Composition “The image of Romashov in Kuprin’s story “Duel. The main character in the assessment of criticism What does it mean for Romashov to be a real officer

The writing

Almost all of Kuprin's work is imbued with the pathos of sympathy for the “little” person, doomed to a miserable existence in a stagnant, wretched environment, traditional for Russian literature. The protagonist of the story "Duel" lieutenant Romashov is typical for the writer: an intelligent hero with a high pain threshold and a small margin of mental strength to resist the vulgarity and cynicism of the environment.
The author's sympathies are clearly on the side of the hero, and the reader has sympathy for him as soon as Romashov appears before us.
Even his outward image does not repel, but rather causes pity for the young officer. He is short and thin, but quite strong. Because of shyness awkward. And what kind of dexterity can we talk about, even if his clothes seem to serve as an additional humiliation. He is wearing galoshes, “covered to the top with thick, like dough, mud”, an overcoat, also cut off “for the sake of dirt”. Looking down at himself, he blushes with shame. The author constantly emphasizes the youth, immaturity of Romashov. Only once, at the end of the story, is his age mentioned: twenty-one years old. But the reader would not have given him more before: Romashov feels a sense of "boyish embarrassment in front of the soldiers", Shurochka calls him "and not a man at all." And most of all about his youth speaks the habit of thinking about himself in the third person. She also speaks about the romanticism of the hero: he thinks about himself in the words of stereotyped novels.
Romashov is a dreamer. He goes to the station to the courier train in order to get a glimpse of a life different from his life. To see beautiful, well-dressed ladies, so unlike the ladies of the regiment, forced to alter the same dress countless times and clean their gloves with gasoline. To see “carelessly self-confident” civilian gentlemen who cannot imagine the hardships of army life with its drill, rudeness, beatings, humiliation. Their life seems to Romashov an eternal holiday and celebration, and the leisure of officers is drunkenness, cards, intrigues, adultery and a brothel. Behind the evening dawn, the young man sees a beautiful city with pavements of golden tiles, with towers, shady gardens and fountains. And people live there differently: bright, joyful, not knowing barriers in desires, not knowing sorrow, shame, worries.
But he dreams not only of an earthly paradise, he has dreams that are much more material, born, perhaps even laudable, ambition. He sees himself as a learned officer of the general staff, he does not neglect regimental studies, but shuns officers. He rises higher and higher in the ranks, pacifies the revolt of the workers. And he is already ready not to go to a meeting again, to sit down in the morning for books, to cram, to pass the exam for the Academy of the General Staff. But in Romashov, ambition collides with childish naivete (a romantic dream of becoming a spy-organ grinder in Germany), but, worse, it collides with weakness of character, internal lack of composure. In his dreams, he is an indispensable officer of the General Staff, but in reality he abandoned the books he bought, and they are gathering dust on the shelf; he does not read prescribed newspapers and magazines, kills his free time for evenings in the meeting, drinks a lot of vodka and has a vulgar relationship with a married woman.
But Romashov is still attractive to the reader with his spiritual purity and humanity. His behavior differs in many ways from that of most other officers. He, in front of the regimental commander Shulgovich himself, stands up for a Tatar soldier who barely understands the Russian language. The human prevails in Romashov over the prescriptions of the military regulations, and at this moment he does not think about the inevitability of punishment. He cannot understand the “necessity” of reprisals against the “spaks”, not seeing any manifestations of officer honor in a demonstration of brute force in front of defenseless students and barmaids.

He would like all people to realize the senselessness of war, the whole world to lay down their arms. But in reality, he can only forbid the subordinate not to beat the soldier (“Shapovalenko, do not dare to fight!”). He threatens the martinet Plum to file a report against him for beating soldiers, and this is already a feat, already an act that goes beyond the series of actions of other officers.
Many trifles, and in truth - not trifles at all, in the behavior, in the life of a second lieutenant, distinguish him from others. He is the only one who treats his batman like a person, does not make him an animal, a clown for the entertainment of guests. He is ashamed of the very fact that someone is serving him, regrets that he cannot even shake hands with his faithful Guynan. Romashov only once goes to Brem to borrow money, before that he went to him, driven by human sympathy, love for animals. He recalls a childhood dream of having a dog.
If we pay attention to how other officers treat him, then we will see a clear dislike for him of Plum, Osadchy, Doroshenko. They see that the lieutenant has an inner core, the ability to protest, the courage to express his condemnation. So, he will stop the blasphemous mockery of Osadchy over the soldier who committed suicide: “I will not allow it! Be quiet! Why laugh? Captain Osadchy, you are not at all funny, but you are hurt and scared! That is why his superiors do not like him, seeing that the person is not completely broken.
The officers, who are equal to Romashov in position, treat him almost comradely, trust him. Suffice it to recall that it was Mikhin who asked him to take the sisters into the carriage in order to protect them from the harassment of the rude Dietz, to recall the tacit gratitude of Bek-Agamalov, whom Romashov saved from committing murder and from shame for the rest of his life.
Romashov does not remain unchanged throughout the story. Intense thoughts about life, about the army, about himself lead him to the discovery of his own "I", his personality, individuality. This discovery will first feed his vanity, and the result will be narcissism, a desire for praise, and failure during the review. But after that, a deep breakdown will occur in Romashov's soul, he will finally grow up. The habit of thinking about yourself in the third person will disappear without a trace. He will understand that the personality is not only him, that everyone has his own "I". The soldiers will no longer seem like a gray mass to him, each of them will have his own face. The barriers between people created by the army hierarchy will become even more painful for him. But he will have the courage and sympathy, despite the mockery of other officers, to help the soldier Khlebnikov, whom he saved from suicide. But for Romashov himself, life will appear - even more meaningless, his situation even more hopeless. Considering the possibility of going to the reserve, he realizes that he will not find a better life and become a civilian. And it will not improve the situation that he will understand what are the “three proud vocations of man”: science, art and free physical labor. Nazansky's inspirational arguments about the value of life, about the coming wonderful time, when people will become gods, will not help. After all, Nazansky himself did not come a step closer to this time. Love for Shurochka will not save him either, because she will respond to his feelings with momentary love, favor and cruel calculation. Romashov did not become a winner in a duel with the environment, did not become a winner in a duel with himself, did not find the strength to change his life. But he became the winner, consciously leaving this life. It would be naive to think that the fatal outcome of the duel was a tragic accident for either Romashov or Shurochka. She understood what she was pushing the young man in love with, and he could not help but feel it: “... Romashov felt something secret, nasty, slimy creeping between them, which smelled of cold on his soul.” But he gave his spiritual strength and gave his life for the sake of his beloved woman, saving the honor of her husband, saving her future, her desires and dreams. We can condemn him, not accept his readiness to die, not acknowledge it. But his consent to the duel was the mature decision of an adult. His victory in pity and love, in simple, calm words: “Well, so be it. I agree".

Other writings on this work

A.I. Kuprin entered Russian literature as a singer of bright and healthy human feelings, as a successor to the democratic and humanistic ideas of the great Russian literature of the 19th century. Critical realism, whose glorious traditions were adopted by Kuprin, was a progressive phenomenon at the beginning of the 20th century. A bright natural talent, a huge supply of life observations and a sharply critical depiction of reality - this is what determined the great public resonance of his works during the preparation and conduct of the first Russian revolution. At this time, Kuprin is working on the story "Duel", which he began to write in 1902. Published in the sixth collection of the magazine "Knowledge" in 1905, the story "Duel" caused a wide response. The pathos of exposing bourgeois society, high artistic merit put "Duel" on a par with the largest works of Russian literature at the turn of the two centuries.

The story takes place in the 90s of the XIX century. In "Duel" the author explains the reasons for the defeat of the tsarist army in the inglorious war with Japan. This "agony of old Russia" is the main theme of the story. However, in this work, several thematic lines should be distinguished, which, intertwined, give a complete picture of the officer environment, the barracks life of the soldiers, the personal relations of Romashov and Kazansky, Romashov and Shurochka Nikolaeva, and finally, the relationship of the hero with the soldiers.

The main character of the story is Lieutenant Romashov. In this image, the features of the Kuprin hero - a truth-seeker, a humanist, a lonely dreamer - were embodied with the greatest completeness. Among the officers, Romashov feels lonely, because he does not share the views of the officers around him. Romashov wholeheartedly protests against the nightmare called "military service", as he comes to the conclusion that "all military service, with its illusory valor, was created by a cruel, shameful, all-human misunderstanding." “How can there be an estate,” Romashov asked himself, “which in peacetime, without bringing a crumb of benefit, eats someone else’s bread and someone else’s meat, dresses in other people’s clothes, lives in other people’s houses, and in wartime goes senselessly to kill and maim people like themselves?”

A person with a fine mental organization, possessing a sense of dignity and justice, he is easily vulnerable, sometimes almost defenseless against the evil of life. Already at the beginning of the story, we notice Romashov's "unsuitability" for army life, his lack of understanding of "military discipline". The painful emptiness of army life pushes him into a casual relationship with the regimental "seductress" Raisa Peterson, which soon becomes unbearable for him. Garrison life with drunkenness, provincial squalor repels Romashov more and more. The dream of a beautiful and fabulous love makes Romashov idealize the image of a young, attractive woman - Shurochka Nikolaeva. For the hero of the story, she is "a ray of light in a dark kingdom." His dreams and hopes are connected with it. Blinded by love, Romashov did not see that Shurochka's beauty, her charm, willpower, talent - all this is intended to fight for her personal, small, selfish happiness: by any means to escape from the petty-bourgeois army environment and find the highest happiness in the "brilliant" life of the capital society.

The love tragedy in "Duel" grows out of a social tragedy. In the relationship between Romashov and Shurochka, two characters collide, two worldviews that have arisen within the framework of bourgeois society and testify to the decay taking place in it. Why is the happiness of Shurochka and Romashov impossible? Yes, only because Shurochka is trying with all his might to strengthen his position, and Romashov is gradually losing ground under his feet, because the spiritual and moral values ​​\u200b\u200bof this society are unbearable to him.

The finale of Romashov's love tragedy is the nighttime arrival of Shurochka to him. She came to deceive - to deceive vilely and shamelessly, to offer the terms of a duel with her husband and at the cost of Romashov's life to buy her future well-being and happiness. Romashov guesses the purpose of her arrival and agrees to all the conditions of the fatal duel with Shurochka's husband. He talks about it calmly and coldly: “Well, let it be so. I agree". These simple words contain a whole story - the story of the tragic love of a restless dreamer for a woman in whose soul the morality of "life for yourself" has corroded human feelings. Romashov understood everything, in his firmly spoken words - the cold consciousness that life had lost its value for him. And here the spiritual superiority of Romashov over Shurochka Nikolaeva, as well as over other inhabitants of the philistine world around him, becomes obvious.

Romashov dies because Shurochka makes the conditions of the fight unequal (she promises Romashov that her husband, knowing the conditions of the duel, will shoot to the side). The inevitability of a tragic denouement follows here from deep social causes. The hero of the story is not able to exist in the whirlpool of a bourgeois society built on hypocrisy and deceit, but he is not able to find a place among the people, to draw strength for a new life in its midst. This is what makes the image of Romashov tragic. The writer, not understanding the true causes of the evil he portrayed, could not find a way to overcome it. Not recognizing military service, denying the morality of the "aristocratic" stratum of army officers, Romashov felt powerless before life, since he could not leave military service. The honesty and subtlety of the spiritual organization make him especially painfully feel his impotence. .Illusory consolation he finds in the world of unrestrained, naive dreams. In this world, Romashov is no longer a poor lieutenant, but a hero, daring, fearless, beautiful. But the dream is not a source of creative inspiration, but mainly a means of escape, escape from reality.

The fate of Romashov continued to worry Kuprin for a long time. Already after the publication of the story, the author continued to suffer from the fate of the protagonist and could not part with him. Kuprin intended to re-write the duel scene, save Romashov's life and show his hero in the thick of people's life. From the memoirs of Kuprin's wife M.K. Kuprina-Iordanskaya could learn about the further fate of Romashov: “And here he is in Kyiv. The days of unemployment, wandering, ferocious need, changing professions, sometimes begging begin ... "However, the writer's plan to create a new work" Beggars ", which is a continuation of" Duel ", with Romashov as the main character - remained unfulfilled. The history of the idea testified that Kuprin was going to show only the gloomy, tragic in contemporary reality. In his search for a hero, the creator of "Duel" came to such a milestone that it was difficult for him to step over. In life, a type of truth-seeker-fighter had already formed, and the writer could not part with the type of truth-seeker-sufferer. This was noted by A.M. Gorky, who once said to Kuprin: “What is it! Why are you all mourning your Romashov! Cleverly he did, that he finally guessed to die and untie your hands. Tell me, what would he do in your novel, why would there be this intellectual, incapable of anything but whining ... ”To which Kuprin answered with his characteristic frankness:“ He hoped to make me a herald of the revolution, which completely owned them. But I was not imbued with a fighting mood, and I could not foresee in advance what direction my further work would take.

“Love is the brightest and most understandable reproduction of my

Yuri Alekseevich Romashov is the main character of the famous story of the Russian writer and translator Alexei Ivanovich Kuprin "Duel".

Romashov officer, wears the rank of second lieutenant. He is very young - he is only twenty-one years old. It is the young age that largely explains the propensity of the hero to dreams, which are often expressed in a judgment about himself in the third person, the idealization of life outside the army.

Yuri Alekseevich is an incredibly kind, sympathetic person. This becomes clear from his negative attitude towards the rudeness and cruelty of army life. He stands up for a Tatar innocent of nothing but his origin, saves the soldier Khlebnikov, who was killed by his superiors, from suicide and takes care of him in every possible way afterwards. One day Romashov will keep his comrade Bek-Agamalov from the rash act dictated by blind fury, for which he will be immensely grateful to him. Officers of equal status trust him, they are bound by comradely relations. However, senior officers do not like Romashov, because of his rejection of outright rudeness and outright rudeness in the daily life of army service.

But all that is positive that is present in the character of Romashov hopelessly drowns in the bottomless abyss of his lack of will, timidity, and inability to translate his ideas into real life. So, dreaming of becoming a learned officer of the General Staff, he promises himself to put an end to his wild life, sit down to read books and enter the Academy of the General Staff. But bright thoughts are not destined to come true every time - Yuri lacks internal strength and will to organize himself. Another striking example of the lack of will of the hero is Romashov's love for a married woman - the wife of his colleague Alexander Nikolaeva or Shurochka.

But there comes a moment of insight, Romashov removes the rose-colored glasses of childhood from his eyes, the features of infantilism disappear in him. He grows up, begins to understand that he is a person, enters the struggle for his Self. When Shurochka's husband challenges him to a duel, he will accept the challenge with dignity and die. This will be a conscious act aimed at saving the honor of the spouse Nikolaeva, which means her happy family future with her husband.

The image of Romashov is the image of a young man, kind, sympathetic, pure in soul, but overly dreamy, as well as weak-willed and impractical. But, in the end, the hero manages to find his Self and become a personality. He performs a truly noble and decisive act in the spirit of that time. Yuri Romashov gives the most precious thing he has, his life, for the sake of the happiness of the woman he loves.

Composition on the theme of Romashov in the Duel

Yuri Alekseevich Romashov is a young officer, had the rank of lieutenant, of medium height. Despite some thinness, he was a strong guy. All movements of Gregory were constrained and clumsy. For the period of service he is not more than 21 years old.

Romashov is a romantic, soft and sensitive young man. He is often given to daydreaming, and imagines his ideal life outside of the army. He is too kind and gentle, so the rude attitude in the army jars him, and he does not accept such behavior. His kind and sympathetic heart helps to prevent Khlebnikov's terrible crime - suicide. The soldier was pushed to this by his own boss, subsequently he constantly stays next to Khlebnikov, takes care of and helps him in every possible way. He protected a harmless young Tatar from attacks. At one point, when his friend is attacked by rage, and he wants to commit a rash act, Romashov will stop him, subsequently, having received immeasurable gratitude and devotion.

Officers equal to Romashov in rank establish good, friendly relations with him, they trust him and consider him a reliable friend. But, more senior officers in rank, on the contrary, do not like him, look down on his rejection of the rough life of army service.

But, despite the large number of positive traits in the character of a young man, his lack of will and timidity prevent him from fulfilling his dreams and achieving the desired result. For example, the desire to become a scientific officer at the headquarters of the general, and sit down to study scientific books - these are just empty words. In fact, due to weak will and lack of an inner core, he cannot organize himself and his behavior. The most striking example of his lack of will is when he falls in love with the wife of his friend named Shurochka. But in a certain period, something changed in him and his character. He became more mature and strong. Romashov suddenly began to look at the world differently, in an adult way. He accepts a challenge to a duel from the husband of his beloved woman, during the duel he dies. This act on the part of Romashov causes respect, since, having died himself, he defended the honor of his beloved and her husband.

The appearance of Romashov, on the one hand, is kind, sympathetic, dreamy, and on the other, weak-willed and weak-willed. In the fight against their fears and weaknesses, in the end the personality won. Romashov managed to find himself, to understand that he needed to be more serious and strong in spirit, despite the fact that at the end of the story he was overtaken by death.

Feature 3

The main character of the story A.I. Kuprin "Duel" in the work there are several names: Yuri, Georgy, Romochka, Chamomile - each of which reflects the attitude of the hero towards himself or the attitude of other characters towards the hero.

If we talk about the formation of attitudes towards oneself, then the path that the hero goes through is the movement from "Yuri" to "George". Yuri is a home name, that's how he calls himself, speaking in the third person, that's what his colleagues call him, this name has no connotation, additional powerful sound, characteristic, in this name there is only a nomination of ordinaryness, as a starting point. A dirty town, drunken gatherings in the officers' club, a strange and vulgar connection with the regimental lady Raisa Peterson - all these are signs of the simple name Yuri, that is, everything, like all officers in the regiment. But there is another name, George, victorious, delightful, motivating to get rid of infantilism, to get rid of the narrow-minded view of the world. Called so, Romashov dreams of a luminous city, of great love for Shurochka, of the triumph of justice during the impending regimental review. George - the Victorious, this bright Christian image, latently existing in the mind of Romashov, keeps him afloat, allows him to dream and hope for the fulfillment of desires for love and glory.

In one of the memoirs of Yuri-Georgy, it is said that in childhood, with a thin thread, his mother kept him from committing evil deeds, so trying to protect him from the danger of life outside the stretched thread. Childhood is over, but the fear of a new life remains, Romashov still feels the taut thread that holds him, and he will not be able to break it.

Sometimes it seems that quite a bit and the winner, Georgy, will appear before us: a few steps separate Romashov during the show from glory; he saves the soldier Khlebnikov from death, seeing him as his brother, he understands him as himself; even when he goes to a duel, it looks like an act in defense of the good name of the beautiful lady, his beloved Shurochka. But fate-thread does not let him go, and he remains just Yuri: the review will turn into the shame of an inept officer, and the beautiful lady, in fact, will sacrifice Romashov for her own well-being, she is not destined to understand and see in him both the strength of his sacrifice and the strength of his love to her, it is for her that he is Romashka and Romochka, she will not be able to see George in him.

Romashov will not be able to enter the radiant city that he imagined, he is not destined to be George the Victorious, but his bright, albeit somewhat emotionally infantile image gives rise to sympathy and empathy in the mind of the reader, when, following the main character, who saves a soldier from suicide, I want to say: "My brother."

The story of A. I. Kuprin The duel was published in 1905.

She immediately attracted everyone's attention and made her author famous. Indeed, it is difficult to name another work where the state of the army of that time and the morals reigning in it are shown with such force and skill.

The material for the duel was given to Kuprin by life itself. The writer studied at the cadet corps and at the cadet school, then served in an army infantry regiment for almost four years. The accumulated impressions formed the basis of the story, allowed the writer to truthfully depict pictures of provincial army life and create a whole gallery of portraits of officers and soldiers. The officers of the N-th regiment have common features due to the similarity of service, life, and living conditions. Their everyday life consists of attending military exercises and studying military regulations, attending an officer's meeting, drinking alone or in a company, relationships with other people's wives, playing cards. However, each of the officers is distinguished by its originality, some of its own, characteristic features. Here we have the unpretentious, good-natured lieutenant Vetkin.

He is used to not thinking about anything, to live everyday life. Despite his relative harmlessness, Vetkin gives the impression of a frivolous and narrow-minded person. The company commander, Captain Plum, is a stupid campaigner, a rude and heavy fragment of the former cruel discipline that has receded into the realm of tradition, is not interested in anything that goes beyond the limits of the company, formation and charter. Therefore, it is not surprising that in the whole world he has only two attachments: the combatant beauty of his company and the quiet, solitary daily drunkenness in the evenings. Lieutenant Bek-Agamalov cannot cope with outbursts of wild bloodthirsty instincts; Captain Osadchy became famous for his cruelty. He sings of a ferocious merciless war and inspires inhuman awe in his subordinates.

This gallery of portraits is continued by the melancholic and passive Staff Captain Leshchenko, who is capable of inspiring melancholy by his very appearance; veil and dummy Bobetinsky, who imagines himself to be an elegant high-society man; a young old man, a handsome lieutenant Olizar, and many others. The impoverished widowed lieutenant Zegrzht, who lacks a tiny salary to feed four children, evokes sincere pity. Fleeing from boredom and routine, officers try to come up with some kind of occupation for themselves, a means to get away from the heavy nonsense of military service. So, Lieutenant Colonel Rafalsky, nicknamed Brem, takes his soul away in his home menagerie. Among his comrades, he is known as a sweet, glorious eccentric, kind soul.

But one day the kindest man, enraged that the bugler, due to extreme fatigue, had incorrectly carried out his order, hit him so hard that the soldier spat out his broken teeth on the ground along with blood. A true military man by vocation is Captain Stelkovsky. He takes care of his soldiers, he has the best company in the regiment: The people in it were all, as if on a selection, well-fed, lively, looking intelligently and boldly into the eyes of any superiors ... In his company they didn’t fight and didn’t even swear .. .

his company, in its magnificent appearance and training, would not have yielded to any guards unit. During a military review, the captain proves to be an excellent commander, resourceful, quick-witted and proactive. However, outside the service, Stelkovsky cannot boast of nobility and high spiritual qualities: he seduces young peasant girls, and this has become a kind of entertainment for him. The story of the duel reveals the inhumanity, the spiritual devastation of people in the conditions of army life, their grinding and vulgarization. The army environment, with its inert officer caste and soldiers driven to stupefaction, is opposed by Lieutenant Romashov and his senior friend officer Nazansky. These characters personify the humanistic principle in the story. F.

Levin notes that many critics and literary historians believe that Romashov has many autobiographical features of Kuprin: Like the writer himself, Romashov comes from the city of Narovchat, Penza province, he only has a mother, he does not remember his father, he spent his childhood in Moscow, studied he is in the cadet corps, and then in a military school. All this coincides with the circumstances of Kuprin's life. For the reader, Romashov is, first of all, a charming young man who attracts with his nobility and spiritual purity. However, precisely because of these qualities, it is difficult for Romashov to get along in an army environment. He is kind and simple-hearted, has a vivid imagination, childish reverie. Surrounding him, for the most part, are degraded vicious people who have forgotten how to think. It is not surprising that Romashov feels himself a stranger and lonely among them: It was not the first time in the year and a half of his officer service that he experienced this painful consciousness of his loneliness and being lost among strangers, unfriendly or indifferent people ...

He does not like rough army habits, cards, drinking parties, vulgar connections, mockery of soldiers. Readers are especially sympathetic to his responsiveness, compassion for the misfortune of others. So, Romashov stands up for the Tatar Sharafutdinov, who hardly understands Russian and cannot understand what the colonel wants from him. He keeps the soldier Khlebnikov, driven to despair by bullying and beatings, from committing suicide. Romashov, unlike other officers of the regiment, understands that the gray Khlebnikovs with their monotonously submissive and meaningless faces are actually living people, and not mechanical quantities ...

The humanity of the second lieutenant is also reflected in many other things: in the discussion of officer massacres with shpaks, in the way he treats his batman Cheremis Gainan and, by the way, to his pagan beliefs, in how Romashov, risking his life, was left alone in front of the distraught Beck -Agamalov and protected a woman from him, in how painfully Romashov was weighed down by a vulgar affair with Raisa Peterson, in how, finally, he fell in love with Alexandra Petrovna purely and selflessly. Creating images of the heroes of the story, Kuprin shows amazing powers of observation in describing everyday details, inconspicuous but important trifles. He knows how to characterize a person with a well-aimed word so that you immediately imagine him. For example, Romashov has a naive youthful habit of thinking about himself in the third person in the words of novels that he has had time to read. And now, as if alive, the image of a young man appears before us, a little funny, impressionable and insecure, who wants to seem significant.

Nazansky occupies a special place among the heroes of the Duel. This is the least vital character in the story. Apparently, the writer introduces it to express his cherished thoughts and worldview. It would seem why they cannot be put into the mouth of such a wonderful person as Romashov. I think that Kuprin considered the second lieutenant too young and insufficiently educated to become an exponent of such a philosophy. At the same time, Nazansky successfully complements the image of Romashov. Kuprin put merciless criticism of the army and officers into the mouth of Nazansky.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Nazansky feels happy and free only in a drunken stupor, when the next binge comes. And now this time comes for me, which they call such a cruel name, he shares with Romashov. This is the time of my freedom... freedom of spirit, will and mind. I then live, perhaps, a strange, but deep, wonderful inner life.

Such a full life! But, in spite of everything, Nazansky has a great love of life. Kuprin conveyed to him his admiration for life, his admiration for its joy and beauty. But look, no, just look how beautiful, how seductive life is! exclaimed Nazansky, spreading his arms wide around him.

O joy, O divine beauty of life! The hero of Kuprin is sincerely convinced that he will glorify the charm of life even in the most terrible moments, even if he falls under a train and his insides mix with sand and wrap around the wheels. This love of life, full of a sense of joy and beauty, was also inherent in the writer's worldview. Just as close to him are the inspired words about love for a woman that Nazansky utters. In his opinion, love is the most beautiful and amazing feeling, even if it is not shared. Vasily Nilovich speaks of happiness at least once a year by chance to see the woman he loves, to kiss her footprints, to touch her dress once in a lifetime. He sings of the readiness to give for her, for her whim, for her husband, for her lover, for her beloved dog and life, and honor, and everything that is possible to give!

The excited Romashov wholeheartedly accepts these words, because that is how he loves Alexandra Petrovna. Nazansky shares with Romashov and other thoughts about the future, about new, brave and proud people, about his ideal.

Nazansky rejects the gospel instruction to love your neighbor as yourself. He argues that love for humanity is being replaced by a new faith: This is love for yourself, for your beautiful body, for your omnipotent mind, for the infinite wealth of your feelings ... You are the king of the world, its pride and adornment ... Do what want to. Take whatever you like. Do not be afraid of anyone in the entire universe, because there is no one above you and no one is equal to you. The time will come and great faith in one's self will overshadow, like the fiery tongues of the holy spirit, the heads of all people, and then there will be no more slaves, no masters, no cripples, no pity, no vices, no malice, no envy.

Then people will become gods. In my opinion, in such a position of the character one can feel the influence of the theory of the superman, a strong personality in the spirit of Nietzsche's philosophy. This theory was very popular at the beginning of the 20th century. Apparently, A. I. Kuprin did not escape this hobby either. Although Romashov enthusiastically listens to Nazansky's revelations and even wants to call his interlocutor a teacher, Nietzsche's contempt for the weak is alien to him.

It is enough to remember how carefully he treats Khlebnikov, how kind he is to Gainan. Despite the intelligence and brilliance of Nazansky, I find Romashov much more noble, more humanly attractive.

Apparently, in the image of Lieutenant Kuprin, he wanted to emphasize the idea that an honest and decent person is always superior, always remains a winner in spiritual terms.

DID KUPRIN WRITE ABOUT HIMSELF, BY THE DEATH OF ROMASHOV "KILLING" HIS YOUTH DREAMS?

A.P. Apsit Portrait of A.I. Kuprin 1928
Photo by A.I. Kuprin 1900s

Kuprin was a lieutenant of the White Army, a brilliant rider who, on a bet, could ride a horse to the second floor of a restaurant, drink half a glass of cognac without leaving the saddle and return to earth in the same manner.
Kuprin spent his childhood in the Orphan School (Moscow, Kazakova St., 18), where for his nonsense that he is General Skobelev, Napoleon himself, they will put on a pointed cap with a boldly printed inscription “Liar”.
As a shorn twelve-year-old teenager, Kuprin studied at the Cadet School (Moscow, 1st Krasnokursantsky pr., 3–5), then the cadet school (Moscow, the corner of Znamenka and Gogolevsky Boulevard), where he sat in a punishment cell for the peasant girl Dunyasha (he looked after her instead of studying topography) and for the first printed story - "paper-smearing".
Just yesterday, he, a cadet, raced in a troika to a ball at a women's institute, declared his love at a clean skating rink and secretly kept a handkerchief picked up in the theater by some stranger, and today he is an officer of the 46th Dnieper Infantry Regiment. He jumps from the second floor, when some garrison lady promised a kiss for this, for the sake of another love, abandoning poetry and prose, he tries to enter the Academy of the General Staff.
I would have entered - I passed the exams brilliantly! - if on the way to St. Petersburg I had not met friends in the cadet corps in Kyiv and, having gone on a spree, had not thrown either from the ferry, or from the restaurant-float of the police officer. According to one version, for the fact that he did not give them, the officers, the booked table, according to another, more romantic, for impudent molestation to some girl.
There were no duels in his life. But, isn't it true, there is something in common in the description of the writer's youth with Romashov - the hero of his story "Duel"?

The title of the story by A. I. Kuprin - “Duel”, correctly conveys the meaning of the drama played out in it. A duel means not only the duel described at the end of the story, but also all the events that occur with the main characters.
The action of the book takes place at a time when fights between officers have just been officially allowed. Naturally, this topic is being actively discussed in the garrison. First
it is seriously touched upon in the conversation between Shurochka Nikolaeva and Romashov.
Shurochka, a beautiful, charming, intelligent, educated woman, speaks of duels as some kind of necessary phenomenon. The officer, she argues, must risk himself. Insult can only be washed away with blood. Not only Shurochka, the wife of an officer, talks about fights with such vehemence. This is the opinion of most of the men in the garrison.
Romashov's life in the regiment is an eternal duel with himself and with officer prejudices. He is not the same as his comrades, he has other life aspirations. Arriving in the regiment, Romashov dreamed of "valor, deeds, glory." He idealized the officers, believing that these people are noble, generous, honest. But in the garrison, the officers lead a gray, hopeless existence, they take revenge on the soldiers, who are not considered people, in the evenings, not knowing what to do, the officers gather, play cards and arrange senseless revels.
The whole story is a series of petty clashes between Romashov and the people around him.
All these minor skirmishes lead to one main one - a duel between Romashov and Nikolaev.
In general, the duel was predetermined from the very beginning. Romashov loves Nikolaev's wife, in addition, and she answered him, if not with love, but at least with sympathy, affection. Affectionately calling the officer "Romochka", Shurochka spends his free time with him "from nothing to do." Romashov refuses to have an affair with the regimental lady Raisa Alexandrovna Peterson, with whom they dirty and boring (and for quite a long time) deceived her husband. Wanting to take revenge on her "mustachioed Zhorzhik", she begins to bombard Shurochka's husband with anonymous letters.
Nikolaev himself does not accept Romashov from the very beginning. To shame during the review, when the ceremonial march failed through the fault of Romashov, an explanation was added with Nikolaev, who demanded that everything be done to stop the flow of anonymous letters, and also not to be in their house. Therefore, sooner or later the duel had to take place.
The word “duel” in relation to the event that took place is perhaps not entirely appropriate, since it was not a fair battle between two officers.
Shurochka, so dearly loved by Romashov, assured him that everything had been agreed in advance and no one would be injured. At the same time, she made the reservation that she was saying goodbye to him forever, but he, like all lovers, did not hear this.
How could a gullible, romantic second lieutenant assume that the woman he loves is so cold, prudent and treacherous?
He died without knowing happy love, without fulfilling his cherished dream of leaving the service and devoting himself to a more worthy occupation. The duel between Romashov and the outside world was not in favor of the dreamy second lieutenant.
"Duel" came out with a dedication to M. Gorky, to whom at that time of his work Kuprin was close, and, in addition to high marks from critics, deserved the praise of L.N. Tolstoy.

And now the duelists:

YURI ALEKSEEVICH ROMASHOV

I.Glazunov Illustration for the story "Duel" ch. 16 (fragment)

He was of average height, thin, and although rather strong for his build, he was clumsy because of his great shyness. He did not know how to fence with espadrons even at the school, and in a year and a half of service he completely forgot this art.
In a young graduate of a cadet school, now a second lieutenant, serving for the second year in a regiment stationed in a small Jewish town, weakness of will and fortitude are peculiarly combined. Service in the army for Romashov is a difficult test: he cannot come to terms with the rudeness and vulgarity of regimental life.
Romashov composes stories, although he is ashamed of his literary pursuits.
“Not for the first time in a year and a half of his officer service he experienced this painful consciousness of his loneliness and being lost among strangers, unfriendly or indifferent people - this dreary feeling of not knowing what to do with tonight.” From longing, he often goes to the station, where trains that stop for a short time remind him of a different, festive life.
After a fight with Nikolayev, Romashov challenges him to a duel and in a day becomes "the fairy tale of the city and the hero of the day." The meeting of the officers' court decides on the inevitability of a duel between Romashov and Nikolaev.
The next day, Nikolaev kills Romashov in a duel.

VLADIMIR EFIMOVICH NIKOLAEV
For two years in a row he has been failing the exams at the academy, and Alexandra Petrovna, Shurochka, is doing everything so that the last chance (it was allowed to enter only up to three times) was not missed.

And finally, in 2007, a twelve-episode television feature film "Junkers" was shot, based on the works of A. I. Kuprin. The script is based on the novel "Junker", the novels "Duel", "At the Break" ("The Cadets"), many of the writer's stories and episodes of his biography. The time of action in the film, unlike Kuprin's novels, is shifted from the end of the 19th century to the years preceding the start of the First World War.

It remains for us to reread the fragments of the original source!

The usual conversation, beloved by young officers, began about cases of unexpected bloody massacres on the spot and how these cases almost always took place with impunity. In one small town, a beardless, drunken cornet hacked with a saber into a crowd of Jews, from whom he had previously "destroyed an Easter pile." In Kyiv, an infantry lieutenant hacked a student to death in a dance hall for pushing him with his elbow at the buffet. In some big city - either in Moscow, or in St. Petersburg - an officer shot, "like a dog," a civilian who remarked to him in a restaurant that decent people do not stick to strangers.
Romashov, who had been silent until now, suddenly, blushing with confusion, adjusting his glasses unnecessarily and clearing his throat, intervened in the conversation:
- And here, gentlemen, what I will say for my part. Let's say I don't consider a barman... yes... But if he's a civilian... how should I put it?... Yes... Well, if he's a decent person, a nobleman and so on... him, unarmed, to attack with a saber? Why can't I demand satisfaction from him? Still, we are cultured people, so to speak ... - Eh, you are talking nonsense, Romashov, - Vetkin interrupted him. - You will demand satisfaction, and he will say: "No ... uh ... I, you know, in general ... uh ... I do not recognize dueling. I am against bloodshed ... And besides , uh ... we have a magistrate ..." So then go all your life with a bat in the face.

Haven't you read in the newspapers about an officer duel? Shurochka suddenly asked.
Romashov started up and with difficulty took his eyes off her.
- No, I didn't. But heard. And what?
- Of course, you, as usual, do not read anything. Really, Yuri Alekseevich, you are sinking. I think something stupid happened. I understand: duels between officers are a necessary and reasonable thing. - Shurochka convincingly pressed the knitting to her chest. - But why such tactlessness? Think: one lieutenant insulted another. The insult is severe, and the society of officers decides the duel. But then comes the nonsense and stupidity. The conditions are just like the death penalty: fifteen paces of distance and fight to the grievous wound... If both opponents are on their feet, the shots resume. But this is a massacre, this... I don't know what! But wait, those are just flowers. All the officers of the regiment, almost even the regimental ladies, come to the place of the duel, and even a photographer is placed somewhere in the bushes. After all, this is horror, Romochka! And the unfortunate lieutenant, Fendrik, as Volodya says, like you, and moreover offended, and not an offender, after the third shot receives a terrible wound in the stomach and dies in torment by evening. And he, it turns out, had an old mother and sister, an old young lady who lived with him, just like our Mikhin ... But listen, why, who needed to make such a bloody buffoonery out of a duel? And this, mind you, at the very beginning, right after the resolution of the fights. And trust me, trust me! - exclaimed Shurochka, sparkling with tanned eyes, - now sentimental opponents of officer duels, - oh, I know these contemptible liberal cowards! - now they will shout: "Ah, barbarism! Ah, a relic of wild times! Ah, fratricide!"
- However, you are bloodthirsty, Alexandra Petrovna! - inserted Romashov.
- Not bloodthirsty, - no! she retorted sharply. - I'm sorry. I'm a bug that tickles my neck, I'll take it off and try not to hurt him. But, try to understand, Romashov, there is simple logic here. What are officers for? For the war. What is the first requirement for war? Courage, pride, the ability not to blink before death. Where do these qualities manifest themselves most clearly in peacetime? In duels. That's all. Seems clear. It is not French officers who need fights - because the concept of honor, and even an exaggerated one, is in the blood of every Frenchman - not German ones - because all Germans are decent and disciplined from birth - but we, us, us! Then we won't have card-swindlers like Archakovsky among the officers, or unsleeping drunkards like your Nazansky; then, of itself, amikoshonstvo, familiar snarling in the assembly, with servants, this is your mutual foul language, throwing decanters at each other's heads, with the goal of still not hitting, but missing, will come out. Then you won't slander each other like that behind your back. An officer's every word must be weighed. The officer is a model of correctness. And then, what kind of tenderness: the fear of a shot! Your profession is to risk your life.

20
.........
On the evening of that day, he was again summoned to court, but this time together with Nikolaev. Both enemies stood in front of the table almost side by side. They never
looked at each other, but each of them felt at a distance
the mood of another and was tensely agitated by it. Both are persistent and
they looked motionlessly at the chairman when he read the court's decision to them:
- "The Court of the Society of Officers of the N-th Infantry Regiment, consisting of - followed
ranks and names of judges - under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Colonel Migunov,
having considered the case of a collision in the premises of the officers' meeting of lieutenant
Nikolaev and Lieutenant Romashov, found that due to the severity of mutual
insults, the quarrel of these chief officers cannot be ended by reconciliation and
that a duel between them is the only means of satisfaction
offended honor and officer dignity. Court opinion upheld
regimental commander.
Having finished reading, Lieutenant Colonel Migunov took off his glasses and put them in the case.
“It remains for you, gentlemen,” he said with stone solemnity, “
choose your seconds, two on each side, and send them to nine
hours of the evening here to the meeting, where they will work out the terms with us
duel. However, - he added, getting up and hiding his eyeglass case in his back pocket,
- however, the court order read now does not have any
binding force. Each of you retains complete freedom to fight on
duel, or ... - he spread his hands and paused, - or leave the service.
Then... you are free, gentlemen... Two more words. Not as chairman
court, but as a senior comrade, I would advise you, gentlemen officers,
refrain from attending the meeting until the duel." This can lead to
complications. Goodbye.
Nikolaev turned abruptly and with quick steps left the hall. Slowly
Romashov also followed him. He was not afraid, but he suddenly felt
himself exceptionally lonely, strangely detached, as if cut off from
all over the world. Going out onto the porch of the meeting, he, with a long, calm surprise,
looked at the sky, at the trees, at the cow by the fence opposite, at the sparrows,
bathed in the dust in the middle of the road, and thought: "Here - everything lives, bustles,
bustles, grows and shines, and I no longer need anything and am not interested.
I'm sentenced. I am alone".
Sluggishly, almost bored, he went to look for Bek-Agamalov and Vetkin,
whom he decided to ask for seconds. Both readily agreed
Bek-Agamalov with gloomy restraint, Vetkin with affectionate and
significant handshakes.
Romashov did not want to go home - it was terribly and boring there. In these
difficult moments of mental impotence, loneliness and sluggish misunderstanding of life
he needed to see a close, sympathetic friend and at the same time subtle,
understanding, gentle hearted person.
And suddenly he remembered Nazansky.

21
........
Romashov told in detail the story of his collision with Nikolayev.
Nazansky listened to him thoughtfully, bowing his head and looking down at the water,
which, in lazy thick streams, shimmering like liquid glass,
resounded far and wide from the prow of the boat.
- Tell the truth, are you not afraid, Romashov? Nazansky asked quietly.
- Duels? No, I'm not afraid, - Romashov answered quickly. But immediately he
fell silent and in one second vividly imagined how he would stand completely
close to Nikolaev and to see in his outstretched hand a falling black
muzzle of a revolver. "No, no," Romashov added hastily, "I won't
lie that I'm not afraid. Of course it's scary. But I know that I'm not afraid, not
I'll run away without asking for forgiveness.
Nazansky dipped the ends of his fingers into the warm, evening, slightly murmuring
water and spoke slowly, in a weak voice, clearing his throat every minute:
- Oh, my dear, dear Romashov, why do you want to do this? Think:
if you know for sure that you will not be afraid - if you know very firmly - then
after all, how many times then it will be bolder to take and refuse.
- He hit me... in the face! - said Romashov stubbornly, and again burning
Anger welled up in him.
- Well, well, well, hit, - Nazansky objected affectionately and sadly,
He looked with tender eyes at Romashov. - Is that really the issue? Everything in the world
passes, your pain and your hatred will also pass. And you will forget about
this. But you will never forget the person you killed. He will be with
you in bed, at the table, alone and in the crowd. windbags,
filtered fools, copper foreheads, colorful parrots make sure that
killing in a duel is not killing. What nonsense! But they are sentimental
It is believed that robbers dream of the brains and blood of their victims. No, murder
always murder. And what matters here is not pain, not death, not violence, not
squeamish aversion to blood and corpses - no, the most terrible thing is that you
rob a man of his joy of life. Great joy of life! - repeated
suddenly Nazansky loudly, with tears in his voice. - After all, no one - not you, not me,
oh, it's just that no one in the world believes in any afterlife.
That is why everyone fears death, but cowardly fools deceive themselves
the prospects of radiant gardens and the sweet singing of the castrati, and the strong
silently step over the line of necessity. We are not strong. When we think
what will happen after our death, we imagine an empty cold and
dark cellar. No, my dear, these are all lies: the cellar would be happy
deception, joyful consolation. But imagine the horror of the thought that
there will be absolutely, absolutely nothing, no darkness, no emptiness, no cold ... even
there will be no thought about it, even fear will not remain! At least fear!
Think!
......
- Yes, life is beautiful, - said Romashov.
- Beautiful! repeated Nazansky ardently. - And here are two people from behind
that one hit another, or kissed his wife, or simply, passing
past him and twirling his mustache, looked impolitely at him - these two people
shoot each other, kill each other. Oh no, their wounds, their suffering,
their death - all this to hell! Is he killing himself - pathetic moving
lump, which is called a man? He kills the sun, hot, sweet
the sun, the bright sky, nature - all the diverse beauty of life, kills
the greatest pleasure and pride - human thought! He kills what
never, never, never come back. Ah, fools, fools!

22
.......
- Well, do you want me to refuse the fight tomorrow, apologize to him? To do this? he said sadly.
She was silent for a moment. The alarm clock filled with its metallic chatter
all corners of the dark room. At last she spoke in a barely audible voice, exactly in
meditation, with an expression that Romashov could not catch:
- I knew you would offer it.
He lifted his head, and although she held his neck with her hand, he straightened up.
beds.
- I'm not afraid! he said loudly and dully.
“No, no, no, no,” she said to her hot, hasty, pleading
in a whisper. - You did not understand me. Come closer to me... as before... Come on!..
She put her arms around him and whispered, tickling his face with her
thin hair and hot breathing on his cheek:
- You did not understand me. I have something completely different. But I'm ashamed of you. You
so pure, kind, and I'm embarrassed to tell you about it. I'm prudent
i'm ugly...
- No, say everything. I love you.
"Listen," she said, and he guessed her words more than he heard them.
them. - If you refuse, then after all, how many insults, shame and suffering will fall
at you. No, no, not again. Oh my god, this minute I won't
lie to you. My dear, I have thought and weighed all this for a long time.
Let's say you refused. The husband's honor has been rehabilitated. But, understand, in a duel,
ended in reconciliation, there is always something left ... how to say? .. Well,
or something, doubtful, something that arouses bewilderment and disappointment ...
Do you understand me? she asked with sad tenderness and cautious
kissed him on the hair.
- Yes. So what?
- The fact that in this case the husband will almost certainly not be allowed to take exams.
The reputation of an officer of the general staff must be without fluff. Meanwhile
if you actually shot, then there would be something heroic,
strong. To people who know how to carry themselves with dignity under a gunshot,
much, much forgiveness. Then... after the duel... you could, if
if you want, and apologize ... Well, that's your business.
......
Trying to hide an incomprehensible, muffled irritation, he said dryly:
- For God's sake, explain yourself more directly. I promise you everything.

Ilya Glazunov Shurochka at Romashov's on the eve of the duel ch.22

Then she spoke commandingly near his very mouth, and her words were
like quick quivering kisses:
- You must shoot tomorrow. But none of you will
injured. Oh, understand me, don't judge me! I myself despise cowards, I
woman. But do it for me, George! No, don't ask about your husband, he
knows. I did everything, everything, everything.
Now, with a stubborn movement of his head, he managed to free himself from her soft and
strong hands. He got up from the bed and said firmly:
- Okay, so be it. I agree.

His Excellency, commander of the N-th Infantry Regiment.
The staff captain of the same regiment Dietz.

I hereby have the honor to convey to your Excellency that this 2nd
June, in accordance with the conditions reported to you yesterday, on June 1st, took place
duel between Lieutenant Nikolaev and Lieutenant Romashov. Opponents
met at five minutes to five in the morning, in a grove called "Oak",
located 3 1/2 versts from the city. The duration of the fight
including here the time used for the signals was 1 min. 10 sec. places,
occupied by duelists were determined by lot. On the command "forward" both
the enemy went towards each other, and with a shot fired
Lieutenant Nikolaev, Lieutenant Romashov was wounded in the right upper part
belly. For a shot, Lieutenant Nikolaev stopped, in the same way as
remained standing, waiting for a return shot. After the expiration of the established
half a minute for a return shot, it turned out that Lieutenant Romashov
cannot respond to the enemy. As a result, the seconds of the second lieutenant
Romashov was offered to consider the fight over. By common consent, this
was done. When transferring Lieutenant Romashov to the carriage, the latter
fell into a severe fainting state and died seven minutes later from
internal hemorrhage. Seconds from Lieutenant Nikolaev
were: I and lieutenant Vasin, on the part of lieutenant Romashov: lieutenants
Bek-Agamalov and Vetkin. The order of the duel, by common consent, was
granted to me. Indication of the junior doctor no. ac. Znoyko at this
I enclose.
Staff Captain Dietz.

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