Portrait of Andrey Stolz. Oblomov and Stolz: comparative characteristics or anatomy? Description of the appearance of Ilya Oblomov and Andrei Stolz

The brilliant novel by Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov introduces us to two diametrically opposed images: their characterization can take pages and pages. After all, they are completely different: in their temperament, in their attitude to life and worldview. It took Goncharov ten years to write it! What do you think, dear readers, would an academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Literature “steam” for an entire decade, writing a novel in the form of a “single-layer” pie? What's easier for a corresponding member - to write a story about two friends! One is extremely lazy. The other one is amazingly efficient. But no. A novel has been written about all of us! And we will try to prove this. Oblomov and Stolz will help us in this study.

Image of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov

The landowner Oblomov is outwardly a plump, doughy man with dark gray eyes, who prefers a passive lifestyle, lying on the sofa, doing nothing. Carelessness is visible in his entire appearance, but his face is spiritual. And the thought is constantly present in him, it shines in the eyes, hides in the wrinkles of the forehead, bends along with the lips. However, this idea is “toothless”; it has no practical application. Comparative and Stolz are clearly not in favor of Ilya Ilyich. He is a hereditary landowner. He has 350 serf souls. A nice, solid mansion in St. Petersburg, a dacha, a village house. Oblomov has no idea how to take care of all this property that he owns. He is like a child, first he is robbed by his clerk, and then he is driven to ruin by the swindlers Mikhei Andreevich Tarantyev and Ivan Matveevich Mukhoyarov.

He is educated, but has no practical work experience. Under the influence of his first failures in the service, he developed a psychological “lazy complex”, which Ilya Ilyich was unable to overcome.

Image of Andrey Stolts

According to the plot of the novel, they have known each other and been friends since school: Oblomov and Stolz. The comparative characteristics indicate the proximity of their caste origin. Andrei Stolts was born into the family of a German clerk, Ivan Bogdanovich, and a simple but educated Russian woman. The relationship between his status and the status of a friend-landowner is similar to the relationship between a business owner and a top manager. From childhood, his father, through regular studies in science and accounting, instilled in him a hard work ethic. Andrey is a lean man with sunken cheeks, dark skin and greenish expressive eyes. He is hyperactive: constantly, like a shark, on the move. The writer speaks of his hero as if he consists of nothing but muscles and tendons. He knows languages ​​and is smart, which is why the trading company-employer sends him as an agent to Belgium. In addition, Stolz is able to creatively use his knowledge. Therefore, colleagues prefer to invite him to develop projects. Oblomov and Stolz have different attitudes towards money. The comparative characteristic indicates the thriftiness of the latter.

The secret subtext of Goncharov's images?

The fact that, by and large, the images of Stolz and Oblomov are not independent, but allegorical, the author of the novel shows in their relationship with Olga Ilyinskaya. On the one hand, she can neither win nor keep her, but she is invariably attracted by the spineless Ilya Ilyich with his romanticism and pure childish soul. On the other hand, Stolz, who became her husband, pathologically does not feel the difference between business cooperation and sincerity. On a romantic honeymoon trip to Paris, he is, to put it mildly, unconvincing.

Why did Goncharov create these two images: Oblomov and Stolz? Is the comparative description of these images simply an instructive conclusion? Contrasting characters? Or maybe we need to look at this more broadly? After all, each of us, of course, knows how much “Stolz” is in him and how much “Oblomov” is in him. What is a dream without your feet touching the ground? A global dream, devoid of any desire to realize it. What is Stolz? This is down to earth, business acumen, a sense of partnership. So let’s ask ourselves the question: “If you create something global, is it possible to discount the dream in principle?” (As you know, Stolz avoided dreaming.) Unlikely.

And you, dear readers, will you agree with the following conclusion? To create a truly successful personality promoting fantastic projects, you need to mix 30% of the dreamer Oblomov and 70% of the fanatic of Stolz’s work in one glass. Is this what Goncharov wanted to tell us? After all, an adopted son appeared in the Stolts family. Of course, proper education will instill in him business acumen. But what about the ability to dream? Genes, after all, you know...

The image of Stolz in the novel “Oblomov” by Goncharov is the second central male character of the novel, who is by nature the antipode of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov. Andrei Ivanovich stands out from other characters with his activity, determination, rationality, internal and external strength - as if he was “composed of bones, muscles and nerves, like a blooded English horse.” Even the portrait of the man is the complete opposite of Oblomov’s portrait. The hero Stolz is deprived of the external roundness and softness inherent in Ilya Ilyich - he is distinguished by an even complexion, slight dark complexion and the absence of any blush. Andrey Ivanovich attracts with his extroversion, optimism and intelligence. Stolz is constantly looking to the future, which seems to elevate him above other characters in the novel.

According to the plot of the work, Stolz is Oblomov’s best friend Ilya, whom the main character met during his school years. Apparently, at that moment they already felt a like-minded person in each other, although their characters and destinies were radically different from their youth.

Education of Stolz

The reader becomes acquainted with the characterization of Stolz in the novel “Oblomov” in the second part of the work. The hero was brought up in the family of a German entrepreneur and an impoverished Russian noblewoman. From his father, Stolz adopted all the rationalism, rigor of character, determination, understanding of work as the basis of life, as well as the entrepreneurial spirit inherent in the German people. His mother nurtured in Andrei Ivanovich a love of art and books, and dreamed of seeing him as a brilliant socialite. In addition, little Andrei himself was a very curious and active child - he wanted to learn as much as possible about the world around him, so he not only quickly absorbed everything that his father and mother instilled in him, but he himself did not stop learning new things, which was facilitated by a fairly democratic situation in the house.

The young man was not in an atmosphere of excessive guardianship, like Oblomov, and any of his antics (such as moments when he could leave home for several days) were perceived calmly by his parents, which contributed to his development as an independent person. This was largely facilitated by Stolz’s father, who believed that you need to achieve everything in life through your own labor, so he encouraged this quality in his son in every possible way. Even when Andrei Ivanovich returned to his native Verkhlevo after university, his father sent him to St. Petersburg so that he could make his own way in life. And Andrei Ivanovich succeeded perfectly - at the time of the events described in the novel, Stolz was already a significant figure in St. Petersburg, a well-known socialite and an irreplaceable person in the service. His life is depicted as a constant striving forward, a continuous race for new and new achievements, the opportunity to become better, taller and more influential than others. That is, on the one hand, Stolz fully justifies his mother’s dreams, becoming a wealthy, well-known person in social circles, and on the other hand, he becomes his father’s ideal - a person who is rapidly building his career and reaching ever greater heights in his business.

Stolz's friendship

Friendship for Stolz was one of the important aspects of his life. The hero’s activity, optimism and sharp mind attracted other people to him. However, Andrei Ivanovich was drawn only to sincere, decent, open individuals. The sincere, kind, peaceful Ilya Ilyich and the harmonious, artistic, intelligent Olga were precisely such people for Stolz.
Unlike Oblomov and his friends, who looked to Andrei Ivanovich for external support, real help and a sound, rational opinion, Stolz’s close people helped him regain his inner balance and calm, often lost by the hero in the continuous race forward. Even that “Oblomovism,” which Andrei Ivanovich condemned in every possible way in Ilya Ilyich and tried to remove from his life, since he considered it a destructive life phenomenon, actually attracted the hero with its monotony, sleepy regularity and serenity, rejection of the bustle of the outside world and immersion in the monotony of a family, but in its own way happy life. It was as if Stolz’s Russian beginning, pushed back by the activity of German blood, reminded of itself, tying Andrei Ivanovich to people with a truly Russian mentality - dreamy, kind and sincere.

Love Stolts

Despite the extremely positive characterization of Stolz in Oblomov, his practical knowledge of all matters, his sharp mind and insight, there was a sphere inaccessible to Andrei Ivanovich - the sphere of high feelings, passions and dreams. Moreover, Stolz was afraid and wary of everything incomprehensible to reason, since he could not always find a rational explanation for it. This was also reflected in Andrei Ivanovich’s feelings for Olga - it would seem that they had found true family happiness, having found a soul mate who completely shared the views and aspirations of the other. However, the rational Stolz could not become the “Prince Charming” of Olga, who dreams of seeing a truly ideal man next to her - smart, active, established in society and career, and at the same time sensitive, dreamy and tenderly loving.

Andrei Ivanovich subconsciously understands that he cannot give what Olga loved in Oblomov, and therefore their marriage remains more of a strong friendship than a union of two flaming hearts. For Stolz, his wife was a pale reflection of his ideal woman. He understood that next to Olga he could not relax, show his powerlessness in anything, since he could thereby violate his wife’s faith in him as a man, a husband, and their crystal happiness would be broken into small fragments.

Conclusion

According to many researchers, the image of Andrei Stolz in the novel “Oblomov” is depicted as if in sketches, and the hero himself is more like a mechanism, a resemblance to a living person. At the same time, in comparison with Oblomov, Stolz could become the ideal of the author, a model person for many future generations, because Andrei Ivanovich had everything for harmonious development and a successful, happy future - an excellent all-round upbringing, determination and enterprise.

What is Stolz's problem? Why does he evoke sympathy rather than admiration? In the novel, Andrei Ivanovich, like Oblomov, is a “superfluous person” - a person who lives in the future and does not know how to enjoy the joys of the present. Moreover, Stolz has no place either in the past or in the future, since he does not understand the true goals of his movement, which he simply does not have time to understand. In fact, all his aspirations and searches are directed towards the “Oblomovism” he denies and condemns - a center of calm and tranquility, a place where he will be accepted for who he is, as Oblomov did.

Work test

The characterization of Stolz - one of the main characters of the famous novel by Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov “Oblomov” - can be perceived ambiguously. This man is the bearer of the raznochinsky mentality, which is new for Russia. Probably, the classic initially wanted to create in his appearance a domestic analogue of the image of Jane Eyre.

Origin of Stolz

Andrei Ivanovich Stolts is the son of a clerk. His father Ivan Bogdanovich came to Russia from Germany. Before that, he tried to find a job in Russia, but he got a job managing a farm, where he scrupulously and skillfully managed the estate and kept records. He raised his son quite harshly. He worked for him from a young age, was a “personal driver” - he drove a spring cart when his father went to the city, to the fields, to the factory, to the merchants. The elder Stolz encouraged his son when he fought with the boys. Teaching science in the village of Verkhlevo for the children of landowners, he gave a thorough education to his Andryusha. Stolz’s mother was Russian, so Russian became his native language, and by faith he was Orthodox.

Of course, Stolz and Oblomov, who cannot organize his life, will clearly not be in favor of the latter.

Career

The young German graduated from college brilliantly. He made a career at work. Goncharov tells in snatches of other people’s phrases. In particular, we learn about the rank of Andrei Stolts from the phrase that in his service he “passed beyond the court.” Turning to the table of ranks, we find that the “court councilor” is the chairman of the court court, and is equal in rank to a lieutenant colonel. Thus, Andrei Stolts is a lawyer by training and earned a colonel’s pension. This is what the novel “Oblomov” tells us. The characterization of Stolz shows the predominance of a business streak in his character.

After retiring, the thirty-year-old man took up commercial activities in a trading company. And here he had good career prospects. At work, he was entrusted with responsible missions related to business trips to Europe and the development of new company projects. The business characterization of Stolz given by the novel is thorough and promising. Over the course of a couple of years of working in a trading company, he had already managed to profitably invest 40 thousand rubles of his father’s capital and turn it into 300 thousand rubles. For him, the prospect of making a million-dollar fortune is real.

Close people

Stolz has a spirit of camaraderie and cooperation. He spends time and energy to snatch his friend Oblomov from the web of laziness, tries to arrange his life by introducing him to a wonderful girl, Olga Ilyinskaya. Only when Oblomov refused to continue acquaintance with her, Stolz, having considered what a treasure Olga was, began to court her. The scammers who tried to completely ruin the careless Ilya Ilyich Oblomov finally had to deal with him - tough, insightful. He also pronounces the word that has become a household word - “Oblomovism.” After the illness and death of Ilya Ilyich, the Stoltsy spouses take his son Andryusha to raise him.

Conclusions based on Stolz's image

At the same time, it should be recognized that the author’s characterization of Stolz is the only flaw in the plot of the novel, as Goncharov himself confirmed. According to the plan, Andrei Ivanovich should have turned out to be an ideal person of the future, organically combining pragmatism with his father’s genes, and, inherited from his mother, artistic taste and aristocracy. In reality, the result was the type of bourgeoisie emerging in Russia: active, purposeful, unable to dream. Chekhov was critical of him, agreeing with the negative characterization that flashed in the novel - “a purged beast.” Anton Pavlovich debunked Stolz in the press as a man of the future, and Nikolai Aleksandrovich Dobrolyubov agreed with him. It is obvious that Goncharov’s characterization of Stolz went too far with rationality and commitment to rational thinking. These qualities in a normal, living person should not be hypertrophied to such an extent.

Annex 1

Comparative characteristics of Oblomov and Stolz

Introduction

Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” is a socio-psychological work of Russian literature of the mid-19th century, in which the author touches on a number of “eternal” topics that are also relevant for the modern reader. One of the leading literary techniques used by Goncharov is the portrait characterization of heroes. Through a detailed description of the appearance of the characters, not only their character is revealed, but also the individual characteristics, similarities and differences of the characters are emphasized. A special place in the narrative is occupied by the portrait of Oblomov in the novel “Oblomov”. It is with a description of Ilya Ilyich’s appearance that the author begins the work, paying special attention to the small details and nuances of the character’s appearance.

Portrait of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov

Ilya Ilyich is depicted as a thirty-two-year-old man, of average height with dark gray eyes. He is quite attractive in appearance, but “flattened beyond his years.” The main feature of the hero’s appearance was softness - in facial expression, in movements and body lines. Oblomov did not give the impression of a man living with great goals or constantly thinking about something - in the features of his face one could read the absence of any definite idea and concentration, “thought walked like a free bird across his face, fluttered in his eyes, sat on his half-open lips, hid in the folds of his forehead, then she completely disappeared, and then an even light of carelessness glowed throughout her face. From the face, carelessness passed into the poses of the whole body, even into the folds of the dressing gown.”

Sometimes an expression of boredom or fatigue flashed through his gaze, but they could not drive away from Ilya Ilyich’s face the softness that was present even in his eyes and smile. His too fair skin, small plump hands, soft shoulders and a body too pampered for a man betrayed him as a man not accustomed to work, accustomed to spending all his days in idleness, counting on the help of servants. Any strong emotions were not reflected in Oblomov’s appearance: “when he was even alarmed,” his movements “were also restrained by gentleness and laziness, not without a kind of grace. If a cloud of care came over your face from your soul, your gaze became cloudy, wrinkles appeared on your forehead, and a game of doubt, sadness, and fear began; but rarely did this anxiety congeal in the form of a definite idea, and even more rarely did it turn into an intention. All anxiety was resolved with a sigh and died away in apathy or dormancy.”

The portrait of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov allows us to capture the main character traits of the hero: inner softness, complaisance, laziness, complete calmness and even a certain indifference of the character in relation to the world around him, forming a complex and multifaceted personality. Goncharov himself points out the depth of Oblomov’s character at the beginning of the work: “a superficially observant, cold person, looking casually at Oblomov, would say: “He must be a good man, simplicity!”

“A deeper and prettier man, having peered into his face for a long time, would have walked away in pleasant thought, with a smile.”

The symbolism of clothing in the image of Oblomov

Spending all his days in idleness and all kinds of dreams, making unrealistic plans and drawing in his imagination many pictures of the desired future, Oblomov did not pay attention to his appearance, preferring to wear his favorite home clothes, which seemed to complement his calm facial features and pampered body. He was wearing an old oriental robe with large wide sleeves, made of Persian fabric, in which Ilya Ilyich could wrap himself twice. The robe was devoid of any decorative elements - tassels, velvet, belt - this simplicity, perhaps, was what Oblomov liked most about this element of his wardrobe. It was clear from the robe that the hero had been wearing it for a long time - it “lost its original freshness and in places replaced its primitive, natural gloss with another, acquired one,” although it “still retained the brightness of oriental paint and the strength of the fabric.” Ilya Ilyich liked that the robe was soft, flexible and comfortable - “the body does not feel it on itself.” The second obligatory element of the hero’s home toilet was soft, wide and long shoes “when he, without looking, lowered his feet from the bed to the floor, he certainly fell into them immediately.” Ilya Ilyich did not wear a vest or tie at home, as he loved freedom and space.

The description of Oblomov’s appearance in his home decoration paints before the readers the image of a provincial gentleman who does not need to rush anywhere, because the servants will do everything for him and who spends all his days lounging on his bed. And the things themselves are more like Ilya Ilyich’s faithful servants: the robe, “like an obedient slave,” obeys his every movement, and there was no need to look for shoes or put them on for a long time - they were always at his service.

Oblomov seems to recreate the quiet, measured, “homely” atmosphere of his native Oblomovka, where everything was just for him, and his every whim was fulfilled. The robe and shoes in the novel are symbols of “Oblomovism”, indicating the internal state of the hero, his apathy, detachment from the world, retreat into illusion. Boots become a symbol of real, “uncomfortable” life for Ilya Ilyich: “for whole days,” Oblomov grumbled, putting on a robe, “you don’t take off your boots: your feet itch!” I don’t like this life of yours in St. Petersburg.” However, boots are also a symbol of leaving the power of “Oblomovism”: having fallen in love with Olga, the hero himself throws away his favorite robe and shoes, replacing them with a secular suit and boots that he so dislikes. After parting with Ilyinskaya, Ilya Ilyich becomes completely disillusioned with the real world, so he again takes out an old robe and finally plunges into the swamp of “Oblomovism”.

Appearance of Oblomov and Stolz in Goncharov’s novel

According to the plot of the work, Andrei Ivanovich Stolts is Oblomov’s best friend and his complete antipode both in character and appearance. Stolz was “all made up of bones, muscles and nerves, like a blooded English horse,” “that is, there is bone and muscle, but not a sign of fatty roundness.” Unlike Ilya Ilyich, Andrei Ivanovich is thin, with a darkish, even complexion, greenish, expressive eyes and stingy facial expressions, which he used exactly as much as necessary. Stolz did not have that external softness that was the main feature of his friend; he was characterized by firmness and calmness, without unnecessary fussiness and haste. Everything in his movements was harmonious and controlled: “It seems that he controlled both sorrows and joys, like the movement of his hands, like the steps of his feet, or how he dealt with bad and good weather.”

It would seem that both heroes, Oblomov and Stolz, were distinguished by external calm, but the nature of this calm was different among men. The entire inner storm of Ilya Ilyich’s experiences was lost in his excessive softness, carelessness and infantility. For Stolz, strong experiences were alien: he controlled not only the whole world around him and his movements, but also his feelings, not even allowing them to arise in his soul as something irrational and beyond his control.

conclusions

In “Oblomov”, Goncharov, as a skilled artist, was able to show through the portrait of the characters the full depth of their inner world, “drawing” the characteristics of the characters of the characters, depicting, on the one hand, two social characters typical of that time, and on the other, outlining two complex and tragic images, interesting for their versatility to the modern reader.

Work test