« Garnet bracelet", a petty official who is unrequitedly in love with the princess. He pursues the object of his passion with letters, and at the end of the story he commits suicide.
History of creation
Alexander Kuprin worked on the “Garnet Bracelet” in Odessa in the fall of 1910. The work was originally conceived as a story, but grew into a story. The work dragged on, and at the beginning of December, judging by Kuprin’s letters, the story was not yet finished.
The plot was based on real story which happened to the wife of State Council member D.N. Lyubimova. The prototype of Zheltkov was a certain petty telegraph official Zheltikov, who was unrequitedly in love with this lady.
"Garnet bracelet"
Zheltkov is a minor official of the control chamber, 30-35 years old. A tall and thin man with soft and long hair. Zheltkov’s appearance reveals a delicate mental organization - pale skin, a gentle “girlish” face, a childish chin with a dimple, blue eyes and nervous thin fingers. The hero’s hands constantly betray his nervous state - they tremble, fiddle with buttons, “run” over his face and clothes.
Zheltkov - the main character of the story "Garnet Bracelet" The hero earns little and considers himself a person devoid of subtle taste, therefore he has neither the opportunity nor the right to present the object of his unrequited passion - the princess - expensive gifts. The hero saw a lady in a circus box and immediately fell in love with her. Eight years have passed since then, and all this time the lover Zheltkov has been writing letters to Vera. At first, the hero was still waiting for reciprocity and thought that the young lady from the box would answer his letters, but Vera never paid attention to the unlucky admirer.
Over time, Zheltkov ceases to hope for reciprocity, but continues to write to Vera from time to time and secretly monitor her life. In his letters, Zheltkov describes exactly where and with whom he saw Vera, even what dress she was wearing. Apart from the object of his passion, the hero is not interested in anything - neither science, nor politics, nor the lives of his own and other people.
The hero keeps Vera's things. A handkerchief that the lady forgot at the ball, and the hero appropriated. The exhibition program that Vera left on the chair, and so on. Even a note written by Vera, in which she forbade the hero to write to her, became a relic for Zheltkov. Zheltkov sees in Vera the only meaning of his own life, but despite all this, he does not consider himself a maniac, but only a lover.
Vera Sheina from the story "Garnet Bracelet" One day Zheltkov sends the princess a gift for her name day - a family garnet bracelet that belonged to the hero’s great-grandmother, and then to his late mother. The princess's brother, Nikolai, loses his temper over this gift and decides to intervene in order to stop Zheltkov's "harassment" once and for all.
Nikolai finds where the hero lives and demands that he stop pursuing his sister, and otherwise threatens to take action. Vera herself also treats Zheltkov unfriendly and asks him to leave her alone. That same evening, the hero dies by committing suicide, but in his suicide note he does not blame Vera for his own death, but still writes about his love for her. Only at parting did Vera realize that the strong love that every woman dreams of was so close, but she abandoned it.
Zheltkov had a soft and tactful character. The landlady called the hero a “wonderful man” and treated him like her own son. Zheltkov is sincere and incapable of lying, he is decent. The hero has a weak voice and calligraphic handwriting. The man loves music, especially. The hero has one brother among his relatives.
Illustration for the story "Garnet Bracelet" The hero rented a room in a multi-storey building on Lutheran Street. This is a poor house, where the stairwells are dark and smell of kerosene, mice and laundry. Zheltkov’s room is poorly lit, has a low ceiling, and is poorly furnished. The hero has only a narrow bed, a shabby sofa and a table.
Zheltkov is a contradictory character who showed cowardice in love, but considerable courage when deciding to shoot himself.
Film adaptations
In 1964, a film adaptation of “The Pomegranate Bracelet” was released, directed by Abram Room. The image of Zheltkov in this film was embodied by actor Igor Ozerov. Mr. Zheltkov, whose exact name is not indicated in the story, is called Georgiy Stepanovich in the film. In the story, the hero signs with the initials G.S.Zh., and the landlady from whom Zheltkov rented a house called the hero “Pan Ezhiy,” which corresponds to the Polish version of the name “George.” However, it is impossible to say for sure what the hero’s name was.
The film also starred actors Yuri Averin (in the role of Gustav Ivanovich von Friesse) and in the role of Prince Shein, husband main character Vera Sheina, whose role was played by the actress.
Quotes
“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, my whole life lies only in you.”
“Think about what I should have done? Run away to another city? All the same, the heart was always near you, at your feet, every moment of the day was filled with you, with thoughts about you, dreams about you...”
“I checked myself - this is not a disease, not a manic idea - this is love.”
Yes, I foresee suffering, blood and death. And I think that it is difficult for the body to part with the soul, but, Beautiful One, praise to you, passionate praise and quiet love. "Hallowed be Thy name"...
In my sad dying hour, I pray only to you. Life could be wonderful for me too. Don't complain, poor heart, don't complain. In my soul I call upon death, but in my heart I am full of praise to you: “Hallowed be thy name”...
A. Kuprin
In the 20th century, in an era of cataclysms, during a period of political and social instability, when a new attitude towards universal human values began to take shape, love often became the only moral category that survived in a collapsing and dying world. The theme of love became central in the works of many writers at the beginning of the century. It became one of the central themes in the work of A. I. Kuprin. Love in his works is always unselfish, selfless, it is not touched by “any of life’s conveniences, calculations and compromises.” But this love is always tragic, obviously doomed to suffering. Heroes pass away. But their feelings are stronger than death. Their feelings don't die. Is this why the images of “Olesya”, “The Duel”, “Shulamithi”, “Garnet Bracelet” remain in the memory for so long?
The story "Shulamith" (1908), written based on the biblical Song of Songs, presents Kuprin's ideal of love. He describes such a "tender and fiery, devoted and beautiful love, which alone is dearer than wealth, fame and wisdom, which is dearer than life itself, because it does not even value life and is not afraid of death." The story "The Garnet Bracelet" (1911) was intended to prove that such love exists in modern world, and refute the opinion expressed in the work by General Anosov, the grandfather of the main character: “... love among people has taken... vulgar forms and has simply descended to some kind of everyday convenience, to a little entertainment.” And men are to blame for this, “at twenty years old, jaded, with chicken bodies and hare souls, incapable of strong desires, of heroic deeds, of tenderness and adoration before love...”
Kuprin presented the story, which others perceive as an anecdote about a telegraph operator who fell in love, as a touching and sublime Song of Songs about true love.
The hero of the story is Zheltkov G.S. Pan Yezhiy - an official of the control chamber, a young man of pleasant appearance, “about thirty, thirty-five years old.” He is “tall, thin, with long fluffy, soft hair”, “very pale, with a gentle girlish face, with blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle." We learn that Zheltkov is musical and endowed with a sense of beauty. The spiritual appearance of the hero is revealed in his letters to Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, in a conversation with her husband on the eve of suicide, but he is most fully characterized by "seven years of hopeless and polite love."
Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, with whom the hero is in love, attracts with her “aristocratic” beauty, inherited from her mother, “with her tall flexible figure, gentle, but cold and proud face, beautiful, although rather large hands and that charming sloping shoulders that can be seen on ancient miniatures." Zheltkov considers her extraordinary, sophisticated and musical. He “began to pursue her with his love” two years before his marriage. When he first saw the princess in a box at the circus, he said to himself: “I love her because there is nothing like her in the world, there is nothing better, there is no animal, no plant, no star, no more beautiful... and more tender person.” ". He admits that since then he “has no interest in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people.” For Zheltkov, in Vera Nikolaevna “it’s as if all the beauty of the earth was embodied.” It is no coincidence that he constantly talks about God: “God was pleased to send me, as great happiness, love for you,” “love with which God was pleased to reward me for something.”
At first, Zheltkov’s letters to Princess Vera were of a “vulgar and curiously ardent” nature, “although they were quite chaste.” But over time, he began to reveal his feelings more restrainedly and delicately: “I blush at the memory of my audacity seven years ago, when I dared to write stupid and wild letters to you, young lady... Now only awe, eternal admiration remains in me and slavish devotion." “For me, my whole life lies only in you,” writes Zheltkov to Vera Nikolaevna. In this life, every moment is precious to him when he sees the princess or watches her with excitement at a ball or in the theater. When he leaves this life, he burns everything dear to his heart: Vera’s handkerchief, which she forgot at the ball in the Noble Assembly, her note asking “not to bother her anymore with your outpourings of love,” the program for the art exhibition that the princess held in her hand, and then I forgot it on the chair when leaving.
Knowing full well that his feelings are unrequited, Zheltkov hopes and is “even sure” that someday Vera Nikolaevna will remember him. She, without even suspecting it, hurts him painfully, pushes him to commit suicide, saying telephone conversation the phrase: “Oh, if you only knew how tired I am of this whole story. Please stop it as soon as possible.” Nevertheless, in his farewell letter, the hero “from the depths of his soul” thanks Vera Nikolaevna for the fact that she was his “only joy in life, the only consolation.” He wishes her happiness and that “nothing temporary or worldly should disturb” her “beautiful soul.”
Zheltkov is the chosen one. His love is “selfless, selfless, not expecting reward...”. The one about which it is said “strong as death”... the kind of love “for which to accomplish any feat, to give one’s life, to go to torment is not work at all, but one joy...”. In his own words, this love was sent to him by God. He loves, and his feeling “contains the whole meaning of life - the whole universe!” Every woman, in the depths of her heart, dreams of such love - “holy, pure, eternal... unearthly,” “united, all-forgiving, ready for anything.”
And Vera Nikolaevna is also the chosen one, because it’s hers life path"crossed" by real, "modest and selfless" true love. And if “almost every woman is capable of the highest heroism in love,” then men in the modern world, unfortunately, have become impoverished in spirit and body; But Zheltkov is not like that. The date scene reveals many aspects of this person's character. At first he is lost (“jumped up, ran to the window, fiddling with his hair”), admits that now “the most difficult moment has come” in his life, and his whole appearance testifies to indescribable mental anguish: he speaks with Shein and Tuganovsky “with only his jaws” , and his lips are “white... like a dead man’s.” But self-control quickly returns to him, Zheltkov again regains the gift of speech and the ability to reason sensibly. As a sensitive person who knows how to understand people, he immediately rebuffed Nikolai Nikolaevich, stopped paying attention to his stupid threats, but in Vasily Lvovich he recognized an intelligent, understanding person, capable of listening to his confession. During this meeting, when a difficult conversation took place with the husband and brother of his beloved and Zheltkov was returned his gift - a wonderful garnet bracelet, a family heirloom, which he calls a “modest loyal offering,” the hero demonstrated a strong will.
After calling Vera Nikolaevna, he decided that he had only one way out - to die, so as not to cause any more inconvenience to his beloved. This step was the only possible one, because his whole life was centered around his beloved, and now he is denied even the last little thing: to stay in the city, “so that he can see her at least occasionally, of course, without showing his face to her.” Zheltkov understands that life away from Vera Nikolaevna will not bring relief from “sweet delirium,” because wherever he is, his heart will remain at the feet of his beloved, “every moment of the day” will be filled with Her, the thought of Her, dreams of Her. Having made this difficult decision, Zheltkov finds the strength to explain himself. His excitement is revealed by his behavior (“he has ceased to act like a gentleman”) and his speech, which becomes businesslike, categorical and harsh. “That’s all,” said Zheltkov, smiling arrogantly. “You will never hear from me again and, of course, you will never see me again... It seems that I did everything I could?”
For the hero, farewell to Vera Nikolaevna is farewell to life. It is no coincidence that Princess Vera, bending over the deceased to place a rose, notices that “deep importance” is hidden in his closed eyes, and his lips smile “blissfully and serenely, as if he, before parting with life, had learned some deep and sweet secret that had resolved his entire human life." Last words Zheltkova - words of gratitude for the fact that the princess was his “only joy in life, the only consolation, the only thought”, wishes for happiness to his beloved and the hope that she will fulfill it last request: will perform Sonata No. 2 in D major, op. 2.
All of the above convinces us that the image of Zheltkov, painted by Kuprin with such nobility and enlightened love, is not the image of a “small”, pitiful, defeated by love, poor in spirit person. No, when he passes away, Zheltkov remains strong and selflessly loving. He reserves the right to choose, protects his human dignity. Even Vera Nikolaevna’s husband understood how deep this man’s feeling was and treated him with respect: “I will say that he loved you, and was not crazy at all,” Shein reports after meeting Zheltkov. “I didn’t take my eyes off him.” and I saw every movement, every change in his face. And for him there was no life without you. It seemed to me that I was present at the enormous suffering from which people die."
An inconspicuous official, a “little man” with a funny surname Zheltkov, performed a feat of self-sacrifice in the name of the happiness and tranquility of his beloved woman. Yes, he was obsessed, but obsessed high feeling. It was “not a disease, not a manic idea.” It was love - great and poetic, filling life with meaning and content, saving man and humanity itself from moral degeneration. Love that only a select few are capable of. Love, “which every woman dreams of... love that repeats itself only once in a thousand years”...
Subject unrequited love is always a dramatic and often tragic basis work of art. One of the characters in the story “The Garnet Bracelet,” General Anosov, says: “Love should be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world! No life’s conveniences, calculations and compromises should concern it.” Kuprin affirms love as higher form beautiful, but does not ignore the fact that social relations break and distort it.
The story “The Garnet Bracelet” tells the love story of telegraph operator Zheltkov and aristocrat Vera Sheina. The writer shows the spiritual limitations of aristocrats who do not allow the idea that a poor official is capable of great love. Who could cause such tragically hopeless love? Kuprin describes Vera's appearance in detail, comparing her with her sister Anna. In contrast to the lively and mocking Anna, Vera “was strictly simple, cold and a little patronizingly kind to everyone, independent and royally calm.” Truly exceptional circumstances are needed for her to escape from the absorbed secular conventions.
Most of the story is devoted to depicting the family of Prince Shein and his entourage. Main character appears only at the end of the work. Kuprin takes his time to recreate the atmosphere of a rich and noble house, describing in detail the behavior and way of thinking of the characters. Guests come to Vera's name day, and as they arrive, the writer characterizes them. The image of General Anosov is drawn with sympathy - “a gigantic and unusually picturesque figure”, “a fragment of antiquity”. In him, Kuprin, in the Tolstoyan tradition, embodied the best features of a Russian man of the older generation - “traits consisting of an ingenuous, naive faith, a clear, good-natured and cheerful outlook on life, cold and businesslike courage, humility in the face of death, pity for the vanquished, endless patience and amazing physical and moral endurance." It is Anosov who expresses the thoughts of the writer himself that one cannot pass by the rare gift of great selfless love.
Prince Vasily Lvovich Shein, Vera's husband, is shown as a man of his environment with its disdain for people of the lower classes. He mocks the love letters of the “poor telegraph operator”, parodying them. Vera's brother Nikolai Bulat-Tuganovsky is an arrogant, cruel man who emphasizes his superiority over people from the people. He takes it as a personal insult that some minor official dared to fall in love with his sister.
The image of the main character Zheltkov emerges from his letter. Every line of the letter breathes with love, which is “strong as death.” Its author seems to be a noble man, capable of high inspiration and self-denial, of selfless admiration for a woman. Zheltkov appears only in the last part of the story, when Vera’s husband and her brother come to him. This is a “very pale, with a gentle girlish face, blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle” young man. Kuprin creates the appearance of a shy and gentle person, but his stubborn chin allows one to suspect a strong-willed nature in Zheltkov. He feels guilty for disturbing the peace of his beloved woman. Bye we're talking about about the dignity and honor of his beloved, he does not even try to justify himself. But when Bulat-Tuganovsky speaks of his intention to turn to the authorities, a feeling of spiritual superiority suddenly awakens in Zheltkov: in his love, he seems to rise above the vanity of life. The hero's last letter is filled with the highest tragedy, which could not but affect Vera. Indifferent to ordinary people, the aristocrat Vera comes to the poor home of the already dead Zheltkov. His suicide was the last argument of the authenticity of his feelings for the one who was “the only joy in life, the only consolation, the only thought.” Zheltkov's last note mentions a Beethoven sonata. Pathetic, romantic theme love-tragedy is associated in the story with theme song six bars "Appassionata". This is a musical prayer for love. The prayerful, almost religious character of such high and selfless love is reinforced by a number of symbolic images: an old prayer book given to Vera by her sister; a garnet bracelet sent by Zheltkov and then given as a gift to Madonna; the transformation of six musical phrases into six lines of a prose poem, reminiscent of an akathist of love, with the refrain of a line from the prayer that the hero quotes in his last letter to Vera: “When leaving, I say in delight: “Hallowed be Thy name.”
Kuprin develops a traditional theme for Russian literature " little man"But this little man is elevated by love, becomes tragic hero. The face of the dead Zheltkov reminds Vera of the death masks of Pushkin and Napoleon. By this, Kuprin equates the talent of love with the talents of geniuses.
“Pomegranate Bracelet” is a hymn to great unrequited love that conquers any conventions and prejudices.
The theme of unrequited love is always the dramatic and often tragic basis of a work of art. One of the characters in the story “Garnet Bracelet,” General Anosov, says: “Love should be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world! No life’s conveniences, calculations or compromises should concern her.” Kuprin affirms love as the highest form of beauty, but does not ignore the fact that social relationships break and distort it.
The story “The Garnet Bracelet” tells the story of telegraph operator Zheltkov’s love for the aristocrat Vera Sheina. The writer shows the spiritual limitations of aristocrats who do not allow the idea that a poor official is capable of great love. Who could cause such tragically hopeless love? Kuprin describes Vera's appearance in detail, comparing her with her sister Anna. Unlike the lively and mocking Anna, Vera “was strictly simple, cold with everyone and a little patronizingly kind, independent and royally calm.” Truly exceptional circumstances are needed for her to escape from the absorbed secular conventions.
Most of the story is devoted to depicting the family of Prince Shein and his entourage. The main character appears only at the end of the work. Kuprin takes his time to recreate the atmosphere of a rich and noble house, describing in detail the behavior and way of thinking of the characters. Guests come to Vera's name day, and as they arrive, the writer characterizes them. The image of General Anosov is drawn with sympathy - “a gigantic and extraordinarily picturesque figure”, “a fragment of antiquity”. In it, Kuprin, in the Tolstoyan tradition, embodied the best features of the Russian man of the older generation - “traits consisting of an ingenuous, naive faith, a clear, good-natured and cheerful outlook on life, cold and businesslike courage, humility in the face of death, pity to the defeated, endless patience and amazing physical and moral endurance.” It is Anosov who expresses the thoughts of the writer himself that one cannot ignore the rare gift of great selfless love.
Prince Vasily Lvovich Shein, Vera's husband, is shown as a man of his environment with its disdain for people of the lower classes. He makes fun of the love letters of the “poor telegraph operator”, parodying them. Vera's brother Nikolai Bulat-Tuganovsky is an arrogant, cruel man who emphasizes his superiority over people from the people. He takes it as a personal insult that some minor official dared to fall in love with his sister. Material from the site
The image of the main character Zheltkov emerges from his letter. Every line of the letter breathes with love, which is “strong as death.” Its author seems to be a noble man, capable of high inspiration and self-denial, of selfless admiration for a woman. Zheltkov appears only in the last part of the story, when Vera’s husband and her brother come to him. This is a “very pale, with a gentle girlish face, blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle” young man. Kuprin creates the appearance of a shy and gentle person, but his stubborn chin allows us to suspect a strong-willed nature in Zheltkov. He feels guilty for disturbing the peace of his beloved woman. While we are talking about the dignity and honor of his beloved, he does not even try to justify himself. But when Bulat-Tuganovsky speaks of his intention to turn to the authorities, a feeling of spiritual superiority suddenly awakens in Zheltkov: in his love, he seems to rise above the vanity of life. The hero's last letter is filled with the highest tragedy, which could not but affect Vera. Indifferent to ordinary people, the aristocrat Vera comes to the poor home of the already dead Zheltkov. His suicide was the last argument of the authenticity of his feelings for the one who was “the only joy in life, the only consolation, the only thought.” Zheltkov's last note mentions a Beethoven sonata. The pathetic, romantic theme of love-tragedy is associated in the story with the musical theme of the six bars of “Appassionata”. This is a musical prayer for love. The prayerful, almost religious character of such high and selfless love is reinforced by a number of symbolic images: an old prayer book given to Vera by her sister; a garnet bracelet sent by Zheltkov, and then given as a gift to Madonna; the transformation of six musical phrases into six lines of a prose poem, reminiscent of an akathist of love, with a refrain of a line from the prayer that the hero quotes in his last letter to Vera: “When leaving, I say in delight: “Hallowed be Thy name.”
Kuprin develops the traditional theme of the “little man” in Russian literature. But this little man is elevated by love and becomes a tragic hero. The face of the dead Zheltkov reminds Vera of the death masks of Pushkin and Napoleon. By this, Kuprin equates the talent of love with the talents of geniuses.
“Garnet Bracelet” is a hymn to great unrequited love, conquering any conventions and prejudices.
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What a magnificent, strong, flaming and enormous feeling lives in one of the heroes of the story "". Of course, this is the love with which Zheltkov’s heart was endlessly filled. But how did this love affect the life and fate of this character? Did she give him happiness or became the biggest tragedy?
In his case, there is some truth to both. Zheltkov loved Princess Vera Nikolaevna until his last breath and until the last beat of his heart. He could not live even a minute without thinking about a beautiful woman. He sent her love letters, he explained his strong feelings, but it was all in vain. Vera Nikolaevna could not reciprocate his feelings. Her Family status and her position in society did not allow her to take the slightest step. Therefore, she tried to ignore all cases of Zheltkov’s attentiveness to her person. Because of this, the hero was constantly left alone, alone with his dreams and desires.
One moment he was incredibly happy, but the next moment he was lonely, with a feeling of unrequited love. And he made no attempts to correct this situation.
Of course, you could run away to another city, go to work and achieve your life goals. But Zheltkov did not choose to fight for his love-free life. He was left alone with his unaccepted feelings. So, his life ended, without feeling the importance and need of his love.
However, the hero still remained happy. Even after death, there was peace and tranquility on his face. This feeling of happiness from such a strong and eternal love didn't leave him. Zheltkov accepted his fate as a sign from above, as a message. He did not reproach anyone and did not complain about anyone. After all, for such a pure, clear and strong feeling as love, he was ready to give up his life. And this love lived in his heart all the time, pleased and made the hero happy.