old Slavonic root “oblo” - “round”, which corresponds to the description of the hero - his “rounded” appearance and his quiet, calm character “without sharp corners”. However, regardless of the interpretation of the title of the work, it points to the central storyline of the novel - the life of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov.

The meaning of Oblomovka in the novel

From the plot of the novel “Oblomov,” the reader from the very beginning learns many facts about Oblomovka, about what a wonderful place it is, how easy and good it was for the hero and how important it is for Oblomov to return there. However, throughout the entire narrative, events never take us to the village, which makes it a truly mythical, fairy-tale place. Picturesque nature, gentle hills, a calm river, a hut on the edge of a ravine, which the visitor needs to ask to stand “with his back to the forest, and his front to it” in order to enter - even in the newspapers there was never a mention of Oblomovka. The inhabitants of Oblomovka did not care about any passions - they were completely cut off from the world, they spent their lives in boredom and tranquility, based on constant rituals.

Oblomov's childhood was spent in love, his parents constantly spoiled Ilya, indulging all his desires. However, Oblomov was particularly impressed by the stories of his nanny, who read to him about mythical heroes and fairy-tale heroes, closely linking his native village with folklore in the hero’s memory. For Ilya Ilyich, Oblomovka is a distant dream, an ideal comparable, perhaps, to the beautiful ladies of medieval knights who glorified wives who were sometimes never seen. In addition, the village is also a way to escape from reality, a kind of half-imagined place where the hero can forget about reality and be himself - lazy, apathetic, completely calm and renounced from the world around him.

The meaning of Oblomov's life in the novel

Oblomov’s whole life is connected only with that distant, quiet and harmonious Oblomovka, however, the mythical estate exists only in the memories and dreams of the hero - pictures from the past never come to him in a cheerful state, his native village appears before him as some kind of distant vision, in its own way unattainable , like any mythical city. Ilya Ilyich is in every possible way opposed to the real perception of his native Oblomovka - he still does not plan the future estate, he delays for a long time in responding to the headman’s letter, and in a dream he does not seem to notice the disrepair of the house - a crooked gate, a sagging roof, a shaky porch, a neglected garden. And he really doesn’t want to go there - Oblomov is afraid that when he sees the dilapidated, ruined Oblomovka, which has nothing in common with his dreams and memories, he will lose his last illusions, which he clings to with all his might and for which he lives.

The only thing that causes complete happiness for Oblomov is dreams and illusions. He is afraid of real life, afraid of marriage, which he has dreamed of many times, afraid of breaking himself and becoming someone else. Wrapping himself in an old robe and continuing to lie on the bed, he “preserves” himself in a state of “Oblomovism” - in general, the robe in the work is, as it were, part of that mythical world that returns the hero to a state of laziness and extinction.

The meaning of the hero's life in Oblomov's novel comes down to gradual dying - both moral and mental, and physical, for the sake of maintaining his own illusions. The hero does not want to say goodbye to the past so much that he is ready to sacrifice a full life, the opportunity to feel every moment and recognize every feeling for the sake of mythical ideals and dreams.

Conclusion

In the novel “Oblomov,” Goncharov depicted the tragic story of the decline of a person for whom the illusory past became more important than the multifaceted and beautiful present - friendship, love, social well-being. The meaning of the work indicates that it is important not to stand still, indulging oneself in illusions, but to always strive forward, expanding the boundaries of one’s own “comfort zone.”

Work test

All his life, Goncharov dreamed of people finding harmony of feeling and reason. He reflected on the strength and poverty of the “man of the mind,” and on the charm and weakness of the “man of the heart.” In Oblomov, this idea became one of the leading ones. In this novel, two types of male characters are contrasted: the passive and weak Oblomov, with his golden heart and pure soul, and the energetic Stolz, who overcomes any circumstances with the power of his mind and will. However, Goncharov’s human ideal is not personified in either one or the other. Stolz does not seem to the writer to be a more complete personality than Oblomov, whom he also looks at with “sober eyes.” Impartially exposing the “extremes” of the nature of both, Goncharov advocated the completeness and integrity of the spiritual world of man with all the diversity of its manifestations.

Each of the main characters of the novel had their own understanding of the meaning of life, their own life ideals that they dreamed of realizing.

At the beginning of the story, Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is a little over thirty years old, he is a pillar nobleman, the owner of three hundred and fifty souls of serfs, which he inherited. Having served for three years in one of the capital's departments after graduating from Moscow University, he retired with the rank of collegiate secretary. Since then he lived in St. Petersburg without a break. The novel begins with a description of one of his days, his habits and character. Oblomov’s life by that time had turned into a lazy “crawling from day to day.” Having withdrawn from active activities, he lay on the sofa and irritably argued with Zakhar, his serf servant, who was caring for him. Revealing the social roots of Oblomovism, Goncharov shows that “it all started with the inability to put on stockings, and ended with the inability to live.”

Raised in a patriarchal noble family, Ilya Ilyich perceived life in Oblomovka, his family estate, with its peace and inaction, as the ideal of human existence.
Three main acts of life constantly played out before the eyes of little Ilyusha in childhood: homeland, weddings, funerals. Then followed their divisions: christenings, name days, family holidays. The whole pathos of life is focused on this. This was the “wide expanse of lordly life” with its idleness, which forever became the ideal of life for Oblomov.

All Oblomovites treated work as a punishment and did not like it, considering it something humiliating. Therefore, life in the eyes of Ilya Ilyich was divided into two halves. One consisted of work and boredom, and these were synonymous for him. The other is from peace and peaceful fun. In Oblomovka, Ilya Ilyich was also instilled with a sense of superiority over other people. The “other” cleans his own boots, dresses himself, runs out to get what he needs. This “other” has to work tirelessly. Ilyusha, on the other hand, “was brought up tenderly, he did not endure cold or hunger, he knew no need, he did not earn his own bread, he did not engage in menial deeds.” And he considered studying a punishment sent by heaven for his sins, and avoided school classes at every opportunity. After graduating from university, he was no longer involved in his education, was not interested in science, art, or politics.

When Oblomov was young, he expected a lot both from fate and from himself. He was preparing to serve his fatherland, to play a prominent role in public life, and dreamed of family happiness. But days passed after days, and he was still getting ready to start his life, he was still picturing his future in his mind. However, “the flower of life blossomed and did not bear fruit.”

He saw his future service not as a harsh activity, but as some kind of “family activity.” It seemed to him that the officials serving together constituted a friendly and close family, all members of which were tirelessly concerned about mutual pleasure. However, his youthful ideas were deceived. Unable to withstand the difficulties, he resigned after serving only three years and without having accomplished anything significant.

It happened that, lying on the sofa, he would be inflamed with the desire to point out to humanity his vices. He will quickly change two or three positions, stand up on the bed with sparkling eyes and look around with inspiration. It seems that his high effort is about to turn into a feat and bring good consequences to humanity. Sometimes he imagines himself as an invincible commander: he will invent a war, organize new crusades, and perform feats of kindness and generosity. Or, imagining himself as a thinker, an artist, in his imagination he reaps laurels, everyone worships him, the crowd chases after him. However, in reality, he was not able to understand the management of his own estate and easily became the prey of such scammers as Tarantiev and the “brother” of his landlady.

Over time, he developed remorse that did not give him peace. He felt pain for his lack of development, for the burden that prevented him from living. He was torn by envy that others lived so fully and widely, but something was stopping him from boldly moving through life. He painfully felt that the good and bright beginning was buried in him, as in a grave. He tried to find the culprit outside himself and did not find it. However, apathy and indifference quickly replaced anxiety in his soul, and he again slept peacefully on his sofa.

Even his love for Olga did not revive him to practical life. Faced with the need to act, overcoming the difficulties that stood in his way, he became afraid and retreated. Having settled on the Vyborg side, he left himself entirely to the care of Agafya Pshenitsyna, finally withdrawing from active life.

In addition to this inability brought up by the lordship, many other things prevent Oblomov from being active. He really feels the objectively existing separation between the “poetic” and the “practical” in life, and this is the reason for his bitter disappointment.

If at the beginning of the novel Goncharov talks more about Oblomov’s laziness, then at the end the theme of Oblomov’s “golden heart”, which he carried unscathed through life, sounds more and more insistently. Oblomov's misfortune is connected not only with the social environment, the influence of which he could not resist. It is also contained in the “destructive excess of the heart.” The hero's gentleness, delicacy, and vulnerability disarm his will and make him powerless in front of people and circumstances.

In contrast to the passive and inactive Oblomov, Stolz was conceived by the author as a completely unusual figure. Goncharov sought to make it attractive to the reader with his “efficiency”, rational, skillful practicality. These qualities have not yet been characteristic of the heroes of Russian literature.

The son of a German burgher and a Russian noblewoman, Andrei Stolz received a hard-working, practical education from childhood thanks to his father. This, combined with the poetic influence of his mother, made him a special person. Unlike the round Oblomov, he was thin, all muscle and nerves. He exuded some kind of freshness and strength. “Just as there was nothing superfluous in his body, so in the moral practices of his life he sought a balance between practical aspects and the subtle needs of the spirit.” “He walked through life firmly, cheerfully, lived on a budget, trying to spend every day, like every ruble.” He attributed the reason for any failure to himself, “and did not hang it, like a caftan, on someone else’s nail.” He sought to develop a simple and straightforward outlook on life. Most of all, he was afraid of the imagination, “this two-faced companion,” and any dream, so everything mysterious and mysterious had no place in his soul. He considered everything that is not subject to analysis of experience and does not correspond to practical truth to be a deception.

Although Oblomov has nothing to object to Stolz’s reproaches, some kind of spiritual truth is contained in Ilya Ilyich’s confession that he failed to understand this life.

If at the beginning of the novel Goncharov talks more about Oblomov’s laziness, then at the end the theme of Oblomov’s “golden heart”, which he carried unscathed through life, sounds more and more insistently. Oblomov's misfortune is connected not only with the social environment, the influence of which he could not resist. It is also contained in the “destructive excess of the heart.” The hero's gentleness, delicacy, and vulnerability disarm his will and make him powerless in front of people and circumstances.

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1. The main character of Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov”.
2. The question of the meaning of life.
3. Oblomov’s daydreaming and activity.
4. Degradation of Ilya Ilyich.

A. A. Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” remains relevant for us. modern readers despite the fact that a lot of time has passed since its creation. The main character of the novel, Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, cannot but arouse interest. You involuntarily begin to think about the meaning of life and try to answer the question, who is Oblomov? Was he first and foremost a lazy person? Or is the problem of the novel's protagonist much deeper? Did Oblomov see any meaning in life? Or was it not in his nature to think about it? As soon as we meet Oblomov at the beginning of the work, we understand the absurdity of the situation. Because of day after day, Ilya Ilyich is deprived of new impressions, the next one is similar to the previous one. The days go by without any decoration at all. Oblomov leads an almost vegetative existence, he is not interested in anything, is not keen on anything. The main thing in life becomes a cozy sofa, on which Oblomov lies all day long. The world around seems to Ilya Ilyich hostile and dangerous. There were no shocks in Oblomov’s life that could have affected his worldview. No, everything was very successful. Since childhood, Ilya Ilyich was surrounded by the care and attention of his family. And he never had to worry about his daily bread. Oblomov lives comfortably, not thinking about anything, not caring about anything. He has absolutely no aspirations or desires. Day and night Oblomov lies on the sofa in the same robe made of Persian fabric. “... Lying down with Ilya Ilyich was neither a necessity, like a sick person or like a person who wants to sleep, nor an accident. like someone who is tired, nor pleasure, like a lazy person: this was his normal state...”

It is always human nature to think about the meaning of life. But even if we consider the question of the meaning of life to be an abstract philosophical category, we cannot help but admit that inaction has never made anyone happy. A feeling of fullness of life is possible only in the case of constant movement, an active search for new experiences. Let a person not be able to change the world or accomplish anything significant. But he can make his own life brighter and more interesting. And not the least role in this is played by everyday life with its affairs and worries. Everyday life is not always dull and uninteresting. If desired, everyday activities can be bright and impressive. But all this has nothing to do with Ilya Ilyich Oblomov. He lies in an untidy, dusty room. It's dirty and uncomfortable here. But the hero of the novel has no desire to change at least this room, to make his life a little more comfortable. This is how the writer speaks about Oblomov’s room: “The room where Ilya Ilyich was lying seemed at first glance to be beautifully decorated... But the experienced eye of a person with pure taste, with one quick glance at everything that was here, would have read the desire to only somehow observe dekorum of inevitable decency, just to get rid of them... Along the walls, near the paintings, cobwebs, saturated with dust, were molded in the form of festoons; mirrors, instead of reflecting objects, could serve rather as tablets for writing on them, in the dust, some notes for memory... The carpets were stained. There was a forgotten towel on the sofa; On rare mornings there was not a plate with a salt shaker and a gnawed bone on the table that had not been cleared away from yesterday’s dinner, and there were no bread crumbs lying around.”

The situation that surrounds the main character is quite unpleasant. Oblomov tries to reproach his servant Zakhar for his sloppiness. But the servant turns out to be a match for his master. He talks about dust and dirt: “... why clean it up if it accumulates again.” Zakhar also believes that “he didn’t invent bedbugs and cockroaches, everyone has them.”

Oblomov does not have the strength or desire to force his servant to clean up the room. He is not able to do anything in his native village. But Ilya Ilyich is happy to make plans, continuing to lie on the sofa. Oblomov dreams of reconstruction in the village. Of course, his dreams have nothing to do with reality. It is basically impossible to implement them. And, of course, Oblomov himself will never be able to implement them. Oblomov’s daydreaming takes on some monstrous scope. He lives these dreams, thereby abandoning real life. The writer gives us the opportunity to observe Ilya Ilyich as he dreams: “The thought walked like a free bird across his face, fluttered in his eyes, sat on his half-open lips, hid in the folds of his forehead, then completely disappeared, and then an even light of carelessness glowed throughout his whole face... ."

Oblomov does not think about his own life. On the one hand, he may seem happy. He is not worried about tomorrow, he does not think about any problems or troubles. But on the other hand, his life is devoid of very important components - movement, new impressions, active actions. Oblomov practically does not communicate with people; complete solitude from people and worries is enough for him.

It must be said that Oblomov’s inner world is very rich. After all, Ilya Ilyich is able to feel and understand art. In addition, he finds pleasure in communicating with certain people, for example, with his friend Stolz, Olga Ilyinskaya. However, this is clearly not enough to feel the fullness of life. And deep down in his soul Oblomov understands this. He tries to create an imaginary harmony between his inner world and the outer world. But this is not so easy to do. After all, real life comes into conflict with the world of dreams and dreams. Let Oblomov be completely satisfied with his existence. But at the same time he is unhappy because he has replaced real life with half-asleep. It is no coincidence that nothing pleases Ilya Ilyich; vivid experiences, feelings and emotions are unfamiliar to him. Oblomov's inertia and indifference to life become his tragedy.

Oblomov believes that everything suits him. In fact, he does not know any other life; activity, aspirations and activity are alien to him. Everything passes by the main character. And he still lives by his illusions. And the only thing he sees in front of him is an untidy room. The world has narrowed for Oblomov to the size of his own sofa. Ilya Ilyich gives up love, career, family happiness in order to lie quietly on the sofa. In fact, Oblomov’s narrow-mindedness becomes the cause of his tragedy. Ilya Ilyich could not see all the advantages of real life. Oblomov's degradation has become completely justified. He doesn't even pay attention to his own appearance. For what? He's feeling good as it is. It doesn't matter what happened or what will happen. The main and only reality is the very sofa on which he slept for so long and on which the main character prefers to stay.

Oblomov's life has no meaning. After all, inaction, emptiness, laziness, apathy cannot be called meaning. Life becomes painful, because it is not human nature to lead a plant existence. The novel "Oblomov" makes readers think about the fact that a person is capable of becoming his own enemy if he decides to replace real life with

“Oblomov’s Dream” not only illuminated, clarified and intelligently poeticized the hero’s entire face, but also connected him with a thousand invisible bonds to the heart of every Russian reader. In this regard, “The Dream,” striking in itself as a separate artistic creation, is even more striking in its significance in the entire novel.

Deep in the feeling that inspired it, bright in the meaning contained in it, it at the same time explains and enlightens the typical person in which the interest of the entire work is concentrated. Oblomov without his “Dream” would be an unfinished creation, not dear to each of us, as he is now - his “Dream” explains all our perplexities and, without giving us a single naked interpretation, commands us to understand and love Oblomov. There is nothing superfluous here, here you will not find an unclear feature or a word spoken in vain, all the little details of the situation are necessary, all are legal and beautiful. Onisim Suslov, whose porch could only be reached by grasping the grass with one hand and the roof of the hut with the other, is dear to us and necessary in this matter of clarification. A sleepy servant blowing sleepily into kvass in which the drowning flies are stirring vigorously, and a dog recognized as mad just because it rushed to run away from people who had gathered at it with pitchforks and axes, and a nanny falling asleep after a fatty dinner with a premonition that Ilyusha will go touch the goat and climb the gallery, and a hundred other charming, Mierisian details are necessary here, because they contribute to the integrity and high poetry of the main task.

So, “Oblomov’s Dream” expanded, legitimized and clarified the multi-significant type of hero, but this was not yet enough to complete the creation. The new and last, decisive step in the creative process was the creation of Olga Ilyinskaya - a creation so happy that we, without hesitation, will call the first thought about it the cornerstone of the entire Oblomov drama, the happiest thought in the entire artistic activity of our author. Even leaving aside all the charm of the performance, all the artistry with which Olga’s face is processed, we will not find sufficient words to express all the beneficial influence of this character on the course of the novel and the development of Oblomov’s type. Without Olga Ilyinskaya and without her drama with Oblomov, we would not have recognized Ilya Ilyich as we now know him; without Olga’s view of the hero, we still would not have looked at him properly. In the rapprochement of these two main characters of the work, everything is extremely natural, every detail satisfies the most exacting requirements of art - and yet how much psychological depth and wisdom develops before us through it! How this young, proudly brave girl lives and fills all our ideas about Oblomov, how we sympathize with the desire of her whole being for this gentle eccentric, separated from the world around him, how we suffer with her suffering, how we hope with her hopes, even knowing and knowing well their unrealizability! G. Goncharov, as a brave connoisseur of the human heart, from the first scenes between Olga and her first chosen one, gave a large share of the intrigue to the comic element.

His incomparable, mocking, lively Olga, from the first minutes of rapprochement, sees all the funny features of the hero, without being deceived at all, plays with them, almost enjoys them and is deceived only in her calculations about the solid foundations of Oblomov’s character. All this is amazingly true and at the same time bold, because until now none of the poets has dwelled on the great significance of the tender comic side in love affairs, while this side has always existed, eternally exists - How to write an essay 205 and expresses itself in most of our heart's affections. Many times over the past months we have heard and even read expressions of bewilderment about “how could the smart and sharp-sighted Olga fall in love with a man who is unable to change apartments and happily sleeps after dinner” - and, as far as we can remember, all such expressions belonged to persons very young, very unfamiliar with life. Olga’s spiritual antagonism with Oblomovism, her playful, touching attitude towards the weaknesses of the chosen one is explained by both the facts and the essence of the matter. The facts developed very naturally - the girl, who by nature is not interested in tinsel and empty social youths of her circle, is interested in the eccentric about whom the smart Stolz told her so many stories, curious and funny, unusual and amusing. She gets close to him out of curiosity, he likes him out of nothing to do, perhaps as a result of innocent coquetry, and then stops in amazement at the miracle she has done. We have already said that the tender, loving nature of the Oblomovs is entirely illuminated through love - and how could it be otherwise with the pure, childishly affectionate Russian soul, from which even its laziness drove away corruption with tempting thoughts. Ilya Ilyich spoke out entirely through his love, and Olga, a keen-sighted girl, did not remain blind to the treasures that opened before her. These are the external facts, and from them there is only one step to the most essential truth of the novel. Olga understood Oblomov closer than Stolz understood him, closer than all the people devoted to him.

She saw in him innate tenderness, and purity of character, and Russian gentleness, and a knightly capacity for devotion, and a decisive inability to do any unclean deed, and finally - which should not be forgotten - she saw in him an original person, funny, but pure and not at all despised in its originality. Once he reached this point, the artist reached such an entertaining level of action, such charm in the whole course of events, that the failed, sadly ending love of Olga and Oblomov became and will forever remain one of the most charming episodes in all Russian literature. We know that the time for renewal has been missed, that it was not given to Olga to raise Oblomov, and yet, with any conflict in their drama, our hearts freeze from the unknown. What we didn’t experience during all the vicissitudes of this passion, starting from the moment when Ilya Ilyich, looking at Olga the way nanny Kuzminishna looks at her, importantly talks about how it’s not good and dangerous to see each other alone, until his terrible, last date with the girl until her last words: “What destroyed you, there is no name for this evil!” What is there in this gap, in this struggle of light and shadow, giving us all of Oblomov and bringing him closer to us so that we suffer for him when he, groaning and bored, makes his way into the opera from the Vyborg side, and we are illuminated with joy in those moments when in his dusty Oblomov nest, with the desperate barking of a dog galloping on a chain, an unexpected vision of a good angel suddenly appears. Before how many particulars of the said episode the most good-natured laughter takes possession of us, and then takes possession of us, only to be immediately replaced by expectation, sadness, excitement, bitter condolences for the weak! This is what a series of artistic details leads us to, starting with Oblomov’s dream. This is where true laughter through tears appears - that laughter that has become hateful to us - so often scandalous poets and biographers of drunken bribe-takers used it to hide behind it! The expression, so mercilessly disgraced by mediocre writers, again received its power for us: the power of true, living poetry again returned our sympathy to it. Olga's creation is so complete - and the task she performed in the novel is fulfilled so richly - that further explanation of Oblomov's type through other characters becomes a luxury, sometimes unnecessary. One of the representatives of this excessive luxury is Stolz, with whom many of Mr. Goncharov’s admirers seem to be dissatisfied.

It is absolutely clear to us that this person was conceived and thought out before Olga, that the great work of understanding Oblomov and Oblomovism through a clear contrast between the two heroes fell to his share, in the author’s previous idea. But Olga took the whole matter into her own hands, to the true happiness of the author and to the glory of his work. Andrei Stolts disappeared before her, just as a good but ordinary husband disappears before his brilliantly gifted wife. His role became insignificant, completely disproportionate to the difficulty and extensive preparation, like the role of an actor who had been preparing for a whole year to play Hamlet and performed in front of the public in the role of Laertes. Looking at the matter from this point of view, we are ready to condemn the too frequent appearance of Stoltz, but we are incapable of condemning him as a living person in the same way as condemning Laertes for not being Hamlet. We see absolutely nothing unsympathetic in Stolz, and in his creation there is nothing sharply incompatible with the laws of art: he is an ordinary person and does not aspire to be extraordinary people, a person who is not at all elevated by the novelist to the ideal of our time, a character depicted with excessive painstakingness, which is all -still does not give us the proper completeness of the impression. Describing Stolz's childhood to us in great detail and poetically, Mr. Goncharov is so cool towards the period of his maturity that he does not even tell us what kind of enterprises Stolz is involved in, and this strange mistake has an unpleasant effect on the reader, who has been accustomed since childhood to look unkindly at every swindler, whose business activities are shrouded in darkness. If there was a great need for Stolz, if only through him Oblomov’s type was capable of proper understanding, we have no doubt that our artist, with his strength and vigilance, would not have retreated from the once given topic, but we have already said that the creation Olga was pushed far away by Stolz and his significance in the novel. Clarification through the sharp contrast of two dissimilar male characters became unnecessary: ​​the dry, ungrateful contrast was replaced by a drama full of love, tears, laughter and pity. Stolz only had some participation left in the mechanical course of the whole intrigue, and also his boundless love for Oblomov’s person, in which, however, he has many rivals.

And in fact, take a careful look at the entire novel, and you will see how many people in it are devoted to Ilya Ilyich and even adore him, this meek dove, as Olga puts it. And Zakhar, and Anisya, and Stolz, and Olga, and the listless Alekseev - all are attracted by the charm of this pure and whole nature, in front of which only Tarantyev can stand without smiling and without feeling warmth in his soul, without making fun of her and without wanting her take a deep breath. But Tarantyev is a scoundrel, a mazurik; a lump of dirt, a nasty cobblestone sits in his chest instead of a heart, and we hate Tarantiev, so that if he appeared alive before us, we would consider it a pleasure to beat him with our own hands. But the cold penetrates us to the bones and a thunderstorm rises in our soul at that moment when, after describing Oblomov’s conversation with Olga, after the seventh heaven of poetry, we learn that Tarantyev is sitting in Ilya Ilyich’s chair and waiting for his arrival. Fortunately, there are few Tarantyevs in the world and in the novel there is someone to love Oblomov. Almost every one of the characters loves him in his own way, and this love is so simple, so necessarily follows from the essence of the matter, so alien to any calculation or author’s stretch! But no one’s adoration (even counting Olga’s feelings at the best time of her infatuation) does not touch us as much as Agafya Matveevna’s love for Oblomov, that same Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna, who from her first appearance seemed to us to be Ilya Ilyich’s evil angel - and alas! truly became his evil angel.

Agafya Matveevna, quiet, devoted, ready to die for our friend at any moment, really ruined him completely, heaped a grave stone over all his aspirations, plunged him into the yawning abyss of Oblomovism, abandoned for a moment, but everything will be forgiven to this woman for the fact that she loved. The pages in which Agafya Matveevna appears to us, from her very first shy conversation with Oblomov, are the height of artistic perfection, but our author, concluding the story, crossed all the boundaries of his usual artistry and gave us such lines that make our hearts break and tears flow looks at a book and the soul of a keen-eyed reader flies into the realm of such poetry that until now, of all Russian people, only Pushkin has been given the opportunity to be a creator in this field. Agafya Matveevna's grief for the late Oblomov, her attitude towards her family and Andryusha, and finally, this marvelous analysis of her soul and her past passion - all this is beyond the most enthusiastic assessment.