K. Paustovsky called this story a “fragrant” work about love, and researchers compared it with a Beethoven sonata. We are talking about “Garnet Bracelet” by A. Kuprin. Schoolchildren get to know him in 11th grade. The story captivates the reader with its exciting plot, deep images and original interpretation. eternal theme love. We offer an analysis of the work, which will be a good assistant in preparing for the lesson and the Unified State Exam. For convenience, the article provides a brief and complete analysis of the plan.
Brief Analysis
Year of writing - 1910
History of creation- A. I. Kuprin was inspired to write the work by a story he heard in a family of friends.
Subject- The story reveals traditional themes of unrequited love, a sincere feeling that all women dream of.
Composition- The semantic and formal organization of the story has its own peculiarities. The work begins with an epigraph addressed to Beethoven’s “Sonata No. 2”. The same musical masterpiece acts as a symbol in the final part. The author wove small love stories told by Vasily Lvovich into the outline of the main plot. The story consists of 13 parts.
Genre- A story. The writer himself considered his work a story.
Direction- Realism.
History of creation
The story of the creation of the story is connected with real events. A. Kuprin was a friend of Governor Lyubimov’s family. While viewing the family album, the Lyubimovs told Alexander Ivanovich an interesting love story. A telegraph official was in love with the governor's wife. The woman collected his letters and made sketches for them. Once she received a gift from an admirer: a gold-plated chain and a pendant in the shape of an Easter egg.
Work on the work began in September 1910, as evidenced by the author’s letters addressed to his colleagues. At first, Alexander Ivanovich was going to write a story. But he was so inspired by the artistic transformation of the story he heard that the work turned out to be much more than it was intended. Created by Kuprin " Garnet bracelet» about 3 months. He wrote to Batyushkov about the progress of the work. In one of the letters, the writer admitted that he had difficulties associated with his “ignorance in music.” However, Alexander Ivanovich valued the “Garnet Bracelet” very much, so he did not want to “crumple” it.
The work was first seen by the world on the pages of the magazine “Earth” in 1911. Criticism of the work focused on its ideas and expressive “psychological situations.”
Subject
In order to grasp the ideological sound of the story “Garnet Bracelet,” its analysis should begin with a description of the main problem.
Motif of love has always been common in literature. Masters of the pen have revealed different facets of this feeling, trying to understand how it affects a person. In the work of A. Kuprin, this motif occupies a place of honor. main topic“Pomegranate Bracelet” - unrequited love. The problematics of the work are dictated by the specified topic.
The events of the story unfold at the Sheins' dacha. The author begins the work with landscape sketches. The end of summer was not encouraging with good weather, but at the beginning of September nature compensated for the gloomy August with sunny days. Reading the work further, it is not difficult to guess that the landscapes not only help to immerse oneself in the countryside atmosphere, but also symbolize changes in the life of the main character, Vera Nikolaevna Sheina: her life with her husband was gray and boring until the woman received an unusual gift.
At the beginning of the work, the reader observes only two characters - the Sheins. The author focuses on the fact that the love between these people has faded away, or rather, “transformed into a feeling of lasting, faithful, true friendship.”
The system of images is supplemented in an episode reproducing the celebration of the princess’s name day.
The holiday is remembered by the stories of Prince Vasily Lvovich about the unrequited love of a telegraph operator for his wife. On the same day, Vera Nikolaevna received a garnet bracelet and a letter signed with her initials as a gift. The woman told about the strange gift to her husband, father's friend and brother. They decided to find the author of the letter.
It turned out that the gift was presented by the official Zheltkov, who was madly in love with the princess. Vera Nikolaevna's brother returned the bracelet to the man. After explanations with the Sheins, Zheltkov committed suicide. He left a note to his beloved in which he asked to play a Beethoven sonata if Vera remembered him. In the evening, the woman fulfilled the request of the deceased and finally felt that the man had forgiven her.
“The Pomegranate Bracelet” is filled with reflections on love that come from the lips of the characters. These thoughts are like keys to a door behind which are hidden answers about the essence of a tender, but sometimes ruthless feeling. However, the author does not try to impose his point of view. The reader must draw his own conclusions. To understand what the writer teaches, you need to analyze the actions of the heroes, their characters and destinies.
The work of A. Kuprin is filled with symbols. Main role a garnet bracelet plays, hence the title of the story. The decoration symbolizes true love. The bracelet contains five precious stones. In one of King Solomon's parables, they meant love, passion and anger. An interpretation of the meaning of the title of the story will be incomplete without taking into account the symbolic component. Also, special attention is drawn to Beethoven's sonata, which in this context can be interpreted as a symbol of unhappy but eternal love.
The work develops idea that true love does not disappear from the heart without a trace. Main thought- sincere love exists, you just need to be able to notice and accept it.
Composition
The compositional features of the work are manifested both at the formal and semantic levels. First, A. Kuprin draws the reader to Beethoven’s sonnet through an epigraph. In the finale, it turns out that the musical masterpiece plays the role of a symbol. With the help of this symbolic image, a frame is created that enhances the ideological sound.
The order of the plot elements is not broken. The exhibition includes landscape sketches, an introduction to the Shein family, and a story about the upcoming holiday. The beginning is Vera Nikolaevna receiving a gift. The development of events - a story about the name day, the search for the recipient of the gift, a meeting with Zheltkov. The climax is Zheltkov’s recognition that only death will kill his feelings. The denouement is the death of Zheltkov and the story of how Vera listens to the sonata.
Main characters
Genre
The genre of “The Garnet Bracelet” is a story. The work reveals several storylines, the system of images is quite branched. In terms of volume, it also approaches the story. A. Kuprin was a representative of realism, and the story under analysis was written in this direction. It is based on real events; in addition, the author expressively conveyed the atmosphere of his era.
Work test
Rating analysis
Average rating: 4.4. Total ratings received: 2312.
The theme of love in Kuprin's story 8220 Garnet bracelet 8221
In the works of A. Kuprin we encounter selfless love that does not require reward. The writer believes that love is not a moment, but an all-consuming feeling that can consume life.
In “Garnet Bracelet” we encounter Zheltkov’s true love. He is happy because he loves. It doesn’t matter to him that Vera Nikolaevna doesn’t need him. As I. Bunin said: “All love is great happiness, even if it is not shared.” Zheltkov simply loved, without demanding anything in return. His whole life was about Vera Shein; he enjoyed every thing of hers: a forgotten handkerchief, a program art exhibition, which she once held in her hand. His only hope was letters, with the help of them he communicated with his beloved. He wanted only one thing, for her gentle hands to touch a piece of his soul - a sheet of paper. As a sign of his fiery love, Zheltkov gave the most expensive thing - a garnet bracelet.
The hero is by no means pathetic, and the depth of his feelings, the ability to sacrifice himself deserves not only sympathy, but also admiration. Zheltkov rises above the entire society of the Sheins, where true love would never arise. They can only laugh at the poor hero, drawing caricatures, reading his letters. Even in a conversation with Vasily Shein and Mirza - Bulat - Tuganovsky, he finds himself in a moral gain. Vasily Lvovich recognizes his feeling and understands his suffering. He is not arrogant when communicating with the hero, unlike Nikolai Nikolaevich. He carefully examines Zheltkov, carefully places a red case with a bracelet on the table - he behaves like a true nobleman.
The mention of the power of Mirza - Bulat - Tuganovsky causes a fit of laughter in Zheltkov, he does not understand how the authorities can forbid him to love?!!
The feeling of a hero embodies the whole idea of true love, expressed by General Anosov: “Love, for which to accomplish any feat, to give one’s life, to go to torment, is not work at all, but one joy.” This truth, spoken by a “remnant of antiquity,” tells us that only exceptional people like our hero can possess the gift of such love, “strong as death.”
Anosov turned out to be a wise teacher; he helped Vera Nikolaevna understand the depth of Zheltkov’s feelings. “At six o’clock the postman came,” Vera recognized the gentle handwriting of Pe Pe Zhe. This was his last letter. It was imbued through and through with the holiness of feeling; there was no bitterness of farewell in it. Zheltkov wishes his beloved happiness with another, “and let nothing worldly disturb your soul,” he probably also attributed himself to something everyday in her life. I can’t help but remember Pushkin’s words: “I don’t want to sadden you with anything.”
No wonder Vera Nikolaevna, looking at the dead Zheltkov, compares him with great people. Just like them, the hero had a dream, a strong will, just like them he could love. Vera Shein realized what kind of love she had lost, and, listening to a Beethoven sonata, she realized that Zheltkov was forgiving her. “Hallowed be thy name” is repeated five times in her mind, like the five components of a garnet bracelet...
In the life of every person, love always occupies a special place. Poets and writers glorify this feeling. After all, it is precisely this that makes one feel the joy of being, and elevates a person above circumstances and obstacles, even if love is unrequited. A.I. Kuprin is no exception. His story “The Garnet Bracelet” is a masterpiece of world literary heritage.
An unusual story on an ordinary topic
The theme of love in the work “Garnet Bracelet” occupies 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. Every reader hopes that he will be able to feel exactly the same as main character this story. The theme of love in the work “The Garnet Bracelet” is, first of all, the theme of relationships between the sexes, dangerous and ambiguous for any writer. After all, it is very difficult to avoid banality when describing something that has already been said a thousand times. However, the writer manages to touch even the most experienced reader with his story.
Impossibility of happiness
Kuprin in his story talks about beautiful and unrequited love - this must be mentioned when analyzing the work “Garnet Bracelet”. The theme of love in the story occupies a central place, because its main character, Zheltkov, experiences unrequited feelings. He loves Vera, but cannot be with her because she is completely indifferent to him. Besides this, all circumstances are against them being together. Firstly, they occupy different positions on the social ladder. Zheltkov is poor, he is a representative of a completely different class. Secondly, Vera is bound by marriage. She would never agree to cheat on her husband, 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 it is hardly possible to believe in anything. However, the main character does not lose hope. His love was absolutely phenomenal, he could only give without demanding anything in return. The theme of love in the work “Garnet Bracelet” is in the center storyline. And the feelings that Zheltkov experiences for Vera are tinged with the sacrifice inherent in Christianity. After all, the main character did not rebel, he came to terms with his situation. Nor did he expect any reward for his patience in the form of a response. His love had no selfish motives. Zheltkov managed to renounce himself, putting his feelings for his beloved first.
Caring for your loved one
At the same time, the main character turns out to be honest towards Vera and her husband. He admits the sinfulness of his passion. Not once in all the years that he loved Vera did Zheltkov cross the threshold of her house with a proposal or 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 the feelings that Zheltkov experienced lies in the fact that he was able to let Vera go for the sake of her happiness. And he did this at the cost of his own life. He knew what he would do to himself after he squandered government 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. An official commits suicide because of a crime he committed.
In those days, desperate people took their own lives so that their obligations would not be transferred to loved ones. And therefore, Zheltkov’s action seemed logical and had nothing to do with Vera. This fact testifies to the unusual tenderness 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 on the work “Garnet Bracelet. Theme of Love" you can indicate what the plot of the story was. The main character - Vera - is the wife of the prince. She constantly receives letters from a secret admirer. However, one day, instead of letters, a rather expensive gift arrives - 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 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 being. At the same time, Zheltkov was quite pleased with the fact that love was unrequited. The prince appears to him, after which the official feels that he has let Vera down, because he compromised her with an expensive garnet bracelet. Subject tragic love sounds like a leitmotif in the work. Zheltkov asked Vera for forgiveness in a letter, asked her to listen to a Beethoven sonata and committed suicide - he shot himself.
Tragedy of Vera
This story interested Vera, she asked her husband for permission to visit the deceased’s apartment. In the analysis of the work “Garnet Bracelet” by Kuprin, 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 the entire 8 years that Zheltkov loved her. At home, listening to that same sonata, she realized that Zheltkov could make her happy.
Images of heroes
You can 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 characters that reflect the social realities not only of his era. Their roles apply to all of humanity. The image of the official Zheltkov is proof 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.
Vera is a woman who is accustomed to obeying the rules of society. Of course, she does not give up love, but she does not consider it a vital necessity. After all, she has a husband who can give her everything she needs, so she doesn’t need feelings. But this happens only until she finds out about Zheltkov’s death. 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 splendor of his experiences.
Moral that the reader can take away
It also needs to be said that the theme of love in the work “Garnet Bracelet” was not chosen by chance by Kuprin. The reader can conclude this: in a world where comfort and daily obligations come to the fore, under no circumstances should you take your loved one for granted. We need to value him as much as ourselves, which is what he teaches us. main character Zheltkov's story.
A.I. Kuprin in his works often raises the topic of true love. In his story “The Garnet Bracelet,” written in 1911, he touches on its boundlessness and significance in human life. However, often this vivid feeling turns out to be unrequited. And the power of such love can destroy the one who experiences it.
In contact with
Direction and genre of the work
Kuprin, being a true literary artist, liked to reflect in his works real life . He was the one who wrote many stories and novellas based on real events. “Garnet Bracelet” was no exception. “Garnet Bracelet” genre is a story written in the spirit.
It is based on an incident that happened to the wife of one of the Russian governors. A telegraph official was unrequitedly and passionately in love with her, who once sent her a chain with a small pendant.
If for people from real world This incident was tantamount to an anecdote, then for Kuprinov’s characters a similar story turns into a strong tragedy.
The genre of the work “The Garnet Bracelet” cannot be a story, due to the insufficient number of characters and one storyline. If we talk about the features of the composition, it is worth highlighting many small details that, as events slowly develop, hint at a catastrophe at the end of the work. To an inattentive reader, it may seem that the text is fairly filled with details. However, they are the ones help the author create a holistic picture.“Garnet Bracelet,” the composition of which is also framed by inserts about love, ends with a scene explaining the meaning of the epigraph: “L. van Beethoven. 2 Son. (op. 2, no. 2). "Largo Appassionato"
The theme of love, in one form or another, runs through the entire work.
Attention! There is nothing left unsaid in this masterpiece. Thanks to skillful artistic descriptions, realistic images emerge before the eyes of readers, the verisimilitude of which no one will doubt. Natural, simple people with ordinary desires and needs arouse genuine interest among readers.
Image system
There are not many heroes in Kuprin's work. Each of them the author gives a detailed portrait. The appearance of the characters reveals what is going on in the soul of each of them. Descriptions of the characters in “The Garnet Bracelet” and their memories occupy a large part of the text.
Vera Sheina
This woman, with her regal calm, is the central figure story. It was on her name day that an event took place that changed her life forever - she received a garnet bracelet as a gift, which gives its owner the gift of foresight.
Important! A revolution in the heroine’s consciousness occurs when she listens to a Beethoven sonata, bequeathed to her by Zheltkov. Dissolving in music, she awakens to life, to passions. However, her feelings are difficult, and even impossible, for others to understand.
Georgy Zheltkov
The only joy in the life of a petty official is opportunity to love in the distance Vera Nikolaevna. However, the hero of “The Garnet Bracelet” cannot stand his all-consuming love. It is she who elevates the character above other people with their base, and even insignificant, feelings and desires.
Thanks to his gift of high love, Georgy Stepanovich was able to experience tremendous happiness. He bequeathed his life to Vera alone. Dying, he did not hold a grudge against her, but continued to love, cherishing her image in his heart, as evidenced by the words spoken towards her: “Hallowed be thy name!”
Main thought
If you look closely at Kuprin’s work, you can see a number of short stories that reflect his search for the ideal of love. These include:
- "Shulamith";
- "On the road";
- "Helenochka."
The final piece of this love cycle, “Pomegranate Bracelet,” showed, alas, not the deep feeling that the writer was looking for and would like to fully reflect. However, in terms of its strength, Zheltkov’s painful unrequited love is not inferior at all, but on the contrary, surpasses the attitudes and feelings of other characters. His hot and passionate emotions in the story are contrasted with the calm that reigns between the Sheins. The author emphasizes that only good friendship remains between them, and the spiritual flame has long died out.
Zheltkov is supposed to stir up Vera’s calm state. He does not evoke reciprocal feelings in a woman, but awakens excitement in her. If throughout the book they were expressed as premonitions, then at the end obvious contradictions rage in her soul.
Sheina feels a sense of danger already when she first sees a gift sent to her and a letter from a secret admirer. She involuntarily compares the modest gold bracelet, decorated with five bright red garnets, to blood. This is one of the key symbols, marking the future suicide of the unhappy lover.
The author admitted that he had never written anything more sensitive and subtle. And the analysis of the work “Garnet Bracelet” confirms this. The bitterness of the story intensifies autumn landscape, the atmosphere of farewell to summer dachas, cold and clear days. Even Vera’s husband appreciated the nobility of Zheltkov’s soul; he allowed the telegraph operator to write her the last letter. Every line in it is a poem about love, a real ode.
Play by Alexander Ostrovsky: summary by chapter
Strong episode The story can be considered a scene where the main characters meet, whose destinies are so suddenly intertwined and changed. The living Vera looked at the peaceful face of the deceased and thought about her mental shock. Numerous aphorisms, often used in speech, fill this small work. What quotes make readers shiver:
- “I am eternally grateful to you just for the fact that you exist. I tested myself - this is not a disease, not a manic idea - this is love with which God wanted to reward me for something.”
- “At that second she realized that the love that every woman dreams of had passed her by.”
- “Do not go to your death until you are called.”
Garnet bracelet. Alexander Kuprin
Garnet bracelet. A.I. Kuprin (analysis)
Conclusion
Zheltkov’s unrequited passion did not pass without a trace for the main character. The symbol of eternal love - a garnet bracelet - turned her life upside down. Kuprin, who always blesses this feeling, expressed in his story the full power of this inexplicable gravity.
Composition
The theme of love in the works of Kuprin (based on the story The Garnet Bracelet) Love has thousands of aspects and each of them has its own light, its own sadness, its own happiness and its own fragrance. K. Paustovsky. Among the stories of Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin, the Garnet Bracelet occupies a special place. Paustovsky called it one of the most fragrant, languid and saddest stories about love.
One of the main characters, the poor shy official Zheltkov, fell in love with Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, the wife of the leader of the nobility Vasily Shein. He considered her unavailable and then did not even try to meet with her. Zheltkov wrote letters to her, collected forgotten things and watched her at various exhibitions and meetings. And so, eight years after Zheltkov first saw and fell in love with Vera, he sends her a gift with a letter in which he presents a garnet bracelet and bows before her. I mentally bow to the ground of the furniture on which you sit, the parquet floor on which you walk, the trees that you touch in passing, the servants with whom you speak. Vera told her husband about this gift and, in order not to get into a funny situation, they decided to return the garnet bracelet. Vasily Shein and his wife’s brother asked Zheltkov not to send Vera letters and gifts anymore, but they allowed him to write a final letter in which he apologizes and says goodbye to Vera. Let me be ridiculous in your eyes and in the eyes of your brother, Nikolai Nikolaevich.
As I leave, I say in delight: Hallowed be thy name. Zheltkov had no goal in life, he was not interested in anything, he did not go to theaters, did not read books, he lived only by love for Vera. She was the only joy in life, the only consolation, the only thought. And so, when the last joy in life is taken away from him, Zheltkov commits suicide. The modest clerk Zheltkov is better and cleaner than people of secular society, such as Vasily Shein and Nikolai. The nobility of the soul of a simple person, his ability for deep experiences is contrasted with the callous, soulless powers of this world.
As you know, Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin, a writer, was a psychologist. He transferred his observations of human character into literature, thereby enriching and diversifying it. Reading his works, you feel a particularly subtle, deep and sensitive awareness of everything. It seems that the writer knows what you are worried about and is trying to help you, guiding you on the right path. After all, the world in which we live is sometimes so polluted with lies, meanness and vulgarity that we sometimes need a charge of positive energy to resist the sucking quagmire. Who will show us the source of purity? In my opinion, Kuprin has such a talent. He, like a master polishing a stone, reveals in our souls a wealth that we ourselves did not know about. In his works, to reveal the characters of the characters, he uses the technique of psychological analysis, portraying the main character as a spiritually liberated person, trying to endow him with all those wonderful qualities that we admire in people. In particular, sensitivity, understanding towards others and a demanding, strict attitude towards oneself. There are many examples of this: engineer Bobrov, Olesya, G.S. Zheltkov. All of them carry within themselves what we call high moral perfection. They all love selflessly, forgetting themselves.
In the story The Garnet Bracelet, Kuprin, with all the power of his skill, develops the idea of true love. He does not want to come to terms with vulgar, practical views on love and marriage, drawing our attention to these problems in a rather unusual way, equating to an ideal feeling. Through the mouth of General Anosov, he says: ...People in our time have forgotten how to love! I don't see true love. I didn’t even see it in my time. What is this Challenge? Is it really that what we feel is not the truth? We have calm, moderate happiness with the person we need. What's more? According to Kuprin, Love must be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world! No life conveniences, calculations and compromises should concern her. Only then can love be called a real feeling, completely true and moral.
I still cannot forget what an impression Zheltkov’s feelings made on me. How much he loved Vera Nikolaevna that he could commit suicide! This is crazy! Loving Princess Sheina for seven years with a hopeless and polite love, he, without ever meeting her, talking about his love only in letters, suddenly commits suicide! Not because Vera Nikolaevna’s brother is going to turn to the authorities, and not because his gift of a garnet bracelet was returned. (It is a symbol of deep fiery love and at the same time a terrible bloody sign of death.) And, probably, not because he squandered government money. For Zheltkov there was simply no other choice. He loved a married woman so much that he could not help but think about her for a minute, and exist without remembering her smile, her look, the sound of her walk. He himself says to Vera’s husband: There is only one thing left: death... You want me to accept it in any form. The terrible thing is that he was pushed to this decision by Vera Nikolaevna’s brother and husband, who came to demand that their family be left alone. They turned out to be indirectly responsible for his death. They had the right to demand peace, but Nikolai Nikolayevich’s threat to turn to the authorities was unacceptable, even ridiculous. How can the government prohibit a person from loving?
Kuprin’s ideal is selfless love, self-sacrificing, not expecting a reward, one for which you can give your life and endure anything. It was with this kind of love that happens once every thousand years that Zheltkov loved. This was his need, the meaning of life, and he proved this: I knew neither complaint, nor reproach, nor the pain of pride, I have only one prayer before you: Hallowed be Thy name. These words, with which his soul was filled, are 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 incomparable pure feeling. Its roots go back to morality and spiritual harmony in man.
Princess Vera did not regret that this love, which every woman dreams of, passed her by. She cries because her soul is filled with admiration for sublime, almost unearthly feelings.
A person who could love so much must have some kind of special worldview. Although Zheltkov was just a small official, he turned out to be above social norms and standards. People like them are elevated to the rank of saints by people's rumors, and the bright memory of them lives on for a long time.
