The theme of love in the works of I. A. Bunin

Ivan Alekseevich Bunin is one of the most prominent Russian writers of the twentieth century. He excelled in both poetry and prose. short stories as well as novels. But still, I appreciate the talent of Ivan Alekseevich precisely for that part of his work that can be called a "small" genre. And I especially like Bunin's stories, the main theme of which is love.
In these works, the author's talent for describing everything that is hidden, sometimes quite unusual, for conveying ideas and thoughts is most clearly revealed. Extraordinary poetry brings sensuality to the narrative, which is so necessary for works with such themes. If you trace all of Bunin's work from beginning to end, then you can divide it into periods, based on which topic he prefers in his works. I am interested in the collection "Dark Alleys", written during the Second World War, because it is completely devoted to the theme of love, after reading the stories from it, you can try to formulate the main idea, the author's thought. In my opinion, the main "thesis" of Bunin's work lies in the quote: "All love is a great happiness, even if it is not shared." But in love dramas collection, namely, they form its basis, one can also be convinced that Bunin appreciates only the natural, pure love, high human feeling, rejecting far-fetched false impressions. Ivan Alekseevich also in his stories inextricably links love with death, connects the beautiful and the terrible. But this is not a far-fetched composition, the author thus tries to show readers how closely love borders on death, how close the two extremes are from each other.
The stories best known to readers Sunstroke», « Clean Monday and Natalie. All of them perfectly fit the description of the tragic love story with a sad end, but in each of them Bunin opens up a new aspect to us, A New Look for love.
The heroes of "Sunstroke" quite by chance meet on a steamer. But their fleeting attraction does not go unnoticed for both characters. She says to the lieutenant: “There has never been anything even similar to what happened to me, and there will never be again. It’s like an eclipse hit me ... Or, rather, we both got something like a sunstroke. But this shock concerns him only when he, having escorted her to the ship, returns to the hotel. His heart "constricted with an incomprehensible tenderness," and "he felt such pain and such uselessness of all his later life without her, that he was seized with horror, despair, ”because he did not know either her name or surname. Love, which the lieutenant realized too late, almost destroys him, he is ready to die for another day spent with her. But we are convinced that in fact love is a blessing, despite the fact that it breaks off so quickly, we understand how strong and comprehensive this feeling is.
In the short story "Clean Monday", so beloved by the author, we are told about the hero's unrequited love for the mysterious heroine. She is not interested in and even rejects many things accepted in their circle, her complex nature haunts the hero. The heroine's aloofness (“she doesn't need anything: no flowers, no books, no dinners, no theaters, no dinners outside the city…”) is explained on Forgiveness Sunday, when the characters go together to the cemetery. We learn about her passion for antiquity, Kremlin cathedrals and monasteries. The heroine tries to find meaning and support in the world around her, but does not find it, even the love of the hero does not bring her happiness. The meaning of the name is that the heroine, not finding beauty and spirituality in modern world, is cleansed of her previous life and goes to a monastery, where she thinks she will be happy.
Main character The third story, Vitaly Meshchersky, is himself guilty of a love tragedy that broke out between him, his cousin Sonya and her friend Natalie. The student cannot decide whether to prefer "passionate bodily intoxication" for Sonya or a sincere and sublime feeling for Natalie. Choice avoidance ends tragic ending. The author shows us that Vitaly's feeling for Sonya is feigned, and love for Natalie is true, proves her superiority.
In stories about love, I. A. Bunin argues that love is a high and beautiful feeling, and a person who is able to love is highly moral. Despite the fact that love brings not only joy and happiness, but also grief, suffering is a great feeling. And I completely agree with this.

At all times, the theme of love was the main one, many writers sang about the relationship between a man and a woman. Ivan Alekseevich was no exception, in many stories he writes about love. Love is the purest and bright feeling in the world. The theme of love is eternal in any era.

In the works of Bunin, the writer describes the innermost and secret things that happen between two people. The work of Ivan Alekseevich can be divided into periods. So the collection "Dark Alleys" written during the World War is devoted entirely to love. The collection contains so much love and warm feelings, it is simply filled with love.

Bunin believes that love is a great feeling, even if this love is unrequited. The writer believes that any love has the right to life. Also, after reading the stories of Ivan Alekseevich, you can see that love in his works goes next to death. He draws a line, as it were, that death can stand behind a great bright feeling.

In some of his stories, Bunin writes that love is not always beautiful and sunny, and maybe the love story will end tragically. So, for example, in the story "Sunstroke" his characters meet on a steamboat, where a wonderful feeling flares up between them. The girl in love tells the lieutenant that the feeling that visited them is like a sunstroke that overshadowed their mind. She says she's never experienced anything like it and probably never will. Unfortunately, the lieutenant realizes very late how much he fell in love with the girl, because he did not even know her last name and where she lives.

The lieutenant was ready to die for the sake of one more day spent with the girl he loved so much. He was overwhelmed with feelings, but they were big and bright.

In another story, Bunin describes unrequited love young guy to a girl who does not pay any attention to him. Nothing makes a girl happy and even a guy’s love doesn’t make her happy. At the end of the novella, she goes to a monastery, where she thinks she will find happiness.

In another story, Ivan Alekseevich writes about a triangle in which a guy cannot choose between passion and love. The whole story he rushes between the girls and everything ends tragically.

In the works of Bunin, where he writes about love, all aspects of this feeling are described. After all, love is not only joy and happiness, but also suffering and sorrow. Love is a great feeling, for which you often have to fight.

Composition The theme of love in Bunin's work

The theme of love has always been and is an integral part of any work. I. A. Bunin revealed it especially vividly in his stories. The writer described love as a tragic and deep feeling, he tried to reveal to the reader all the secret corners of this strong attraction.

In Bunin's works, such as "Dark Alleys", "Cold Autumn", "Sunstroke", love is shown from several sides. On the one hand, this is a feeling that can bring great happiness, on the other, bright and ardent feeling inflicts deep wounds on the soul of a person, delivers days only suffering.

For the author, love was not just a naive feeling, it was strong and real, often accompanied by tragedy, and in some moments even death. The theme of love, in different fit it creative way, opened with different side. At the beginning of his work, Bunin described love between young people as something light, natural and open. She is beautiful and gentle, but at the same time can bring disappointment. For example, in the story "Dawn all night" he describes the strong love of a simple girl for a young man. She is ready to give all her youth and soul to her beloved, to completely dissolve in him. But reality can be cruel, and as often happens, falling in love passes and a person begins to look at many things differently. And in this work, he clearly describes the breakup of relations that brought only pain and disappointment.

At a certain period of his time, Bunin emigrated from Russia. It was at this time that love for him became a mature and deep feeling. He began to write about her with sadness and longing, recalling his past years of life. This is clearly displayed in the novel "Mitina's Love" written by him in 1924. At first everything goes well, the feelings are strong and reliable, but later they will lead the main character to death. Bunin wrote not only about mutual love two young people, but in some of his works one can also find love triangle: "Caucasus" and "The most beautiful sun". The happiness of some inevitably brings heartache and disappointment for the third.

Love played a special role in his great work, written during the war years, Dark Alleys. In it, she is displayed as a great happiness, despite the fact that in the end it ends in tragedy. The love of two people who met each other already in adulthood is shown in the story "Sunstroke". It was during this life period that they so needed to experience it. true feeling. The love of a lieutenant and a mature woman was doomed in advance and could not unite them for life. But after parting, she left in their hearts the sweet bitterness of pleasant memories.

In all his stories, Bunin sings of love, its difference and contradictions. If there is love, a person becomes infinitely radiant, manifests true beauty his inner world, values ​​in relation to a loved one. Love in the understanding of Bunin is true, selfless, pure feeling, even if after a sudden outburst and attraction can lead to tragedy and deep disappointment.

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Recognized Master artistic word Ivan Alekseevich Bunin in works about love appears before us as a psychologist who can surprisingly subtly convey the state of the wounded by this wonderful feeling souls. Possessing a rare talent, the ability to love, the writer professes his own philosophy of love in his work.

Reading the stories of I.A. Bunin, we notice that the author’s love does not exist in marriage and family, and he is not attracted to quiet family happiness. For him, it is not so much long and cloudless love that is important, but short-term, like lightning that flared up in the darkness and went out, but left its deep imprint in the soul. Love in the writer's stories is a tragedy, madness, a catastrophe, a great feeling that can elevate or destroy a person. A sudden “flash” of love can happen to anyone and at any moment.

Love is passion. We come to this conclusion after getting acquainted with the story "Sunstroke", the heroes of which were suddenly overtaken by love. Love, which has no past and future - there is only the present, only "now". A woman and a man do not even have names - just She and He. For the author (and the reader) it does not matter at all.

Without talking about the experiences of the heroine after leaving, the writer describes in detail the state of mind of the hero. A chance meeting with a "charming, light, small creature", an unexpected strong feeling, an absurd parting ... And then misunderstanding and mental anguish ... "... a completely new feeling ... that did not exist at all when they were together," appeared in the lieutenant's soul after this, as he at first thought, "a funny acquaintance." What some people learn in years, he happened to experience in one day.

Perhaps this day turned out to be one of the most difficult in the life of the protagonist. The enormous power of love, like a sunstroke, suddenly “struck” him. The lieutenant leaves the city as if he were a different person. There is no longer any passion, no hatred, no love in his soul, but, having experienced confusion, horror, despair, he now feels "ten years older."

"Truly magical" moments of life gives a person love, warms the soul with bright memories. But love also has its own "dark alleys", so it often dooms Bunin's heroes to suffering, does not lead them to happiness.

The happiness of the main character of the short story "Dark Alleys" did not take place. Hope's boundless love for her master forever made her lonely. A woman who has preserved her former beauty even now remembers the past, lives with memories of it. not extinguished for long years love in her soul. “Youth passes for everyone, but love is another matter,” she admits indifferently to Nikolai Alekseevich, who left her thirty years ago. “There was ... nothing more expensive ... in the world at that time, and then” for Nadezhda, therefore she “never could” forgive her offender.

Despite the fact that it is difficult for the indecisive and conceited Nikolai Alekseevich, prone to class prejudices, to imagine Nadezhda, the keeper of the inn, as his wife, it becomes sad in his soul after unexpected meeting with her. The sixty-year-old military man understands that this once slender young beauty gave him the best moments of his life. Probably, for the first time he thought about happiness, about responsibility for committed actions. The life that Nikolai Alekseevich had long abandoned will now remain with him only in his memories.

Love for I.A. Bunin is that illusory happiness that a person strives for, but, unfortunately, very often misses. In it, as in life, light and dark principles always oppose. But the author, who gave us wonderful works about love, was convinced: "All love is a great happiness, even if it is not shared."

I.A. Bunin

essay

Ivan Alekseevich Bunin is rightfully called the greatest writerXXcentury. From his pen came out beautiful poems, novels and stories. The most important theme in the work of I.A. Bunin was the theme of love. It is to her that the whole series of stories is dedicated. Dark alleys”, created by the writer already in exile, during the Second World War. This collection is a kind of summing up. Written at the end of his life, he collected the most intimate thoughts and feelings of Bunin, his experiences and beliefs, embodied in a novel amazing in form and content.

The main idea of ​​"Dark Alleys" can be formulated as follows: "All love is happiness, even if it is unrequited and brings suffering." Let's take for example two stories from the cycle - "Clean Monday" and "Cold Autumn".

In the first work, the relationship between a man and a woman is placed at the center of the plot. The protagonist is in love with the heroine, he pampers her with gifts, flowers, trips to expensive restaurants and theaters, although he feels that all this is of little interest to the young woman:

A man loves a woman passionately, with all his heart, love for her becomes the meaning of his existence. Some kind of alienation lives in the heroine, she is more interested in spiritual life, and not in material goods, even the love of the hero does not bring her satisfaction. She loves ancient temples, choristers, bell ringing, so literally overnight a young woman disappears from his life. Having tried everything that worldly life can give a person, and not finding purity and true spirituality in it, the heroine decides to abandon the past and goes to a monastery, where, as she thinks, she can get peace of mind and become happy. The hero does not understand her choice, and he continues to live, feeling only the constant pain of loss:

Bunin shows how separation literally “knocks down” the hero, drives him crazy. Speaking of young man after breaking up with a girl, he notes the aimlessness of his existence. A handsome, rich and intelligent man, he finds himself in mental isolation after the departure of his beloved. With all this, the author proves how much love can mean for a person. Love is life itself, which means that its loss is equivalent to the loss of the meaning of life.

In the story "Cold Autumn" in front of us a love story of a lifetime. The theme of love here is closely connected with the theme of death. It should be noted that in his works Bunin often brings these two motives together, as if wanting to emphasize that in terms of its significance in a person’s life, love is on a par with death, and just like death, it is one of the the greatest mysteries. main character « cold autumn» escorts to the First world war her fiancé and says that she will not be able to survive his death ... Nevertheless, she is experiencing not only the death of her lover, but also the revolution of 1917, emigration, wandering through the endless cities of Europe, where no one needed her and her companions, earning a living by hard labor, lonely old age. But, despite the fact that the life of the heroine was full of events, she only remembers that cold autumn evening when she said goodbye to her beloved. The composition of the story is built in such a way as to confirm the importance of this moment for a woman. If the description of the farewell evening in September 1914 is allotted most of works, then the story of the wanderings of the heroine after it is just one paragraph. She herself says:

And after many years, the heroine is waiting for death as a joyful moment of meeting with the first and the only love, which became the main "event" in her life, which helped her survive in an endless series of losses, disappointments and resentments.

The prose of I.A. Bunin is considered a synthesis of prose and poetry. It has an unusually strong confessional beginning (" Antonov apples"). Often, the lyrics replace the plot basis, and as a result, a portrait-story appears ("Lirnik Rodion").

Among Bunin's works there are stories in which the epic, romantic beginning is expanded - the whole life of the hero falls into the field of view of the writer ("The Cup of Life"). Bunin is a fatalist, an irrationalist, pathos of tragedy and skepticism are characteristic of his works. His work echoes the concept of modernists about the tragedy of human passion. Like the Symbolists, Bunin comes to the fore with an appeal to eternal themes love, death and nature. The cosmic coloring of the writer's works, the permeation of his images with the voices of the Universe bring his work closer to Buddhist ideas. Bunin's works synthesize all these concepts.

Bunin's concept of love is tragic. Moments of love, according to Bunin, become the pinnacle of a person's life. Only by falling in love can a person truly feel another person, only a feeling justifies high demands on oneself and one's neighbor, only a lover is able to overcome his egoism. The state of love is not fruitless for Bunin's heroes, it elevates souls. One example of an unusual interpretation of the theme of love is the story "Chang's Dreams", which is written in the form of a dog's memories. The dog feels the inner devastation of the captain, his master. The image of "distant working people" (Germans) appears in the story. Based on a comparison with their way of life, the writer talks about the possible ways of human happiness: firstly, labor in order to live and multiply, without knowing the fullness of life; secondly, infinite love, which is hardly worth devoting oneself to, since there is always the possibility of betrayal; thirdly, the path of eternal thirst, the search, in which, however (according to Bunin) there is no happiness either.

The plot of the story seems to oppose the mood of the hero. Through real facts doggystyle faithful memory when there was peace in the soul, when the captain and the dog were happy. Moments of happiness are highlighted. Chang carries the idea of ​​loyalty and gratitude. This, according to the writer, is the meaning of life that a person is looking for.

Bunin's love is most often sad, tragic. A person is not able to resist it, the arguments of reason are powerless before it, because there is nothing like love in strength and beauty. The writer defines love surprisingly accurately, comparing it with a sunstroke. This is the title of a story about an unexpected, impetuous, "crazy" affair of a lieutenant with a woman who accidentally met on the ship, who does not give her name or address. The woman leaves, saying goodbye forever to the lieutenant, who at first perceives this story as an accidental, non-binding affair, a lovely road accident. Only with time does he begin to feel "insoluble torment", experiencing a sense of bereavement. He tries to deal with his condition, performs some actions, perfectly aware of their absurdity and uselessness. He is ready to die only in order to somehow bring her back, to spend another day with her.

At the end of the story, the lieutenant, sitting under a canopy on the deck, feels ten years older. In a wonderful story by Bunin, the uniqueness and beauty of love, which a person often does not suspect, is expressed with great force. Love is a sunstroke, the greatest shock that can radically change a person's life, make him either the happiest or the most unhappy.

Bunin's work is characterized by an interest in ordinary life, the ability to reveal its tragedy, the saturation of the narrative with details. Bunin is considered to be the successor of Chekhov's realism, but his realism differs from Chekhov's in its extreme sensitivity. Like Chekhov, Bunin addresses eternal themes. Nature is important to him, however, in his opinion, the highest judge of man is human memory. It is the memory that protects Bunin's heroes from inexorable time, from death.

Bunin's favorite heroes are endowed with an innate sense of the beauty of the earth, an unconscious desire for harmony with the world around them and with themselves. Such is the dying Averky from the story "Thin Grass". Having worked all his life as a farm laborer, having experienced a lot of torment, grief and anxiety, this peasant did not lose his kindness, the ability to perceive the beauty of nature, a sense of the high meaning of life. Memory constantly brings Averky back to those "distant twilight on the river" when he was destined to meet "that young, sweet, who now looked at him with indifferent, pitiful eyes with senile eyes." A short playful conversation with a girl performed for them deep meaning, have not been able to erase from memory either the years lived or the trials endured.

Love is the most beautiful and bright thing that the hero had throughout his long, laborious life. But, thinking about this, Averky recalls both the "soft dusk in the meadow", and the shallow backwater, turning pink from the dawn, against which the girl's camp is barely visible, surprisingly in harmony with the charm starry night. Nature, as it were, participates in the life of the hero, accompanying him both in joy and in sorrow. Distant twilight on the river at the very beginning of life is replaced by autumn melancholy, waiting imminent death. The state of Averky is close to the picture of fading nature. "Dying, the grasses dried up and rotted. The threshing floor became empty and bare. A mill in a homeless field became visible through the vines. The rain sometimes changed to snow, the wind hummed in the holes of the barn, evil and cold."

For ten years (1939 - 1949), Bunin wrote the book "Dark Alleys" - stories about love, as he himself said, "about her" dark "and most often very gloomy and cruel alleys." This book, according to Bunin, "talks about the tragic and about many things that are tender and beautiful - I think that this is the best and most original thing that I have written in my life."

Bunin went his way own way, did not adjoin any fashionable literary movements or groupings, in his words, "did not throw out any banners" and did not proclaim any slogans. Criticism noted the powerful language of Bunin, his art of raising "everyday phenomena of life" into the world of poetry. There were no "low" topics unworthy of the poet's attention for him.

Shortly before his death, Bunin wrote in his memoirs: “I was born too late. If I had been born earlier, my writing memories would not have been like that. and its continuation, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler... How not to envy our forefather Noah! Just one flood fell to his lot..."

“You are a thought, you are a dream. Through the smoky blizzard

Crosses run - outstretched arms.

I listen to the pensive spruce -

Singing call...

Everything is just thought and sounds!

What lies in the grave, are you?

Parting, sadness was marked

your hard way. Now they are gone.

Crosses Store only ashes.

Now you are a thought. You are eternal. »