Characteristics of the main characters of the work What to do, Chernyshevsky. Their images and description

Two months before the start of work, I wrote the novel “What is to be done?” Chernyshevsky, sharing his literary plans with his wife, wrote that he had finally thought through the plans for the works that he had long dreamed of: the multi-volume “History of the Material and Mental Life of Mankind,” then the “Critical Dictionary of Ideas and Facts,” where “all thoughts will be sorted out and sorted out.” about all important things, and in every case the true point of view will be indicated.” Further, on the basis of these two works, he will compile the “Encyclopedia of Knowledge and Life” - “this will be a small extract, two or three volumes, written in such a way that it will be understandable not only to scientists, but to the entire public.

Then I will rework the same book in the lightest, most popular spirit, in the form of almost a novel with anecdotes, scenes, witticisms, so that everyone who reads nothing but novels can read it.”

The manuscript was sent from the fortress in parts. This decision of Chernyshevsky was subtle and cunning. Looking at excerpts is one thing, looking at the novel as a whole is another.

Work on the novel began in the fifth month of his stay in the fortress - December 14, 1862, a memorable date associated with the Decembrist uprising against the autocracy. He wrote the novel in the intervals between interrogations, hunger strikes, writing protest letters to the commandant of the fortress Sorokin, Governor General Suvorov, etc.

• On January 26, 1863, the beginning of the manuscript of the novel was sent from the fortress to the chief police officer for transfer to Chernyshevsky’s cousin A.N. Pypin with the right to print it “in compliance with the rules established for censorship.” The manuscript came from Pypin to Nekrasov; without waiting for the novel to be finished, he decided to start publishing it in Sovremennik. He himself took the manuscript to Wulf's printing house, which was located not far from his apartment - on Liteinaya, near Nevsky, but unexpectedly quickly returned home from the road.
• “A great misfortune happened to me,” Nekrasov said to his wife in an excited voice: “I dropped the manuscript!.. And the devil carried me away today by leaps and bounds, and not in a carriage!” And how many times before have I carried a lot of manuscripts in vans to different printing houses and never lost a piece of paper, but here it’s too close and I couldn’t deliver a thick manuscript!.. Four days passed... An announcement about the loss of a manuscript appeared three times in the “Police Gazette,” but no didn't respond.
• “That means she died!” Nekrasov said in despair and reproached himself for why he didn’t publish an advertisement in all the newspapers and set an even greater reward. And only on the fifth day, Nekrasov, who was having lunch at the English Club, received a short note from home: “The manuscript has been brought...”

The novel was being written from December 14, 1862 to April 4, 1863 . The writer realizes in the lines of the novel a dream that had previously been embodied in serious theoretical articles, accessible only to people well prepared for such reading. He strives to introduce the general reader to his ideas and even call them to active action. A hastily written work, with almost no hope of publication, suffers from many artistic miscalculations and elementary shortcomings and yet serves as a convincing document of the era.

The main plot line of the novel (“First love and legal marriage”, “Marriage and second love”, that is, the story of Lopukhov - Kirsanov - Vera) partially reflected the true story, which is usually associated with Chernyshevsky’s work. Its essence boils down to the following:

Doctor P.I. Bokov, one of Chernyshevsky’s close friends, prepared Marya Aleksandrovna Obrucheva for the exam during his student years. Under the influence of socialist ideas, gleaned from Chernyshevsky’s articles in Sovremennik, Marya Alexandrovna strove for independence, knowledge, and liberation from the heavy tutelage of her family. A native of peasants, Bokov, like Lopukhov, proposed a fictitious marriage to his student. In 1861, Marya Alexandrovna listened to lectures by the famous physiologist I.M. Sechenov, who was beginning his scientific career. The latter met the Bokovs and became close to them. Between Bokova and Sechenov, friendship turned into love, and P.I. Bokov withdrew, maintaining friendly relations with both.

In the black version of Part XVII, Chapter V, Chernyshevsky himself indicates that everything “essential in his story is the facts experienced by his good friends.”

St. Petersburg. It was written partly in response to Ivan Turgenev’s work “Fathers and Sons”.

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  Chernyshevsky wrote the novel while in solitary confinement in the Alekseevsky Ravelin of the Peter and Paul Fortress, from December 14, 1862 to April 4, 1863. Since January 1863, the manuscript has been transferred in parts to the investigative commission in the Chernyshevsky case (the last part was transferred on April 6). The commission, and after it the censors, saw only a love story in the novel and gave permission for publication. The censorship oversight was soon noticed, and the responsible censor, Beketov, was removed from office. However, the novel had already been published in the magazine Sovremennik (1863, No. 3-5). Despite the fact that the issues of Sovremennik, in which the novel “What is to be done?” were published, were banned, the text of the novel in handwritten copies was distributed throughout the country and caused a lot of imitations.

  They talked about Chernyshevsky’s novel not in a whisper, not in a low voice, but at the top of their lungs in the halls, on the porches, at Madame Milbret’s table and in the basement pub of the Stenbokov Passage. They shouted: “disgusting”, “charming”, “abomination”, etc. - all in different tones.

  For Russian youth of that time, it [the book “What is to be done?”] was a kind of revelation and turned into a program, became a kind of banner.

  The emphatically entertaining, adventurous, melodramatic beginning of the novel was supposed to not only confuse the censors, but also attract a wide mass of readers. The external plot of the novel is a love story, but it reflects new economic, philosophical and social ideas of the time. The novel is permeated with hints of the coming revolution.

  One of the books closest to his heart was “What is to be done?” Chernyshevsky. He kept coming back to her. The life described in it echoed ours. Mayakovsky seemed to consult with Chernyshevsky about his personal affairs and found support in him. "What to do?" was the last book he read before his death.

  • In the novel by N. G. Chernyshevsky “What to do?” aluminum is mentioned. In the “naive utopia” of Vera Pavlovna’s fourth dream, it is called the metal of the future. Aluminum reached a “great future” by the middle of the 20th century.
  “However, researchers deny the connection between the heroes of the novels of Chernyshevsky and Turgenev.
  • F. M. Dostoevsky argues with Chernyshevsky’s ideas, in particular with his thoughts about the future of humanity, in “Notes from Underground,” thanks to which the image of the “crystal palace” became a common motif in world literature of the 20th century.

  On July 11, 1856, a note left by a strange guest is found in the room of one of the large St. Petersburg hotels. The note says that its author will soon be heard on the Liteiny Bridge and that no one should be suspicious. The circumstances become clear very soon: at night a man shoots himself on the Liteiny Bridge. His bullet-ridden cap is fished out of the water.

  That same morning, at a dacha on Kamenny Island, a young lady sits and sews, singing a lively and bold French song about working people who will be freed by knowledge. Her name is Vera Pavlovna. The maid brings her a letter, after reading which Vera Pavlovna sobs, covering her face with her hands. The young man who entered tries to calm her down, but Vera Pavlovna is inconsolable. She pushes the young man away with the words: “You are covered in blood! His blood is on you! It’s not your fault - I’m alone...” The letter received by Vera Pavlovna says that the person writing it is leaving the stage because he loves “both of you” too much...

  The tragic outcome is preceded by the life story of Vera Pavlovna. She spent her childhood in St. Petersburg, in a multi-story building on Gorokhovaya, between Sadovaya and Semenovsky Bridge. Her father, Pavel Konstantinovich Rozalsky, is the manager of the house, her mother gives money as bail. The only concern of the mother, Marya Alekseevna, in relation to Verochka: to quickly marry her to a rich man. A narrow-minded and evil woman does everything possible for this: she invites a music teacher to her daughter, dresses her up and even takes her to the theater. Soon the beautiful dark girl is noticed by the owner’s son, officer Storeshnikov, and immediately decides to seduce her. Hoping to force Storeshnikov to marry, Marya Alekseevna demands that her daughter be favorable to him, but Verochka refuses this in every possible way, understanding the true intentions of the womanizer. She somehow manages to deceive her mother, pretending that she is luring a suitor, but this cannot last long. Verochka's position in the house becomes completely unbearable. It is resolved in an unexpected way.

  A teacher and final year medical student, Dmitry Sergeevich Lopukhov, has been invited to Verochka’s brother Fedya. At first, young people are wary of each other, but then they begin to talk about books, about music, about a fair way of thinking and soon feel affection for each other. Having learned about the girl’s plight, Lopukhov tries to help her. He is looking for her to become a governess, which would give Verochka the opportunity to live separately from her parents. But the search turns out to be unsuccessful: no one wants to take responsibility for the girl’s fate if she runs away from home. Then the student in love finds another way out: shortly before the end of the course, in order to have enough money, he leaves his studies and, taking private lessons and translating a geography textbook, proposes to Verochka. At this time, Verochka has her first dream: she sees herself released from a damp and dark basement and talking with an amazing beauty who calls herself love for people. Verochka promises the beauty that she will always release other girls from the basements, locked in the same way she was locked.

  The young people rent an apartment, and their life is going well. True, their relationship seems strange to the landlady: “darling” and “darling” sleep in different rooms, enter each other only after knocking, do not show themselves to each other undressed, etc. Verochka has difficulty explaining to the landlady that this is how they should be be a relationship between spouses if they do not want to get bored of each other.

  Vera Pavlovna reads books, gives private lessons, and runs the household. Soon she starts her own enterprise - a sewing workshop. The girls do not work in the workshop for hire, but are its co-owners and receive their share of the income, just like Vera Pavlovna. They not only work together, but spend their free time together: go on picnics, talk. In her second dream, Vera Pavlovna sees a field in which ears of corn grow. She sees dirt on this field - or rather, two dirt: fantastic and real. Real dirt is caring for the most necessary things (the kind with which Vera Pavlovna’s mother was always burdened), and ears of corn can grow from it. Fantastic dirt - caring for the superfluous and unnecessary; Nothing worthwhile comes out of it.

  The Lopukhov couple often has Dmitry Sergeevich's best friend, his former classmate and spiritually close person to him, Alexander Matveevich Kirsanov. Both of them “made their way through their breasts, without connections, without acquaintances.” Kirsanov is a strong-willed, courageous man, capable of both decisive action and subtle feeling. He brightens up Vera Pavlovna's loneliness with conversations when Lopukhov is busy, takes her to the Opera, which they both love. However, soon, without explaining the reasons, Kirsanov stops visiting his friend, which greatly offends both him and Vera Pavlovna. They do not know the true reason for his “cooling”: Kirsanov is in love with a friend’s wife. He reappears in the house only when Lopukhov falls ill: Kirsanov is a doctor, he treats Lopukhov and helps Vera Pavlovna take care of him. Vera Pavlovna is in complete confusion: she feels that she is in love with her husband’s friend. She has a third dream. In this dream, Vera Pavlovna, with the help of some unknown woman, reads the pages of her own diary, which says that she feels gratitude to her husband, and not that quiet, tender feeling, the need for which is so great in her.

  The situation in which three smart and decent “new people” find themselves seems insoluble. Finally Lopukhov finds a way out - a shot on the Liteiny Bridge. On the day this news was received, an old acquaintance of Kirsanov and Lopukhov, Rakhmetov, a “special person,” comes to Vera Pavlovna. The “higher nature” was awakened in him at one time by Kirsanov, who introduced the student Rakhmetov to books “that need to be read.” Coming from a wealthy family, Rakhmetov sold his estate, distributed the money to his scholarship recipients and now leads a harsh lifestyle: partly because he considers it impossible for himself to have something that an ordinary person does not have, partly out of a desire to cultivate his character. So, one day he decides to sleep on nails to test his physical capabilities. He doesn't drink wine, doesn't touch women. Rakhmetov is often called Nikitushka Lomov - because he walked along the Volga with barge haulers in order to get closer to the people and gain the love and respect of ordinary people. Rakhmetov's life is shrouded in a veil of mystery of a clearly revolutionary nature. He has a lot to do, but none of it is his personal business. He is traveling around Europe, planning to return to Russia in three years, when he “needs” to be there. This “example of a very rare breed” differs from simply “honest and kind people” in that it is “the engine of engines, the salt of the earth.”

  Rakhmetov brings Vera Pavlovna a note from Lopukhov, after reading which she becomes calm and even cheerful. In addition, Rakhmetov explains to Vera Pavlovna that the dissimilarity between her character and Lopukhov’s character was too great, which is why she was drawn to Kirsanov. Having calmed down after a conversation with Rakhmetov, Vera Pavlovna leaves for Novgorod, where a few weeks later she gets married to Kirsanov.

  The dissimilarity between the characters of Lopukhov and Vera Pavlovna is also spoken of in a letter that she soon receives from Berlin. A certain medical student, supposedly a good friend of Lopukhov, conveys to Vera Pavlovna his exact words that he began to feel better after parting with her, because had a penchant for solitude, which was in no way possible during his life with the sociable Vera Pavlovna. In this way, love affairs are arranged to everyone's satisfaction. The Kirsanov family has approximately the same lifestyle as the Lopukhov family before. Alexander Matveevich works a lot, Vera Pavlovna eats cream, takes baths and is engaged in sewing workshops: she now has two of them. In the same way, there are neutral and non-neutral rooms in the house, and spouses can enter non-neutral rooms only after knocking. But Vera Pavlovna notices that Kirsanov not only allows her to lead the lifestyle that she likes, and is not just ready to lend her a shoulder in difficult times, but is also keenly interested in her life. He understands her desire to do something “that cannot be put off.” With the help of Kirsanov, Vera Pavlovna begins to study medicine.

  Soon she has a fourth dream. Nature in this dream “pours aroma and song, love and bliss into the chest.” The poet, whose brow and thought are illuminated by inspiration, sings a song about the meaning of history. Vera Pavlovna sees pictures of the lives of women in different millennia. First, the female slave obeys her master among the tents of the nomads, then the Athenians worship the woman, still not recognizing her as their equal. Then the image of a beautiful lady appears, for whose sake the knight is fighting in the tournament. But he loves her only until she becomes his wife, that is, a slave. Then Vera Pavlovna sees her own face instead of the goddess’s face. His features are far from perfect, but he is illuminated by the radiance of love. The great woman, familiar to her from her first dream, explains to Vera Pavlovna what the meaning of women's equality and freedom is. This woman also shows Vera Pavlovna pictures of the future: citizens of New Russia live in a beautiful house made of cast iron, crystal and aluminum. They work in the morning, have fun in the evening, and “whoever has not worked enough has not prepared the nerve to feel the fullness of the fun.” The guidebook explains to Vera Pavlovna that this future should be loved, one should work for it and transfer from it to the present everything that can be transferred.

  The Kirsanovs have a lot of young people, like-minded people: “This type has recently appeared and is quickly breeding.” All these people are decent, hardworking, with unshakable life principles and possessing “cold-blooded practicality.” The Beaumont family soon appears among them. Ekaterina Vasilievna Beaumont, née Polozova, was one of the richest brides in St. Petersburg. Kirsanov once helped her with smart advice: with his help, Polozova figured out that the person she was in love with was unworthy of her. Then Ekaterina Vasilievna marries a man who calls himself an agent of an English company, Charles Beaumont. He speaks Russian perfectly - because he allegedly lived in Russia until he was twenty. His romance with Polozova develops calmly: both of them are people who “don’t get mad for no reason.” When Beaumont meets Kirsanov, it becomes clear that this man is Lopukhov. The Kirsanov and Beaumont families feel such spiritual closeness that they soon settle in the same house and receive guests together. Ekaterina Vasilievna also sets up a sewing workshop, and the circle of “new people” thus becomes wider.

  Retold

  His novel “What to do?” The famous Russian writer Nikolai Gavrilovich Chernyshevsky created it during the period when he was imprisoned in one of the cells of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The novel was written from December 14, 1862 to April 4, 1863, that is, the work, which became a masterpiece of Russian literature, was created in just three and a half months. Already starting in January 1863 and until the author’s final stay in custody, he transferred the manuscript in parts to the commission that dealt with the writer’s case. Here the work was censored, which was approved. Soon the novel was published in the 3rd, 4th and 5th issues of the Sovremennik magazine for 1863. For such an oversight, censor Beketov lost his position. This was followed by bans on all three issues of the magazine. However, it was already too late. Chernyshevsky’s work was distributed throughout the country with the help of “samizdat”.

  And only in 1905, during the reign of Emperor Nicholas II, the ban was lifted. Already in 1906, the book “What is to be done?” published in a separate edition.

  Who are the new heroes?

  The reaction to Chernyshevsky's work was ambiguous. Readers, based on their opinions, were divided into two opposing camps. Some of them believed that the novel lacked artistry. The latter fully supported the author.

  However, it is worth remembering that before Chernyshevsky, writers created images of “superfluous people.” A striking example of such heroes are Pechorin, Oblomov and Onegin, who, despite their differences, are similar in their “smart uselessness.” These people, “pygmies of deeds and titans of words,” were divided natures, suffering from a constant discord between will and consciousness, deed and thought. In addition, their characteristic feature was moral exhaustion.

  

  This is not how Chernyshevsky imagines his heroes. He created images of “new people” who know what they need to desire and are also capable of realizing their own plans. Their thoughts go hand in hand with their deeds. Their consciousness and will are not at odds with each other. The heroes of Chernyshevsky’s novel “What to do?” are presented as bearers of new morality and creators of new interpersonal relationships. They deserve the author's main attention. It’s not for nothing that even a summary of the chapters “What to do?” allows us to see that by the end of the second of them the author “releases from the stage” such representatives of the old world - Marya Alekseevna, Storeshnikov, Serge, Julie and some others.

  The main issue of the essay

  Even a very brief summary of “What to do?” gives an idea of ​​the issues that the author raises in his book. And they are as follows:

  - The need for socio-political renewal of society, which is possible through a revolution. Due to censorship, Chernyshevsky did not expand on this topic in more detail. He gave it in the form of half-hints when describing the life of one of the main characters, Rakhmetov, as well as in the 6th chapter.

  - Psychological and moral problems. Chernyshevsky claims that a person, using the power of his mind, is able to create in himself new moral qualities that he has set. At the same time, the author develops this process, describing it from the small, in the form of the fight against despotism in the family, to the most large-scale, which found expression in the revolution.

  - Problems of family morality and women's emancipation. The author reveals this topic in Vera’s first three dreams, in the history of her family, as well as in the relationships of young people and Lopukhov’s imaginary suicide.

  - Dreams of a bright and wonderful life that will come with the creation of a socialist society in the future. Chernyshevsky illuminates this topic thanks to Vera Pavlovna’s fourth dream. The reader also sees here easier work, which became possible thanks to the development of technical means.

  The main pathos of the novel is the propaganda of the idea of ​​​​transforming the world through revolution, as well as its anticipation and preparation of the best minds for this event. At the same time, the idea of ​​active participation in upcoming events is expressed.

  What was the main goal that Chernyshevsky set for himself? He dreamed of developing and introducing the latest methods that would allow for the revolutionary education of the masses. His work was supposed to be a kind of textbook, with the help of which every thinking person would begin to form a new worldview.

  The entire content of the novel “What to do?” Chernyshevsky is divided into six chapters. Moreover, each of them, except the last one, is further divided into small chapters. In order to emphasize the special importance of the final events, the author speaks about them separately. For this purpose, the content of the novel “What to do?” Chernyshevsky included a one-page chapter entitled “Change of scenery”.

  The beginning of the story

  Let's look at the summary of Chernyshevsky's novel “What is to be done?” Its plot begins with a note found, which was left in one of the hotel rooms in St. Petersburg by a strange guest. This happened in 1823, on July 11. The note reports that soon its author will be heard on one of the bridges in St. Petersburg - Liteiny. At the same time, the man asked not to look for the guilty. The incident happened that same night. A man shot himself on Liteiny Bridge. A holey cap that belonged to him was fished out of the water.

  

  Below is a summary of the novel “What to do?” introduces us to a young lady. On the morning when the event described above happened, she was at the dacha located on Kamenny Island. The lady sews while humming a bold and lively French song, which talks about working people, whose liberation will require a change of consciousness. This woman's name is Vera Pavlovna. At this moment, the maid brings the lady a letter, after reading which she begins to sob, covering her face with her hands. A young man entering the room makes attempts to calm her down. However, the woman is inconsolable. She pushes the young man away. At the same time, she says: “His blood is on you! You're covered in blood! I am the only one to blame...”

  What did the letter that Vera Pavlovna received say? We can learn about this from the presented summary of “What to do?”. In his message, the writer indicated that he was leaving the stage.

  Appearance of Lopukhov

  What next do we learn from the summary of Chernyshevsky’s novel “What is to be done?” After the events described, there follows a story telling about Vera Pavlovna, her life, as well as the reasons that led to such a sad outcome.

  The author says that his heroine was born in St. Petersburg. This is where she grew up. The lady's father, Pavel Konstantinovich Vozalsky, was the manager of the house. The mother was busy giving money as bail. The main goal of Marya Alekseevna (Vera Pavlovna’s mother) was to have a profitable marriage for her daughter. And she made every effort to resolve this issue. The evil and narrow-minded Marya Alekseevna invites a music teacher to her daughter. He buys Vera beautiful clothes and goes to the theater with her. Soon the owner’s son, Officer Storeshnikov, draws attention to the dark, beautiful girl. The young man decides to seduce Vera.

  Marya Alekseevna hopes to force Storeshnikov to marry her daughter. To do this, she demands that Vera show favor to the young man. However, the girl understands perfectly well the true intentions of her boyfriend and in every possible way refuses signs of attention. Somehow she even manages to mislead her mother. She pretends to be favorable to the ladies' man. But sooner or later the deception will be revealed. This makes Vera Pavlovna's position in the house simply unbearable. However, everything was suddenly resolved, and in the most unexpected way.

  

  Dmitry Sergeevich Lopukhov appeared in the house. This final year medical student was invited by Verochka’s parents to her brother Fedya as a teacher. At first, the young people treated each other very warily. However, then their communication began to flow in conversations about music and books, as well as about the fair direction of thoughts.

  Time has passed. Vera and Dmitry felt sympathy for each other. Lopukhov learns about the girl’s plight and makes attempts to help her. He is looking for a position as a governess for Verochka. Such work would allow the girl to live separately from her parents.

  However, all Lopukhov's efforts were unsuccessful. He could not find owners who would agree to take in a girl who had run away from home. Then the young man in love takes another step. He leaves his studies and begins translating textbooks and giving private lessons. This allows him to start receiving sufficient funds. At the same time, Dmitry proposes to Vera.

  First dream

  Vera has her first dream. In it, she sees herself emerging from a dark and damp basement and meeting an amazing beauty who calls herself love for people. Verochka talks to her and promises to release girls from such basements who are locked in them, just as she was locked.

  Family well-being

  Young people live in a rented apartment, and everything is going well for them. However, the landlady notices oddities in their relationship. Verochka and Dmitry call each other only “darling” and “darling”, sleep in separate rooms, entering them only after knocking, etc. All this surprises an outsider. Verochka tries to explain to the woman that this is a completely normal relationship between spouses. After all, this is the only way to avoid getting bored of each other.

  The young wife runs the household, gives private lessons, and reads books. Soon she opens her own sewing workshop, in which the girls are self-employed and receive part of the income as co-owners.

  Second dream

  What else will we learn from the summary of Chernyshevsky’s novel “What is to be done?” As the plot progresses, the author introduces us to Vera Pavlovna’s second dream. In it she sees a field with ears of corn growing on it. There is also dirt here. Moreover, one of them is fantastic, and the second is real.

  Real dirt means caring about what is most needed in life. This is exactly what Marya Alekseevna was constantly burdened with. This is how you can grow ears of corn. Fantastic dirt represents concern for the unnecessary and superfluous. Ears of corn will never grow on such soil.

  The emergence of a new hero

  The author shows Kirsanov as a strong-willed and courageous person, capable not only of decisive action, but also of subtle feelings. Alexander spends time with Vera when Dmitry is busy. He goes to the opera with his friend's wife. However, soon, without explaining any reasons, Kirsanov stops coming to the Lopukhovs, which greatly offends them. What was the real reason for this? Kirsanov's falling in love with a friend's wife.

  The young man reappeared in the house when Dmitry fell ill in order to cure him and help Vera with her care. And here the woman realizes that she is in love with Alexander, which is why she becomes completely confused.

  Third dream

  From the summary of the work “What to do?” we learn that Vera Pavlovna is having a third dream. In it, she reads the pages of her diary with the help of some unfamiliar woman. From it she learns that she feels only gratitude towards her husband. However, at the same time, Vera needs a tender and quiet feeling, which she does not have for Dmitry.

  Solution

  The situation in which three decent and intelligent people find themselves seems, at first glance, insoluble. But Lopukhov finds a way out. He shoots himself on the Liteiny Bridge. On the day that Vera Pavlovna received this news, Rakhmetov came to her. This is an old acquaintance of Lopukhov and Kirsanov, who is called a “special person.”

  Meeting Rakhmetov

  In the summary of the novel “What to Do,” the “special person” Rakhmetov is presented by the author as a “higher nature,” which Kirsanov helped awaken in his time by introducing him to the right books. The young man comes from a wealthy family. He sold his estate and distributed the proceeds to scholarship holders. Now Rakhmetov adheres to a harsh lifestyle. Partly, he was prompted to do this by his reluctance to possess what an ordinary person does not have. In addition, Rakhmetov set as his goal the education of his own character. For example, to test his physical capabilities, he decides to sleep on nails. In addition, he does not drink wine and does not date women. In order to get closer to the people, Rakhmetov even walked with barge haulers along the Volga.

  

  What else is said about this hero in Chernyshevsky’s novel “What is to be done?” The summary makes it clear that Rakhmetov’s whole life consists of sacraments that have a clearly revolutionary meaning. The young man has many things to do, but none of them are personal. He travels around Europe, but in three years he is going to Russia, where he will definitely need to be.

  It was Rakhmetov who came to Vera Pavlovna after receiving a note from Lopukhov. After his persuasion, she calmed down and even became cheerful. Rakhmetov explains that Vera Pavlovna and Lopukhov had very different characters. That is why the woman reached out to Kirsanov. Soon Vera Pavlovna left for Novgorod. There she married Kirsanov.

  The dissimilarity between the characters of Verochka and Lopukhov was also mentioned in a letter that soon arrived from Berlin. In this message, some medical student, who supposedly knew Lopukhov well, conveyed Dmitry’s words that he began to feel much better after the separation of the spouses, since he had always strived for privacy. And this is precisely what the sociable Vera Pavlovna did not allow him to do.

  Life of the Kirsanovs

  What next does the novel “What to do?” tell its reader? Nikolai Chernyshevsky? A brief summary of the work allows us to understand that the love affairs of the young couple worked out well to everyone’s satisfaction. The Kirsanovs’ lifestyle is not much different from that of the Lopukhov family.

  

  Alexander works a lot. As for Vera Pavlovna, she takes baths, eats cream and is already engaged in two sewing workshops. The house, as before, has neutral and common rooms. However, the woman notices that her new husband does not just allow her to lead the lifestyle she likes. He is interested in her affairs and is ready to help in difficult times. In addition, her husband perfectly understands her desire to master some urgent activity and begins to help her in studying medicine.

  Fourth dream

  Having briefly become acquainted with Chernyshevsky’s novel “What is to be done?”, we move on to the continuation of the plot. It tells us about Vera Pavlovna’s fourth dream, in which she sees amazing nature and pictures from the lives of women of different millennia.

  

  First, the image of a slave appears before her. This woman obeys her master. After this, Vera sees the Athenians in a dream. They begin to worship the woman, but at the same time they do not recognize her as their equal. Then the following image appears. This is a beautiful lady for whom the knight is ready to fight in the tournament. However, his love immediately passes after the lady becomes his wife. Then, instead of the goddess’s face, Vera Pavlovna sees her own. It is not distinguished by perfect features, but at the same time it is illuminated by the radiance of love. And here the woman who was in the first dream appears. She explains to Vera the meaning of equality and shows pictures of the citizens of the future Russia. They all live in a house built of crystal, cast iron and aluminum. These people work in the morning and start having fun in the evening. The woman explains that this future must be loved and strived for.

  Completion of the story

  How does N. G. Chernyshevsky’s novel “What to do?” end? The author tells his reader that guests often come to the Kirsanovs’ house. The Beaumont family soon appears among them. When meeting Charles Beaumont, Kirsanov recognizes him as Lopukhov. The two families become so close to each other that they decide to continue living in the same house.

  In literature classes, as a rule, attention is not often paid to Chernyshevsky’s work “What is to be done.” This is partly correct: delving into the endless dreams of Vera Pavlovna, analyzing the plot, which serves only as a frame for the main idea of ​​the work, trying through the gnashing of teeth to make out the author’s not the most highly artistic and easy language, stumbling over almost every word - the exercise is long, tedious and not completely justified. From a literary point of view, this is not a good choice to consider. But what an influence this novel had on the development of Russian social thought of the 19th century! After reading it, you can understand how the most progressive thinkers of that time lived.

  Nikolai Chernyshevsky was arrested and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress for his radical statements against the government in force at that time. His work was born there. The history of the novel “What to Do” began in December 1862 (its author completed it in April 1863). Initially, the writer conceived it as a response to Turgenev’s book “Fathers and Sons,” where he portrayed a man of a new formation - the nihilist Bazarov. Evgeniy suffered a tragic ending, but in contrast to him, Rakhmetov was created - a more perfect hero of the same mentality, who no longer suffered for Anna Odintsova, but was busy with business, and very productively.

  In order to deceive the vigilant censors and the judicial commission, the author introduces a love triangle into the political utopia, which takes up most of the volume of the text. With this trick, he confused the officials, and they gave permission for publication. When the deception was revealed, it was already too late: the novel “What to Do” was distributed throughout the country in editions of Sovremennik and handwritten copies. The ban did not stop either the spread of the book or its imitation. It was removed only in 1905, and a year later individual copies were officially released. But for the first time in Russian it was published long before that, in 1867 in Geneva.

  It is worth citing some quotes from contemporaries to understand how significant and necessary this book was for the people of that time.

  The writer Leskov recalled: “They talked about Chernyshevsky’s novel not in a whisper, not quietly, but at the top of their lungs in the halls, on the porches, at Madame Milbret’s table and in the basement pub of the Stenbokov Passage. They shouted: “disgusting,” “charming,” “abomination,” etc. - all in different tones.”

  The anarchist Kropotkin spoke enthusiastically about the work:

  For Russian youth of that time it was a kind of revelation and turned into a program, became a kind of banner

  Even Lenin awarded her his praise:

  The novel “What is to be done?” completely plowed me deeply. This is a thing that gives a charge for life.

  Genre

  There is an antithesis in the work: the direction of the novel “What is to be done” is sociological realism, and the genre is utopia. That is, truth and fiction closely coexist in the book and give rise to a mixture of the present (objectively reflected realities of that time) and the future (the image of Rakhmetov, the dreams of Vera Pavlovna). That is why it caused such a resonance in society: people were sensitive to the prospects that Chernyshevsky put forward.

  In addition, “What is to be done” is a philosophical and journalistic novel. He earned this title thanks to the hidden meanings that the author gradually introduced. He was not a writer either, he simply used a literary form that was understandable to everyone to disseminate his political views and express his deep thoughts about the just social structure of tomorrow. In his work, the journalistic intensity is obvious, philosophical issues are illuminated, and the fictional plot serves only as a cover from the close attention of the censors.

  What is the novel about?

  It's time to tell you what the book “What to do?” is about. The action begins with an unknown man committing suicide by shooting himself and falling into the river. He turned out to be a certain Dmitry Lopukhov, a progressive-minded young man who was pushed to this desperate act by love and friendship.

  The essence of the backstory of “What to do” is this: the main character Vera lives with an ignorant and rude family, where her calculating and cruel mother has established her own rules. She wants to marry her daughter to the rich son of the owner of the house where her husband works as a manager. A greedy woman does not disdain any means, she can even sacrifice her daughter’s honor. A moral and proud girl seeks salvation from her brother’s tutor, student Lopukhov. He is secretly engaged in her education, pitying her bright head. He arranges her escape from home under the auspices of a fictitious marriage. In fact, young people live like brother and sister, there are no feelings of love between them.

  The “spouses” often hang out with like-minded people, where the heroine meets Lopukhov’s best friend, Kirsanov. Alexander and Vera develop mutual sympathy, but cannot be together because they are afraid of hurting their friend’s feelings. Dmitry became attached to his “wife”, discovered a multifaceted and strong personality in her, and was involved in her education. The girl, for example, does not want to sit on his neck and wants to arrange her own life by opening a sewing workshop where women in trouble could earn honest money. With the help of true friends, she realizes her dream, and before us opens a gallery of female images with life stories that characterize a vicious environment where the weaker sex has to fight for survival and defend honor.

  Dmitry feels that he is disturbing his friends and fakes his suicide so as not to stand in their way. He loves and respects his wife, but understands that she will only be happy with Kirsanov. Naturally, no one knows about his plans; everyone sincerely mourns his death. But from a number of hints from the author, we understand that Lopukhov calmly went abroad and returned from there in the finale, reuniting with his comrades.

  A separate semantic line is the company’s acquaintance with Rakhmetov, a man of a new formation who embodies the ideal of a revolutionary, according to Chernyshevsky (he came to Vera on the day she received a note about her husband’s suicide). It is not the hero’s actions that are revolutionary, but his very essence. The author talks about him in detail, saying that he sold his estate and led a Spartan lifestyle in order to help his people. The true meaning of the book is hidden in his image.

  The main characters and their characteristics

  First of all, the novel is notable for its characters, and not for its plot, which was needed to distract the attention of the censors. Chernyshevsky in his work “What to Do” draws images of strong people, the “salt of the earth,” smart, decisive, brave and honest, people on whose shoulders the frantic machine of the revolution will later rush at full speed. These are the images of Kirsanov, Lopukhov, Vera Pavlovna, who are the central characters of the book. All of them are constant participants in the action in the work. But the image of Rakhmetov stands apart above them. In contrast with him and the trinity “Lopukhov, Kirsanov, Vera Pavlovna,” the writer wanted to show the “ordinariness” of the latter. In the last chapters, he brings clarity and literally spells out his plan for the reader:

  “At the height at which they stand, all people should stand, can stand. Higher natures, which you and I cannot keep up with, my pathetic friends, higher natures are not like that. I showed you a slight outline of the profile of one of them: you see the wrong features.”

  1. Rakhmetov- the main character of the novel “What is to be done?” Already in the middle of the 17th year he began his transformation into a “special person”; before that he was “an ordinary, good, high school student.” Having managed to appreciate all the “charms” of a free student life, he quickly lost interest in them: he wanted something more, meaningful, and fate brought him together with Kirsanov, who helped him take the path of rebirth. He began to greedily absorb knowledge from all sorts of fields, read books voraciously, train his physical strength through menial hard work, gymnastics, and lead a Spartan lifestyle to strengthen his will: refuse luxury in clothing, sleep on felt, eat only what ordinary people can afford. For his closeness with the people, determination, and developed strength among people, he acquired the nickname “Nikitushka Lomov”, in honor of the famous barge hauler, distinguished by his physical capabilities. Among his friends, they began to call him a “rigorist” because “he accepted original principles in material, moral, and mental life,” and later “they developed into a complete system, which he strictly adhered to.” This is an extremely purposeful and fruitful person who works for the benefit of others’ happiness and limits his own, being content with little.
  2. Vera Pavlovna- the main character of the novel “What to Do”, a beautiful dark-skinned woman with long dark hair. She felt like a stranger in her family, because her mother tried to get her married at any cost. Although she was characterized by calm, poise and thoughtfulness, in this situation she showed cunning, inflexibility and willpower. She pretended to favor the courtship, but in fact she was looking for a way out of the trap set by her mother. Under the influence of education and a good environment, she transforms and becomes much smarter, more interesting and stronger. Even her beauty blossoms, as does her soul. Now we have before us a new type of confident and intellectually developed woman who runs a business and provides for herself. This is the ideal of a lady, according to Chernyshevsky.
  3. Lopukhov Dmitry Sergeevich- medical student, husband and liberator of Vera. He is distinguished by composure, sophisticated intelligence, cunning, and at the same time responsiveness, kindness, and sensitivity. He sacrifices his career to save a stranger, and even limits his freedom for her sake. He is prudent, pragmatic and restrained; those around him value his efficiency and education. As you can see, under the influence of love, the hero also becomes a romantic, because he again radically changes his life for the sake of a woman, staging suicide. This act reveals him to be a strong strategist who calculates everything in advance.
  4. Alexander Matveevich Kirsanov- Vera's lover. He is a kind, intelligent, sympathetic young man, always ready to help his friends. He resists his feelings for his friend’s wife and does not allow him to destroy their relationship. For example, he stops visiting their house for a long time. The hero cannot betray Lopukhov’s trust; both of them “made their way with their breasts, without connections, without acquaintances.” The character is decisive and firm, and this masculinity does not prevent him from having subtle tastes (for example, he loves opera). By the way, it was he who inspired Rakhmetov to the feat of revolutionary self-denial.

  The main characters of “What is to be done” are noble, decent, and honest. There are not so many such characters in literature, there is nothing to say about life, but Chernyshevsky goes further and introduces an almost utopian character, thereby showing that decency is far from the limit of personal development, that people have become shallow in their aspirations and goals, that you can be even better, harder, stronger. Everything is learned by comparison, and by adding the image of Rakhmetov, the writer raises the level of perception for readers. This is exactly what, in his opinion, a real revolutionary looks like, capable of leading the Kirsanovs and Lopukhovs. They are strong and smart, but not mature enough for decisive independent action.

  Subject

  • Love theme. Chernyshevsky in the novel “What to Do” reveals a favorite motif of writers in a new role. Now the extra link in the love triangle self-destructs and sacrifices its interests to the reciprocity of the remaining parties. A person in this utopia controls his feelings as much as possible, and sometimes even seems to abandon them altogether. Lopukhov ignores pride, male pride, and feelings for Vera, just to please his friends and at the same time provide them with happiness without guilt. This perception of love is too far from reality, but we accept it due to the innovation of the author, who presented a well-worn topic in such a fresh and original way.
  • Strength of will. The hero of the novel “What Is to Be Done” curbed almost all his passions: he gave up alcohol, the company of women, and stopped wasting time on entertainment, doing only “other people’s business or no one’s business in particular.”
  • Indifference and responsiveness. If Vera’s mother, Marya Aleksevna, was indifferent to her daughter’s fate and thought only about the material side of the family’s life, then an outsider, Lopukhov, without any second thought sacrifices his bachelor’s peace and career for the girl. So Chernyshevsky draws a line between the old regime philistines with a petty greedy soul and representatives of the new generation, pure and unselfish in their thoughts.
  • Revolution theme. The need for change is expressed not only in the image of Rakhmetov, but also in the dreams of Vera Pavlovna, where in symbolic visions the meaning of existence is revealed to her: it is necessary to bring people out of the dungeon, where they are imprisoned by conventions and a tyrannical regime. The writer considers enlightenment to be the basis of the new free world; it is with this that the heroine’s happy life begins.
  • Theme of education. The new people in the novel What Is To Be Done are educated and smart, and they devote most of their time to learning. But their impulse does not end there: they try to help others and invest their strength in helping the people in the fight against centuries-old ignorance.

  Issues

  Many writers and public figures mentioned this book even after a while. Chernyshevsky understood the spirit of that time and successfully developed these thoughts further, creating a real memo to the Russian revolutionary. The issues in the novel “What to Do” turned out to be painfully relevant and topical: the author touched upon the problem of social and gender inequality, topical political problems and even imperfections of mentality.

  • Women's question. The problems in the novel “What to Do” primarily concern women and their social disorder in the realities of Tsarist Russia. They have nowhere to go to work, nothing to feed themselves without a humiliating arranged marriage or even more humiliating earnings on a yellow ticket. The position of the governess is little better: no one will do anything to the owner of the house for harassment if he is a noble person. So Vera would have fallen victim to the officer’s lust if she had not been saved by progress in the person of Lopukhov. He treated the girl differently, as an equal. This attitude is the key to prosperity and independence of the weaker sex. And the point here is not about rabid feminism, but about the banal opportunity to provide for oneself and family in case the marriage did not work out or the husband died. The writer complains about the lack of rights and helplessness of women, and not about the underestimated superiority of one sex over the other.
  • The crisis of the monarchy. Ever since the uprising on Senate Square in 1825, ideas about the failure of the autocracy had been ripening in the minds of the Decembrists, but the people were not ready for revolutions of such a scale. Subsequently, the thirst for revolution only strengthened and became stronger with each new generation, which could not be said about the monarchy, which fought against this dissent as best it could, but, as you know, by 1905 it itself was shaken, and in the 17th it voluntarily gave up its positions To the Provisional Government.
  • The problem of moral choice. Kirsanov encounters her when he realizes his feelings for his friend’s wife. Vera constantly feels it, starting with a failed “profitable marriage” and ending with her relationship with Alexander. Lopukhov also faces a choice: leave everything as it is, or do what is fair? All the heroes of the novel “What to Do” stand the test and make an impeccable decision.
  • The problem of poverty. It is the depressing financial situation that leads Vera’s mother to moral degradation. Marya Alekseevna cares about the “real dirt”, that is, she thinks about how to survive in a country where she is not considered anything without a title and wealth? Her thoughts are burdened not by excesses, but by worries about her daily bread. Constant need reduced her spiritual needs to a minimum, leaving neither space nor time for them.
  • The problem of social inequality. Vera's mother, not sparing her daughter's honor, lures officer Storeshnikov to make him her son-in-law. There was not a drop of dignity left in her, because she was born and lived in a rigid hierarchy, where those who are lower are dumb slaves for those who are higher. She would consider it a blessing if the master's son dishonored her daughter, as long as he got married after that. Such upbringing disgusts Chernyshevsky, and he caustically ridicules it.

  The meaning of the novel

  The author created a role model for youth to show how to behave. Chernyshevsky gave Russia the image of Rakhmetov, in which most of the answers to the burning questions “what to do,” “who to be,” “what to strive for” were collected - Lenin saw this and took a number of actions that led to a successful coup, otherwise he would not have spoke so enthusiastically about the book. That is, the main idea of ​​the novel “What is to be done” is an enthusiastic hymn to a new type of active person who can solve the problems of his people. The writer not only criticized his contemporary society, but also suggested ways to resolve the conflict situations that tore him apart. In his opinion, it was necessary to do as Rakhmetov did: abandon selfishness and class arrogance, help ordinary people not only with words, but with rubles, participate in large and global projects that could really change the situation.

  A real revolutionary, according to Chernyshevsky, is obliged to live the life that a simple person lives. People in power should not be elevated to a separate elite caste, as is often the case. They are servants of the people who appointed them. This is roughly how one can express the author’s position, which he conveyed to his “special” hero and which he wants to convey to the reader through him. Rakhmetov is the accumulation of all the positive qualities of, one might say, a “superman”, like Nietzsche. With its help, the idea of ​​the novel “What is to be done” is expressed - bright ideals and a firm determination to defend them.

  Nevertheless, Chernyshevsky warns the reader that the path of these people, “to which they are calling you,” is thorny and “poor in personal joys.” These are people trying to be reborn from a person into an abstract idea, devoid of personal feelings and passions, without which life is difficult and joyless. The writer warns against admiring such Rakhmetovs, calling them ridiculous and pathetic, because they are trying to embrace the immensity, to exchange a fate full of earthly blessings for duty and unrequited service to society. But meanwhile, the author understands that without them, life would completely lose its taste and “sour.” Rakhmetov is not a romantic hero, but a very real person, whom the creator examines from different angles.

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