The composition “Pomegranate bracelet: the theme of love. Essay on the topic: Lyubov Zheltkova in the story The Garnet Bracelet, Kuprin Why passionate love of Zheltkov is unrequited
When the reader opens Kuprin's "Garnet Bracelet", he does not even suspect that he will be lucky enough to read a story of love. Kuprin wrote many works about love, in its various manifestations. Like many writers before him. But love of this type, as we see in the "Pomegranate Bracelet", is very rare, and the author himself, and the reader, and the heroes of the work understand this, who saw with their own eyes the greatest manifestation of human feelings - disinterested, selfless love, which requires almost nothing in return ...
Lyubov Zheltkova is like an ornament for the work, as it seems at the beginning. It acts as a joke at a family dinner, as entertainment, and does not carry anything serious. But, despite the fact that the author does not seem to lend seriousness to this episode, we feel that this is exactly what we have gathered for. All conversations, all hints and half-hints, sentences and words lead us gradually to an understanding of the main idea of \u200b\u200bthe work, which is also the question - what exactly is Zheltkov's love. Was it crazy or Vera Nikolaevna met real faithful and devoted love, which, as it seemed, no one else in this world is capable of.
The author gradually prepares us for what we will see at the end of the work. General Anosov's stories, Anna Nikolaevna's thoughts and thoughts, dinner jokes, a letter and a pomegranate bracelet tell the reader this. They say that somewhere around there are feelings that have a deep, serious background. Which are far from the convenience and material world, which should be respected.
Despite the comic nature of the situation, no one is funny. Despite the fact that no one took Zheltkov seriously, no one sowed over his feelings. He inspired respect even to Vera Nikolaevna's husband by admitting from the bottom of his heart that he loved his wife. He instilled respect with his love, which lasted almost eight years, and over the years it only became stronger and more fiery.
Zheltkov, accidentally carried away by Vera Nikolaevna, could no longer forget her and wanted to write letters to her. But she refused him and asked not to disturb her and not to bother herself. Her desire was a law for him, and he stopped writing, but he never for a second stopped thinking about her, about her well-being and happiness. For him, the main thing was that Vera Nikolaevna was good and calm, his own interests had long gone by Zheltkov to the background. Only occasionally did he allow himself to write a congratulatory letter to the woman he loved more than life. And once he dared to send her a gift, which was the only material object that he presented to her in all the years of his worship.
His tragedy also lay in the fact that he was absolutely sane, sane and fully aware of his position. He understood that his love will always remain unrequited, but he resigned himself to this, and even found, quite likely, his own way to rejoice in this. It was a pleasure for him to know that Vera Nikolaevna was healthy and happy.
The culmination of his Love comes when he commits suicide. He can no longer just be an unknown admirer and admirer, he revealed his name, but he, as he himself perfectly understands, always remains superfluous in the life of the one whom he loves more than life. Moreover, he will always be a reproach to her that, perhaps, her great love passed by, and she did not even pay attention to her. He simply decides to leave, and at the moment when he no longer cares, he meets Vera Nikolaevna face to face. This was their first and last meeting. Perhaps Zheltkov understood that in other circumstances she simply could not meet.
Love always occupies a special place in the life of every person. Poets and writers celebrate this feeling. After all, it is precisely this that allows you to feel the joy of being, to raise a person above circumstances and obstacles, even if love is unrequited. AI Kuprin is no exception. His story "Garnet Bracelet" is a masterpiece of the world literary heritage.
An unusual story on a common theme
The theme of love in the work "Garnet Bracelet" takes the main place. The story reveals the most secret corners of the human soul, which is why it is loved by readers of various age groups. In the work, the author shows what a person is really capable of for the sake of true love. Each reader hopes that he will be able to feel in the same way as the protagonist of this story. The theme of love in the work "Pomegranate Bracelet" is, first of all, the theme of the relationship between the sexes, dangerous and controversial for any writer. After all, it is very difficult to avoid banality, describing what has been said a thousand times already. However, the writer manages to touch even the most sophisticated reader with his story.
Impossibility of happiness
Kuprin, in his story, talks about a beautiful and unrequited love - this should definitely be mentioned when analyzing the work "Pomegranate Bracelet". The theme of love in the story takes a central place, because its main character, Zheltkov, has unrequited feelings. He loves Vera, but he cannot be with her, because she is completely indifferent to him. In addition, all circumstances are against their being together. First, they occupy different positions on the social ladder. Yolkov is poor, he is a representative of a completely different class. Secondly, Vera is bound by the knot. She would never agree to cheat on her spouse, because she is attached to him with all her soul. And these are just two reasons why Zheltkov cannot be with Vera.
Christian feelings
With such hopelessness, one can hardly believe in anything. However, the main character does not lose hope. His love was absolutely phenomenal, he could only give, demanding nothing in return. The theme of love in "Pomegranate Bracelet" is at the center of the storyline. And the feelings that Zheltkov has for the Faith have a tinge of sacrifice inherent in Christianity. After all, the main character did not rebel, he resigned himself to his position. He also did not expect a reward for his patience in the form of a response. His love had no selfish motives. Zheltkov managed to deny himself, putting his feelings for his beloved in the first place.
Caring for your beloved
In this case, the main character turns out to be honest in relation to Vera and her husband. He acknowledges the sinfulness of his passion. Not once in all the years that he loved Vera, Zheltkov did not cross the threshold of her house with an offer and did not compromise the woman in any way. That is, he cared about her personal happiness and well-being more than about himself, and this is true self-denial.
The greatness of those feelings that Zheltkov experienced lies in the fact that he was able to let go of Vera for the sake of her happiness. And he did it at the cost of his own life. He knew what he would do to himself after spending the state money, but he took this step deliberately. And at the same time, the main character did not give Vera a single reason to believe that she could be guilty of anything. The official commits suicide because of a crime he has committed.
In those days, the desperate took their own lives so that their obligations were not passed on to loved ones. And therefore, Zheltkov's act seemed logical and had nothing to do with Vera. This fact testifies to the unusual trepidation of the feeling that Zheltkov had for her. This is the rarest treasure of the human soul. The official proved that love can be stronger than death itself.
A turning point
In an essay based on the piece “Garnet Bracelet. The theme of love ”, you can indicate what the plot of the story consisted. The main character - Vera - is the wife of the prince. She constantly receives letters from a secret admirer. However, one day instead of letters comes a rather expensive gift - a garnet bracelet. The theme of love in Kuprin's work originates here. Vera regarded such a gift as compromising and told everything to her husband and brother, who easily found who had sent it.
It turned out to be a modest civil servant Georgy Zheltkov. He accidentally saw Vera and fell in love with her with all his nature. At the same time, Zheltkov was quite pleased with the fact that love is unrequited. The prince comes to him, after which the official feels that he has let Vera down, because he has compromised her with an expensive garnet bracelet. The theme of tragic love in the work sounds like a leitmotif. Zheltkov asked Vera for forgiveness in a letter, asked her to listen to Beethoven's sonata and committed suicide - he shot himself.
Tragedy of Faith
This story interested Vera, she asked her husband for permission to visit the apartment of the deceased. In the analysis of Kuprin's "Garnet Bracelet", the theme of love should be considered in detail. The student should point out that it was in Zheltkov's apartment that she felt all those feelings that she had never experienced during all 8 years while Zheltkov loved her. At home, listening to that very sonata, she realized that Zheltkov could make her happy.
Hero skins
You can also briefly describe the images of the heroes in the analysis of the work "Garnet Bracelet". The theme of love, chosen by Kuprin, helped him create such characters that reflect the social realities of not only their era. Their roles apply to all of humanity. The image of the official Zheltkov is a confirmation of this. He is not rich, he has no special merits. Zheltkov is a completely modest person. He does not demand anything in return for his feelings.
Faith is a woman who is used to obeying the rules of society. Of course, she does not give up love, but she also does not consider it a vital necessity. After all, she has a spouse who can give her everything she needs, so she does not need feelings. But this happens only until the moment when she learns about the death of Zheltkov. Love in Kuprin's work symbolizes the nobility of the human soul. Neither Prince Shein nor Vera herself can boast of this feeling. Love was the highest manifestation of Zheltkov's soul. Without demanding anything, he knew how to enjoy the magnificence of his experiences.
Morality the reader can bear
It should also be said that the theme of love in the work "Garnet Bracelet" was not chosen by Kuprin by chance. The reader can draw the following conclusion: in a world where comfort and daily obligations come to the fore, in no case should you take your loved one for granted. We need to value him as well as ourselves, which is what the main character of the story of Zheltkov teaches us.
"GARNET BRACELET"
Another piece that excited me, called “The Pomegranate Bracelet,” also shows true love. In this work, Kuprin depicts the fragility and insecurity of high human feelings. GS Zheltkov is one of the employees in a government agency. He has been in love with Vera Nikolaevna Sheina for eight years already, but his feelings are unrequited. Zheltkov, even before Vera's marriage, wrote her love letters. But no one knew who was sending them, since Zheltkov signed himself with the initials “P. P. Zh. ”. It was assumed that this is an abnormal, crazy, insane, "maniac". But this was a man who truly loved. Lyubov Zheltkova was disinterested, selfless, not expecting a reward, “love for which to accomplish any feat, give up life, go to torment is not labor at all, but one joy”. This is exactly what Zheltkov's love for Vera was. In his life, he loved only her and no one else. Faith for him was the only joy in life, the only consolation, "a single thought." And since his love had no future, it was hopeless, he committed suicide.
The heroine is married, but she loves her husband, and towards Mr. Zheltkov, on the contrary, she does not feel any feelings, except for annoyance. And Zheltkov himself seems to us at first just a vulgar boyfriend. This is how Vera and her family perceive him. But in the story of a calm and happy life, alarming notes flicker: this is the fatal love of Vera's husband's brother; love-adoration that her husband has for Vera's sister; the unsuccessful love of grandfather Vera, it is this general who says that true love should be a tragedy, but in life it is vulgarized, everyday life and various kinds of conventions interfere with it. He tells two stories (one of them even somewhat resembles the plot of "Duel"), where true love turns into a farce. Listening to this story, Vera has already received a pomegranate bracelet with a blood stone, which should save her from misfortune, and could save her former owner from violent death. It is from this gift that the reader's attitude towards Zheltkov changes. He sacrifices everything for his love: career, money, peace of mind. And does not require anything in return.
But again empty secular conventions ruin even this illusory happiness. Nikolai, Vera's brother-in-law, who once gave in his love to these prejudices, now demands the same from Zheltkov, he threatens with prison, the court of society, his connections. But Zheltkov reasonably objects: what can all these threats do to his love? Unlike Nikolai (and from Romashov), he is ready to fight and defend his feelings. The barriers set up by society mean nothing to him. Only for the sake of the peace of his beloved, he is ready to give up love, but together with life: he commits suicide.
Now Vera realizes what she has lost. If Shurochka gave up feeling for the sake of well-being and did it deliberately, then Vera simply did not see a great feeling. But after all, in the end, she did not want to see him, she preferred peace and a familiar life (although nothing was demanded of her) and by this, as it were, betrayed the person who loves her. But true love is magnanimous - it has been forgiven.
According to Kuprin's own definition, the "Garnet Bracelet" is his most "chaste" thing. Kuprin turned the traditional plot about a small official and a woman of a secular society into a poem about unrequited love, sublime, selfless, selfless.
The owner of spiritual wealth, the beauty of feeling in the story is a poor man - an official Zheltkov, who for seven years sincerely loved Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina. “For him there was no life without you,” said the princess's husband, Prince Vasily, about Zheltkov. Zheltkov loved Sheina without the slightest hope of reciprocity. It was already happiness for him that she read his letters. All the little things connected with her were dear to Zheltkov. He kept the handkerchief that she had forgotten, the program she kept, the note in which the princess forbade her to write. He worshiped these things the way believers worship holy relics. “I bow in my mind to the ground of the furniture you are sitting on, the parquet floor you walk on, the trees you touch in passing, the servant you are talking to.” Zheltkov deified the princess, even dying: “When I leave, I am delighted to say:“ Hallowed be thy name ”. In the boring life of a petty official, in the constant struggle for life, working for a piece of bread, this sudden feeling was, in the words of the hero himself, "... tremendous happiness ... love that God wanted to reward me for something."
Zheltkova was not able to understand the brother of Princess Vera, but her husband, Prince Vasily Lvovich, appreciated the feeling of this man, although, according to the laws of decency, he was forced to end this story. He had a presentiment of a tragic end: “It seemed to me that I was present at the tremendous suffering from which people were dying,” he confesses to Vera.
Princess Vera at first treated with some contempt the letters and gifts of G. S. Zh., Then pity for the unfortunate lover stirred in her soul. After the death of Zheltkov, “... she realized that the love that every woman dreams of passed her by.”
After the death of Zheltkov, Vera came into harmony with herself only after, at the request of a person who committed suicide for her, she listened to “the best work of Beethoven” - the Second Sonata. The music seemed to say to her on behalf of Zheltkov's soul: “you and I love each other only for one moment, but forever.” And Vera feels that in the soul of the poor man at the hour of death, there really was no anger, or hatred, or even resentment to her, the culprit of great happiness and great tragedy in Zheltkov's life, and that he was dying loving and blessing his beloved.
Kuprin showed in his story "Pomegranate Bracelet" bright human feelings, opposed to the callousness of the world around him.
In the story "Garnet Bracelet" Kuprin with all the strength of his skill develops the idea of \u200b\u200btrue love. He doesn’t want to come to terms with the vulgar, down-to-earth views of love and marriage, drawing our attention to these issues in a rather unusual way, aligning with the ideal feeling. Through the lips of General Anosov, he says: “... People in our time have forgotten how to love! I don't see real love. Yes, and in my time did not see. " What is it? Call? Is it not true what we feel? We have a calm, moderate happiness with the person we need. What is more? According to Kuprin, “Love must be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world! No life comforts, calculations and compromises should concern her. " Only then can love be called a real feeling, completely true and moral.
I still cannot forget what impression Zheltkov's feelings made on me. How much he loved Vera Nikolaevna that he could commit suicide! This is crazy! Loving Princess Sheina “seven years of hopeless and polite love”, he, never meeting her, speaking of his love only in letters, suddenly commits suicide! Not because Vera Nikolaevna's brother is going to turn to power, and not because his gift - a pomegranate bracelet - was returned. (He is a symbol of deep fiery love and at the same time an eerie bloody sign of death.) And, probably, not because he squandered state money. There was simply no other way out for Zheltkov. He loved a married woman so much that he could not help but think about her for a minute, exist without remembering her smile, her look, the sound of her gait. He himself says to Vera's husband: "There is only one thing left - death ... You want it, I will accept it in whatever form you want." The terrible thing is that this decision was pushed by Vera Nikolaevna's brother and husband, who came to demand that their family be left alone. They turned out to be, as it were, indirect culprits of his death. They had the right to demand peace, but on the part of Nikolai Nikolayevich it was unacceptable, even ridiculous, the threat to turn to power. How can the authorities forbid a person to love!
Kuprin's ideal is “unselfish, selfless love, not expecting a reward,” one for which you can give your life and endure anything. It was this kind of love, which happens once in a thousand years, that Zheltkov loved. This was his need, the meaning of life, and he proved this: “I knew no complaint, no reproach, no pain of pride, I have only one prayer before you:“ Hallowed be thy name ”. These words, with which his soul was overwhelmed, is felt by Princess Vera in the sounds of Beethoven's immortal sonata. They cannot leave us indifferent and instill in us an unbridled desire to strive for the same incomparably pure feeling. Its roots go back to morality and spiritual harmony in man ... Princess Vera did not regret that this love, "of which every woman dreams, passed her by." She cries because her soul is overwhelmed with admiration for lofty, almost unearthly feelings.
A person who was able to fall in love so much must have some kind of special perception of the world. Although Zheltkov was just a small official, he turned out to be above social norms and standards. People like them are elevated by rumor to the rank of saints, and a bright memory of them lives on for a long time.
Kuprin in his works shows us true love, where there is not an ounce of self-interest, and which does not crave any reward. And love in the story "Pomegranate Bracelet" is described as all-consuming, it is not just a hobby, but a great feeling for life.
In the story, we see the real love of one poor official Zheltkov for the married Vera Shein, how happy he is to just love without demanding anything in return. And as we can see, it didn’t matter to him at all that she didn’t need him. And as proof of his boundless love, he gives Vera Nikolaevna a garnet bracelet, the only valuable thing that he inherited from his mother.
Relatives of Vera, dissatisfied with the interference in their personal life, ask Zheltkov to leave her alone and not write letters to which she still does not care. But can love be taken away?
The only joy and meaning in Zheltkov's life was love for Vera. He did not have any goals in life, he was not interested in anything else.
As a result, he decides to commit suicide and fulfills the will of Vera, leaving her. Lyubov Zheltkova will remain unrequited ...
Too late she will understand that it was true love, the one that many have only dreamed of, passed her by. Later, looking at the dead Zheltkov, Vera will compare him with the greatest people.
The story "Pomegranate Bracelet" colorfully shows us all the torment and tender feelings that are opposed to the lack of spirituality in this world, where the lover is ready for anything for the sake of his beloved.
A person who has managed to love so reverently has a special concept of life. And even though Zheltkov was just an ordinary person, he turned out to be above all established norms and standards.
Kuprin portrays love as an unattainable secret, and for such love there is no doubt. "Garnet Bracelet" is a very interesting and at the same time sad work, in which Kuprin tried to teach us to appreciate something in life in a timely manner ...
Thanks to his works, we find ourselves in a world where disinterested and kind people appear before us. Love is passion, it is a powerful and real feeling that shows the best qualities of the soul. But apart from all this, love is truthfulness and sincerity in a relationship.
Option 2
Love is a word that evokes a wide variety of emotions. It can carry both a positive attitude and a negative one. Kuprin was a unique author who could combine several directions of love in his works. One of these stories was "The Pomegranate Bracelet".
The author has always been sensitive to such a phenomenon as love, and in his story he extolled it, one might say, idolized, which made his work so magical. The main character, an official Zheltkov, was madly in love with a lady named Vera, although he could only open up to her entirely at the end of his life. At first Vera did not know how to react, because she received letters with declarations of love, and her family laughed and scoffed at this. Only Vera's grandfather suggested that the words written in the letters may not be empty, then the granddaughter misses the love that all girls in the world dream of.
Love is shown as a bright, pure feeling, and the object of adoration of the official Zheltkov appears before us as a model of the female ideal. Our hero is ready to envy absolutely everything that surrounds and touches Vera. He envies the trees she might have touched as she passed, the people she talks to along the way. Therefore, when the realization of the hopelessness of his love and life came to him, he decides to present his beloved woman with a gift, with the help of which, although not on his own, he can touch her. This bracelet was the most expensive item our poor hero had.
Love at a distance was very difficult for him, but he cherished it in his heart for a long time. At parting, before his death, he wrote her the last letter, in which he said that he was leaving life at the behest of God, and that he blessed her and wished her further happiness. But you can understand that Vera, who realized her chance late, will no longer be able to live calmly and happily, perhaps this was the only true and sincere love that was waiting for her in life, and she missed it.
In this story by Kuprin, love carries a tragic connotation, because it has remained an unopened flower in the lives of two people. At first she was unrequited for a very long time, but when she began to sprout into the second heart, the first, already exhausted from waiting, stopped beating.
The piece "Garnet Bracelet" can be perceived not only as an "ode" to love, but also as a prayer for love. Zheltkov in his letter used the expression “hallowed be thy name”, which is a reference to the scriptures of God. He deified his chosen one, which, unfortunately, still could not bring his life to a joyful end. But he did not suffer, he loved, and this feeling was a gift, because not everyone is given to experience such a strong feeling at least once in his life, for which our hero remained grateful to his chosen one. She gave him, albeit unrequited, but true love!
Composition Love in the work of Kuprin Garnet bracelet
Over the many centuries of human existence, countless works have been written on the theme of love. And this is no accident. After all, love in the life of every person takes a huge place, giving it a special meaning. Among all these works, very few can be distinguished that describe as much a strong feeling of love as Kuprin's “Garnet Bracelet”.
The main character, the official Zheltkov, as he himself describes his feeling, has the good fortune to experience the most real boundless love. His feeling is so strong that in some places he can be mistaken for an unhealthy, mentally ill person. The peculiarity of Zheltkov's feelings lies in the fact that this person in no case wants to disturb the object of his boundless love and passion. He demands absolutely nothing in return for this superhuman love. It does not even occur to him to cool down, calm his heart just by meeting Vera. This not only speaks of the iron willpower of a person, but also of the boundless love of this person. It is love that does not allow him even for a moment to be awarded the attention of the object of love.
In the letter, Zheltkov calls his love a gift from God and expresses his gratitude to the Lord for the opportunity to experience such a feeling. Of course, both the reader and other heroes of the work are well aware that Zheltkov's love did not bring him anything other than bitter suffering and torment. But only a person who has experienced all this and felt such a strong feeling of love in the right to judge or understand the hero. Zheltkov is unable to do anything with his love. He knows about the impossibility of his further coexistence with this feeling of love. That is why the best way out for him is suicide. Before this act, he assures everyone in a letter that he lived a happy life.
Yes, I foresee suffering, blood and death. And I think that it is difficult for the body to part with the soul, but, Beautiful, praise to you, passionate praise and quiet love. "Hallowed be Thy name" ...
In the dying hour of sadness, I pray only to you. Life could be wonderful for me too. Do not grumble, poor heart, do not grumble. In my soul I call for death, but in my heart I am full of praise to you: "Hallowed be Thy name" ...
A. Kuprin
In the 20th century, in an era of cataclysms, in a period of political and social instability, when a new attitude towards universal human values \u200b\u200bbegan to form, love often became the only moral category that survived in a crumbling and dying world. The theme of love has become central in the work of many writers at the beginning of the century. She became one of the central themes in the work of A. I. Kuprin. Love in his works is always disinterested, selfless, it is not touched by "any life comforts, calculations and compromises." But this love is always tragic, deliberately doomed to suffering. Heroes die. But their feelings are stronger than death. Their feelings don't die. Is this why the images of "Olesya", "Duel", "Shulamith", "Garnet Bracelet" remain in the memory for so long?
In the story "Shulamith" (1908), written based on the biblical Song of Songs, Kuprin's ideal of love is presented. He describes such "tender and fiery, devoted and beautiful love, which is one dearer than wealth, glory and wisdom, which is dearer than life itself, because even life it does not value and is not afraid of death." The story "Garnet Bracelet" (1911) was intended to prove that such love exists in the modern world, and to refute the opinion expressed in the work by General Anosov, the grandfather of the protagonist: "... love among people has taken ... vulgar forms and condescended simply to some kind of everyday convenience, to a little entertainment. " And the men are to blame for this, "at twenty, jaded, with chicken bodies and hare souls, incapable of strong desires, for heroic deeds, for tenderness and adoration before love ..."
Kuprin presented a story that others perceive as an anecdote about a telegraph operator who fell in love, as a touching and sublime Song of Songs about true love.
The hero of the story - GS Zheltkov Pan Ezhiy - is an official of the control chamber, a young man of pleasant appearance, "about thirty, thirty-five years old." He is "tall, thin, with long fluffy, soft hair", "very pale, with a delicate girlish face, with blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle." We learn that Zheltkov is musical and endowed with a sense of beauty. The hero's spiritual image is revealed in his letters to Princess Vera Nikolayevna Sheina, in a conversation with her husband on the eve of suicide, but he is most fully characterized by "seven years of hopeless and polite love."
Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, with whom the hero is in love, attracts with her "aristocratic" beauty inherited from her mother, "her tall flexible figure, gentle but cold and proud face, beautiful, albeit rather large hands and that charming slope of the shoulders, which can be seen on old miniatures ". Zheltkov considers her to be extraordinary, sophisticated and musical. He "began to persecute her with his love" two years before marriage. When he first saw the princess in the circus in a box, he said to himself: "I love her because there is nothing like her in the world, there is nothing better, there is no animal, no plant, no star, no man more beautiful ... and more tender. ". He admits that since then he "has not been interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people." For Zheltkov, Vera Nikolaevna "seemed to embody all the beauty of the earth." It is no coincidence that he constantly says about God: "God was pleased to send me, as a tremendous happiness, love to you", "the love with which God was pleased to reward me for something."
At first, Zheltkov's letters to Princess Vera were "vulgar and curiously fervent" in nature, "although they were quite chaste." But over time, he began to reveal his feelings in a more restrained and delicate manner: "I blush at the memory of my insolence seven years ago, when I dared to write stupid and wild letters to you, young lady ... Now in me there is only reverence, eternal admiration. and slavish devotion. " “For me, the whole life is only in you,” writes Zheltkov to Vera Nikolaevna. In this life, every moment is dear to him when he sees the princess or watches her with excitement at a ball or in a theater. Leaving this life, he burns everything that is most dear to his heart: Vera's handkerchief, which she forgot at the ball in the Noble Assembly, her note with a request "not to bother her with my outpouring of love anymore," the program of an art exhibition that the princess held in her hand, and then forgot on the chair when leaving.
Knowing full well about the inseparability of his feelings, Zheltkov hopes and "even is sure" that someday Vera Nikolaevna will remember him. She herself, unaware of that, painfully wounds him, pushes him to commit suicide, saying in a telephone conversation the phrase: "Oh, if you knew how tired I am of this whole story. Please stop it as soon as possible." Nevertheless, in his farewell letter, the hero "from the depths of his soul" thanks Vera Nikolaevna for the fact that she was his "only joy in life, the only consolation." He wishes her happiness and that "nothing temporary and worldly would disturb" her "beautiful soul."
Yolkov is the chosen one. His love is "disinterested, selfless, not expecting a reward ...". The one about which it is said - "strong as death" ... such a love, "for which to accomplish any feat, to give up life, to go to torment is not labor at all, but one joy ...". In his own words, this love was sent to him by God. He loves, and his feeling "contains the whole meaning of life - the whole universe!" Every woman in the depths of her heart dreams of such a love - "holy, pure, eternal ... unearthly", "one, all-forgiving, ready for anything."
And Vera Nikolaevna is also chosen, because it was her life's path that was "crossed" by true, "modest and selfless" true love. And if "almost every woman in love is capable of the highest heroism", then men in the modern world, unfortunately, have become impoverished in spirit and body; But Zheltkov is not like that. The date scene reveals many aspects of this person's character. At first he gets lost ("jumped up, ran to the window, pulling his hair"), admits that now "the hardest moment has come" in his life, and his whole appearance testifies to an indescribable mental anguish: with Shein and Tuganovsky he speaks with "jaws alone" , and his lips are "white ... like a dead man's." But self-control quickly returns to him, Zheltkov again regains the gift of speech and the ability to reason sensibly. As a person with a keen feeling and knowing how to understand people, he immediately rebuffed Nikolai Nikolaevich, stopped paying attention to his stupid threats, in Vasily Lvovich he guessed a smart person, understanding, able to listen to his confession. During this meeting, when a difficult conversation took place with the husband and brother of his beloved and Zheltkov was returned his gift - a wonderful pomegranate bracelet, a family heirloom, which he calls "a modest loyal offering", the hero demonstrated a strong will.
After calling Vera Nikolaevna, he decided that he had only one way out - to leave this life, so as not to cause any more inconvenience to his beloved. This step was the only possible one, because his whole life was centered around his beloved, and now he was denied even the last little thing: to stay in the city, "to see her occasionally, of course, without showing her eyes." Zheltkov understands that life away from Vera Nikolaevna will not bring deliverance from "sweet delirium", because wherever he is, his heart will remain at the feet of his beloved, "every moment of the day" will be filled with Her, the thought of Her, dreams of Her. Having made this difficult decision, Zheltkov finds the strength to explain himself. His excitement is betrayed by his behavior ("he stopped behaving like a gentleman") and his speech, which becomes businesslike, categorical and harsh. "That's all," said Zheltkov, smiling haughtily. "You will never hear about me again and, of course, you will never see me again ... I think I did everything I could?"
Farewell to Vera Nikolaevna for the hero is a farewell to life. It is no coincidence that Princess Vera, bending over the deceased to lay a rose, notices that "deep importance" is hidden in his closed eyes, and his lips smile "blissfully and serenely, as if he had learned some deep and sweet secret before parting with life. all his human life. " The last words of Zheltkov are words of gratitude for the fact that the princess was his "only joy in life, the only consolation, a single thought", wishes for the happiness of his beloved and the hope that she will fulfill his last request: she will perform sonata D major No. 2, op. 2.
All of the above convinces us that the image of Zheltkov, painted by Kuprin with such nobility and enlightened love, is not an image of a "small", pitiful, defeated by love, poor in spirit person. No, leaving life, Zheltkov remains strong and selflessly loving. He reserves the right to choose, defends his human dignity. Even Vera Nikolaevna's husband understood how deeply this man's feeling was, and treated him with respect: "I will say that he loved you and was not crazy at all," Shein reports after meeting with Zheltkov. and saw every movement, every change in his face. And for him there was no life without you. It seemed to me that I was present at the enormous suffering from which people are dying. "
An inconspicuous official, a "little man" with a funny surname Zheltkov, performed a feat of self-sacrifice in the name of the happiness and peace of his beloved woman. Yes, he was possessed, but possessed by a high feeling. It was "not a disease, not a manic idea." It was love - great and poetic, filling life with meaning and content, saving man and humanity itself from moral degeneration. Love that only a select few are capable of. Love "that every woman dreams of ... love that repeats itself only once in a thousand years" ...
