Read the book "Garnet Bracelet" online completely free - Alexander Kuprin - MyBook. The history of the creation of the kuprin garnet bracelet In what year was the garnet bracelet written

Every generation asks itself questions: Is there love? What is she? Does she need? The questions are difficult and impossible to answer unambiguously. A. Kuprin is an unsurpassed master of the pen, capable of asking such questions and answering them. Kuprin loves to write about love, this is one of his favorite topics. The feeling of aching melancholy and at the same time enlightenment comes after reading the "Garnet Bracelet".

A modest postal clerk selflessly loves the princess. For seven long, agonizing years, Zheltkov loves a woman he has never even met. He just follows her, collects things she has forgotten, breathes the air that she breathes. And what letters he writes to her! As a sign of his love, he gives her a garnet bracelet, which is very dear to him. But Vera Nikolaevna is offended and tells everything to her husband, whom she does not love, but is very attached to him. Shein, Vera Nikolaevna's husband, sorts things out with Zheltkov. He asks not to bother his wife with letters and gifts anymore, but allows him to write a farewell letter of apology. This was the reason for Zheltkov's suicide. The realization that he would never achieve the love of his ideal, that his days would be empty and cold, pushed Zheltkov to a terrible act.

“Hallowed be thy name!”, - with such enthusiastic words, Zheltkov leaves life. And has not Vera Nikolaevna lost the opportunity to love? Love is not given to everyone. Only a person with a pure, unsullied soul can surrender to this feeling. The modest Zheltkov, who can be overlooked in the crowd, is opposed to the rich, callous people of the secular circle. But the soul, what a soul he has... You can't see it, it's not in clothes. You can only feel it, love it. Zheltkov was not lucky. Nobody saw his soul.

I cried when I read this piece. Experiences Zheltkova re-read several times. What about his letters to the woman he loves? They can be learned by heart. What a depth of love, self-sacrifice and self-denial. They say they can't love like that now. Maybe. General Anosov in the story says that there is no love, and in our time there was not. It turns out that all generations think about eternal love, but only a few manage to recognize it.

Kuprin wrote "Garnet Bracelet" in 1911. Until now, his work has not lost its relevance and relevance. Why? Because the theme of love is eternal. If there was no love, we would all become callous, iron machines without a heart or conscience. Love saves us, makes us human. Sometimes, as it turns out, blood is shed because of love. It hurts and it's cruel, but it cleanses us.

I want to experience happy love in my life. And if there is no reciprocity, well, well. The main thing is that there is love.

Option 2

In the story of Alexander Kuprin, true love is described with extraordinary subtlety and tragedy, although unrequited, but pure, undeniable and sublime. Who, if not Kuprin, should write about this great feeling. “…Almost all my writings are my autobiography…” the writer remarked.

... The main character Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, who stood out for her kindness, courtesy, upbringing, prudence and special love for children, whom she could not have. She was married to Prince Shein, who was in a state of bankruptcy.

On the birthday of Vera, her husband presented earrings, the sister presented an antique prayer book, made in the form of a notebook. Only close relatives were at the celebration, as a result of which the celebration turned out to be good, everyone congratulated the princess. But, on any holiday, something can happen, and here it is.

The main character is brought another present and a letter. This gift - a garnet bracelet for the writer was of great importance, as he considered it a sign of love. The addressee of this offering was a secret admirer of Princess G.S. Zheltkov. He was a man of thirty-five years of age, of a thin build with a puffy face, who worked as an official. His feelings for a woman were seething for eight years, it was unrequited love, reaching recklessness, Zheltkov collected all the items that belonged to or were held in the hands of his beloved.

With his present, he showed his feelings in front of the entire Shein family. The spouse and relatives decide that it is necessary to return the present to the owner and explain that this is an indecent act on his part. Vera's husband, in a conversation with a fan, shows his nobility, he sees that Zheltkov's feelings are genuine. Soon, the princess from the newspaper learns about the suicide of her admirer. She has a desire to look at a person, even after his death.

Being in the apartment of the deceased, Vera Nikolaevna realizes that it was her man. Feelings for the spouse have long faded, only respect remains. An important symbol is the letter left by Zheltkov to his beloved.

In fiction, the theme of love is considered the main one, it is one of the main elements of society.

Story analysis for grade 11

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The hero of the story "Garnet Bracelet" is one of the most touching images in literature. The author himself wept over the manuscript of this work. Kuprin claimed that it is the most chaste of all that he created. Characteristics of the heroes ("Garnet Bracelet") is the topic of this article.

Vera

The main characters are the wife of Sheina. It is noteworthy that the characterization of the heroes ("Garnet Bracelet") is given by the author very unevenly. Kuprin did not consider it necessary to describe the disposition of Princess Vera, her habits. He described the appearance of the heroine, comparing her with her sister Anna.

Has a flexible figure, gentle, cold and proud face. That's almost all that is said about the main character. Her sister is depicted in more detail, although her presence in the story does not affect the plot in any way.

Each of the images is a kind of means for revealing the main theme of the work, namely, the theme of love. And therefore, the writer characterizes the characters quite selectively. "Garnet Bracelet" is a story in which the fate and inner world of the characters can be understood from the short phrases spoken by them and various small details.

Princess Vera is a kind, sensitive and honest woman. The ending of the story speaks of her ability to sympathize, when she comes to the house of the deceased Zheltkov to say goodbye to him. Honesty is indicated by the pangs of conscience that she experiences in one of the scenes. When a dispute flares up between Vasily and Vera's brother Nikolai about correspondence, which allegedly compromises all family members, Shein coldly remarks that this epistolary phenomenon is exclusively one-sided. At the words of her husband, the princess blushes deeply. After all, only one single message was received by the person who presented this ill-fated garnet bracelet.

The main characters, whose characteristics are finally revealed in the denouement, are secondary characters throughout the main part.

Vasily Shein

Even less is said about this hero than about Vera Nikolaevna. As already noted, in the work "Garnet Bracelet" the main characters, whose characteristics are given by the author at the beginning of the story succinctly and restrained, show their best qualities at the end. Vasily Shein goes to Zheltkov and, unlike Vera's brother, who accompanies him, behaves tactfully, politely and somewhat bewildered. The prince is able to see a huge tragedy in a man who has been in love with his wife for eight years. He knows how to feel someone else's pain even when the other would have shown only hostility and acute irritation.

Later, after Zheltkov commits suicide, Vasily conveys to Vera his impressions of what he saw: “This man loved you, and he was not insane,” he says, and at the same time treats with understanding the desire of the princess to say goodbye to the deceased.

But at the same time, both Vera and Vasily are arrogant people. Which, however, is not surprising, given their position in society. This quality is not negative. This is not arrogance, and not a kind of condescension, which is manifested in their attitude towards people who are not part of their circle. Faith is characterized by coldness and an authoritative tone. Vasily treats his wife's secret admirer with excessive irony. And, perhaps, all this led to the tragedy.

After reading the summary of the work, one gets the impression that Kuprin dedicated the "Garnet Bracelet" to love, which is so little in real life. The characterization of the characters, which is revealed in the story, gives, however, credibility and truthfulness to this plot. To understand this, you need to read carefully and thoughtfully.

Anosov

The author devoted most of the fourth chapter to the image of this hero. The image of Anosov plays an important role in revealing the main idea of ​​the story. In one of the fragments, he talks with the heroine about true love, which he never experienced in his entire long life, because such a feeling is born once in a hundred years. And to Vera's story about Zheltkov, he suggested that this was that rare case.

Zheltkov

This man is pale, has a tender girlish face. There is no need to talk about the qualities of his character, since Vera Nikolaevna is the meaning of his life. In the last letter, he confesses to her that after he saw her for the first time, he ceased to be interested in anything. The image of Zheltkov is central in the plot, but little is said about him. Much more important is the strength of the feeling that he experienced the last eight years of his life than his personality.

With the help of a small diagram, you can summarize the analysis of images in the story "Garnet Bracelet"

Characteristics of heroes (table)

This is the nature of heroes. "Garnet Bracelet" - despite its small volume, is a deep work. The article provides a brief description of the images, and lacks important details and citations.

In mid-August, before the birth of the new moon, the bad weather suddenly set in, which is so characteristic of the northern coast of the Black Sea. Sometimes for whole days a thick fog lay heavily over the land and the sea, and then the huge siren in the lighthouse roared day and night like a mad bull. Then from morning till morning it rained incessantly, fine as water dust, turning clay roads and paths into solid thick mud, in which carts and carriages got stuck for a long time. Then a fierce hurricane blew from the northwest, from the side of the steppe; from him the tops of the trees swayed, bending down and straightening up, like waves in a storm, the iron roofs of the dachas rattled at night, it seemed as if someone was running on them in shod boots, the window frames trembled, the doors slammed, and the chimneys howled wildly. Several fishing boats got lost in the sea, and two did not return at all: only a week later the corpses of fishermen were thrown out in different places on the coast.

The inhabitants of the suburban seaside resort - mostly Greeks and Jews, cheerful and suspicious, like all southerners - hurriedly moved to the city. Cargo drogs stretched endlessly along the softened highway, overloaded with all sorts of household items: mattresses, sofas, chests, chairs, washstands, samovars. It was pitiful, and sad, and disgusting to look through the muddy muslin of rain at this miserable belongings, which seemed so worn out, dirty and beggarly; on the maids and cooks sitting on top of the wagon on a wet tarpaulin with some kind of irons, tins and baskets in their hands, on sweaty, exhausted horses, which now and then stopped, trembling at the knees, smoking and often carrying sides, on hoarsely cursing quails, wrapped up from the rain in mats. It was even sadder to see the abandoned dachas with their sudden spaciousness, emptiness and bareness, with mutilated flowerbeds, broken glass, abandoned dogs and all sorts of dacha rubbish from cigarette butts, pieces of paper, shards, boxes and apothecary's vials.

But by the beginning of September, the weather suddenly changed abruptly and quite unexpectedly. Quiet, cloudless days immediately set in, so clear, sunny and warm that there were none even in July. On the dry, compressed fields, on their prickly yellow bristles, autumn cobwebs shone with a mica sheen. The calmed trees silently and obediently dropped their yellow leaves.

Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, the wife of the marshal of the nobility, could not leave the dachas, because the repairs in their city house had not yet been completed. And now she was very glad of the lovely days that had come, the silence, the solitude, the clean air, the chirping on the telegraph wires of the swallows flocking to fly away, and the gentle salty breeze that weakly blew from the sea.

II

In addition, today was her name day - September 17th. According to sweet, distant memories of childhood, she always loved this day and always expected something happy and wonderful from him. Her husband, leaving in the morning on urgent business in the city, put a case with beautiful pear-shaped pearl earrings on her night table, and this gift amused her even more.

She was alone in the whole house. Her unmarried brother Nikolai, a fellow prosecutor, who usually lived with them, also went to the city, to the court. For dinner, the husband promised to bring a few and only the closest acquaintances. It turned out well that the name day coincided with summer time. In the city, one would have to spend money on a big ceremonial dinner, perhaps even on a ball, but here, in the country, one could manage with the smallest expenses. Prince Shein, despite his prominent position in society, and perhaps thanks to him, could barely make ends meet. The huge family estate was almost completely upset by his ancestors, and he had to live above his means: to make receptions, do charity, dress well, keep horses, etc. Princess Vera, whose former passionate love for her husband had long since passed into a strong, faithful feeling, true friendship, tried with all her might to help the prince refrain from complete ruin. She in many ways, imperceptibly for him, denied herself and, as far as possible, economized in the household.

Now she was walking in the garden and carefully cutting flowers for the dinner table with scissors. The flower beds were empty and looked disordered. Multi-colored terry carnations were blooming, as well as levka - half in flowers, and half in thin green pods that smelled of cabbage, rose bushes still gave - for the third time this summer - buds and roses, but already shredded, rare, as if degenerate. On the other hand, dahlias, peonies and asters bloomed magnificently with their cold, arrogant beauty, spreading an autumnal, grassy, ​​sad smell in the sensitive air. The rest of the flowers, after their luxurious love and excessive abundant summer motherhood, quietly showered countless seeds of a future life on the ground.

Close by on the highway came the familiar sound of a three-ton car horn. It was the sister of Princess Vera, Anna Nikolaevna Friesse, who had promised in the morning to come by phone to help her sister receive guests and take care of the house.

Subtle hearing did not deceive Vera. She walked towards. A few minutes later a graceful carriage came to an abrupt halt at the dacha gate, and the driver, deftly jumping down from the seat, flung open the door.

The sisters kissed happily. From early childhood, they were attached to each other by a warm and caring friendship. In appearance, they were strangely not similar to each other. The eldest, Vera, took after her mother, a beautiful Englishwoman, with her tall, flexible figure, gentle, but cold and proud face, beautiful, although rather large hands, and that charming sloping of her shoulders, which can be seen in old miniatures. The youngest, Anna, on the contrary, inherited the Mongol blood of her father, a Tatar prince, whose grandfather was baptized only at the beginning of the 19th century and whose ancient family went back to Tamerlane, or Lang-Temir, as her father proudly called her, in Tatar, this great bloodsucker. She was half a head shorter than her sister, somewhat broad in the shoulders, lively and frivolous, a mocker. Her face was of a strongly Mongolian type, with rather noticeable cheekbones, with narrow eyes, which, moreover, she screwed up due to myopia, with an haughty expression in her small, sensual mouth, especially in her full lower lip slightly protruding forward - this face, however, captivated some then an elusive and incomprehensible charm, which consisted, perhaps, in a smile, perhaps in the deep femininity of all features, perhaps in a piquant, provocatively coquettish facial expression. Her graceful ugliness excited and attracted the attention of men much more often and stronger than her sister's aristocratic beauty.

She was married to a very rich and very stupid man who did absolutely nothing, but was registered with some charitable institution and had the title of chamber junker. She could not stand her husband, but she gave birth to two children from him - a boy and a girl; She decided not to have any more children, and never did. As for Vera, she greedily wanted children and even, it seemed to her, the more the better, but for some reason they were not born to her, and she painfully and ardently adored the pretty anemic children of her younger sister, always decent and obedient, with pale mealy faces and curled flaxen doll hair.

Anna consisted entirely of cheerful carelessness and sweet, sometimes strange contradictions. She willingly indulged in the most risky flirting in all the capitals and in all the resorts of Europe, but she never cheated on her husband, whom, however, she contemptuously ridiculed both in the eyes and behind the eyes; she was extravagant, terribly fond of gambling, dancing, strong impressions, sharp spectacles, visited dubious cafes abroad, but at the same time she was distinguished by generous kindness and deep, sincere piety, which forced her even to secretly accept Catholicism. She had a rare beauty back, chest and shoulders. Going to big balls, she was exposed much more than the limits allowed by decency and fashion, but it was said that under the low neckline she always wore a sackcloth.

Vera, on the other hand, was strictly simple, coldly and a little condescendingly kind to everyone, independent and royally calm.

III

- My God, how good it is here! How good! - Anna said, walking with quick and small steps next to her sister along the path. - If possible, let's sit a little on the bench above the cliff. I haven't seen the sea in such a long time. And what a wonderful air: you breathe - and your heart rejoices. In the Crimea, in Miskhor, last summer I made an amazing discovery. Do you know what sea water smells like during the surf? Imagine - mignonette.

Vera smiled softly.

- You are a dreamer.

- No no. I also remember the time everyone laughed at me when I said that there is some kind of pink tint in the moonlight. And the other day the artist Boritsky - that's the one who paints my portrait - agreed that I was right and that artists have long known about this.

– Is the artist your new hobby?

- You can always figure it out! - Anna laughed and, quickly going to the very edge of the cliff, which fell like a sheer wall deep into the sea, looked down and suddenly screamed in horror and recoiled back with a pale face.

- Oh, how high! she said in a weak and trembling voice. - When I look from such a height, I always somehow tickle sweetly and disgustingly in my chest ... and my toes ache ... And yet it pulls, pulls ...

She wanted to bend over the cliff again, but her sister stopped her.

- Anna, my dear, for God's sake! It makes my head spin when you do that. Please sit down.

- Well, well, well, sat down ... But just look, what beauty, what joy - just the eye will not get enough. If you knew how grateful I am to God for all the miracles that he has done for us!

Both thought for a moment. Deep, deep beneath them lay the sea. The shore was not visible from the bench, and therefore the feeling of infinity and grandeur of the expanse of the sea intensified even more. The water was tenderly calm and cheerfully blue, brightening only in oblique smooth stripes in the places of the current and turning into a deep deep blue color on the horizon.

Fishing boats, hardly marked by the eye - they seemed so small - dozed motionless in the sea surface, not far from the shore. And then, as if standing in the air, not moving forward, a three-masted ship, all dressed from top to bottom with monotonous white slender sails, bulging from the wind.

“I understand you,” the older sister said thoughtfully, “but somehow it’s not the same with me as it is with you. When I see the sea for the first time after a long time, it both excites me, and pleases, and amazes me. As if for the first time I see a huge, solemn miracle. But then, when I get used to it, it starts to crush me with its flat emptiness ... I miss looking at it, and I try not to look anymore. Bored.

Anna smiled.

- What are you? the sister asked.

The story "Garnet Bracelet", written in 1910, occupies a significant place in the writer's work and in Russian literature. Paustovsky called the love story of a petty official to a married princess one of "the most fragrant and languishing stories about love." True, eternal love, which is a rare gift, is the theme of Kuprin's work.

In order to get acquainted with the plot and the characters of the story, we suggest reading the summary of the "Garnet Bracelet" chapter by chapter. It will provide an opportunity to comprehend the work, to comprehend the charm and lightness of the writer's language and to penetrate into the idea.

main characters

Vera Sheina- Princess, wife of the leader of the nobility Shein. She married for love, over time, love grew into friendship and respect. She began to receive letters from the official Zheltkov, who loved her, even before her marriage.

Zheltkov- official. Unrequitedly in love with Vera for many years.

Vasily Shein- Prince, provincial marshal of the nobility. Loves his wife.

Other characters

Yakov Mikhailovich Anosov- General, friend of the late Prince Mirza-Bulat-Tuganovsky, father of Vera, Anna and Nikolai.

Anna Friesse- sister of Vera and Nikolai.

Nikolay Mirza-Bulat-Tuganovsky- assistant prosecutor, brother of Vera and Anna.

Jenny Reiter- a friend of Princess Vera, a famous pianist.

Chapter 1

In mid-August, bad weather came to the Black Sea coast. Most of the inhabitants of coastal resorts hastily began to move to the city, leaving their summer cottages. Princess Vera Sheina was forced to stay at her dacha, as repairs were going on in her city house.

Along with the first days of September, it was warm, it became sunny and clear, and Vera was very happy about the wonderful days of early autumn.

Chapter 2

On the day of her name day, September 17, Vera Nikolaevna was expecting guests. The husband left in the morning on business and had to bring guests for dinner.

Vera was glad that the name day fell on the summer season and there was no need to arrange a magnificent reception. The Shein family was on the verge of ruin, and the position of the prince required a lot, so the spouses had to live beyond their means. Vera Nikolaevna, whose love for her husband long ago degenerated into "a feeling of lasting, faithful, true friendship", supported him as best she could, saved money, and denied herself in many ways.

Her sister Anna Nikolaevna Friesse came to help Vera with the housework and to receive guests. Not similar in appearance or characters, the sisters were very attached to each other from childhood.

Chapter 3

Anna had not seen the sea for a long time, and the sisters briefly sat down on a bench above the cliff, “falling like a sheer wall deep into the sea” - to admire the lovely landscape.

Remembering the prepared gift, Anna handed her sister a notebook in an old binding.

Chapter 4

By evening, guests began to arrive. Among them was General Anosov, a friend of Prince Mirza-Bulat-Tuganovsky, the late father of Anna and Vera. He was very attached to his sisters, they, in turn, adored him and called him grandfather.

Chapter 5

Those gathered in the Sheins' house were entertained at the table by the host, Prince Vasily Lvovich. He had a special gift for storytelling: humorous stories were always based on an event that happened to someone he knew. But in his stories, he so "exaggerated", so bizarrely combined truth and fiction, and spoke with such a serious and businesslike look that all listeners laughed non-stop. This time his story concerned the failed marriage of his brother, Nikolai Nikolaevich.

Rising from the table, Vera involuntarily counted the guests - there were thirteen of them. And, since the princess was superstitious, she became restless.

After dinner everyone except Vera sat down to play poker. She was about to go out onto the terrace when the maid called her. On the table in the office, where both women entered, the servant laid out a small package tied with a ribbon, and explained that a messenger had brought it with a request to hand it over to Vera Nikolaevna personally.

Vera found a gold bracelet and a note in the bag. First, she began to examine the decoration. In the center of a low-grade gold bracelet stood out several magnificent garnets, each about the size of a pea. Looking at the stones, the birthday girl turned the bracelet, and the stones flared up like "charming dense red living lights." With anxiety, Vera realized that these fires looked like blood.

He congratulated Vera on Angel Day, asked him not to be angry with him for daring to write letters to her a few years ago and expect an answer. He asked to accept as a gift a bracelet, the stones of which belonged to his great-grandmother. From her silver bracelet, he, exactly repeating the location, transferred the stones to the gold one and drew Vera's attention to the fact that no one had yet worn the bracelet. He wrote: “however, I believe that there is no treasure in the whole world worthy of decorating you” and admitted that all that is now left in him is “only reverence, eternal admiration and slavish devotion”, every minute desire for happiness to the Faith and joy if she is happy.

Vera pondered whether to show the gift to her husband.

Chapter 6

The evening passed smoothly and lively: they played cards, talked, listened to the singing of one of the guests. Prince Shein showed several guests a home album with his own drawings. This album was an addition to the humorous stories of Vasily Lvovich. Those looking at the album laughed so loudly and contagiously that the guests gradually moved towards them.

The last story in the drawings was called "Princess Vera and the telegraph operator in love", and the text of the story itself, according to the prince, was still "prepared". Vera asked her husband: “It’s better not to,” but he either did not hear, or did not pay attention to her request and began his cheerful story about how Princess Vera received passionate messages from a telegraph operator in love.

Chapter 7

After tea, a few guests left, the rest settled on the terrace. General Anosov told stories from his army life, Anna and Vera listened to him with pleasure, as in childhood.

Before going to see off the old general, Vera invited her husband to read the letter she had received.

Chapter 8

On the way to the crew waiting for the general, Anosov talked with Vera and Anna about the fact that he had not met true love in his life. According to him, “love should be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world."

The general asked Vera about what was true in the story told by her husband. And she gladly shared with him: "some madman" pursued her with his love and sent letters even before marriage. The princess also told about the parcel with the letter. In thought, the general noted that it was quite possible that Vera's life was crossed by "a single, all-forgiving, ready for anything, modest and selfless" love that any woman dreams of.

Chapter 9

After seeing off the guests and returning to the house, Sheina joined in the conversation between her brother Nikolai and Vasily Lvovich. The brother believed that the "nonsense" of the fan should be stopped immediately - the story with the bracelet and letters could ruin the family's reputation.

After discussing what to do, it was decided that the next day Vasily Lvovich and Nikolai would find Vera's secret admirer and, demanding to leave her alone, would return the bracelet.

Chapter 10

Shein and Mirza-Bulat-Tuganovsky, Vera's husband and brother, paid a visit to her admirer. It turned out to be an official Zheltkov, a man of thirty or thirty-five.

Nikolai immediately explained to him the reason for the arrival - with his gift, he crossed the line of patience of Vera's relatives. Zheltkov immediately agreed that he was to blame for the persecution of the princess.

Turning to the prince, Zheltkov spoke about the fact that he loves his wife and feels that he can never stop loving her, and all that remains for him is death, which he will accept "in any form". Before speaking further, Zheltkov asked permission to leave for a few minutes to call Vera.

During the official’s absence, in response to Nikolai’s reproaches that the prince was “limp” and sorry for his wife’s admirer, Vasily Lvovich explained to his brother-in-law what he felt. “This person is not capable of deceiving and lying knowingly. Is he to blame for love, and is it possible to control such a feeling as love - a feeling that has not yet found an interpreter for itself. The prince was not just sorry for this man, he realized that he had witnessed "some kind of enormous tragedy of the soul."

When he returned, Zheltkov asked permission to write a last letter to Vera and promised that the visitors would never hear or see him again. At the request of Vera Nikolaevna, he "as soon as possible" stops "this story."

In the evening, the prince gave his wife the details of the visit to Zheltkov. She was not surprised by what she heard, but was slightly agitated: the princess felt that "this man will kill himself."

Chapter 11

The next morning, Vera learned from the newspapers that the official Zheltkov committed suicide due to the waste of state money. All day Sheina thought about the "unknown person", whom she never had a chance to see, not understanding why she foresaw the tragic denouement of his life. She also remembered the words of Anosov about true love, which may have met on her way.

The postman brought Zheltkov's farewell letter. He admitted that he regards love for Vera as a great happiness, that his whole life lies only in the princess. He asked for forgiveness for the fact that “an uncomfortable wedge crashed into Vera’s life”, thanked her simply for the fact that she lives in the world, and said goodbye forever. “I tested myself - this is not a disease, not a manic idea - this is love, which God was pleased to reward me for something. Leaving, I say in delight: “Hallowed be thy name,” he wrote.

After reading the message, Vera told her husband that she would like to go and see the man who loved her. The prince supported this decision.

Chapter 12

Vera found an apartment that Zheltkov rented. The landlady came out to meet her, and they started talking. At the request of the princess, the woman told about the last days of Zheltkov, then Vera went into the room where he was lying. The expression on the face of the deceased was so peaceful, as if this man "before parting with life, learned some deep and sweet secret that resolved his whole human life."

At parting, the landlady told Vera that if a woman suddenly died and a woman came to say goodbye, Zheltkov asked me to tell her that the best work of Beethoven - he wrote down its name - “L. van Beethoven. Son. No. 2, op. 2. Largo Appassionato.

Vera wept, explaining her tears by the painful "impression of death."

Chapter 13

Vera Nikolaevna returned home late in the evening. At home, only Jenny Reiter was waiting for her, and the princess rushed to her friend with a request to play something. Without doubting that the pianist would perform “the very passage from the Second Sonata that this dead man with the funny surname Zheltkov asked for,” the princess recognized the music from the first chords. Vera's soul seemed to be divided into two parts: at the same time she was thinking about the love that had passed by once in a thousand years, and why she should listen to this particular work.

“The words were forming in her mind. They so coincided in her thoughts with the music that they were like couplets that ended with the words: “Hallowed be thy name.” These words were about great love. Vera cried about the past feeling, and the music excited and calmed her at the same time. When the sounds of the sonata died down, the princess calmed down.

To Jenny's question why she was crying, Vera Nikolaevna answered only to her with an understandable phrase: “He has forgiven me now. Everything is fine" .

Conclusion

Telling the story of the hero’s sincere and pure, but unrequited love for a married woman, Kuprin encourages the reader to think about what place a feeling occupies in a person’s life, what it gives the right to, how the inner world of someone who has the gift of love changes.

Acquaintance with the work of Kuprin can begin with a brief retelling of the "Garnet Bracelet". And then, already knowing the storyline, having an idea about the characters, it is with pleasure to plunge into the rest of the writer's story about the amazing world of true love.

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Introduction
"Garnet Bracelet" is one of the most famous stories of the Russian prose writer Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin. She was published in 1910, but for the domestic reader she still remains a symbol of selfless sincere love, the kind that girls dream about, and the one that we so often miss. Earlier we published this wonderful work. In the same publication, we will tell you about the main characters, analyze the work and talk about its problems.

The events of the story begin to unfold on the birthday of Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina. Celebrate at the dacha in the circle of the closest people. In the midst of fun, the hero of the occasion receives a gift - a garnet bracelet. The sender decided to remain unrecognized and signed a short note with only the initials of the GSG. However, everyone immediately guesses that this is a longtime admirer of Vera, some petty official who has been flooding her with love letters for many years now. The husband and brother of the princess quickly figure out the identity of the annoying boyfriend and the next day they go to his house.

In a miserable apartment they are met by a timid official named Zheltkov, he meekly agrees to take the gift and promises never to appear before the eyes of the venerable family, provided that he makes the last farewell call to Vera and makes sure that she does not want to know him. Vera Nikolaevna, of course, asks Zheltkov to leave her. The next morning, the newspapers will write that a certain official has committed suicide. In a farewell note, he wrote that he had squandered state property.

Main characters: characteristics of key images

Kuprin is a master of the portrait, moreover, through appearance, he draws the character of the characters. The author pays a lot of attention to each hero, devoting a good half of the story to portrait characteristics and memories, which are also revealed by the characters. The main characters of the story are:

• - princess, central female image;
• - her husband, prince, provincial marshal of the nobility;
• - a petty official of the control chamber, passionately in love with Vera Nikolaevna;
• Anna Nikolaevna Friesse- Vera's younger sister;
• Nikolai Nikolaevich Mirza-Bulat-Tuganovskiy- brother of Vera and Anna;
• Yakov Mikhailovich Anosov- General, military comrade of Vera's father, a close friend of the family.

Faith is an ideal representative of the high society both in appearance, and in manners, and in character.

“Vera took after her mother, a beautiful Englishwoman, with her tall, flexible figure, gentle, but cold and proud face, beautiful, albeit rather large hands, and that charming sloping of the shoulders, which can be seen in old miniatures”

Princess Vera was married to Vasily Nikolaevich Shein. Their love has long ceased to be passionate and passed into that calm stage of mutual respect and tender friendship. Their union was happy. The couple did not have children, although Vera Nikolaevna passionately wanted a baby, and therefore she gave all her unspent feeling to the children of her younger sister.

Vera was royally calm, coldly kind to everyone, but at the same time very funny, open and sincere with close people. She was not inherent in such feminine tricks as affectation and coquetry. Despite her high status, Vera was very prudent, and knowing how unsuccessfully things were going for her husband, she sometimes tried to deprive herself so as not to put him in an uncomfortable position.

The husband of Vera Nikolaevna is a talented, pleasant, gallant, noble person. He has an amazing sense of humor and is a brilliant storyteller. Shein keeps a home journal, which contains non-fictional stories with pictures about the life of the family and its associates.

Vasily Lvovich loves his wife, perhaps not as passionately as in the first years of marriage, but who knows how long passion really lives? The husband deeply respects her opinion, feelings, personality. He is compassionate and merciful to others, even those who are much lower than him in status (his meeting with Zheltkov testifies to this). Shein is noble and endowed with the courage to admit mistakes and his own wrong.

We first meet Official Zheltkov near the end of the story. Up to this point, he is present in the work invisibly in the grotesque image of a klutz, an eccentric, a fool in love. When the long-awaited meeting finally takes place, we see a meek and shy person in front of us, it is customary to ignore such people and call them “little ones”:

“He was tall, thin, with long, fluffy, soft hair.”

His speeches, however, are devoid of the chaotic whim of a madman. He is fully accountable for his words and deeds. Despite the seeming cowardice, this man is very brave, he boldly tells the prince, the lawful spouse of Vera Nikolaevna, that he is in love with her and cannot do anything about it. Zheltkov does not fawn over the rank and position in society of his guests. He submits, but not to fate, but only to his beloved. And he knows how to love - selflessly and sincerely.

“It so happened that I am not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people - for me life is only in you. I now feel that some uncomfortable wedge crashed into your life. If you can, forgive me for this.”

Analysis of the work

Kuprin got the idea for his story from real life. In fact, the story was more of an anecdotal character. A certain poor telegraph operator named Zheltikov was in love with the wife of one of the Russian generals. Once this eccentric was so brave that he sent his beloved a simple gold chain with a pendant in the form of an Easter egg. Scream and only! Everyone laughed at the stupid telegraph operator, but the inquisitive writer's mind decided to look beyond the anecdote, because real drama can always lurk behind a visible curiosity.

Also in the “Garnet Bracelet”, the Sheins and the guests first make fun of Zheltkov. Vasily Lvovich even has a funny story about this in his home magazine called “Princess Vera and the Telegraph Operator in Love”. People tend not to think about other people's feelings. Sheins were not bad, callous, soulless (this is proved by a metamorphosis in them after meeting Zheltkov), they simply did not believe that the love that the official confessed to could exist ..

There are many symbolic elements in the work. For example, a garnet bracelet. Garnet is a stone of love, anger and blood. If a person in a fever takes it in his hand (a parallel with the expression “love fever”), then the stone will take on a more saturated shade. According to Zheltkov himself, this special type of pomegranate (green pomegranate) endows women with the gift of foresight, and protects men from violent death. Zheltkov, having parted with the charm bracelet, dies, and Vera unexpectedly predicts his death.

Another symbolic stone - pearls - also appears in the work. Vera receives pearl earrings as a gift from her husband on the morning of her name day. Pearls, despite their beauty and nobility, are an omen of bad news.
Something bad also tried to predict the weather. On the eve of the fateful day, a terrible storm broke out, but on the birthday everything calmed down, the sun came out and the weather was calm, like a calm before a deafening peal of thunder and an even stronger storm.

Problems of the story

The key problem of the work is the question “What is true love?” In order for the “experiment” to be pure, the author cites different types of “loves”. This is the tender love-friendship of the Sheins, and the prudent, convenient love of Anna Friesse for her indecently rich old husband, who blindly adores his soul mate, and the long-forgotten ancient love of General Amosov, and the all-consuming love-worship of Zheltkov to Vera.

The main character herself for a long time cannot understand - this is love or madness, but looking into his face, even if hidden by the mask of death, she is convinced that it was love. Vasily Lvovich draws the same conclusions when he meets his wife's admirer. And if at first he was somewhat belligerent, then later he could not be angry with the unfortunate one, because, it seems, a secret was revealed to him, which neither he, nor Vera, nor their friends could comprehend.

People are inherently selfish and even in love, first of all, they think about their feelings, masking their own egocentrism from the second half and even themselves. True love, which occurs between a man and a woman once in a hundred years, puts the beloved in the first place. So Zheltkov calmly lets Vera go, because only in this way will she be happy. The only problem is that without it, he does not need life. In his world, suicide is a perfectly natural step.

Princess Sheina understands this. She sincerely mourns Zheltkov, a man whom she practically did not know, but, my God, perhaps true love passed by her, which occurs once in a hundred years.

“I am infinitely grateful to you just for the fact that you exist. I checked myself - this is not a disease, not a manic idea - this is love, which God was pleased to reward me for something ... Leaving, I say in delight: “Hallowed be Your name”

Place in literature: Literature of the 20th century → Russian literature of the 20th century → Works of Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin → The story “Garnet Bracelet” (1910)