Perhaps, no less than Gray, Assol inspires faith in success and brings the glow of good luck. Two people coexisted in Gray's soul. And in Assol’s soul there lived two Assols, “mixed in a wonderful, beautiful irregularity.” One was the daughter of a sailor, an artisan, who knew how to make toys, diligently sew, cook, and wash floors. The other, the one that Green called a living poem “with all the wonders of its consonances and images,” was itself the embodiment of poetry. Trembling and worrying, Assol lived in anticipation of a miracle. And in this reciprocity of shadows and light, in this beautiful irregularity, like Gray, there was a correctness of its own, there was a high art inherent in both of them to transform the world, with inspiration to make many amazing discoveries “ethereal-subtle”, “inexpressible”, “but important, like cleanliness and warmth.”

Everything that Assol saw around her, everything that she lived with, became “a lace of secrets in the image of everyday life.” The very sound of her name, as strange and unusual to the ear as the tender name Suok in “Three Fat Men,” foreshadowed a meeting with a creature unlike the others. Aigle, for example, likes that the name is so strange, so monotonous, musical, like the whistle of an arrow or the noise of a sea shell. “What would I do,” he says thoughtfully to Assol, “if you were called one of those euphonious, but unbearably familiar names that are alien to the Beautiful Unknown? Moreover, I don’t want to know who you are, who your parents are and how you live. Why break the spell?

What is the source of Assol's charm? Greene is not going to ask us any riddles about this. There is so much purity, spontaneity, naturalness in her soul, such a readiness to see the world with eyes in which nothing adult remains - the big eyes of a child, that together with her we are imbued with the expectation of the Beautiful Unknown. Assol enthusiastically promises his friend, the coal miner Philip, that one day, when Philip fills his basket with coal, it will turn into a fragrant bush. And Philip really begins to imagine that buds are creeping out of the old twigs and leaves are splashing across the basket. Trembling and worrying, Assol goes to the seashore, intensely looking for a white ship with a scarlet sail on the horizon. And we, too, not believing that we believe, are waiting for his appearance.

“These minutes were happiness for her,” Green wrote about his heroine, “it’s difficult for us to escape into a fairy tale, it would be no less difficult for her to get out of her power and charm.” And what a triumph over the prosaic, rough, one-dimensional, flat and philistine idea of ​​life, devoid of any flight of fancy, does the author of the book experience together with his heroes, when, in front of the shocked residents of Kaperna, a ship suddenly appears with the very sails whose name is still for a time it sounded like mockery.

The heroine of “Scarlet Sails” at one time seemed to some critics of the book to be a character, although poetic, but passive and inactive. This reproach was addressed to Green more than once. Is he really that fair? Gray was given the strength, opportunity, and desire to make Assol’s dream come true. But let us remember that it was none other than Assol who inspired Gray to do his act! Assol helped Gray understand one simple truth.

Olya inspired Gray to do his act! Assol helped Gray understand one simple truth. Understand and have confidence in it: you need to do so-called miracles with your own hands. And maybe that’s why Gray didn’t want anyone else but Assol.

Here, it turns out, how in Green’s extravaganza, fate, will and character traits are ultimately happily, almost fabulously, and at the same time irreversibly, inevitably intertwined. The meeting of the storyteller Egle with Assol determines the purpose of her existence. The painting depicting a ship rising on the crest of a sea wall, which Gray loved to look at for a long time as a child, became for him “that necessary word in the conversation of the soul with life, without which it would be difficult for him to understand himself.” A huge sea gradually settled inside the little boy. He got along with it...

But isn't that fleeting vision of a miniature boat that Greene once saw in a toy store window somewhere in the same category? This insignificant impression turned out to be very necessary and very important for the writer.

Nowadays, the girl Assol has become a household name. It is associated with romance, openness, true, real feelings. This name and belief in love are considered synonymous concepts. Using the characterization of Assol from the work “Scarlet Sails” by Alexander Greene, we explore the characteristics of the heroine of this wonderful book. " Scarlet Sails"is an extravaganza story with the most romantic heroine of Russian literature of the 20th century. Any modern reader will be interested in learning more about the heroine’s appearance, her character traits, upbringing, and fate. Some girls can take note of the actions and behavior of the dreamy beauty.

Before characterizing Assol ("Scarlet Sails" by A. Green), it is worth introducing you to the main storylines. From the extravaganza we learn the story of the girl Assol, who lost her mother at the age of 8 months. Together with her father, sailor Longren, she lives in the village of Kaperna. Her father was unsociable and reserved; he made and sold toys in the form of sailboats and steamships. This is how he earned a living for himself and his little daughter.

When Assol was 8 years old, the song collector Egle gave her a small sailboat and said that someday a prince would come for her on a ship with scarlet sails and take her to a distant country. Since then, she had a dream about an overseas prince. Because of this, everyone considered the girl crazy.

On the other hand, the author shows us Gray. He was the scion of a noble and wealthy family, had living soul, strived for achievements. One day he went fishing by boat and stopped for the night near Kaperna. In the morning, in the thickets, he came across a sleeping Assol. He really liked this extraordinary girl.

Being a little “out of this world,” Gray goes to the shop to buy scarlet silk and make sails from it. Gray on his sailboat sailed to the shore where Assol was, and music was playing on the ship. All the villagers ran to the sea. Gray swam up to the girl in a boat and took her with him, as the storyteller had predicted.

The charm of the heroine

At the beginning of the extravaganza, the writer shows Assol as an eight-month-old baby, left without a mother, who was looked after by a kind old neighbor for three months while her father was swimming. At the end of the story we see a seventeen-year-old girl whose dream came true after meeting Gray.

At the age of five, Assol was distinguished by a kind, nervous face, which her father really liked. At 12 years old, she was a thin, tanned girl. She had thick dark hair, expressive eyes, small mouth with a gentle smile. The girl was so pure and expressive that she was compared to a swallow in flight.

At the age of 17, all her features were amazingly attractive: dark brown, short in stature. Her long eyelashes cast shadows on her cheeks, and anyone passing by tried to take in her delicate contours.

Assol's characterization proves that she was charming at any age (despite her poor and cheap clothes). Assol was even noticed in such outfits. Green uses a very subtle detail to describe the girl - a scarf, under which the girl’s thick locks and her gaze are hidden.

In Kaperna they did not really admire the appearance of the charming shy woman; the inhabitants were frightened by her wildness and intelligence hiding in her deep dark eyes. This is not at all the girl from the market with rough hands and loose speech.

Assol's childhood years

The girl's father was a sailor. Assol quickly learned everything, helped her parent, obeyed, showed kindness and affection. The girl suffered because of the attitude of other children, whose parents frightened her with her evil father and called him a murderer. Assol cried a lot, was offended, and then began to play by herself and not pay attention to anyone.

The young heroine lived in her dreams and fantasies. Her world was completely different from the real one. The girl continued to love life and enjoy it. She especially loved the nature around her and treated with kindness the person in the village who understood her - the coal miner Philip. kind soul The heroine never accumulated resentment and anger (unlike other inhabitants of Kaperna). Smart and hardworking Assol truly knew how to dream and never despaired. Over time, she began going to the city to put her father’s handicrafts up for sale. Although her childhood was spent in poverty, it was filled with love.

Character traits of the heroine

The girl's character developed in solitude. When she was bored, she went to her only friend - nature. Out of melancholy, she turned into a timid and suffering girl, only occasionally her face would come to life. But the heroine found a deep soul that subtly felt everything around her. She lends a helping hand to anyone she meets. Her most important character traits are:

1. Very economical. He knows how to sew, cook, clean, and save money.
2. Individual personality. Others, however, call her touched or crazy.
3. Loves nature. All living things were her true friend: trees, birds, the sea.
4. An educated girl. She read a lot of books and worried about their characters.

A dream comes true

Throughout her childhood and adolescence, Assol carried a fairy tale about a ship with red sails, which was told to her by the storyteller Egl. The girl believes in her and does not give up on her dream. Often she looked at the sea and looked out at the treasured ship in the depths of the sea. And one day her dream came true! Gray appeared in her life. The book ends so optimistically that you want to believe in the joyful future life of the young beauty.

The main idea of ​​the work

The "Scarlet Sails" extravaganza is a beautiful example of a dream that comes true thanks to the faith and hope of the charming Assol. Green teaches people to believe in dreams and miracles. Life is completely empty without cherished dreams. You need to strive for them, then they will definitely come true. You need to go boldly towards your future!

Comparative characteristics of Assol and Gray

Assol was the daughter of a poor toy maker, a former sailor. Gray was born into a wealthy family and was given an excellent education and upbringing. He experienced love and respect from childhood. Mother and father tried to give the boy the best. The girl had a difficult childhood, all the children refused to be friends with her, her only friends were her father and God. She addressed him with requests very often and talked to him. The heroine did not receive an education, but she read a lot of books.

Gray had a good inheritance, thanks to which he could not work. But he persists, studies maritime affairs and runs away from home. Assol's father makes toys and fishes. This is how they live, barely making ends meet.

What Assol and Gray have in common is that they were both romantics and dreamers. Gray makes his dreams of the sea come true himself, and Assol lives in a world of dreams and fairy tales. The young man became an excellent captain, and the girl waited for her prince on a ship with scarlet sails. Both heroes are honest and decent, they believe in love.

In addition to romance and determination, Gray has nobility, courage and determination. He became a kind wizard for the dreamy Assol. The girl charmed the young man with her pure and sincere beauty. Having given Assol a dream, Gray himself became bright and sincere. He simply and truly performed a miracle on another person.

The image of Assol in cinema and art

Imbued with the spirit of the romantic times, “Scarlet Sails” is liked by our contemporaries. The story is very reminiscent good fairy tale. In 1961, director Alexander Ptushko made the film "Scarlet Sails". The role of Assol in the fairy tale film was played by the magnificent Anastasia Vertinskaya, and the role of Gray was famous Vasily Lanovoy. You can see some shots from this wonderful film in the photo.

Dozens of productions have been staged in many theaters, musical performances based on the extravaganza "Scarlet Sails". Composers also did not stand aside and composed many songs on this topic. Contemporaries especially like the song by Tatyana Snezhina, the rock group "Marshal", and Alexey Sviridov - "Assol". Many people know the musical of the same name by Maxim Dunaevsky. Monuments have also been erected to the main character in several Russian cities: Kirov, Gelendzhik, Khanty-Mansiysk, Cherepovets.

The story for true romantics “Scarlet Sails” was originally called “Extravaganza”. He began making sketches for a literary work back in 1916, while working on “Running on the Waves.” The book was published in 1923 with a dedication to the writer’s wife. At the center of the story is the story of a young girl, Assol, whose life is filled with dreams and fantasies. Living in the real world, the heroine dreams of a fairy tale that is destined to come true one day.

Young Assol is a lyrical and poetic image. This is a sophisticated girl, persistent and strong in spirit, like the main heroines of Russian dramatic works. When working on any work, the author puts a part of himself into the characters he describes. The image of Assol is woven from features characteristic of Green. Grinevsky ( real name writer) dreamed of becoming a sailor and going on a long voyage. The romanticism in his soul collided with the harsh everyday life, so instead of getting on a ship, Alexander became a coaster worker.

Faced with the rudeness of professional sailors, Green gained skepticism, which connects him with the sailor Longren, Assol’s father. The talented writer was not handsome, his naval career did not work out, and fate was not kind. “Scarlet Sails” combines the symbolism of Alexander Green’s life’s ups and downs, his hopes and dreams, coupled with the hardships of reality.

History of creation

Assol's characterization echoes the worldview and ideals of the author. It was difficult for him, like the lovely girl, to exist in a world where there is no place for a fairy tale. Grinevsky describes the main character of the story just enough to give the reader an idea of ​​her. Hope is the main feature that symbolizes her mental structure. The character is described vaguely, and readers tend to independently ennoble the girl through imagination.

The heroine lives in the coastal city of Kaperna. As a child, Assol was not the life of the party; her peers did not accept her because of her father’s bad reputation. Having survived this, she learned to be self-sufficient and not pay attention to grievances. Having invented his own world, where dreams can be fulfilled, Assol waits for instructions from fate in order to enjoy life and love someone other than his father and the surrounding nature.

The characterization of the heroine's appearance has become a secondary nuance of the story, but the description is present in the narrative. The heroine wears her thick dark brown hair in a headscarf and wears a simple dress with a pink flower. The girl has a pleasant, gentle smile and a sad gaze. A thin, fragile figure does not stop Assol from working.

The modest dreamer was left without a mother early. She lives with her father, a former sailor, and they sell wooden toys to support themselves. Despite the crazy love of her parent, Assol is lonely. One day she learns about a prediction that says that a prince will come to her on a beautiful ship and take the girl with him. The stranger’s words were enough for gullible Assol to believe in the legend. Her faith was not based on frivolity, but on the desire to change her life. Steadfastly enduring the ridicule of others, the dreamer was true to her dream, and it came true.

Plot

The main line in the work is the story of Assol. She lives in a small village with an unsociable and withdrawn father. Fellow villagers do not like their family because of the accident in which Longren was involved. During the storm, he witnessed the death of the innkeeper Menners, but did not save his fellow countryman, remembering that in a similar situation no one came to the aid of his wife.

Assol - illustration for the book "Scarlet Sails"

In fact, the wife of the former sailor died because of his callousness and stinginess, which became the reason for hatred of the family on the part of ill-wishers. One day a girl went to the city to sell crafts, among which was a boat with scarlet sails. Assol let him go along the stream, and the toy got lost. The ship was found by the storyteller Egle. He predicted to the girl that when she grew up, with native land Assol will be taken by the prince, who has sailed on a ship with scarlet sails.

Arthur Gray, from a wealthy family, had a thirst for adventure and control. sea ​​vessels. One day, after setting off on a ship, he went out on a boat to go fishing. After spending the night on the shore, in the morning Gray saw Assol sleeping. Amazed by her beauty, he left his ring on the girl’s hand. In a nearby tavern, Arthur learned the girl’s story, embellished by local legends. Without listening to gossip, convinced of the nobility of Assol’s dreams, Gray bought scarlet silk in a shop and ordered sails to be sewn. The next day, the ship that Assol saw in her dreams approached the Kaperna pier. Gray took her to a distant country, as the storyteller predicted.

• Alexander Grinevsky, dreaming of the sea, made a symbol of hope and the realization of dreams not of the girl’s faith in the prince’s arrival, but of the ship. An allusion to the author's unfulfilled hopes, the scarlet sails became a sign that if dreams did not come true, this does not mean that they were impossible. Assol was not waiting for Gray. She was waiting for the ship, in which she invested faith, accumulated over years of loneliness and misunderstanding.

• Perhaps the hidden symbolism of the work made it a favorite book of communists who firmly believe in the dream and are confident in its achievement. The romantic background in the perception of readers and the author’s presentation fades into the background.
• It is noteworthy that even the magical name Assol appeared by chance. According to rumors, Green was buying tomato juice at the store and asked: “What about salt?” – heard a combination of sounds that inspired the writer to create a name for main character works.

• Musicals and plays based on the story have been staged more than once. It was filmed by director Alexander Ptushko in 1961. The actress became the creator of the main female image. The young man embodied Arthur Gray in the frame.
• Pictures from the book “Scarlet Sails” still inspire artists to create graphic images, mosaics, sculptures and other objects in various techniques. The main character embodied by the artists is the girl Assol, and the subject is a ship with scarlet sails.

Quotes

Alexander Green's work is full of morality contained in the monologues and remarks of the main characters. Notable quotes from the story “Scarlet Sails” have become catchphrases.

“Now children do not play, but study. They all study and study and will never begin to live.”

These words remain relevant today. They characterize not children, but adults who begin to live as is typical for their age and forget about their dreams.

"Miracles are made with your own hands."

The replica hints that you should not live in anticipation, while decisive actions will quickly lead to the desired result. Perhaps Green was guided by these words when he hired himself to work on the ship and dreamed of steering the ship.

“We love fairy tales, but we don’t believe in them.”

Assol was a dreamer, and her fantasies came true. This happened thanks to unwavering faith and fortitude. Sometimes faith allows circumstances to develop as desired.

“The sea and love do not like pedants”

This is what the romantic Green wrote, comparing two wayward elements. In a confrontation with them, the little things that pedants value are not important. Dreamers and people who feel the ability to create their destiny according to their dreams get what they are looking for.

The romantic story “Scarlet Sails” became the calling card of its author. The heroine of this work is a girl who lost her mother. She lives with her father, who is honest and kind. Her whole world is fantasies and dreams, once inspired by the prediction of a song collector. Such a romantic image as Assol became the embodiment of a dream that will come true if you just believe in it. The characterization of the heroine is the topic of this article.

Extravaganza

Authors literary works sometimes they use various elements of a fairy tale in their work. This technique allows you to reveal the plot, characters, give the work a lyrical or philosophical meaning. He called his story an extravaganza. In this work, realism is combined with magic, and fantasy with reality. And perhaps thanks to the use of such artistic means became the most touching and sublime image of a girl named Assol in Russian literature.

The characteristics of this heroine once seemed consonant with the adherents of the socialist idea with their main postulates. That is why Green’s work was widely popular in the Soviet Union. Today the passions for “Scarlet Sails” have subsided. And the image of the main character of this story took its rightful place in literature. But what inspired the author to write such a romantic story?

Creating the image of Assol

The characteristics of this character include traits that were also characteristic of its author. Since childhood, Alexander Grinevsky dreamed of the seas and distant countries. But the romantic personality was increasingly faced with harsh reality. In his dreams he saw beautiful things in reality - a coaster. Grinevsky strove for sublime friendship, but experienced only contempt and ridicule from professional sailors. The desire to defeat rudeness and skepticism arose in the soul of a romantic man, but outwardly reminiscent of the hero of his main book - Longren, Assol's father.

The characteristics of the unlucky sailor, but a talented writer, according to the memoirs of contemporaries, are as follows: a rather gloomy, ugly person, unable to win over his interlocutor at the first meeting. The writer's fate was also unlike a fairy tale. But it is known that it was precisely in the years when he had nowhere to lay his head that he created one of the most famous literary heroines - the girl Assol.

“Scarlet Sails” was written by Green at a time when all the foundations of life were collapsing around him. The writer sometimes even went hungry, since his creativity did not bring him any income. But he carried a manuscript with him everywhere, which later became one of the greatest works V Russian literature. He put all his aspirations and hopes into the plot of this story and believed, like Assol, that Petrograd would one day see “Scarlet Sails.” This was during the period of revolutionary events, but the color of the banner on the treasured ship had nothing to do with the red rebel banner. These were only his “Scarlet Sails”. The characterization of Assol echoed the properties of the author’s own mental makeup. And it was extremely difficult to exist with them in the world of ordinary people and skeptics.

Do scarlet sails exist?

The characterization of Assol is used by the author only to the extent necessary. The main topic in the story is hope. The character of the main character is not decisive. It is known that she is a reserved, modest and dreamy girl. She lost her mother very early, and since her father lost his job, the only source of food for their family was the sale of wooden toys.

The girl was lonely, although her father loved her dearly. One day she met the storyteller Egle, who predicted the arrival of a magical ship with sails. There would be a prince on board, and he would certainly take Assol with him.

The girl believed in the fairy tale, but those around her laughed at her and thought she was crazy. And yet the dream came true. One day Assol saw scarlet sails.

Characteristics of the heroine from a romantic fairy tale

Exists artistic direction in literature, which is characterized by the affirmation of spiritual and almost unattainable values. It's called romanticism. The works of this direction contain fairy-tale and mythological motifs. And their heroes are in a constant search for some ideal. German romantics dreamed of a blue flower. Scarlet sails became a similar ideal for Assol. The characterization of Alexander Greene's heroine in this regard includes typical

Arthur Gray image

The prince, whose appearance the storyteller predicted, was an ordinary young man, although from a wealthy family. Since childhood, like the author of the story, he dreamed of becoming a captain. An irresistible desire to comprehend the wisdom of marine science pushed him to leave his home. At first he was a simple sailor, but years later his dream came true. Gray acquired his own ship and became captain. And one day he heard stories about the crazy dreams of a girl who couldn’t wait for a prince on a fairy-tale ship. He was touched by Assol's dream, and he decided to make it come true.

Dreams Come True…

The captain ordered the scarlet sails to be raised. The ship entered the port, and a girl was waiting for him on the shore. Everything happened exactly as good Egle prophesied. And it doesn’t matter that Assol Gray learned about the dream in advance. The main thing is faith and hope. After all, they can save a person even in the most difficult times. The characteristics of Assol and Gray were compiled by the author based on his personal worldview and life experience. The main feature of these characters is the ability to believe in a dream. And this is precisely what, perhaps, saved the writer when he was in exile. A. Green's life was quite difficult, but he always found a place for miracles in his heart. Even when those around him did not understand and condemned him.

The appearance of the heroine

The appearance and character of a girl with beautiful name Assol. The characterization of the heroine, as already mentioned, is less significant than her ability to believe in a dream. But still, a little should be said about the appearance of this character.

Assol is presented in the story as the owner of a thick head of hair, tied up in a headscarf. Her smile was gentle, and her gaze seemed to contain some sad question. The figure of the heroine is depicted by A. Green as fragile and thin. The girl worked diligently, helping her father create miniature ships from wood.

Assol is the personification of gentle beauty, spiritual meekness and hard work. And this is not surprising, because this is exactly what the typical heroine of many well-known romantic fairy tales is, who remains for a long time waiting for the handsome prince. As expected according to the laws of the genre, at the end of the magical story, all Assol’s dreams come true.

Alexander Green created “Scarlet Sails” in those years when the world order around him was collapsing. He wrote a fairy tale about a poor girl, offended by everyone and seemingly homeless, when he himself was almost poor and hungry.

The writer took the notebook with the manuscript of this book with him to the front when he, a thirty-nine-year-old, sick, exhausted man, was called up to fight the White Poles (1919). He carried the treasured notebook with him to hospitals and typhoid barracks. And despite everything, he believed that “Scarlet Sails” would take place. The story itself is permeated with this faith.

Her idea was born back in 1916, seemingly by accident. From a childhood dream (the sea) and a random impression (a toy boat with a sail seen in a store window), Greene gave birth to the main images of the story, which he called “an extravaganza.” This is what is usually called a theatrical performance with a fairy tale content. But “Scarlet Sails” is not a play or a fairy tale, but the real truth. After all, villages like Kaperna are not at all uncommon. The heroes of the story are not like those in fairy tales, even those like Egle, only little Assol could mistake him for a wizard. And yet, despite the realism of the characters and paintings, “Scarlet Sails” is an extravaganza.

The image of Assol in the story “Scarlet Sails”

The main characters are Assol and Gray. First, the author introduces Assol. The unusual nature of the girl is indicated by her name - Assol. It has no "literal meaning". But “it’s good that it’s so strange,” Egle will say.

Assol’s “strangeness” is not only in his name, but also in his words and behavior. This is especially noticeable against the background of the inhabitants of Kaperna. They lived an ordinary life - traded, fished, transported coal, slandered, drank. But, as Egle noted, they “tell no tales... do not sing songs.” “Scarlet Sails” were mentioned by them only as a “mockery” of the one who believed in them. And when they saw real scarlet sails, they looked at them “with nervous and gloomy anxiety, with evil fear,” “the dumbfounded women flashed like a snake hiss,” and “poison crept into their heads.” It is noteworthy that not only adults became embittered, but also children... This means that anger and cruelty are not traits of individual people, but a disease that affects everyone, regardless of age.

Assol was completely different... She is a stranger in Kapern. The girl could go at night to the seashore, “where... she looked out for a ship with scarlet sails.” In nature she felt like she belonged.

And it was also filled with love. “I would love him,” said little Assol to Eglu, who predicted scarlet sails and a prince for her. She loves her father and consoles him with her feelings. Love separated her from the inhabitants of Kaperna, united by anger and poverty of soul.

The image of Gray in the story “Scarlet Sails”

Gray's story also begins in childhood. His surroundings are his parents and ancestors, who are present, however, only in portraits. Gray was supposed to live according to a “pre-drawn plan.” The logic and course of his life were predetermined by his family. Actually, like Assol’s life. The only difference was that he was ordered to flourish, and she was to vegetate in an atmosphere of rejection and even hatred of the people around her. But the life program drawn up for Gray failed very early. It did not take into account his lively and independent character.

It all started with the fact that Gray wanted to choose the role of “knight”, “seeker” and “miracle worker” in life. In childhood, this role manifested itself in a childish way. Gray covered up the nails in the painting of the crucified Christ. Then, in order to feel the pain of the maid who had scalded her hand, he scalded his own hand. He slipped her his piggy bank, supposedly from Robin Hood, so that she could get married. The picture on the library wall and his rich imagination helped Gray decide on his future. He decided that he should become a captain. Green gave Gray his dream.

Thus, both Assol and Gray saw their future in childhood. Only Assol simply waited patiently, and Gray immediately began to act. At the age of fifteen, he secretly leaves home and enters the unknown life of a sailor. The contrast between domestic and sea life is striking. There is a mother’s love, indulgence in all his whims, and here there is rudeness, physical exercise. But Gray “silently endured ridicule, mockery and inevitable abuse until he became captain.”

This hero is a subtle nature. He is able to understand the signs of fate. When he first saw sleeping Assol, “everything moved, everything smiled in him.” And he put the ring on the finger of the sleeping Assol.

After hearing her story, Gray already knew what he would do. Green in more detail describes how he selects silk for sails to show how important what he is about to do is to him.

Why did Assol and Gray, so distant from each other both by distance and position, still manage to meet? Fate? Yes, definitely. And Gray admits this: “How closely fate, will and character traits are intertwined here.” He put “Fate” first. But there are patterns in their history. All Gray’s actions after he learned about the prediction for Assol are absolutely in character: “I understood one simple truth. It’s about doing so-called miracles with your own hands.”

Of course, A. Green embellished life. He showed what he would like to see in her, and not what is. But his tale supports our faith in miracles that happen in life. And already for many people.

Scarlet sails are a symbol of hope, with which it all began...

Main features of the story “Scarlet Sails”:

• genre: extravaganza story;
• plot: prediction and its fulfillment;
• contrast of “worlds”: the “brilliant world” of Assol and Gray and the everyday world of Kaperna and the sailors;
• the ideal hero at the center of the story;
• presence of symbols;
• the concept of a “miracle” created with one’s own hands;
• the meeting of two spiritually close people as the semantic center of the extravaganza.

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