Composition: The conflict of the individual and the state in Pushkin's poem The Bronze Horseman. What is the conflict in the poem "The Bronze Horseman"

One of the main issues in the work of A. S. Pushkin was the question of the relationship between the individual and the state, as well as the resulting problem " little man". It is known that it was Pushkin who seriously developed this problem, which was later "picked up" by both N.V. Gogol and F.M. Dostoevsky.

Pushkin's poem Bronze Horseman”reveals the eternal conflict - the contradiction between the interests of the individual and the state. Pushkin believed that this conflict was inevitable, at least in Russia. It is impossible to govern the state and take into account the interests of every "little man". Moreover, Russia is a semi-Asian country, where despotism and tyranny reigned since ancient times, which was taken for granted by both the people and the rulers.

The poem has a subtitle - "Petersburg Tale", after which follows a preface emphasizing the reality of everything described: "The incident described in this story is based on truth. The details of the flood are borrowed from contemporary magazines. The curious can deal with the news compiled by V. N. Berkh.

In the introduction to the poem, a majestic image of Peter I is created, who glorified his name with many deeds. Without a doubt, Pushkin pays tribute to the power and talent of Peter. This tsar in many ways "made" Russia and contributed to its prosperity. On the poor and wild banks of a small river, Peter built a grandiose city, one of the most beautiful in the world. Petersburg has become a symbol of a new, enlightened and strong power:

Now there by busy shores Masses of slender crowded Palaces and towers; ships Crowds from all over the world strive for rich marinas ... The poet loves St. Petersburg with all his heart. For him, this is the homeland, the capital, the personification of the country. He wishes this city eternal prosperity. But the following words are important and interesting lyrical hero: “May the conquered element make peace with you…”

The main part of the poem tells about life, contemporary Pushkin. Petersburg is still as beautiful as it was under Peter. But the poet sees another image of the capital. This city marks a sharp boundary between " the mighty of the world this" and ordinary residents. Petersburg is a city of contrasts, where “little people” live and suffer.

The hero of the poem, Eugene, is a simple resident of the capital, one of many. His life is told in the first part of the work. Evgeny's life is filled with pressing daily concerns: how to feed himself, where to get money. The hero wonders why one is given everything, and the other nothing. After all, these "others" do not shine at all with either intelligence or diligence, but for them "life is much easier." Here the theme of the “little man”, his insignificant position in society, begins to develop. He is forced to endure injustice and blows of fate only because he was born "small".

Among other things, we learn that Eugene has plans for the future. He is going to marry just like him, a simple girl Parasha. Beloved Evgenia lives with her mother on the banks of the Neva in a small house. The hero dreams of starting a family, having children, he dreams that in old age his grandchildren will take care of them. But Eugene's dreams were not destined to come true. A terrible flood interfered with his plans. It destroyed almost the entire city, but it also destroyed the life of the hero, killed and destroyed his soul. The rising waters of the Neva destroyed Parasha's house, killed the girl herself and her mother. What was left for poor Eugene? It is interesting that the definition “poor” accompanies him throughout the poem. This epithet speaks of the author's attitude to his hero - an ordinary resident, common man whom he wholeheartedly sympathizes with.

The second part of the poem depicts the aftermath of the flood. For Eugene they are scary. The hero loses everything: his beloved girl, shelter, hopes for happiness. The crazed Eugene considers the Bronze Horseman, the twin of Peter himself, to be the culprit of his tragedy. In his frustrated imagination, the Bronze Horseman is a “proud idol”, “by whose will the fateful city was founded here”, who “raised Russia with an iron bridle”.

It was Peter, according to Eugene, who built this city on the banks of the river, in places that are regularly flooded. But the king did not think about it. He thought about the greatness of the whole country, about his greatness and power. Least of all, he was worried about the difficulties that ordinary residents of St. Petersburg might have. Only in delirium is a hero capable of protest. He threatens the monument: “Already for you!” But then it began to seem to the insane Yevgeny that the monument was pursuing him, running after him through the streets of the city. All the protest of the hero, his courage immediately disappeared. After that, he began to walk past the monument, not raising his eyes and embarrassedly crumpling his cap in his hands: he dared to rebel against the king! As a result, the hero dies. Of course, only in the head of a crazy hero could such visions arise. But in the poem they acquire deep meaning are filled with the bitter philosophical reflections of the poet. The flood is likened here to any transformations and reforms. They are similar to the elements, because, like her, they do not take into account the interests of ordinary people at all. No wonder St. Petersburg was built on the bones of its builders. Pushkin is full of sympathy for "little" people. He shows the reverse side of reforms, transformations, thinks about the price of the country's greatness. Symbolic in the poem is the image of the king, who resigned himself to the elements, reassuring himself that "The kings cannot control the elements of God." The conclusions of the poet are sad. The conflict between the individual and the state is inevitable, insoluble, and its outcome has long been known.

The writing

The poem "The Bronze Horseman" was written by Pushkin in 1833. In it, the author, for the first time in Russian literature, contrasted the state, personified in the image of Peter I, and a person with his personal interests and experiences. The reforms of Peter I in Russian history were a profound and comprehensive revolution; which could not be accomplished easily and painlessly. The tsar demanded that the people devote all their efforts to achieve their goals, and this caused grumbling and discontent. The same ambiguous attitude was to Peter's favorite brainchild - Petersburg. The city personified both the greatness of Russia and the slavery of its people. On the one hand, it was a beautiful city with palaces, monuments and golden domes, but at the same time St. Petersburg shocked with its poverty, poverty and the highest mortality rate in Russia.

Another misfortune of St. Petersburg was the terrible floods that destroyed houses and carried away human lives. Building a city on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, in a swamp, Peter did not care at all about the future inhabitants of his capital. Petersburg was built "in spite of the arrogant neighbor" and nature. And the elements seemed to take revenge on people for their deeds. In The Bronze Horseman, Pushkin describes one of the most terrible floods that occurred in 1824 and caused terrible destruction:

* Siege! attack! evil waves,
* Like thieves, climb through the windows. Chelny
* With a running start, glass is smashed astern.
* Trays under a wet veil,
* Fragments of huts, logs, roofs,
* Commodity of thrifty trade,
* The belongings of pale poverty,
* Thunderstorm demolished bridges,
* A coffin from a blurry cemetery
* Float through the streets!

There are two main characters in the poem; Peter I, personifying the state, and the poor official Eugene. He is a descendant of a noble but impoverished family. This is a hardworking young man who wants to arrange his own happiness with his own hands. He has a bride whom he loves and on whom, having received a good place wants to get married:

* It may take a year or two~
* I'll get a place, Parashe
* I will entrust our family
* And the upbringing of children ...
* And we will live, and so on to the grave
* Hand with hand we will both reach,
* And our grandchildren will bury us...

But his dreams are not destined to come true, since Parasha, along with his mother, perishes during a flood. Eugene himself goes crazy, unable to bear the emotional upheavals. Mad, he wanders around the city and one day finds himself near the monument to Peter I. This is the Bronze Horseman. And it becomes clear to Evgeny who was responsible for the death of his bride, his broken life and happiness. He challenges: “Good, miraculous builder! - He whispered, trembling angrily, - Already you!

* And all night the poor madman,
* Wherever the feet turned,
* Behind him everywhere Horseman Copper

Jumped with a heavy thud. After this terrible night Yevgeny tried to bypass this place, and if he passed by, then "the cap was a worn-out sy-mal, he did not raise embarrassed eyes." In other words, he was completely destroyed and crushed by the state, the personification of which was Peter I. The poem ends with the death of Eugene: he was found dead near the collapsed house of Parasha. Eugene is one of the unwitting victims of Peter's case, and the tsar is the indirect culprit of the hero's death. Pushkin sympathizes with Eugene, he calls him unhappy, poor, but the end of the poem is the anthem of statehood, the anthem of Peter I - the most powerful of the Russian autocrats, the founder of new capital bringing Russia closer to the West.

Pushkin was always attracted by the figure of Peter I, he devoted many of his works to him, and the opinions of critics about which side Pushkin was on differed. Some believed that the poet justified the right of the state to dispose of a person's life, and takes the side of Peter, as he understands the need and benefit of his transformations. Others consider Eugene's sacrifice unjustified. It seems to me that Pushkin, for the first time in Russian literature, showed all the tragedy and insolubility of the conflict between the state and the individual.

Other writings on this work

Pushkin's work is comprehensive and multifaceted. No wonder V.G. Belinsky said about this poet: "Pushkin is our everything." In his works, this great Russian poet touched upon almost all the problems that worried not only the man of his time, but also the exciting minds of all mankind at all times.

One of these questions was the question of the relationship between the individual and the state, as well as the resulting problem of the “little man”. It is known that it was Pushkin who seriously developed this problem, which N.V. Gogol, and F.M. Dostoevsky.

Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman" reveals an eternal conflict - a contradiction between the interests of the individual and the state. And Pushkin believed that this conflict was inevitable, at least in Russia. It is impossible to govern the state and take into account the interests of every "little man". Moreover, Russia is a semi-Asian country, where despotism and tyranny have reigned since ancient times. And it was in the order of things, it was accepted by both the people and the rulers for granted.

Without a doubt, Pushkin in The Bronze Horseman pays tribute to the power and talent of Peter I. This tsar in many ways "made" Russia and contributed to its prosperity. On the poor and wild banks of a small river, Peter built a grandiose city, one of the most beautiful in the world. Petersburg has become a symbol of a new, enlightened and strong power:

now there

Along busy shores

The slender masses crowd

Palaces and towers; ships

Crowd from all corners of the earth

They strive for rich marinas ...

The poet loves Petersburg with all his heart. For him, this is the homeland, the capital, the personification of the country. He wishes this city eternal prosperity. But the following words of the lyrical hero are important and interesting: “May the defeated element make peace with you ...”

After these "introductory" lines, the main part of the poem begins, in which main conflict works. The hero of the poem, Eugene, is a simple resident of the capital, one of many. His life is filled with pressing daily concerns: how to feed himself, where to get money. The hero wonders why one is given everything, and the other nothing. After all, these "others" do not shine at all with either intelligence or diligence, but for them "life is much easier." Here the theme of the “little man”, his insignificant position in society, begins to develop. He is forced to endure injustice and blows of fate only because he was born "small".

Among other things, we learn that Eugene has plans for the future. He is going to marry just like him, a simple girl Parasha. Beloved Evgenia lives with her mother on the banks of the Neva in a small house. The hero dreams of starting a family, having children, he dreams that in old age his grandchildren will take care of them.

But Eugene's dreams were not destined to come true. A terrible flood interfered with his plans. It destroyed almost the entire city, but it also destroyed the life of the hero, killed and destroyed his soul. The rising waters of the Neva destroyed Parasha's house, killed the girl herself and her mother. What was left for poor Eugene? It is interesting that the definition “poor” accompanies him throughout the poem. This epithet speaks of the author's attitude to his hero - an ordinary resident, a simple person, whom he sympathizes with all his heart.

From the shocks experienced, Eugene went crazy. Nowhere could he find peace. The hero walked and walked around the city, as if looking for the one responsible for what happened to his loved ones. And in an instant, he realized who was responsible for all the grief that had fallen on him. It was "an idol with an outstretched hand", a monument to Peter. The crazy mind of Eugene began to blame the tsar for everything and his incarnation - a monument.

It was Peter, according to Eugene, who built this city on the banks of the river, in places that are regularly flooded. But the king did not think about it. He thought about the greatness of the whole country, about his greatness and power. Least of all, he was worried about the difficulties that ordinary residents of St. Petersburg might have.

Only in delirium is a hero capable of protest. He threatens the monument: “You already!” But then it began to seem to the insane Yevgeny that the monument was pursuing him, running after him through the streets of the city. All the protest of the hero, his courage immediately disappeared. After that, he began to walk past the monument, not raising his eyes and embarrassedly crumpling his cap in his hands: he dared to rebel against the king!

As a result, the hero dies:

At the threshold

Found my madman

And then his cold corpse

Buried for God's sake.

Of course, only in the head of a crazy hero could such visions arise. But in the poem they acquire a deep meaning, filled with bitter philosophical reflections of the poet. The flood is likened here to any transformations and reforms. They are similar to the elements, because, like her, they do not take into account the interests of ordinary people at all. No wonder St. Petersburg was built on the bones of its builders. Pushkin is full of sympathy for "little" people. He shows the reverse side of reforms, transformations, thinks about the price of the country's greatness. Symbolic in the poem is the image of the king, who resigned himself to the elements, reassuring himself that "The kings cannot control the elements of God." Indifferent to the grief of a single person and the same simple people like himself:

Already through the streets free

With your insensibility cold

People walked.

Unfortunately, the conclusions of the poet are sad. The conflict between the individual and the state is inevitable, insoluble, and its outcome has long been known.

The conflict between the individual and the state is central in the poem by A.S. Pushkin "The Bronze Horseman". The author tries to answer the question, what is more important: the happiness of the "little man" or progress, the development of society? Pushkin could not give an unequivocal answer to this question, and this was reflected in the artistic features of the poem.

the brightest artistic feature is the plot of the work.

The exhibition presents the reader detailed description the protagonist of the poem. Eugene is a "little man" and the complete opposite of his namesake Eugene Onegin. The reader learns that he is not rich, “lives in Kolomna, serves somewhere” and wants little from life. Eugene dreams of simple human happiness: to get a "place", to marry his beloved Parasha, to have children and pass his life peacefully. It would seem that what can prevent the implementation of such simple desires? But a person is not free to control his fate when the elements come into play.

The plot twist is a flood. Eugene escapes from the water by climbing onto a marble lion in the midst of St. Petersburg splendor, and looks at the raging Neva.

Only one thought gnaws at him: is Parasha alive? It is characteristic that the "Bronze Horseman" has its back turned to Yevgeny, which symbolizes the indifference of the authorities to the problems of the little man.

The culmination of the poem is the second meeting of Eugene with the Bronze Horseman. Seeing the statue again, Eugene concludes that Peter 1 is to blame for his tragedy. He clenches his fist with malice in his heart and threatens him. Pushkin does not support the rebellion of the "little man" against the authorities, he shows how cruelly the authorities crack down on the rebels: Eugene goes crazy, it seems to him that the monument has come to life and haunts him through the streets of St. Petersburg. The denouement of the plot is the death of Eugene.

It is also worth mentioning the main points of view on this conflict. So, according to Belinsky, Peter 1 is right, since he is a representative of the inevitable historical process. The Russian critic believes that in order to create a harmonious state, the interests of the individual are not so important. The opposite point of view is held by the poet Bryusov. He believed that the death of even the most insignificant person from the point of view of a sovereign idea cannot be justified by great achievements.

Thus, Pushkin reveals to the reader this conflict from a universal point of view. He shows that the "little man" is weak, he cannot withstand the blow of fate, he is not able to defend himself. Everyone has the right to be happy, but progress is also necessary. Unfortunately, it is the “little man” who turns out to be the victim of progress in the first place, and therefore the authorities must take care of their people and protect them.

Updated: 2017-12-18

Attention!
If you notice an error or typo, highlight the text and press Ctrl+Enter.
Thus, you will provide invaluable benefit to the project and other readers.

Thank you for your attention.

Pushkin's work is comprehensive and multifaceted. No wonder V. G. Belinsky said about this poet: “Pushkin is our everything.” In his works, this great Russian poet touched upon almost all the problems that worried not only the man of his time, but also the exciting minds of all mankind at all times.
One of these questions was the question of the relationship between the individual and the state, as well as the resulting problem of the “little man”. It is known that it was Pushkin who seriously developed this problem, which was later “picked up” by both N. V. Gogol and F. M. Dostoevsky.
Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman" reveals an eternal conflict - a contradiction between the interests of the individual and the state. And Pushkin believed that this conflict was inevitable, at least in Russia. It is impossible to govern the state and take into account the interests of every “little man”. Moreover, Russia is a semi-Asian country, where despotism and tyranny have reigned since ancient times. And it was in the order of things, it was accepted by both the people and the rulers for granted.
Without a doubt, Pushkin in The Bronze Horseman pays tribute to the power and talent of Peter I. This tsar in many ways “made” Russia and contributed to its prosperity. On the poor and wild banks of a small river, Peter built a grandiose city, one of the most beautiful in the world. Petersburg has become a symbol of a new, enlightened and strong power:
now there
Along busy shores
The slender masses crowd
Palaces and towers; ships
Crowd from all corners of the earth
They strive for rich marinas ...
The poet loves Petersburg with all his heart. For him, this is the homeland, the capital, the personification of the country. He wishes this city eternal prosperity. But the following words of the lyrical hero are important and interesting: “May the conquered element make peace with you…”
After these “introductory” lines, the main part of the poem begins, in which the main conflict of the work is revealed. The hero of the poem, Eugene, is a simple resident of the capital, one of many. His life is filled with pressing daily concerns: how to feed himself, where to get money. The hero wonders why one is given everything, and the other nothing. After all, these “others” do not shine at all with either intelligence or diligence, and “life is much easier for them.” Here the theme of the “little man”, his insignificant position in society, begins to develop. He is forced to endure injustice and blows of fate only because he was born "small".
Among other things, we learn that Eugene has plans for the future. He is going to marry just like him, a simple girl Parasha. Beloved Evgenia lives with her mother on the banks of the Neva in a small house. The hero dreams of starting a family, having children, he dreams that in old age his grandchildren will take care of them.
But Eugene's dreams were not destined to come true. A terrible flood interfered with his plans. It destroyed almost the entire city, but it also destroyed the life of the hero, killed and destroyed his soul. The rising waters of the Neva destroyed Parasha's house, killed the girl herself and her mother. What was left for poor Eugene? It is interesting that the definition “poor” accompanies him throughout the poem. This epithet speaks of the author's attitude to his hero - an ordinary resident, a simple person, whom he sympathizes with all his heart.
From the shocks experienced, Eugene went crazy. Nowhere could he find peace. The hero walked and walked around the city, as if looking for the one responsible for what happened to his loved ones. And in an instant, he realized who was responsible for all the grief that had fallen on him. It was “an idol with an outstretched hand”, a monument to Peter. The crazy mind of Eugene began to blame the tsar for everything and his incarnation - a monument.
It was Peter, according to Eugene, who built this city on the banks of the river, in places that are regularly flooded. But the king did not think about it. He thought about the greatness of the whole country, about his greatness and power. Least of all, he was worried about the difficulties that ordinary residents of St. Petersburg might have.
Only in delirium is a hero capable of protest. He threatens the monument: “You already!” But then it began to seem to the insane Yevgeny that the monument was pursuing him, running after him through the streets of the city. All the protest of the hero, his courage immediately disappeared. After that, he began to walk past the monument, not raising his eyes and embarrassedly crumpling his cap in his hands: he dared to rebel against the king!
As a result, the hero dies:
At the threshold
Found my madman
And then his cold corpse
Buried for God's sake.
Of course, only in the head of a crazy hero could such visions arise. But in the poem they acquire a deep meaning, filled with bitter philosophical reflections of the poet. The flood is likened here to any transformations and reforms. They are similar to the elements, because, like her, they do not take into account the interests of ordinary people at all. No wonder St. Petersburg was built on the bones of its builders. Pushkin is full of sympathy for "little" people. He shows the reverse side of reforms, transformations, thinks about the price of the country's greatness. Symbolic in the poem is the image of the king, who resigned himself to the elements, reassuring himself that "The kings cannot control the elements of God." Indifferent to the grief of a single person and the same simple people as he himself:
Already through the streets free
With your insensibility cold
People walked.
Unfortunately, the conclusions of the poet are sad. The conflict between the individual and the state is inevitable, insoluble, and its outcome has long been known.

(No ratings yet)

Essays on topics:

1. One of the main issues in the work of A. S. Pushkin was the question of the relationship between the individual and the state, as well as the resulting problem of “small ...