Tragedy " little man"in the poem by A. Pushkin" Bronze Horseman»

Theme "little man" repeatedly raised in works of Russian literature: “Petersburg Stories” by N.V. Gogol, “The Humiliated and Insulted,” “Poor People” by F.M. Dostoevsky, stories by A.P. Chekhov. The life of the “little man,” depicted in connection with various events, is the life of the people as a whole. In the poem “The Bronze Horseman” A.S. Pushkin reveals this image, contrasting it with two powerful forces: the greatness and power of the emperor and the violent, uncontrollable elements of nature. The activities of Peter the Great were comprehended by many writers and poets in different periods. To this day, there is no clear opinion about the expediency of Peter’s reforms and the admissibility of the means used by the monarch to achieve the goal of Europeanization of Russia. In his poem, A.S. Pushkin managed to very clearly display these contradictions. On the one hand, this is a great achievement - the conquest of the elements, the creation of a brilliant city, opening up prospects for the development of foreign policy, eclipsing the capital with its beauty and significance:

And in front of the younger capital

Old Moscow has faded,

Like before a new queen

Porphyry widow.

But on the other hand, what was behind the implementation of these ambitious plans? First of all, neglect of the needs of his own people, because the blackening huts - “shelter of a wretched Chukhonts” - were perceived by the sovereign as a picture that darkened the gaze with its ugliness, and not as separate life an individual, which even great statesmen are not allowed to interfere with, disrupting its usual course. But, disregarding conventions, despite the protest of the people and nature, the powerful king ensured that the “young city”

From the darkness of the forests, from the swamps of blat

He ascended magnificently and proudly;

Where was the Finnish fisherman before?

Nature's sad stepson

Alone on the low banks

Thrown into unknown waters

Your old net is now there,

Along busy shores

Slender communities crowd together

Palaces and towers...

The city is beautiful, the ruler’s dreams have come true: “...ships in crowds from all over the earth are striving for rich piers...”

The poet figuratively describes the greatness of the Northern capital, paying tribute to her admiration. But he immediately uses the technique of contrast:

It's a terrible time,

The memory of her is fresh...

About her, my friends, for you

I'll start my story.

My story will be sad.

And he introduces us to the main character of the work - the “little man” Eugene, whose fate helps us more fully understand the results of the actions of Peter, who committed violence against nature. Peter the Great: “What a thought on my brow! What power is hidden in him! And he is full of great thoughts, on a national scale. What about Evgeniy?

What was he thinking about? about

That he was poor, that he worked hard

He had to deliver to himself

And independence and honor;

What could God add to him?

Mind and money. He dreamed:

I’ll arrange something for myself

Shelter humble and simple

And in it I will calm Parasha.

“Perhaps a year or two will pass -

I’ll get a place - Parashe

I will entrust our farm

And raising children...

And we will live, and so on until the grave

We'll both get there hand in hand

And our grandchildren will bury us...

In a few lines, Pushkin expressed the aspirations of the entire people, striving for a calm, measured life surrounded by loved ones.

The poem does not openly show the royal arbitrariness that ruins people's destinies. It manifests itself indirectly, through the uprising of natural forces, which even the imperial will cannot pacify: “Tsars cannot cope with God’s elements.” And the ambition of the sovereign turns into grief for thousands ordinary people, pathetic in their helplessness. “Too bad for you!..”, threatens the unfortunate Evgeny, but even Peter, poured out of copper, inspires fear in him and continues to decide his fate, driving him crazy. And the king, previously called by the author “the powerful ruler of fate,” turned into a proud idol, cold and indifferent.

Describing an event that occurred during that period when the era of Peter the Great had already become part of history, the author sought to emphasize the significance of this historical figure, whose expression of will would remain fateful for a long time. common people.

The theme of the little man is especially relevant in Russian literature of the 19th century, including in the works of A.S. Pushkin. His poem “The Bronze Horseman” tells about the sad fate of such a person who became a victim of tragic circumstances.

The main character of the poem is a poor official from Kostroma, Evgeniy. He lives with one dream - to marry his beloved girl, simple and modest Parasha. He is a typical “little man”, incapable of cunning, deception and flattery for career advancement and his own selfish goals. Pushkin does not consider his hero as a separate person. Evgeny is only part of the gray St. Petersburg landscape; he is far from important government affairs, reforms, and transformations. The author does not even give him a last name: “We don’t need his nickname” to emphasize the insignificance of his personality.

The hero lives a simple, routine life, so Pushkin himself does not share it life positions. Eugene's desires and ambitions are limited to everyday concerns. However, a revolution occurs in the life of the main character - a terrible flood in the city, because of which his only meaning in life and love - Parasha - dies. Evgeniy is going crazy, losing his mind from grief, and he does not have the strength to analyze the event and live on. This is how Pushkin shows how small the hero is, how pitiful his insignificant personality is.

The opposite of the image of Eugene is the image of Peter, an imperious and sometimes cruel master. This image characterizes the entire powerful class, for which the problems and troubles of the common people have no meaning. Eugene blames Peter for all his troubles, which is why the copper statue of the emperor begins to haunt him.

The entire poem “The Bronze Horseman” is based on the opposition of the “little man” and the strong, powerful sovereign. Eugene’s quiet, weak protest to the copper emperor is a rebellion of a simple official against ruling class, who is not at all interested in the fate of ordinary people.

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Sections: Literature

The city was founded above the sea...

A.S. Pushkin

Lesson objectives:

educational

teach students to analyze a lyric epic work;
show two faces of St. Petersburg in the poem;
show how Pushkin reveals the theme of the “little man” and how Gogol, Nekrasov, Dostoevsky reveal it in their works;

developing

to develop in schoolchildren the ability to conduct a discussion, work in groups, and develop comparative analysis skills

working with educational concepts:

poem, theme of the “little man”, image, metaphor, epithet, contrast; author's position;

working with meta-subject concepts:

mercy, protest against injustice, beauty, worldview.

Equipment: computer, interactive whiteboard, use of presentation (application).

Lesson type: formation lesson.

Teaching methods: conversation, teacher’s word, research, posing problematic questions.

Forms of work with students: individual communication, independent work in groups, elements of discussion.

Lesson plan.

1. Opening remarks teachers: raising problematic questions.

2. Individual message on the topic: “The image of St. Petersburg in the works of N.V. Gogol." The theme of the “little man” in the story by F.M. Dostoevsky’s “White Nights” and in the poetry of A.N. Nekrasova.

3. Analysis of the poem’s introduction, conversation, elements of discussion. Analysis of the main part of the poem. Research work in groups.

3. Reading and analysis of a passage from the poem: “A terrible day...”.

4. Independent work. Two faces of the city: comparative analysis. Work on the vocabulary of the poem. What is the author's position in relation to Peter I? Working with critical literature, forming your own point of view. Petersburg today. Working with an epigraph.

Lesson progress

1st slide

1. Introductory speech by the teacher.

The theme of the “little man” is inextricably linked with the image of Peter the Great. Historical figure. The poet wrote a lot about him (“Poltava”, “Arap of Peter the Great”). Pushkin was the first to dare to reveal the theme of the “little man” in the context historical events. Three eras pass before us: the past (the acts of Peter I, the era of Alexander I, when the flood occurred) and the era of Nicholas I, that is, the present of Pushkin.

And the fate of the “little man” is intended to show other consequences of the activities of the “power of half the world,” Peter I.

Analyzing the poem, we will answer the questions:

Who is to blame for Eugene's tragedy?
What did Peter's reforms lead to?

2. Personal message.

To better and more fully understand the image of the city “on the shore” desert waves”, let us turn to the image of St. Petersburg in later literature.

N.V. Gogol experienced many painful moments while living in St. Petersburg. Let us remember the story “The Overcoat”.
How does Gogol paint the image of St. Petersburg and the life of a “little man” in a big city?

2nd slide

Student answers

Conclusion.

A small official who occupies a certain position in society has experienced everything in his lifetime: humiliation and insult. Author's position here we see: not only a request for mercy for people like Akaki Akakievich, but also at the same time an expression of protest against the injustice, evil, and soullessness of those whom Gogol calls “a significant person.” This is St. Petersburg of the 30s and 40s. The time when Pushkin is working on the poem “The Bronze Horseman”.

Student answers.

How do we see St. Petersburg in Dostoevsky’s “White Nights”?
How do people live in the Russian capital?
What is common and different in the depiction of the city in the works of Gogol and Dostoevsky?

4th slide

Can we say that the loneliness and solitude of the hero of “White Nights” is a rejection of the world around him?

5th slide

Tragic pictures of a big city in the poetry of N.A. Nekrasova.

And Gogol, and Dostoevsky, and Nekrasov, based on best traditions Russian literature, following Pushkin, reveals in his own way the theme of the “little man” in the big city - the capital of the Russian Empire.

3. Analysis of the poem “The Bronze Horseman”.

How does Pushkin reveal the theme of the “little man”?
Why do disputes about Pushkin’s views related to the theme of the “little man” and the greatness of Peter I continue today?
Who is right: the one who believes that the fault of the tragedy lies with the elements, or the one who claims that the creator of the city is to blame for the tragedies of little people? Or the existing system, which is not capable of eliminating social injustice?

Student discussion.

7th slide

Three historical eras.

What is the meaning of the composition?

Analysis of the introduction.

What colors does Pushkin use to paint the city of Petra?
What vocabulary predominates?
During the analysis, students fill out part 1 of the table “Two Faces of St. Petersburg.”
How does the author feel about the city?

4. Analysis of the main part.

1) Checking homework. Research work in groups.

What did Peter's transformations lead to? Has life become better for people?

Why is the word “terrible” repeated 3 times in Part 1?

Describe Eugene’s fate, his aspirations, thoughts. How does the tone of the narrative change in the story of Eugene's life and dreams?

2) Working with text.

Description of the flood (reading): “Terrible day...”

What details of the picture struck you?
Who suffered the most?
What means of expression does the poet use to paint a picture of a terrible element? (Comparisons, epithets, metaphors, syntactic means of expression)
What role do verbs play?

Independent work. Filling out the 2nd part of the table “Two Faces of the City”.

Conclusion.

In the poem, the image of a monument constantly appears, rising above the earth, above the stream, above people: “in an unshakable height”, “in a dark height”, “at a height”. Are these details random or related to the assessment of the activities of Peter I?

Reading a passage.

How does this passage combine praise and blame for Peter?

In what meaning does the author use the word “iron”?
What is the author's position?

5. Working with critical literature(different views of critics).

Whose assessment is closer to you?

Belinsky V.G. Works of Alexander Pushkin (excerpt).

Merezhkovsky D. Pushkin - 1986.

Meilakh B.S. The life of Alexander Pushkin - 1974.

Disputes about complex work“The Bronze Horseman.”

9th slide

Who is to blame for Eugene’s troubles?

“Two truths on the scales of history - the solemn, victorious truth of Peter I and the modest truth of Eugene” (B.S. Meilakh The Life of Alexander Pushkin).

All these disputes only confirm the polysemy and versatility of Pushkin’s masterpiece. This allows us to put the great Pushkin on a par with the writers and poets of the world.

10th slide

Petersburg today.

Modernity and relevance of the work.

6. Lesson summary.

Grading.

7. Homework.

Write an essay on the topic: “A.S. Pushkin in my life.”

In the work of the great Russian poet A.S. Pushkin, a monument to Emperor Peter is presented in the image of power. The main character of the work is Evgeniy, who is described as completely ordinary person. The flood that occurred in the city darkens all his plans. Arriving at the house of his beloved Parasha, he sees that the river has destroyed everything he could dream of.

"Little Man" in literature

The image of the “little man” in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” is far from the only attempt in Russian literature to describe a similar type. Other examples include the work “Poor People” by Dostoevsky, “The Overcoat” by Gogol. In his work, the great Russian poet sought to show the meaninglessness of the struggle of the “little man” with the omnipotent natural elements, as well as the power of the autocracy.

Main character

The theme of the little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” is revealed with the help of detailed description its main character is Evgeniy. According to established tradition, a poem is a work that has narrative character. And if once it was considered rather historical work, then over time began to be of a romantic nature. In the poem, central characters began to emerge, who are independent actors, and not just vague images snatched from the historical stream.

Evgeniy's interests

The main character of the work is Evgeny, who is a representative of the “St. Petersburg” period in the history of the country. He is that “little” person whose meaning of life lies in organizing his life and quiet, bourgeois happiness. His life is limited to a close circle of concerns about his own home and family.

And these are the character traits that make the image of the main character unacceptable for the poet himself; they are the ones that turn him into a “little man.” The great Russian poet deliberately refuses to describe the image of Eugene. He even deprives him of any last name, emphasizing that any one can be put in its place - the image of Evgeniy reflects the life of many representatives of St. Petersburg at that time.

Contrast between personality and power

The problem of the little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” is a question of a helpless unit confronting the omnipotence of the autocracy. And in this comparison of the Bronze Horseman with the main character, the main difference is determined. Evgeny has a soul, and he can suffer, be sad, and dream about something. The Emperor cares about the fate of people, including Eugene, who will one day live in the capital. And the main character’s thoughts are hovering around own life. However, despite this, it is he who evokes the greatest sympathy of the reader, his image evokes active participation.

Riot in the soul

The flood that befell Eugene's life makes him a real hero. He goes crazy (as you know, this is one of the frequent attributes of the main character in a romantic work). The main character wanders through the streets of the city, which has become hostile to him, and hears the sound of the river. It also reflects the rebellion of the little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman,” which filled the soul of the protagonist. The natural elements awaken in his heart what Pushkin considered the main thing for a person - memory. It is the memories of the flood he experienced that push him to Senate Square. There he meets the monument for the second time.

He finally understands what the cause of all his suffering and misfortune is. Evgeniy recognizes the culprit and begins to threaten him - now he only feels hatred for the “ruler of half the world” and wants to take revenge on him.

What does protest lead to?

The spiritual evolution of the protagonist also gives rise to the naturalness of protest. The great Russian poet also shows Eugene’s transformation. An internal protest raises him to a new life filled with tragedy, which must end in imminent death. And Eugene dares to threaten Peter himself with his retribution. This threat causes fear in the emperor, as he realizes what power lies in the spiritual protest of the human heart.

And when Eugene finally “sees the light,” he becomes a Man in the true sense of the word. It should be noted that not once in this passage does the poet call the main character by name - he again becomes faceless, like everyone else. Here the reader sees the confrontation between a formidable king and a Man who has a heart and memory. Eugene’s rebellion reflects a threat to the entire autocracy, a promise of popular retribution. But the revived statue punishes the “poor madman.” This is the tragedy of the little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman”.

Holy madness

It is also symbolic that Pushkin calls his main character “mad.” After all, a single person’s speech against the autocracy system does not fit into the framework of common sense. This is true madness. However, the poet emphasizes that it is “holy,” because silence and humility bring death. Only protest can save an individual from moral death in conditions where cruelty and violence reign.

The great Russian poet emphasizes both the tragedy and the comedy of the situation. Eugene is the “little man” who challenges the powerful force of autocracy. And he dares to threaten the emperor - not the real one, but his monument cast in bronze. This action is an attempt to resist evil circumstances, to cast one’s voice.

People's lives depend on power

The image of a little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” is very indicative: as a result of the flood main character loses his lover, goes crazy and ultimately dies. One might argue, what do all these events have to do with the problem of the state? But having become more closely acquainted with the work, one can understand that in reality it is the most immediate. After all, the events unfold in St. Petersburg, which, by the will of the emperor, was built on the banks of the Neva.

The skill with which the great Russian poet conveyed his ideas

The theme of the little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” is man’s opposition to the merciless state system. After all, it turns out that if the autocrat had not founded the city in this very place, then the main character of the work would have remained alive. Alexander Sergeevich embodies this deep and at the same time paradoxical idea with the help of a system of images described in the poem. It is no coincidence that, having lost his mind, Eugene sees his enemy in the form of a bronze horseman, and it is no coincidence that this horseman chases him through the streets of the city and ultimately kills him. With the help of the image of a little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman,” Pushkin makes it absolutely clear that the interests of an individual person cannot oppose the interests of the state in which he lives. Rulers always think big and do not take into account what fate awaits the inhabitants of their countries.

Whose side is Pushkin himself on?

It is impossible to unambiguously answer the question on whose side the author of the poem “The Bronze Horseman” himself is. The rebellion of a little man is the leitmotif of the work, but the historical justification of the emperor’s actions is no less important for the great Russian poet. After all, it is in this work that an inspired hymn to the city on the Neva sounds. With its splendor, St. Petersburg embodied the idea of a great Russian state (and it was Peter’s deeds that made it so).

Alexander Sergeevich did not set himself the task of stigmatizing the empire or, on the contrary, elevating it. On the one hand, the poet preserved his humanity, speaking about an individual person and feeling sympathy for him. After all, the image of a little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” is still the main one. On the other hand, he saw that great country- this is also an important value. And without resolving the issue of the relationship between the individual and the entire state, the great Russian poet wrote about their inevitable confrontation and the tragedy of the relationship.

For some reason, some believe that the year in which the poem “The Bronze Horseman” was written was 1830. Analysis of biographical information allows us to unequivocally state that Pushkin created it in 1833. This is one of the most perfect and striking works of Alexander Sergeevich. The author in this poem convincingly showed all the inconsistency and complexity of the turning point in Russian history. It must be emphasized that the poem occupies a special place in the work of Alexander Sergeevich. The poet in it tried to solve the problem of the relationship between the state and the individual, which is relevant at all times. This topic has always been at the center of the author’s spiritual quest.

Features of the genre

According to a long-standing tradition, a poem is a work that is lyrical or narrative in nature. If initially it was more of a historical creation, then for some time now the poems began to acquire more and more romantic overtones. This was due to the tradition of what was popular in the Middle Ages. Even later, moral, philosophical, personal issues come to the fore. The lyrical-dramatic aspects begin to intensify. At the same time, the poem outlines central characters or one character (this is typical for the work of romantic writers) as independent individuals. They cease to be snatched by the author from the historical stream. Now these are not just blurry figures, as before.

The image of a little man in Russian literature

Little man in Russian literature- one of the cross-cutting topics. Many writers and poets of the 19th century turned to her. A. S. Pushkin touched on it one of the first in his story " Stationmaster". Gogol, Chekhov, Dostoevsky and many others continued this theme.

What is the image of a little man in Russian literature? This person is small socially. He is at one of the lowest levels of the social hierarchy. In addition, the world of his claims and spiritual life is extremely poor, narrow, and filled with many prohibitions. Philosophical and historical problems does not exist for this hero. He is in a closed and narrow world of his vital interests.

Evgeniy is a little man

Let us now consider the image of the little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman”. Eugene, its hero, is a product of the so-called St. Petersburg period of Russian history. He can be called a little man, since the meaning of Evgeniy’s life is to achieve bourgeois well-being: family, good place, Houses. The existence of this hero is limited by the circle of family concerns. He is characterized by non-involvement in his past, since he does not yearn for forgotten antiquity or for deceased relatives. These traits of Evgeniy are unacceptable for Pushkin. It is thanks to them that this character represents the image of a little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman”. Alexander Sergeevich deliberately does not give detailed description this hero. He doesn’t even have a last name, which means that any other person can be put in his place. The figure of Evgeniy reflected the fate of many similar people whose lives occurred during the St. Petersburg period of history. However, the image of the little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman” is not static; it transforms as the narrative progresses. We'll talk about this below.

The view of Peter and Evgeniy

In the flood scene, Eugene sits with his hands clasped in a cross (which seems to parallel Napoleon), but without a hat. Behind him is the Bronze Horseman. These two figures are facing the same direction. Nevertheless, Peter’s view differs from Eugene’s view. For the king, it is directed into the depths of centuries. Peter does not care about the fate of ordinary people, since he solves mainly historical problems. Eugene, representing the image of a little man in the poem “The Bronze Horseman,” looks at the house of his beloved.

The main difference between Peter and Evgeniy

The following main difference can be identified by comparing bronze Peter with this hero. The image of Evgeny in A. S. Pushkin’s poem “The Bronze Horseman” is characterized by the fact that this character has a heart and soul, he has the ability to feel, and knows how to worry about the fate of the person he loves. He can be called the antipode of Peter, this idol on a bronze horse. Evgeniy is capable of suffering, dreaming, and sadness. That is, despite the fact that Peter reflects on the fate of the entire state, that is, is concerned with the improvement of the lives of all people, in an abstract sense (including Eugene, who in the future should become a resident of St. Petersburg), in the eyes of the reader Eugene, and not the tsar, becomes more attractive . It is he who awakens living participation in us.

Flood in the fate of Evgeniy

For Evgeny, the flood that happened in St. Petersburg turns into a tragedy. It makes a real Hero out of this ordinary-looking person. Evgeny This certainly brings him closer to the characters romantic works, because madness is popular, Eugene wanders the streets of a city hostile to him, but the rebellious noise of the winds and the Neva is heard in his ears. It is this noise, together with the noise in his own soul, that awakens in Evgeniy what was the main sign of a person for Pushkin - memory. It is the memory of the flood that brings the hero to Senate Square. Here he meets the bronze Peter for the second time. Pushkin perfectly described what a tragically beautiful moment it was in the life of a humble, poor official. His thoughts suddenly became clearer. The hero understood the reason for both his own misfortunes and all the troubles of the city. Eugene recognized their culprit, the man by whose fatal will the city was founded. Hatred for this ruler of half the world was suddenly born in him. Evgeniy passionately wanted to take revenge on him. The hero starts a rebellion. He threatens Peter, approaching him: “Too bad for you!” Let's carry out brief analysis scenes of rebellion in the poem "The Bronze Horseman", which will allow us to discover new features in the image of Eugene.

Protest

The inevitability and naturalness of protest is born thanks to the spiritual evolution of the hero. His transformation is shown artistically convincingly by the author. The protest raises Evgeniy to a new life, tragic, lofty, which conceals the inevitable imminent death. He threatens the king with future retribution. The autocrat is afraid of this threat, because he realizes enormous power, hidden in this little man, a protester, a rebel.

The moment Eugene suddenly begins to see clearly, he turns into a Man in his connection with his family. It should be noted that in this passage the hero is never mentioned by name. This makes him, to a certain extent, faceless, one of many. Pushkin describes the confrontation between the formidable Tsar, who personifies autocratic power, and a Man who is endowed with memory and has a heart. The promise of retribution and a direct threat are heard in the whisper of the hero who has regained his sight. For them, the revived statue, “burning” with anger, punishes this “poor madman.”

Eugene's madness

The reader understands that Eugene’s protest is isolated, and besides, he pronounces it in a whisper. Nevertheless, the hero must be punished. It is also symbolic that Eugene is defined as a madman. According to Pushkin, madness is an unequal debate. From the standpoint of common sense, the action of one person against a powerful state power- real madness. But it is “holy”, since silent humility brings death.

"The Bronze Horseman" is a philosophical, social poem. Pushkin shows that only protest can save an individual from moral decline in the context of ongoing violence. Alexander Sergeevich emphasizes that resistance, an attempt to be indignant, to raise a voice will always be a better way out than submission to cruel fate.