"GARNET BRACELET"

Another work that moved me, called “Garnet Bracelet,” also shows true love. In this work, Kuprin depicts the fragility and insecurity of high human feelings. G. S. Zheltkov is one of the employees in a government institution. He has been in love with Vera Nikolaevna Sheina for eight years now, but his feelings are unrequited. Zheltkov wrote love letters to Vera even before Vera’s marriage. But no one knew who was sending them, since Zheltkov signed with the initials “P. P.Zh.” They assumed that he was abnormal, crazy, crazy, “manic.” But this was a man who truly loved. Zheltkov’s love was unselfish, selfless, not waiting for reward, “love for which to accomplish any feat, to give one’s life, to go to torment is not work at all, but one joy.” This is exactly what Zheltkov’s love for Vera was. In his life, he loved only her and no one else. Faith for him was the only joy in life, the only consolation, “the only thought.” And since his love had no future, it was hopeless, he committed suicide.

The heroine is married, but she loves her husband, and, on the contrary, she does not feel any feelings towards Mr. Zheltkov except annoyance. And Zheltkov himself seems to us at first to be just a vulgar suitor. This is how both Vera and her family perceive him. But in the story about a calm and happy life, disturbing notes flash: this is the fatal love of Vera’s husband’s brother; the love and adoration that her husband has for Vera’s sister; the failed love of Vera’s grandfather, it is this general who says that true love should be a tragedy, but in life it is vulgarized, everyday life and various kinds of conventions interfere. He tells two stories (one of them even somewhat resembles the plot of “The Duel”), where true love turns into a farce. Listening to this story, Vera has already received a garnet bracelet with a bloody stone, which should protect her from misfortune, and could save her former owner from violent death. It is with this gift that the reader’s attitude towards Zheltkov changes. He sacrifices everything for his love: career, money, peace of mind. And doesn't require anything in return.

But again, empty secular conventions destroy even this illusory happiness. Nikolai, Vera’s brother-in-law, who once gave up his love to these prejudices, now demands the same from Zheltkov, he threatens him with prison, the court of society, and his connections. But Zheltkov reasonably objects: what can all these threats do to his love? Unlike Nikolai (and Romashov), he is ready to fight and defend his feelings. The barriers set by society mean nothing to him. Just for the sake of the peace of his beloved, he is ready to give up love, but along with his life: he commits suicide.

Now Vera understands what she has lost. If Shurochka gave up feeling for the sake of well-being and did it consciously, then Vera simply did not see the big feeling. But in the end, she didn’t want to see him, she preferred peace and a familiar life (although nothing was demanded of her) and by this she seemed to have betrayed the man who loved her. But true love is generous - it was forgiven.

According to Kuprin himself, the “Garnet Bracelet” is his most “chaste” thing. Kuprin turned the traditional plot about a small official and a woman of secular society into a poem about unrequited love, sublime, selfless, selfless.

The owner of spiritual wealth and beauty of feeling in the story is a poor man - the official Zheltkov, who sincerely loved Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina for seven years. “For him there was no life without you,” the princess’s husband, Prince Vasily, said about Zheltkov. Zheltkov loved Sheina without the slightest hope of reciprocity. It was lucky for him that she read his letters. Zheltkov loved all the little things associated with her. He kept the handkerchief she had forgotten, the program she kept, the note in which the princess forbade her to write. He worshiped these things as believers worship holy relics. “I mentally bow to the ground of the furniture on which you sit, the parquet floor on which you walk, the trees that you touch in passing, the servants with whom you speak.” Zheltkov deified the princess, even when he was dying: “When leaving, I say in delight: “Hallowed be Thy name.” In the boring life of a petty official, in the constant struggle for life, working for a piece of bread, this sudden feeling was, in the words of the hero himself, “... enormous happiness... love with which God was pleased to reward me for something.”

Princess Vera’s brother was unable to understand Zheltkov, but her husband, Prince Vasily Lvovich, appreciated this man’s feelings, although he was forced by the laws of decency to stop this story. He foresaw a tragic end: “It seemed to me that I was present at enormous suffering from which people were dying,” he confesses to Vera.

Princess Vera at first treated G.S.Zh.’s letters and gifts with some contempt, then pity for the unfortunate lover stirred in her soul. After Zheltkov’s death, “...she realized that the love that every woman dreams of had passed her by.”

Vera came into agreement with herself after Zheltkov’s death only after, at the request of the man who committed suicide for her, she listened to “Beethoven’s best work” - the Second Sonata. The music seemed to speak to her on behalf of Zheltkov’s soul: “You and I love each other only for one moment, but forever.” And Vera feels that in the poor man’s soul at the hour of death, neither anger, nor hatred, nor even resentment really stirred to her, the culprit of great happiness and great tragedy in Zheltkov’s life, and that he died loving and blessing his beloved.

Kuprin showed in his story “The Garnet Bracelet” bright human feelings, contrasted with the callousness of the surrounding world.

In the story “The Garnet Bracelet,” Kuprin, with all the power of his skill, develops the idea of ​​true love. He does not want to come to terms with vulgar, practical views on love and marriage, drawing our attention to these problems in a rather unusual way, equating to an ideal feeling. Through the mouth of General Anosov, he says: “...People in our time have forgotten how to love! I don't see true love. I didn’t even see it in my time.” What is this? Call? Isn't what we feel the truth? We have calm, moderate happiness with the person we need. What more? According to Kuprin, “Love must be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world! No life conveniences, calculations or compromises should concern her.” Only then can love be called a real feeling, completely true and moral.

I still cannot forget the impression Zheltkov’s feelings made on me. How much he loved Vera Nikolaevna that he could commit suicide! This is crazy! Loving Princess Sheina “for seven years with a hopeless and polite love,” he, without ever meeting her, talking about his love only in letters, suddenly commits suicide! Not because Vera Nikolaevna’s brother is going to turn to the authorities, and not because his gift - a garnet bracelet - was returned. (It is a symbol of deep fiery love and at the same time a terrible bloody sign of death.) And, probably, not because he squandered government money. For Zheltkov there was simply no other choice. He loved a married woman so much that he could not help but think about her for a minute, and exist without remembering her smile, her look, the sound of her walk. He himself tells Vera’s husband: “Only one thing remains - death... You want me to accept it in any form.” The terrible thing is that he was pushed to this decision by Vera Nikolaevna’s brother and husband, who came to demand that their family be left alone. They turned out to be indirectly responsible for his death. They had the right to demand peace, but Nikolai Nikolayevich’s threat to turn to the authorities was unacceptable, even ridiculous. How can the government prohibit a person from loving?

Kuprin’s ideal is “selfless, selfless love, not expecting a reward,” one for which you can give your life and endure anything. It was with this kind of love that happens once every thousand years that Zheltkov loved. This was his need, the meaning of life, and he proved this: “I knew neither complaint, nor reproach, nor the pain of pride, I have only one prayer before you: “Hallowed be your name.” These words, with which his soul was filled, are felt by Princess Vera in the sounds of Beethoven’s immortal sonata. They cannot leave us indifferent and instill in us an unbridled desire to strive for the same incomparably pure feeling. Its roots go back to morality and spiritual harmony in a person... Princess Vera did not regret that this love, “which every woman dreams of, passed her by.” She cries because her soul is filled with admiration for sublime, almost unearthly feelings.

A person who could love so much must have some kind of special worldview. Although Zheltkov was just a small official, he turned out to be above social norms and standards. People like them are elevated by people's rumors to the rank of saints, and the bright memory of them lives on for a long time.

Characteristics of the hero

Zheltkov G.S. The hero is “very pale, with a gentle girlish face, blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle; he was about 30, 35 years old.”
7 years ago J. fell in love with Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina and wrote letters to her. Then, at the princess’s request, he stopped bothering her. But now he again confessed his love to the princess. J. sent Vera Nikolaevna a garnet bracelet. In the letter, he explained that garnet stones used to be in his grandmother’s bracelet, but later they were transferred to a gold bracelet. In his letter, J. repented that he had previously written “stupid and impudent letters.” Now “only reverence, eternal admiration and slavish devotion” remained in him. This letter was read not only by Vera Nikolaevna, but also by her brother and husband. They decide to return the bracelet and stop the correspondence between the princess and J. When they meet, J., asking permission, calls the princess, but she asks to stop “this story.” J. is experiencing a “tremendous tragedy of the soul.” Later, from the newspaper, the princess learns about the suicide of J., who explained his act as government embezzlement. Before his death, Zh. wrote a farewell letter to Vera Nikolaevna. In it, he called his feeling “tremendous happiness” sent to him by God. J. admitted that, apart from his love for Vera Nikolaevna, “he is not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people... As I leave, I say in delight: Hallowed be Thy name.” Having come to say goodbye to J., Vera Nikolaevna notices that his face after death shone with “deep importance”, “deep and sweet secret”, as well as a “peaceful expression”, which was “on the masks of the great sufferers - Pushkin and Napoleon”.

Realism- a creative method that involves the reconstruction and knowledge of reality, the heroes of realistic works are “typical characters in typical circumstances” (F. Engels). The question naturally arises: is Zheltkov’s image typical?

Plot of the story The Garnet Bracelet is absolutely real. The family chronicle of the Lyubimovs, good friends of A.I. Kuprin, gave the author prototypes of Vera Nikolaevna, Prince Shein and the main character of the story - the official Zheltkov. However, the tragicomic story of the real “P. P. Zh.”, the lofty vulgarity of his letters with rare strength, nobility, and enlightened love for the hero are rethought by A. I. Kuprin.

The writer creates an image of a person who is sharply different from those around him. “It’s not my fault, Vera Nikolaevna, that God was pleased to send me love for you as a great happiness,” - this is how Zheltkov began his letter. Of course, love is happiness, but for ordinary people this happiness is associated with the need for reciprocal feelings, with reciprocity. Otherwise, great happiness turns into great sorrow.

For Zheltkov It is hopeless love that is happiness. And he is absolutely sincere when he writes to Vera Nikolaevna before his death: “I thank you from the depths of my soul for being my only joy in life, my only consolation, my only thought.”

Indeed, the main character of the story is an unusual person. He is also unusual in that love became the only content of his life, crowding out all other interests. He writes to Vera Nikolaevna that he “is not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science,

neither philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people - for me, my whole life lies only in you.” Usually people live completely differently, finding their role, their business, their attachments in life, without focusing on one thing, even a very strong one.

feeling. Any other person, realizing the doom of his love, would try to get rid of this feeling: go somewhere, set a distant goal and plunge headlong into work. Zheltkov realizes the doom of his feeling, but his solution is completely different: “Think about what I needed to do? Run away to another city? All the same, the heart was always near you, at your feet, every moment of the day was filled with you, thoughts about you, dreams about you... sweet delirium.”

No, the image of Zheltkov cannot be called typical. His love is the love of an unusual person, it is the love of a knight and romance, an all-consuming love that conquers death. Zheltkov leaves this life without complaints, without reproaches, saying like a prayer: “Hallowed be Thy name.”

Image of Zheltkov- the image of an ideal person, a selfless hero. Of course, everyone can be like this, but such love, unfortunately, does not always exist.

Love theme- one of the central themes in the work of A. I. Kuprin. In his stories, love is selfless, selfless, not waiting for reward, the kind for which one can accomplish any feat, go to torment and even death.

“Garnet bracelet” Kuprin A.I.

Zheltkov G. S.- appears in the story only towards the end: “very pale, with a gentle girlish face, blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle; He must have been about thirty, thirty-five years old.” Along with Princess Vera, he can be called the main character of the story. The beginning of the conflict is when Princess Vera received on September 17, her name day, a letter signed with the initials “G. S. Zh.”, and a garnet bracelet in a red case.

It was a gift from a then stranger to Vera Zh., who fell in love with her seven years ago, wrote letters, then, at her request, stopped bothering her, but now confessed his love again. In the letter, Zh. explained that the old silver bracelet once belonged to his grandmother, then all the stones were transferred to a new, gold bracelet. J. repents that he previously “dared to write stupid and impudent letters” and adds: “Now only reverence, eternal admiration and slavish devotion remain in me.” One of the guests at the name day, for the sake of entertainment, presents the love story of the telegraph operator, P.P.Zh. (distorted G.S.Zh.), to Vera in a comic form, stylized as a pulp novel. Another guest, a person close to the family, old General Anosov, suggests: “Maybe he’s just an abnormal fellow, a maniac.”<...>Maybe your path in life, Verochka, has been crossed by exactly the kind of love that women dream about and that men are no longer capable of.”

Under the influence of his brother-in-law, Vera’s husband, Prince Vasily Lvovich Shein, decides to return the bracelet and stop the correspondence. J. amazed Shein at the meeting with his sincerity. Zh., having asked Shein for permission, speaks on the phone with Vera, but she also asks to stop “this story.” Shein felt that he was present “at some enormous tragedy of the soul.” When he reports this to Vera, she predicts that J. will kill himself. Later, from a newspaper, she accidentally learned about the suicide of Zh., who referred in his suicide note to the embezzlement of government money. In the evening of the same day, she receives a farewell letter from J. He calls his love for Vera “an enormous happiness” sent to him by God. He admits that he “is not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people.” All life lies in love for Vera: “Even though I was ridiculous in your eyes and in the eyes of your brother<...>As I leave, I say in delight: Hallowed be Thy name.” Prince Shein admits: J. was not crazy and loved Vera very much and therefore was doomed to death. He allows Vera to say goodbye to J. Looking at the deceased, she “realized that the love that every woman dreams of has passed her by.” In the face of the dead ^K. she noticed the “deep importance”, the “deep and sweet mystery”, the “peaceful expression” that “she saw on the masks of the great sufferers - Pushkin and Napoleon.”

At home, Vera found a familiar pianist, Jenny Reiter, who played her exactly that passage from Beethoven’s second sonata that seemed to J. the most perfect - “Largo Appassionato”. And this music became an afterlife declaration of love addressed to Vera. Vera’s thoughts that “great love passed by” coincided with the music, each “verse” of which ended with the words: “Hallowed be Thy name.” At the very end of the story, Vera utters words that only she understands: “...he has forgiven me now. Everything is fine".

All the characters in the story, not excluding J., had real prototypes. Criticism pointed out, however, the connection between “The Garnet Bracelet” and the prose of the Norwegian writer Knut Hamsun.

“Garnet Bracelet”, a petty official who is unrequitedly in love with the princess. He pursues the object of his passion with letters, and at the end of the story he commits suicide.

History of creation

Alexander Kuprin worked on the “Garnet Bracelet” in Odessa in the fall of 1910. The work was originally conceived as a story, but grew into a story. The work dragged on, and at the beginning of December, judging by Kuprin’s letters, the story was not yet finished.

The plot is based on a real story that happened to the wife of State Council member D.N. Lyubimova. The prototype of Zheltkov was a certain petty telegraph official Zheltikov, who was unrequitedly in love with this lady.

"Garnet bracelet"

Zheltkov is a minor official of the control chamber, 30-35 years old. A tall and thin man with soft, long hair. Zheltkov’s appearance reveals a delicate mental organization - pale skin, a gentle “girlish” face, a childish chin with a dimple, blue eyes and nervous thin fingers. The hero’s hands constantly betray his nervous state - they tremble, fiddle with buttons, “run” over his face and clothes.

The hero earns little and considers himself a person devoid of subtle taste, therefore he has neither the opportunity nor the right to present expensive gifts to the object of his unrequited passion - the princess. The hero saw a lady in a circus box and immediately fell in love with her. Eight years have passed since then, and all this time the lover Zheltkov has been writing letters to Vera. At first, the hero was still waiting for reciprocity and thought that the young lady from the box would answer his letters, but Vera never paid attention to the unlucky admirer.

Over time, Zheltkov ceases to hope for reciprocity, but continues to write to Vera from time to time and secretly monitor her life. In his letters, Zheltkov describes exactly where and with whom he saw Vera, even what dress she was wearing. Apart from the object of his passion, the hero is not interested in anything - neither science, nor politics, nor the lives of his own and other people.

The hero keeps Vera's things. A handkerchief that the lady forgot at the ball, and the hero appropriated. The exhibition program that Vera left on the chair, and so on. Even a note written by Vera, in which she forbade the hero to write to her, became a relic for Zheltkov. Zheltkov sees in Vera the only meaning of his own life, but despite all this, he does not consider himself a maniac, but only a lover.

One day Zheltkov sends the princess a gift for her name day - a family garnet bracelet that belonged to the hero’s great-grandmother, and then to his late mother. The princess's brother, Nikolai, loses his temper over this gift and decides to intervene in order to stop Zheltkov's "harassment" once and for all.

Nikolai finds where the hero lives and demands that he stop pursuing his sister, and otherwise threatens to take action. Vera herself also treats Zheltkov unfriendly and asks him to leave her alone. That same evening, the hero dies by committing suicide, but in his suicide note he does not blame Vera for his own death, but still writes about his love for her. Only at parting did Vera realize that the strong love that every woman dreams of was so close, but she refused it.

Zheltkov had a soft and tactful character. The landlady called the hero a “wonderful man” and treated him like her own son. Zheltkov is sincere and incapable of lying, he is decent. The hero has a weak voice and calligraphic handwriting. The man loves music, especially. The hero has one brother among his relatives.

The hero rented a room in a multi-story building on Lutheran Street. This is a poor house, where the stairwells are dark and smell of kerosene, mice and laundry. Zheltkov’s room is poorly lit, has a low ceiling, and is poorly furnished. The hero has only a narrow bed, a shabby sofa and a table.

Zheltkov is a contradictory character who showed cowardice in love, but considerable courage when deciding to shoot himself.

Film adaptations

In 1964, a film adaptation of “The Pomegranate Bracelet” was released, directed by Abram Room. The image of Zheltkov in this film was embodied by actor Igor Ozerov. Mr. Zheltkov, whose exact name is not indicated in the story, is called Georgiy Stepanovich in the film. In the story, the hero signs with the initials G.S.Zh., and the landlady from whom Zheltkov rented a house called the hero “Pan Ezhiy,” which corresponds to the Polish version of the name “George.” However, it is impossible to say for sure what the hero’s name was.

The film also starred actors Yuri Averin (in the role of Gustav Ivanovich von Friesse) and in the role of Prince Shein, the husband of the main character Vera Sheina, whose role was played by the actress.

Quotes

“It so happened that I am not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people - for me, my whole life lies only in you.”

“Think about what I should have done? Run away to another city? All the same, the heart was always near you, at your feet, every moment of the day was filled with you, with thoughts about you, dreams about you...”

“I checked myself - this is not a disease, not a manic idea - this is love.”