Good and evil in 19th century literature. Good and evil in literature

Theme of Good and Evil - eternal theme. It has interested people throughout the entire existence of mankind. What is Good? What is Evil? How are they connected? How are they related in the world and in the soul of each person? Each writer answers these questions differently.

Thus, F. Goethe in his tragedy “Faust” shows the struggle between the “devilish” and the “divine” in the soul of the hero. By “diabolical” we mean not only the forces of evil, but also a person’s (and all of humanity’s) lack of faith in their own strength, self-limitation, and pessimism. “Divine” is the daring spirit of discovery, exploits, and creativity. This is creation, eternal dissatisfaction with oneself and the world around us, the desire to make life better.

The main character of the work, Faust, is a zealous truth-seeker. He wants to comprehend the “internal connection of the universe” and at the same time indulge in tireless practical activity, live in full swing of his moral and physical strength.

For this he is even ready to sell his soul to the devil. Mephistopheles could not seduce this hero with simple carnal pleasures - Faust's desires are much deeper. But the devil still gets his way - he makes an agreement with the hero. Captivated by the bold thought of developing living, comprehensive activity with the help of Mephistopheles, Faust sets his own conditions: Mephistopheles must serve him until the first moment when he, Faust, calms down, content with what has been achieved.

The hero makes another “deviation” from Good in his relationship with Margarita. Gradually, feelings for this girl cease to be something sublime, the hero seduces her. We understand that Faust is only playing with love, and by doing this he dooms his beloved to death.

But at the end of the work, Faust still learns the truth. He comes to the conclusion that all ideas, all brilliant thoughts make sense only when they can be implemented in reality. We can say that he takes the side of Good, science, life.

M. Bulgakov develops the theme of Good and Evil in the novel “The Master and Margarita”. The theme of Good and Evil in the novel is directly related to the image of Woland and his retinue. Satan himself, along with Azazello, Koroviev and Behemoth, appears in the author’s contemporary Soviet Moscow. The purpose of Woland's visit was to find out whether man had changed over many centuries; what drives his actions today, how his soul lives.

The epigraph to the novel is the lines from Goethe’s Faust: “I am part of that force that always wants evil and always does good.” They help to understand the author’s thought - by exposing evil, Woland thereby serves goodness and beauty, that is, restores the balance between Good and Evil in the world.

Satan has always been opposed to God. Bulgakov treats him freely and makes Woland a defender of God as the only criterion of good and evil, morality and immorality in man. But it is important that the hero himself judges people mercilessly, without loving them.

Bulgakov shows that the “demonic” principle lives in every person. Thus, the author depicts for us the lifestyle of an association of writers, for whom the main business of life is to eat deliciously and dance. Envy, careerism, the ability to get a job, hatred of the talented - this is the moral portrait of those who made literature for social purposes.

Only by availability dark side in my heart one can explain the bribery of the chairman of the housing association Nikanor Bosogo. Who forced him to register him for money, to move him into vacated rooms for a bribe?

"Session black magic"brought these heroes and other Moscow residents together. Mass hypnosis showed in everyone his inner “I” - a greedy, rude person, with base tastes, a lover of bread and circuses. But Bulgakov, horrified by his merciless grotesquery, “saves” the audience with the cries of Bengalsky, a talker and buffoon, whose head was torn off by the cat Behemoth.

The writer instructs Woland to pronounce the “sentence”: “Humanity loves money... Well, they are frivolous... well, well... and mercy sometimes knocks on their hearts... ordinary people...”.

One of my favorite books, which has changed my views in many ways, is the philosophical parable “Jonathan Livingston Seagull,” written by Richard Bach. The main character of the work, the seagull Jonathan Livingston, was not like everyone else. He wanted to fly higher than everyone, farthest, wanted to be the best in everything. Nobody believed in him; all the seagulls in his flock laughed at him.

Without listening to anyone, Jonathan flew at night, although no one had done this before. The hero developed an incredible speed - 214 miles per hour - and dreamed of even more. Expelled from the pack, but not broken, in the finale Jonathan gained freedom and found like-minded people.

As an epigraph to the work, the author wrote the following lines “To the non-fictional Jonathan Seagull who lives in each of us.” This book instills in us faith in ourselves, in the fact that a person can do anything if he strives for a goal and learns not to depend on public opinion.

So, Good and Evil are fundamental concepts that determine not only the essence of man, his inner world, but also the entire world order. Writers all over the world tried to determine for themselves, find out, understand... But this search will continue forever as long as the world and man exist on Earth.

World literature is rich in examples of true kindness, because people tend to create moral guidelines and strive for them. There are especially many of them in the books of Russian writers, who very often reflected on the essence and distinction between good and evil. That is why most of the examples on our list relate to Russian prose.

1. F. M. Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment.” Rodion Raskolnikov decides to commit a terrible crime because he sees a blatant social injustice when most people live in poverty. He develops the “idea” that “extraordinary” people have the right to commit reprisals against ordinary people for a good purpose. However, after killing the old woman and her sister, he realizes that he has committed a terrible act and is suffering. In the throwings of the main character we see eternal struggle good with evil. As a result, Raskolnikov surrenders to the police, and this suggests that he cannot live in peace, remembering his crime. Good wins thanks to the influence of a believing girl, Sonya Marmeladova, who convinces the protagonist to pacify his pride and turn to the path of moral and spiritual purification.
2. A. I. Kuprin, “Olesya”. Olesya and her grandmother Manuilikha are innocent victims of human hatred and ignorance. The villagers expel them from the village only because they consider them “witches”. In fact, the grandmother and granddaughter do no harm to anyone, but only have a gift from nature. There is a kind of exchange of roles. Those who are initially considered "evil" are in fact good, and the inhabitants who appear to be "good" are in fact evil. They boast of their faith, but at the same time they beat a defenseless person on the threshold of the temple. In their souls the anger has long been vented good qualities, but outwardly the peasants still maintain the illusion of good intentions.

Lack of kindness

1. M. Gorky, “Old Woman Izergil”. In the legend told by Izergil, the son of the eagle Larra was doomed to eternal life alone. He didn’t love anyone, didn’t feel pity or compassion, didn’t want to respect anyone. Larra valued only his freedom. He didn’t even need his mother, and he killed mercilessly, without even thinking. So, he dealt with the elder’s daughter, who refused him love. And as punishment for this, people left him alive, and he could not die. It was his own qualities - the absence of any kindness and excessive pride - that became the most cruel punishment for him. He doomed himself to eternal suffering in hermitage.
2. "The Tale of Boris and Gleb". In the ancient Russian life, Svyatopolk, the heir of Prince Vladimir, the son of Yaropolk, decided to kill his brothers, Vladimir’s own sons - Boris and Gleb, because he did not want them to lay claim to the throne. Only those with a hard heart can commit fratricide. Boris and Gleb accepted their death humbly, but after death they ascended to heaven and found peace. I think this means that even the most cruel atrocities are unable to eradicate or destroy good.

Good for saving someone else's life

1. I. A. Bunin, “Lapti”. Nefed is an incredibly kind person. He was not afraid to go six miles into the city in a terrible blizzard just to get the desired red bast shoes for a sick child. He took out both bast shoes and magenta to dye them, but could not make it back to the house. Nefed sacrificed his life to please a child who might not survive. His act is truly selfless and kind. This is confirmed by the fact that the city men, lost and desperate, were saved only because they found dead body, and realized that there was housing nearby.
2. M. A. Sholokhov, “The Fate of Man.” Andrei Sokolov went through all the horrors of the war. He spent two years in captivity of the Germans, experienced hellish hunger, cold, inhuman fatigue and longing for his homeland. I lost my entire family, which I had built over the years - my beloved wife and three children. He could have become completely hardened, but kindness and the ability to sympathize remained in his heart. He took in a little orphan boy who had lost his parents in the war. This is an example of real human kindness, which even the most difficult trials in life cannot trample.

Sacrificial Kindness

1. O. Henry, “The Gifts of the Magi.” Della is selling hers luxurious hair that he is proud of to buy a Christmas present for his beloved husband. John, in turn, sold the expensive family watch to buy Delle's long-awaited combs. Thus, it turned out that their gifts to each other are not needed now - Della does not have long hair to decorate them with combs, and John doesn't have a watch that can be attached to a chain. And it is this contrast that allows us to see the most important thing - the kindness of these young spouses in love, ready to sacrifice the most precious things in order to please their loved one.
2. V. F. Tendryakov, “Bread for the Dog.” The boy, the hero of the story, takes pity on the starving “enemies of the people” - dispossessed men, and secretly sneaks food for them from his parents. Then he meets, in his opinion, the very, very hungry person whom no one else will regret - a stray dog, and shares a piece of bread with her. The boy takes food for the hungry from his own lunch, deliberately leaving some of what his mother puts on the table. Therefore, he himself is undernourished in order to help those who need a piece of bread more. This is a truly kind deed that deserves respect.

Kindness as salvation

1. M. Gorky, “At the Bottom.” Of all the characters in the play, Luke becomes the personification of kindness and compassion. His neighbors, the inhabitants of the shelter, have sunk to the very “bottom” of life, but with his kind words and his inexhaustible faith in people, Luka tries to help everyone who can still be helped. He instills faith in Anna that her soul is immortal, instills in Vaska that he can start living honestly, in Nastya that her dream of bright love can be fulfilled, in the Actor that he can stop drinking. Luke preaches love and compassion for man as opposed to evil, hatred, and the “cruel truth.” His kindness becomes a ray of light for desperate characters.
2. R. Bradbury, “Green Morning.” The hero of the story, Benjamin Driscoll, moved to Mars along with the first settlers. Despite losing consciousness due to lack of air, he did not return to Earth, but stayed and began planting tree seeds. Benjamin worked tirelessly for a month, and when it finally rained, all the trees he planted grew and began to emit lots and lots of oxygen. Thanks to him good deed, the planet became green, and the settlers were able to breathe deeply and freely. I think only a kind person could do this. Benjamin did what was good for the whole planet, not just him.

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Good and evil in the works of Russian writers were the center of attention. The writers reflected in their Works of Russian writers these moral categories by different means.

Pushkin touches on the theme of evil several times. In the poem "Anchar" the author believes that evil should balance good. Nature has set aside a place for evil at the edge of the universe. People who are driven by the thirst for power, wealth, envy (of the king) and fear (of the slave) became the spreaders of evil throughout the earth. These feelings are conductors of evil. Money can play a similar role in a person’s life. They make people lose noble knightly qualities, family ties, love (“ Stingy Knight"). They poison the creative process (“Egyptian Nights”). One of the main manifestations of evil is violence. Its use leads to tragedy. Pushkin denies it in the ode “Liberty”, in prose works"Dubrovsky", "The Captain's Daughter".
Power acquired through violence will not receive recognition from the people (“Boris Godunov”). A person who chooses the path of crime cannot be a creative person.

Genius and villainy are incompatible (“Mozart and Salieri”), Pushkin’s humanism lies in the conclusion that any Evil always punishable. He sees a good beginning in nature (“Once again I visited ...”), in art (the image of Mozart, “Poet”), in natural human feelings love and friendship (“I remember a wonderful moment,” “October 19, 1827”).

Lermontov's creative heyday occurred in a darker decade than Pushkin's. Lermontov developed the theme of evil more sharply. He divides evil into two types. Evil The author respects the romantic for its strength and awareness of doom. This is revealed in the cycle of poems about Napoleon and in the poem “The Demon”. Another evil comes from society. This is the evil of the “mocking ignoramuses,” high-society philistines who persecuted Pushkin (“The Death of a Poet,” “How often, surrounded by a motley crowd...”).

Pushkin writes bitterly about the crowd that does not understand the poet. Lermontov strengthens this motive (“Prophet”). For him, people of light are the bearers of evil. Lermontov's heroes, actively pursuing life, rush between good and evil (“Hero of Our Time”). Good in creativity Lermontov is concentrated in nature, where lyrical hero resonates with the psychological state (“I go out alone on the road”).

Gogol has a different concept. He put everything together Evil in Russia, contrasting him with faith in the spiritual revival of his homeland. Gogol gave pictures of evil from mystical images of ancient evil (“Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”, “Viy”, “Terrible Vengeance”) to evil in contemporary society. The spirit of demonism enters real people and intertwined with petty philistine evil. This is the story of the terrible portrait and the fate of the artist Chertkov, who exchanged his creative soul with money, who sold himself to the devil (“Portrait”). In "The Inspector General", "Overcoat", " Dead souls“The writer gives an extensive description of small but numerous evils, showing their danger to society and the human soul.

At Nekrasov's Evil has a specific social origin. The real source of evil is serfdom. It allows the nobleman to live in idleness and disdain the people (“ Railway", chapter 3). Serfdom turns a spiritually free person into a slave (“Hey, Ivan!” and chapters from the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus',” “The Last One,” “About the Faithful Jacob, the Exemplary Slave”). Good in creativity Nekrasova also has a social connotation. The poet's goodness has a connotation of sacrifice (“The Poet and the Citizen,” “On the Day of Gogol’s Death,” “N. G. Chernyshevsky,” “A Knight for an Hour”). The poet sees the moral principles of Russian life in the people's soul:

Burned in slavery
The sun is free.
Gold, gold -
People's heart.

(“Rus”, song by Grisha Dobrosklonov from the poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”)

L. Tolstoy agrees with Nekrasov in his assessment of serfdom and violence against the individual. Tolstoy views the concepts of good and evil philosophically. If a person lives in harmony with the world around him and his own nature, then he was created for good (Karataev). If people lose their national roots and try to remake their human essence in order to rise above those around them, then they fall into evil. In War and Peace such characters are Napoleon and Kuragin. They are contrasted with Bolkonsky, Kutuzov, and Rostov, who are spiritually connected with nature and the people. Tolstoy considers war to be the greatest evil.

Dostoevsky talks about good and evil passionately. He reveals the origins of evil. The social side of life is the background of the story about the struggle between God and the devil in the human soul. Good and evil exist in the world in balance.

Raskolnikov (“Crime and Punishment”) suffers from social evil and in the fight against injustice chooses the most terrible form. Compulsory good, based on violence, degenerates into evil. Initially, Raskolnikov feels like a liberator of humanity from harmful bloodsuckers. But in the end it turns out that he “killed it for himself.” Sonya helps Raskolnikov make a paradoxical turn towards goodness. Sonya steps over herself for the well-being of others, keeping her soul pure. The path from evil to good lies through suffering, repentance, and purification of the soul. Raskolnikov experiences all this in the epilogue, and the light of truth is revealed to him. Dostoevsky leaves any deeply fallen person the right to repent and rise to the light from the depths of hell.

Good and evil in the works of Russian writers occupy an important place because these moral categories are decisive in the spiritual life of humanity. Classic literature sought to reveal the deadly nature of evil and protect the soul from its destructive influence.

Good and evil... Eternal philosophical concepts that trouble the minds of people at all times. Arguing about the difference between these concepts, it can be argued that goodness, of course, brings pleasant experiences to the people close to you. Evil, on the contrary, wants to bring suffering. But, as often happens, it is difficult to distinguish good from evil. “How can this be?” another ordinary person will ask. It turns out it can. The fact is that good is often embarrassed to talk about its motives for action, and evil is embarrassed to talk about its own. Good even sometimes disguises itself as a little evil, and evil can do the same. But it trumpets that it is great good! Why is this happening? It’s just that a kind person, as a rule, is modest, and it is a burden for him to listen to gratitude. So he says, having done a good deed, that it didn’t cost him anything at all. Well, what about evil? Oh, this is evil... It loves to accept words of gratitude, even for non-existent benefits.

Indeed, it is difficult to figure out where the light is and where the darkness is, where the real good is and where the evil is. But as long as a person lives, he will strive for good and to tame evil. You just need to learn to understand the true motives of people’s actions and, of course, fight evil.

Russian literature has repeatedly addressed this problem. Valentin Rasputin did not remain indifferent to her either. In the story “French Lessons” we see state of mind Lydia Mikhailovna, who really wanted to help her student get rid of constant malnutrition. Her good deed was “disguised”: she played “chika” (that’s the name of the game for money) with her student for money. Yes, this is not ethical, not pedagogical. The school director, having learned about this act of Lydia Mikhailovna, fires her from her job. But the teacher French she played with a student and gave in to the boy, because she wanted him to buy food for himself with the money he won, not to starve, and to continue studying. This is a truly kind deed.

I would like to recall another work in which the problem of good and evil is raised. This is a novel by M.A. Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita". It is here that the author talks about the inseparability of the existence of good and evil on earth. This is a truism. In one of the chapters, Levi Matvey calls Woland evil. To which Woland replies: “What would your good do if evil did not exist?” The writer believes that the real evil in people is that they are weak and cowardly by nature. But evil can still be defeated. To do this, it is necessary to establish the principle of justice in society, that is, exposing meanness, lies and sycophancy. The standard of goodness in the novel is Yeshua Ha-Nozri, who sees only good in all people. During interrogation by Pontius Pilate, he says that he is ready to endure any suffering for faith and goodness, and also about his intention to expose evil in all its manifestations. The hero does not give up his ideas even in the face of death. “There are no evil people in the world, there are only unhappy people,” he tells Pontius Pilate.

Thus, eternal problem- what is good and what is evil will always worry the minds of people. The only task is to ensure that the advantage is always on the side of good!

Today it is impossible to open a newspaper and not find an article about yet another murder, rape or fight. Every year crime is growing more and more. People are angry and hostile to each other. But I believe that even the most evil man there is at least a grain in my heart good feelings, and very rarely, but still there are truly kind people in our time. But it is very difficult for such people to live, because they are not understood, and are often despised and try to deceive or humiliate them in some way. Some authors tried to raise questions of good and evil in their works, good relations between people.

I believe that truly the kindest person who has never done anything bad to anyone is Jesus Christ, whom it would be even more correct to call a God-man. One of the authors who wrote about him in their works was M. A. Bulgakov. The writer showed in his novel “The Master and Margarita” a personal version of the life and death of Christ, whom the author called Yeshua Ha-Nozri. Throughout his short life, Yeshua did good and helped people. It is this kindness of his that leads Ga-Notsri to death, for the people in power saw some evil intentions in his actions. But, despite the betrayal and beatings received from people, Yeshua, bloodied and beaten, still calls all of them, even Mark the Rat Slayer - the “cold and convinced executioner” - good people. The procurator Pontius Pilate himself, who was never interested in the fates of the criminals who passed through him, admired Yeshua and the purity of his soul and actions. But the fear of losing power and falling out of favor took its toll: Pilate confirms Yeshua’s death sentence.

Another writer who mentioned Jesus was the wonderful modern author Chingiz Aitmatov. But I would like to draw attention not to Christ, but to a person who deeply loved and believed in him. This - main character novel "The Scaffold" by Avdiy Kallistratov. All short life this young man was connected with God: his father was a priest, and he himself studied at a theological seminary. All this left a deep imprint on the character of Obadiah: deep faith in God did not allow him to commit bad deeds. I believe that it was not in vain that the author turned to the image of Christ, because his and Obadiah’s fates are somewhat similar. Both lived short lives; both loved people and tried to put them on the right path; even their death was the same: they were crucified by those whom they wanted to help.

In his play “The Eldest Son,” Vampilov also showed a truly kind person, the kind of person you rarely see in our time. This is Sarafanov, the father one can only dream about. The kindness of this man has no boundaries: having learned about the deception of the young people, he does not drive Busygin away, but forgives him (which no one else would have done in his place), thanks to which happiness reigned in their family.

After reading these works, you understand that there are not so many good people in the world and that it is not so easy to do good deeds. I believe that if everyone does more good things for others, life will become easier and more fun.

In the vast ocean of modern poetry, the island whose name is Vladimir Vysotsky stands out for its indestructibility. This is a phenomenon of the seventies that decisively changed people's attitudes towards poetry. He had and still has extraordinary popularity in all levels of society. There is only one explanation for this: Vysotsky wrote his poems and songs in a simple language accessible to everyone.

Vladimir Semenovich began his work unusually for a poet. His first works were parodies of so-called thieves' folklore. 1o those who love Vysotsky’s poems only of this ... ara know nothing about Vysotsky. After all, these were the first steps in the world of poetry, he was just looking for his creative path. Later, when Vysotsky had already gained experience in poetry, serious topics began to arise in his work: love, the past war, relationships between people and others. It seems that we have different poets in front of us, Vysotsky is so diverse. This is a gentle, loving man:

I breathe, and that means I love! I love, and that means I live!

His lyrical poems are inspired by his great love for Marina Vladi. It was strange love, they did not see each other for months, communicating only by phone, but Vysotsky carried this love throughout his life.

Then the poet transformed into a seasoned front-line soldier who went through the entire war: Finally, we were given the order to attack, to take away our inches and crumbs. But we remember how the sun went backwards and almost set in the east.

Many people who fought mistook Vysotsky for a front-line soldier and wrote him letters in which they asked him if he was a fellow soldier. Vysotsky was very touched by these letters, and he often said: “It is better to receive letters where you are mistaken for your fellow soldier than letters where you are considered a cell mate.” The poet believed that even though the war had ended long ago, it should remain in the memory of the people eternal memory about those killed in battles for the Fatherland. A significant place in Vysotsky's poetry is occupied by satire, in which the poet ridicules various vices of society: drunkenness, rudeness, gossip. It's no secret that he was an alcoholic and took drugs, but he never complained about his fate. He had many friends. And he dedicated poems to his real friends: