The image of Makar in the novel is poor people. Essay makar girl's image and characteristics in the novel poor people

Makar Devushkin is a modest and very kind hero, from whom some characters in other Dostoevsky's works were "born". identifying the role of an unremarkable person in the vast secular Petersburg.

Makar himself understands who he is, knows his place and expresses his condition openly, but with due pride. He often points out that he is dressed in tatters, that he cannot afford not only excesses, but also ordinary daily needs.

Character characteristic

Makar lives in rented apartments all his life. Hates being under the slightest attention. It even seems to him that he is being followed, he sees discussions behind his back, often does not take his eyes off the floor. He does not have any ranks and awards, but even without this he knows what honor and conscience are. Unquestioningly proud that he knows how to live without doing meanness to others. Varenka sympathizes with Makar, but she also believes that his kindness is excessive, and you can’t live like this: taking everything that happens daily around a person too close to your heart. It is Varenka who shows him the literary world, which causes a revolution in Devushkin's soul. Previously, Makar was only favorably interested in the written works of poets and writers, but did not find the gift in himself to distinguish masterpieces and delve into the true essence of the read work.

The image of the hero in the work

(Makar Devushkin reads Gogol's story "The Overcoat". Illustration by N. Vereshchagin)

The fateful "Overcoat" of Gogol, proposed for reading by Devushkin, Varvara, hit the state of mind of the "little man". Makar found phenomenal similarities between the protagonist and himself. The era of rebirth began, rethinking his whole life and further actions. Of course, Makar was in a real state of shock and his experiences brought the man to the bottle. Initially, he began to scold and deny all possible literature. It seemed that he rejected out of resentment and anger, having understood the criticism of his own life. However, along with this, the understanding came that you should not treat what is happening like that - with folded hands and resigned to fate. Makar begins to talk about how he lived too long for anyone, but not for himself. At a time when everything around was, absolutely, all the same to other people's problems and life in general.

(Scene from the play "Poor People" Theater of Young Spectators named after A.A. Bryantsev, St. Petersburg)

Together with a surge of emotions, his true attitude towards Varvara Dobroselova also manifests itself. If initially the reader could think about the quiet Makar's falling in love with the spiritual Varenka, then by the end of the work it becomes clearly clear that Devushkin is moving from his isolation to energy vampirism. Varya for him is free ears and that island in the ocean of loneliness, from which the answer always comes. Whether such a person as Makar will be able to enter the normal social channel is, alas, not clear. But the complex of the "little man", not adapted to the aspirations of accepting two sides of the same coin, is revealed by the author in the hero with amazing accuracy.

Makar Alekseevich Devushkin- one of the two main characters in the novel "Poor People" by the 19th century Russian writer Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky.

Image [ | ]

A petty elderly official who has no chance of making a career. Nothing remarkable happens in his life. He lives quietly, avoiding human eyes, in a cheap rented apartment on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. As the image is revealed, Devushkin begins to seem like a person with a subtle and peculiar character. In addition, he is a model of a hero who will later appear in other works of Dostoevsky.

Judging by the letters and writings of the writer, Dostoevsky had little interest in his ancient genealogy. His father "never spoke about his family and would not answer when asked about his background". From the notes of Fyodor Mikhailovich's brother, Andrei Dostoevsky, it follows that the brothers were no longer sure even of the grandfather's patronymic and grandmother's maiden name. The writer's biographer Lyudmila Saraskina noted that already in Devushkin, the protagonist of Dostoevsky's first novel, the same attitude towards his family tree is manifested. About his father, the character only knows that he “was called, presumably, Alexei Devushkin; he was "not from the rank of nobility", burdened with a family and extremely poor.

Attitude to Varenka[ | ]

In the house opposite there is an apartment in which a young lonely girl lives Varvara Dobroselova. Makar Devushkin's love for Varenka, according to researchers of Dostoevsky's work, is a lofty and painful feeling. The official is limited to paternal care for the girl, which, nevertheless, transforms him. He himself writes about this transformation: “Having recognized you, I began, firstly, to know myself better and began to love you.<…>I was alone and seemed to be sleeping, not living in the world<…>you have illuminated the dark all my life<…>and I have found peace of mind."

Every evening Makar Devushkin writes long letters to her, which he tries to convey as inconspicuously as possible along with sweets and dresses. In his letters, he talks about everything he saw, heard or read, shares his feelings, describes in detail his work, flatmates, even promises to make a date with the girl. For Devushkin, it becomes necessary to record the course of their relationship. Varenka is especially necessary for Devushkin as a listener to his various feelings, capable of accumulating and neutralizing these feelings. At the same time, Makar does not plan to marry her, refusing even to visit the girl: “What are you writing, my dear? How can I come to you? My dear, what will people say? After all, it will be necessary to cross the yard, our people will notice, they will begin to question - rumors will go, gossip will go, the case will give a different meaning. No, my angel, I'd better see you tomorrow at the Vespers; it will be more prudent and harmless for both of us. Epistolary relationships allow the dreamer Devushkin to fully “express passion”. The main thing for him is his own imagination and fantasy, and not reality.

Devushkin is only capable of throwing out his emotions, confessions, and fantasies on Varenka. At the same time, without these letters, his spiritual intensity will reach a dangerous degree, which can lead to insanity. “Well, what are we going to do without you; what am I, an old man, going to do then? We don't need you? Not helpful? How not useful? No, you, mother, judge for yourself, how can you not be useful? You are very useful to me, Varenka. You have such a beneficial influence ... Now I’m thinking about you now, and I’m having fun ... Sometimes I’ll write you a letter and state all my feelings in it, to which I receive a detailed answer from you, ”he writes himself about this Varenka.

Attitude to the opinions of others[ | ]

In the service, Devushkin is afraid of the looks of his colleagues, he does not dare to take his eyes off the table. “After all, what, Varenka, is killing me? Not money is killing me, but all these worldly anxieties, all these whispers, smiles, jokes, ”he writes in one of his letters. Colleagues are presented to him as enemies. Devushkin is very preoccupied with rumors and gossip. He tries on any novel he reads. It always seems to him that he is being watched and hunted down, and there are only enemies around. He has an acute inferiority complex, fear, suffering, which prevents him from communicating with others on an equal footing.

In an effort to hide from reality, Devushkin focuses on letters, as they allow him to avoid communicating with real people. In one of his letters to Varenka, talking about the fear of being judged by others, Devushkin writes: “... It doesn’t matter to me, even if it’s bitterly cold without an overcoat and without boots, I will endure and endure everything ... but what will people say? My enemies, these evil tongues will speak everything when you go without an overcoat?

Passion for literature[ | ]

Devushkin is rather poorly versed in literature and is not able to recognize true masterpieces, but is passionate about literature. In one of his letters he declares: “Literature is a good thing, Varenka, very good.<…>Deep thing!<…>Literature is a picture." In his first letter to Varenka, he uses cliches of sentimental-romantic literature: “I compared you with a bird of heaven, for the joy of people and for decorating nature<…>I have one book<…>so in it the same thing, everything the same is described in great detail. In the next letter, he moves on to a “physiological” essay, talking about the apartment in which he lives. Makar Devushkin's penchant for writing influenced the choice of the form of the entire work.

Devushkin sequentially reads the stories "" by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin and "The Overcoat" by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, handed over to him by Varenka. And if an official is delighted with Pushkin, noting the human fate in the fate of Samson Vyrin, then in Gogol he finds only a mockery of himself. Already critics of the 1840s, drawing attention to the historical and genetic connection of “Poor People” with the story “The Overcoat”, noted that Akaki Akakievich, the main character of the story, served as the literary prototype of Makar Devushkin. And Devushkin himself identifies himself with Gogol's official. After reading The Overcoat, Devushkin becomes very excited, as he tries on the story for himself and feels unraveled: “It’s bad, mother, it’s bad that you put me in such an extreme ... How! So after that, you can’t even live peacefully, in your little corner ... so that they don’t get into your kennel, but don’t peep ... And why write such a thing? And what is it for? What will one of the readers do to me for this overcoat, or what? Will he buy new boots? No, Varenka, he will read it, and even demand a continuation. Sometimes you hide, you hide, you hide in what you didn’t take, you are sometimes afraid to show your nose - wherever it is, because you tremble gossip, because out of everything that is in the world, out of everything, a libel will work for you, and that’s all your civil and family life walks through literature, everything is printed, read, ridiculed, and discussed! Yes, here and on the street it will not be possible to appear ... "

spiritual breakdown [ | ]

Passion for literature becomes the cause of the spiritual breakdown experienced by the official. Reading "The Overcoat" becomes the climax in the depicted segment of the hero's life. Devushkin took to drink and began to deny all literature. At the same time, the character begins to think more broadly. He notices social contrasts in the reality around him. He sees the problem in the disunity of people. Deduces the principle of community: "totally<…>think about yourself alone, live for yourself alone<…>look around you, you will not see for your cares an object more noble than your boots! .

Origin of the name and surname[ | ]

The origin and meaning of the name Makar Devushkin was suggested by Dostoevsky himself. In one of his letters to Varvara Dobroselova, his hero writes: “Here, mother, you see how things went: everything is on Makar Alekseevich; they only knew how to do that Makar Alekseevich was introduced into the proverb in our whole department. Yes, not only did they make a proverb and almost a swear word out of me - they got to the boots, to the uniform, to the hair, to my figure ... "Thus, the name Makar is comprehended by the proverb" All the bumps fall on poor Makar ". The philologist Moses Altman especially emphasized that already in the first novel Dostoevsky used the artistic technique of comprehending the name of a literary hero by comparing it with the identical name from the proverb.

The first readers of the work drew attention to the possible origin of the protagonist's surname. Makar himself admits in one of his letters: “The poor man ... has the same shame that you have, for example, girlish.” Particular attention of readers and critics was drawn to this confession, as well as to the diminutive words characteristic of the "girlish" style of Devushkin's letters. Another version of the origin of the hero's surname is based on the similarity of his style of letters and the style of letters of Dostoevsky's mother. From here, the researchers come to the conclusion that the surname Devushkin can serve as a symbol of the maternal principle.

In the name of the main character, the school of sentimentalism and the school of naturalism were mergedly reflected, while the surname "Devushkin" refers more to sentimentalism, and the name "Makar" to naturalism.

Identification with the author[ | ]

Contemporary critics of Dostoevsky at first identified the styles and characters of Makar Devushkin and Dostoevsky himself, which irritated the writer: “In our public there is instinct, like in any crowd, but there is no education. They don't understand how they can write like that. In everything they are accustomed to seeing the writer's face: I didn't show mine. And they have no idea what Devushkin is talking about, and not me, and that Devushkin cannot say otherwise.

Before The Poor Folk, Dostoevsky was fascinated by the historical dramas of Schiller and Pushkin, but having discovered the “strange” person and feeling deep sympathy and interest for him, he wrote the first novel about him, at the same time realizing his literary destiny. This character lived in himself, therefore, with the help of Poor People, Dostoevsky wrote himself. An indirect sign of similarity is the fact that Devushkin dreams of becoming a "poet", and Dostoevsky himself - a "writer". Indignant at the identification of the character with the author, Dostoevsky wants to say that Makar Devushkin, in fact, is his double, but the writer pretended to be Devushkin so skillfully that the reader did not notice this.

Criticism [ | ]

The researcher of Dostoevsky's creativity Kennosuke Nakamura, having made an attempt at an unbiased reading of the novel, comes to the conclusion that the main character is a strange person with an inferiority complex. The imagination and sensitivity of Makar Devushkin are unusually developed, so he is not able to communicate with other people and expresses his thoughts in letters. The excessive delicacy and fear of reality inherent in him also make him completely powerless in real life, forming a strange and funny type. In the hero of Poor People, Dostoevsky discovered the secret spiritual world of a humbled and sick person, and this novel anticipates all subsequent works of the author.

Influence on further creativity[ | ]

Makar Devushkin served as a literary prototype for Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin, the protagonist of the story "

MAKAR DEVUSHKIN - the hero of the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky's "Poor People" (1845), a titular adviser for 47 years, copying papers for a small salary in one of the St. Petersburg departments. He has just moved into a “capital” house near the Fontanka, where he huddles behind a partition in a common kitchen with a “rotten, pungently sweetened smell”, in which “siskins just die”. In the same yard M.D. rents a more comfortable and expensive apartment for his distant relative Varenka, a 17-year-old orphan who has no one else to stand up for. Living nearby, they rarely see each other, so as not to cause gossip. They draw warmth and sympathy from almost daily correspondence with each other. M.D. happy, having found heart affection. Denying himself food and clothes, he wins for flowers and sweets for his "angel". “Humble”, “quiet” and “kind”, M.D. - the subject of constant ridicule of others. The only joy is Varenka: “It’s as if the Lord has blessed me with the house committee and family!” She sends M.D. novels by Pushkin and Gogol; "The Stationmaster" elevates him in his own eyes, "The Overcoat" offends him by revealing the miserable details of his own life. Finally, M.D. good luck smiles: summoned for a mistake in a paper to “reproach” to the general, he received the sympathy of “his excellency” and received 100 rubles personally from him. This is salvation: paid for an apartment, a table, clothes. M.D. overwhelmed by the generosity of the boss and reproaches himself for his recent "liberal" thoughts. Understanding all the overpowering for M.D. material worries about himself, Varya agrees to marry the rude and cruel Bykov and leaves for him on the estate. In the last letter to M.D. to her - a cry of despair: "I worked, and wrote papers, and walked, and walked ... all because you ... here, on the contrary, lived nearby." In other works of the 1840s. Dostoevsky draws the "little man" in a slightly different way, emphasizing his moral inferiority (Goayadkin, Prokharchin, etc.), and in the 1850s even ugliness (Opiskin). Since the 1860s this type becomes secondary for the writer, giving way to an outstanding intellectual hero. The first artistic performance of Dostoevsky is connected with the novel “Poor People”: in April 1846, at a literary concert in the house of the famous Slavophiles Samarins, MS Shchepkin read one of the “letters” of M.D.

Lit .: Belinsky V.G. "Petersburg collection"// Belinsky V.G. Complete collection of op. M., 1953-1959. T.9; Grigoriev A.A. "Poor people" // Finnish Bulletin, 1846. No. 9. Department U; Maykov V.N. Something about Russian literature in 1846 / / Maykov V.N.

Literary criticism. L., 1885; Zeitlin A.G. Tale of a poor official Dostoevsky (On the history of one plot). M., 1923; Vinogradov V.V. The evolution of Russian naturalism. Gogol and Dostoevsky. L., 1929; Bakhtin M.M. Problems of Dostoevsky's Poetics. M., 1979; Bocharov S.G. Transition from Gogol to Dostoevsky// Bocharov S.G. About artistic worlds. M., 1985.

Devushkin Makar Alekseevich - the main character of the novel "Poor People" by Dostoevsky, an elderly official. Little man type. The closest literary predecessors of the hero are Gogol's "little people" Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin from "The Overcoat" and Poprishchin from "Notes of a Madman", Samson Vyrin from Pushkin's "Station Master". The image of Devushkin, continuing Gogol's line of depicting the little man, is also partly polemical in relation to him. If Gogol's hero is obsessed with the desire to acquire an overcoat, a thing, then Dostoevsky's hero is animated by a disinterested love for a living person (the surname "Bashmachkin" is property, "Girl" is personal. K. Mochulsky).

Kind, meek, and quiet, Makar Devushkin has been in the service for thirty years, rewriting papers all his life, being ridiculed and bullied by colleagues and neighbors. He lives in dire poverty, starving. He is forced to constantly justify his existence, as it were. Poverty is not only a social, but also a personal tragedy for Devushkin. It gives rise to a special state of mind, which the hero himself is aware of as a feeling of defenselessness, intimidation, humiliation and, as a result, bitterness, suspiciousness. From time to time, he is overcome by longing from constant self-abasement. Makar Devushkin is powerless to help Varenka Dobroselova when starvation threatens her, when she is sick and offended by evil people. From time to time a protest rises in it. In the end, he begins to ask "liberal" questions: why are some happy and rich, while others are poor and unhappy? Why such injustice?

The nondescript appearance of the hero contrasts with his warm heart, sympathetic and impressionable soul. He loves flowers, birds, idyllic pictures of nature, serene and peaceful life. Everything fascinates and touches him. He deeply, chastely and selflessly loves Varenka, whom he unselfishly helps out of his meager means. Thanks to this love, he feels like a man, a consciousness of his own dignity awakens in him. He deliberately settles near her in order to see her window. However, Devushkin tries to hide their relationship, chastely fearing possible ridicule and gossip. They meet rarely and far from home (Devushkin takes her for a walk and to the theater), and the rest of the time they exchange letters. In them, he, a lonely and withdrawn person, who lived very secluded before meeting her, shares with his beloved all the bitter and joyful events of his life, cares about her touchingly, reproaches her for tiring herself with work, calls her affectionate names: “ mother", "life". An idealist and dreamer, Makar Devushkin from Dostoevsky's Poor Folk tries to protect Varenka from life's rough and dirty encroachments. He tracks down an officer who came to Varenka with an "unworthy offer", comes to his house in order to explain himself - and as a result, he is lowered down the stairs.

Devushkin's drama is not only in his poverty, but also in his unrequited love for Varenka, who values ​​him as a friend and benefactor, but nothing more. He hides his love under paternal affection, comes up with various pretexts to keep Varenka, promises that he will do everything so that she does not know worries. He understands that he is poorly educated, and longs for high things, enthusiastically takes part in the literary meetings of his neighbor, the writer Ratazyaev, and even dreams of becoming a "writer of literature and piita" himself. Devushkin takes care of the style of his messages. He reads Gogol's "Overcoat", which Varenka, who cares about replenishing his education, gives him, recognizes his life in all the details of Akaky Akakievich's life, and nevertheless considers the image "improbable", and calls the story "libel" and "an empty example from everyday, vile life". Unlike Gogol's story "The Stationmaster" by Pushkin, Makar likes it, in it he recognizes his "own heart, whatever it is already there." In his last, farewell letter to Varenka, deep suffering and despair sound.

is a recognized classic of world literature. His pen belongs to the famous novels that gave life to atypical characters and heroes with a non-trivial biography. But some of the characters described by the author in his works complement the galaxy of images developed by Dostoevsky's predecessors. Makar Devushkin is a character that allowed the writer to reveal the theme of the “little man” in his work.

History of creation

The novel "Poor People" was a success. The work brought the young Dostoevsky fame and the status of a talented writer. Critics of Grigorovich, and positively commented on his work.

For the first time, a novel written in the epistolary genre was published in 1846 in the Petersburg Collection. While working on it, Dostoevsky was inspired by examples from his own life. His family was not rich. My father worked in a hospital, where fate brought many crippled souls. As a young man, Dostoevsky heard many stories about hardships and fatal mistakes.

Makar Devushkin, invented by Dostoevsky to be depicted in the novel, had the characteristics of a fantastic character. So he was dubbed literary critics. Fascinated by creativity and, Dostoevsky was looking for a suitable image for the hero for a long time. Starting to work with a type of personality, which the author called "a strange person", Dostoevsky gradually began to feel sympathy and interest in such personalities. Describing this realistic and at the same time fantastic figure, he sincerely worried about the hero, admitting that at some points he wrote Devushkin from himself.

The hero of the novel "Poor People" Makar Devushkin is a vivid example of the "little man" whose type Gogol and Pushkin introduced readers to. from "The Overcoat" and from "The Stationmaster" had similar character traits. Devushkin, unlike Bashmachkin, is obsessed with love not for a thing, but for a person. In this sense, the meaning of the name of the heroes is important. Their names directly indicate priorities.

"Poor people"

Makar Devushkin is a 47-year-old official with a specific character. This character is also encountered by readers in the novel "White Nights". Analyzing the character and actions of the hero, the author carefully described him, anticipating the subsequent heroes of the “little man” format.

Why is Makar Devushkin a "little man"? A petty official is afraid of discussions and gossip. He is afraid to take his eyes off the table, so as not to cause discontent. He fears that he is being watched and sees non-existent enemies everywhere who wish him harm. Devushkin has a fear of people in his soul, so he instinctively feels like a victim. Such a joke is played with a man by his imagination, although those around him are ready to recognize him as an equal. He was even ashamed to smoke in society.

Being in a whirlwind of his own fantasies, Devushkin moves away from real life. His activity is the active writing of letters that allow him to avoid direct communication with interlocutors and pour out his soul at the same time.

Varvara Dobroselova is a devoted reader and Devushkin's lover. Confessions of a man burden the girl. She reproaches him with the complexity of his character and the desire to present himself as an offended victim and an unfortunate person.

Makar Devushkin was a quiet and modest man who gave 30 years of service. He spent all day doing paperwork and endured the ridicule of colleagues. Being in distress, a man constantly, as it were, justifies his existence. His poverty is not only financial, but also moral. The inner tragedy of the hero gives rise to a complex spiritual state in which Devushkin constantly resides. He experiences fear and humiliation. He is haunted by suspiciousness and bitterness. Periodically, the hero is seized by a strong melancholy.

Makar Devushkin can be called a "little man" also because Devushkin does not find the strength to help his beloved Varenka when she finds herself in a terrible situation. On the verge of starvation, a sick girl does not wait for the support and participation of a man. The hero's infantilism coexists with a penchant for philosophy. His appearance is unremarkable. He gravitates toward a calm and measured life, distinguished by chastity and disinterestedness. Love for Varenka allows Devushkin to feel like a man. It involuntarily awakens a sense of self-worth.

Makar and Varenka rarely see each other, although he specially settled next to her. Taking the girl to the theater and for a walk, the man is afraid of rumors and gossip, protects her honor. The characters communicate through letters. A modest official with a boring job shares his emotional experiences with the girl and appears as a gentle, caring person.

The idealist Devushkin tries to protect Varenka from the harsh everyday life. Having learned that Varenka received an unworthy offer from one officer, Makar tracks him down and stands up for his beloved, but the hero is lowered down the stairs.

Love for Varenka is unrequited, and this is the tragedy of Devushkin's fate. A benefactor and friend in Varenka's eyes, he is forced to demonstrate paternal sympathy and promises her everything in his power to keep the girl close to him. His education and upbringing are not enough to participate in the neighbor's literary meetings, but, fueled by illusions, the hero fancies himself a future writer, and therefore meticulously evaluates the letters he has written.

It is no coincidence that the work "The Overcoat" is mentioned in the novel. Varenka seems to see a friend in the image of Gogol's hero and gives Devushkin a book with a hint. Devushkin recognizes himself in Akaki Akakievich. The last letter he wrote is filled with despair.

For Makar Devushkin, Varenka's marriage becomes a blow. She neglects the participation of the patron and gives herself to the will of Bykov, the man who once dishonored her. The girl's act seems strange, she can be reproached for selfishness and the search for a profitable option, which Devushkin was not.

Quotes

The protagonist of the novel has an inferiority complex, and this is confirmed by quotes from the work. Speaking about the ridicule of his comrades and discussions from the outside, Devushkin writes to Varya:

“After all, what, Varenka, is killing me? Not money is killing me, but all these worldly anxieties, all these whispers, smiles, jokes.

For him, the opinion of others means a lot, under which, of his own free will, Devushkin is forced to adapt even in matters of his personal life:

“... It doesn’t matter to me, even if in the bitter cold without an overcoat and without boots, I will endure and endure everything ... but what will people say? My enemies, these evil tongues will speak everything when you go without an overcoat?

After reading Gogol's story, Devushkin feels open. He understands how shallow his life is, and he sympathizes with himself, trying to justify the chosen way of life:

“Sometimes you hide, hide, hide in what you didn’t take, sometimes you’re afraid to show your nose - wherever it is, because you tremble gossip, because out of everything that is in the world, out of everything, a libel will work for you, and now your whole civil and family life walks in literature, everything is printed, read, ridiculed, gossiped!