The work of the stationmaster. Stationmaster (TV)

Pushkin's story "The Stationmaster" is one of the saddest works from the cycle of "Belkin's Tales", ending with a tragic ending. A thoughtful analysis of the work shows that the dramatic separation of relatives that happened is an inevitable problem of class differences, and the main idea of ​​the story is the spiritual discrepancy between father and daughter. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with a brief analysis of Pushkin's story according to plan. The material can be used in preparation for a literature lesson in grade 7.

Brief analysis

Year of writing– 1830

History of creation– The story was created in the Boldin autumn, this period became the most fruitful for the writer.

Subject– From this work, the theme of disadvantaged people begins to be revealed in Russian literature.

Composition- The composition of the story is built with generally accepted literary canons, gradually the action reaches a climax, and moves on to the denouement.

Genre- The story.

Direction- Sentimentalism and realism.

History of creation

In the year of writing The Stationmaster, Pushkin urgently needed to resolve his financial issues, for which he went to the family estate. In 1830, a cholera epidemic began, which delayed the writer for the whole autumn. Pushkin himself believed that it would be a boring and long pastime, but suddenly inspiration descended on the writer, and he began writing Belkin's Tales. This is how the story of the creation of the “Station Master” happened, which was ready by mid-September. The time of the “Boldino autumn” was truly golden for the author, the stories came out from under the pen one by one, and the next year they were published. Under the real name of the author, Belkin's Tale was republished in 1834.

Subject

After analyzing the work in The Stationmaster, the multifaceted thematic content of this short story is revealed.

The main characters of the story- father and daughter, and the eternal theme of fathers and children runs throughout the story. The father, a man of the old school, loves his daughter very much, the purpose of his life is to protect her from all life's adversities. Daughter Dunya, unlike her father, already thinks differently, in a new way. She wants to destroy the prevailing stereotypes, and break free, from the gray, everyday village life, to the big city, sparkling with bright lights. Her crazy idea suddenly turns into reality, and she easily leaves her father, leaving with the first candidate to possess her.

In Dunya's escape from his father's house, the theme of romantic passion slips through. Dunya understands that the caretaker will be against such a decision, but, in the pursuit of happiness, the girl does not even try to resist Minsky's act, and resignedly follows him.

In Pushkin's story, in addition to the main love theme, the author touched upon other problems of society that existed at that time. "little man" theme concerns the plight of minor employees who are considered servants and are treated accordingly. In this regard, to such employees, there is the meaning of the title of the story, generalizing all the "little people" with a common fate and a difficult lot.

Deeply revealed in the story issues moral relations, revealed the psychology of each of the characters, their point of view, and what for each of them is the essence of existence. In pursuit of his illusory happiness, Dunya puts his personal interests first, forgets about his own father, who is ready for anything for his beloved daughter. Minsky has a completely different psychology. This is a rich man who is not used to denying himself anything, and taking his young daughter from his father's house is his next whim for him. The conclusion suggests itself that each person acts according to his desires, and it is good if these desires are subject to reason, because otherwise they lead to a dramatic outcome.

The theme of "The Stationmaster" is multifaceted, and many of the problems covered in this story are still relevant. What Pushkin's work teaches still happens everywhere, and a person's life depends only on himself.

Composition

The events of the story are presented from the point of view of an outside observer who learned about this story from its participants and witnesses.

The story begins with a description of the profession of station employees, about the dismissive attitude towards them. Further, the story moves on to the main part, in which the narrator meets the main characters, Samson Vyrin, and his daughter Dunya.

Arriving at the same station for the second time, the narrator learns from old man Vyrin about the fate of his daughter. Using various artistic means, in this case, popular prints depicting the return of the prodigal son, the writer masterfully conveys all the pain and despair of an elderly person, all his thoughts and suffering, a person who was abandoned by his beloved daughter.

The third arrival of the narrator is the epilogue of this story, which ended in a tragic denouement. Samson Vyrin could not survive the betrayal of his daughter, anxiety for her fate, constant worries, had too much effect on the caretaker. He began to drink, and soon died without waiting for the return of his daughter. Dunya came, cried at her father's grave, and left again.

Main characters

Genre

The writer himself calls his work a story, although each creation from the famous Belkin Tales cycle can be attributed to the genre of a short novel, their psychological content is so deep. In the sentimental story "The Stationmaster" the main motives of realism are clearly visible, the main character, who could actually meet, looks so believable.

This story is the first work that begins the theme of "little people" in Russian literature. Pushkin authentically describes the life and life of such people, necessary, but invisible. People who can be insulted and humiliated with impunity, without thinking at all that they are living people who have a heart and soul, who, like everyone else, can feel and suffer.

Artwork test

Analysis Rating

Average rating: 4.4. Total ratings received: 873.

Stationmaster (original)

(quoted from www.rvb.ru)

Collegiate Registrar

Post station dictator.

Prince Vyazemsky.

Who hasn't cursed the stationmasters, who hasn't scolded them? Who, in a moment of anger, did not demand from them a fatal book in order to write in it their useless complaint of oppression, rudeness and malfunction? Who does not consider them monsters of the human race, equal to the deceased clerks, or at least Murom robbers? Let us, however, be fair, let us try to enter into their position and, perhaps, we will begin to judge them much more condescendingly. What is a station attendant? A real martyr of the fourteenth grade, protected by his rank only from beatings, and even then not always (I refer to the conscience of my readers). What is the position of this dictator, as Prince Vyazemsky jokingly calls him? Isn't it real hard labor? Peace of day or night. All the annoyance accumulated during a boring ride, the traveler takes out on the caretaker. The weather is unbearable, the road is bad, the driver is stubborn, the horses are not driven - and the caretaker is to blame. Entering his poor dwelling, the traveler looks at him as an enemy; well, if he manages to get rid of the uninvited guest soon; but if there are no horses? .. God! What curses, what threats will fall on his head! In rain and sleet he is forced to run around the yards; in a storm, in the Epiphany frost, he goes into the canopy, so that only for a moment can he rest from the screams and pushes of the irritated guest. The general arrives; the trembling caretaker gives him the last two triples, including the courier. The general goes without saying thank you. Five minutes later - a bell! .. and the courier throws his road trip on the table! .. Let us delve into all this thoroughly, and instead of indignation, our heart will be filled with sincere compassion. A few more words: for twenty years in a row I traveled all over Russia; almost all postal routes are known to me; several generations of coachmen are familiar to me; I don’t know a rare caretaker by sight, I didn’t deal with a rare one; I hope to publish a curious stock of my travel observations in a short time; for the time being, I will only say that the class of stationmasters is presented to the general opinion in the most false form. These so-slandered overseers are generally peaceful people, naturally obliging, prone to cohabitation, modest in their claims to honors and not too fond of money. From their conversations (which gentlemen passing by inappropriately neglect) one can learn a lot of curious and instructive things. As for me, I confess that I prefer their conversation to the speeches of some official of the 6th class, following on official business.

You can easily guess that I have friends from the respectable class of caretakers. Indeed, the memory of one of them is precious to me. Circumstances once brought us closer, and I now intend to talk about it with my kind readers.

In the year 1816, in the month of May, I happened to pass through the *** province, along the highway, now destroyed. I was in a small rank, rode on chaises and paid runs for two horses. As a result of this, the wardens did not stand on ceremony with me, and I often took with a fight what, in my opinion, followed me by right. Being young and quick-tempered, I was indignant at the meanness and cowardice of the superintendent when this latter gave the troika prepared for me under the carriage of the bureaucratic gentleman. It took me just as long to get used to the fact that a choosy lackey carried me a dish at the governor's dinner. Now both seem to me in the order of things. Indeed, what would happen to us if, instead of the generally convenient rule: honor rank rank, others have come into use, for example: honor the mind mind? What controversy would arise! and servants with whom would they start serving food? But back to my story.

The day was hot. Three versts from the station, *** began to drip, and a minute later the pouring rain soaked me to the last thread. Upon arrival at the station, the first concern was to change clothes as soon as possible, the second to ask for tea. "Hey Dunya! - the caretaker shouted, - put the samovar on and go for cream. At these words, a girl of fourteen years old came out from behind the partition and ran into the passage. Her beauty struck me. "Is this your daughter?" I asked the caretaker. "Daughter, sir," he replied with an air of contented pride, "but such a reasonable, such a nimble mother, all dead." Here he began to rewrite my travelogue, and I busied myself with examining the pictures that adorned his humble but tidy abode. They depicted the story of the prodigal son: in the first, a respectable old man in a cap and dressing gown releases a restless young man, who hastily accepts his blessing and a bag of money. In another, the depraved behavior of a young man is depicted in vivid features: he is sitting at a table surrounded by false friends and shameless women. Further, a squandered young man, in rags and a three-cornered hat, tends pigs and shares a meal with them; deep sadness and remorse are depicted in his face. Finally, his return to his father is presented; a kind old man in the same cap and dressing gown runs out to meet him: the prodigal son is on his knees; in the future, the cook kills a well-fed calf, and the elder brother asks the servants about the reason for such joy. Under each picture I read decent German verses. All this is still preserved in my memory, as well as pots with

balsam, and a bed with a colorful curtain, and other objects that surrounded me at that time. I see, as now, the owner himself, a man of about fifty, fresh and vigorous, and his long green coat with three medals on faded ribbons.

Before I had time to pay off my old coachman, Dunya returned with a samovar. The little coquette noticed at a second glance the impression she made on me; she lowered her big blue eyes; I began to talk to her, she answered me without any timidity, like a girl who has seen the light. I offered her father a glass of punch; I gave Dunya a cup of tea, and the three of us began to talk, as if we had known each other for centuries.

The horses were ready for a long time, but I still did not want to part with the caretaker and his daughter. At last I said goodbye to them; my father wished me a good journey, and my daughter accompanied me to the cart. In the passage I stopped and asked her permission to kiss her; Dunya agreed ... I can count many kisses since I have been doing this, but not one has left such a long, such a pleasant memory in me.

Several years passed, and circumstances led me to that very road, to those very places. I remembered the old caretaker's daughter and was glad at the thought of seeing her again. But, I thought, the old caretaker may have already been replaced; Dunya is probably already married. The thought of the death of one or the other also flashed through my mind, and I approached the station *** with a sad presentiment.

The horses stood at the post house. Entering the room, I immediately recognized the pictures depicting the story of the prodigal son; the table and bed were in their original places; but there were no more flowers on the windows, and everything around showed dilapidation and neglect. The caretaker slept under a sheepskin coat; my arrival woke him up; he got up… It was definitely Samson Vyrin; but how old he is! While he was about to rewrite my road trip, I looked at his gray hair, at the deep wrinkles of his long unshaven face, at his hunched back - and could not be surprised how three or four years could turn a cheerful man into a frail old man. “Did you recognize me? - I asked him, - you and I are old acquaintances. - “It may happen,” he answered sullenly, “there is a big road here; I have had many passers-by." - “Is your Dunya healthy?” I continued. The old man frowned. “God only knows,” he replied. So, is she married? - I said. The old man pretended not to have heard my question, and continued to read my travelogue in a whisper. I stopped my questions and ordered the kettle to be put on. Curiosity began to bother me, and I hoped that the punch would resolve the language of my old acquaintance.

I was not mistaken: the old man did not refuse the proposed glass. I noticed that the rum cleared up his sullenness. At the second glass he became talkative; remembered or pretended to remember me, and I learned from him a story that at that time greatly occupied and touched me.

“So you knew my Dunya? he began. Who didn't know her? Oh, Dunya, Dunya! What a girl she was! It used to be that whoever passes by, everyone will praise, no one will condemn. The ladies gave her, the one with a handkerchief, the other with earrings. Gentlemen, the travelers stopped on purpose, as if to dine or supper, but in fact only to look at her longer. It used to happen that the master, no matter how angry he was, would calm down in her presence and talk graciously to me. Believe me, sir: couriers, couriers talked to her for half an hour. She kept the house: what to clean up, what to cook, she managed to do everything. And I, the old fool, do not look enough, it used to be, I do not get enough; did I not love my Dunya, did I not cherish my child; did she not have a life? No, you won’t get rid of trouble; what is destined, that cannot be avoided. Then he began to tell me his grief in detail. Three years ago, one winter evening, when the caretaker was lining up a new book, and his daughter was sewing a dress for herself behind the partition, a troika drove up, and a traveler in a Circassian hat, in a military overcoat, wrapped in a shawl, entered the room, demanding horses. The horses were all running. At this news the traveler raised his voice and whip; but Dunya, accustomed to such scenes, ran out from behind the partition and affectionately turned to the traveler with the question: would he like to eat something? Dunya's appearance had its usual effect. The wrath of the traveler has passed; he agreed to wait for the horses and ordered supper for himself. Taking off his wet, shaggy hat, untangling his shawl and pulling off his overcoat, the traveler appeared as a young, slender hussar with a black mustache. He settled down at the caretaker, began to talk cheerfully with him and with his daughter. Served dinner. In the meantime, the horses came, and the keeper ordered that immediately, without feeding, they were harnessed to the carriage of the traveler; but, returning, he found a young man lying almost unconscious on a bench: he became ill, his head ached, it was impossible to go ... What to do! the superintendent gave him his bed, and it was supposed, if the patient did not feel better, the next day in the morning to send to S *** for a doctor.

The next day the hussar became worse. His man went on horseback to the city for a doctor. Dunya tied a handkerchief soaked with vinegar around his head and sat down with her sewing by his bed. The sick man groaned in front of the caretaker and did not say almost a word, but he drank two cups of coffee and, groaning, ordered himself dinner. Dunya did not leave him. He constantly asked for a drink, and Dunya brought him a mug of lemonade prepared by her. The sick man dipped his lips and every time he returned the mug, as a token of gratitude, he shook Dunyushka's hand with his weak hand. The doctor arrived at lunchtime. He felt the patient's pulse, spoke to him in German, and announced in Russian that all he needed was peace of mind and that in two days he could be on the road. The hussar gave him twenty-five rubles for the visit, invited him to dine; the doctor agreed; both ate with great appetite, drank a bottle of wine, and parted very pleased with each other.

Another day passed, and the hussar completely recovered. He was extremely cheerful, incessantly joking with Dunya, then with the caretaker; whistling songs, talking

with the passers-by, entered their wayfarers in the post book, and fell in love with the kind caretaker so much that on the third morning he was sorry to part with his kind guest. The day was Sunday; Dunya was going to dinner. The hussar was given a kibitka. He said goodbye to the caretaker, generously rewarding him for his stay and refreshments; he also said goodbye to Dunya and volunteered to take her to the church, which was located on the edge of the village. Dunya stood in perplexity ... “What are you afraid of? - her father said to her, - after all, his nobility is not a wolf and will not eat you: take a ride to the church. Dunya got into the wagon next to the hussar, the servant jumped on the pole, the coachman whistled, and the horses galloped off.

The poor caretaker did not understand how he himself could allow his Duna to ride with the hussar, how he was blinded, and what happened to his mind then. In less than half an hour, his heart began to whine, whine, and anxiety took possession of him to such an extent that he could not resist and went himself to mass. Approaching the church, he saw that the people were already dispersing, but Dunya was neither in the fence nor on the porch. He hastily entered the church: the priest was leaving the altar; the deacon was extinguishing the candles, two old women were still praying in the corner; but Dunya was not in the church. The poor father forcibly decided to ask the deacon whether she had been at Mass. The deacon replied that she had not been. The caretaker went home neither alive nor dead. There was only one hope left for him: Dunya, due to the frivolity of her young years, took it into her head, perhaps, to ride to the next station, where her godmother lived. In excruciating excitement, he expected the return of the troika, on which he let her go. The coachman did not return. Finally, in the evening, he arrived alone and tipsy, with the deadly news: "Dunya from that station went further with a hussar."

The old man did not bear his misfortune; he immediately fell into the same bed where the young deceiver had lain the day before. Now the caretaker, considering all the circumstances, guessed that the illness was feigned. The poor man fell ill with a strong fever; he was taken to C *** and another was appointed in his place for a while. The same doctor who came to the hussar treated him too. He assured the caretaker that the young man was quite healthy and that at that time he still guessed about his malicious intention, but was silent, fearing his whip. Whether the German was telling the truth, or just wishing to boast of far-sightedness, he did not in the least console the poor patient. Hardly recovering from his illness, the superintendent begged S*** the postmaster for a vacation of two months and, without saying a word to anyone about his intention, went on foot to fetch his daughter. He knew from the traveler that Captain Minsky was on his way from Smolensk to Petersburg. The coachman who drove him said that Dunya was crying all the way, although she seemed to be driving on her own accord. “Perhaps,” thought the caretaker, “I will bring home my lost lamb.” With this thought he arrived in Petersburg, stayed in the Izmailovsky regiment, in the house of a retired non-commissioned officer, his old colleague, and began his search. He soon learned that Captain Minsky was in St. Petersburg and was living in the Demutov tavern. The caretaker decided to come to him.

Early in the morning he came to his hall and asked him to report to his honor that the old soldier asked to see him. The military footman, cleaning his boot on the block, announced that the master was resting and that before eleven o'clock he did not receive anyone. The caretaker left and returned at the appointed time. Minsky himself came out to him in a dressing gown, in a red skufi. "What, brother, do you want?" he asked him. The old man’s heart boiled, tears welled up in his eyes, and he only said in a trembling voice: “Your honor! .. do such a divine favor! ..” Minsky glanced at him quickly, flushed, took his hand, led him into the office and locked him behind him door. “Your honor! - continued the old man, - what fell from the wagon is gone; give me at least my poor Dunya. After all, you have enjoyed it; don't waste it in vain." “What has been done cannot be returned,” said the young man in extreme confusion, “I am guilty before you and glad to ask your forgiveness; but do not think that I could leave Dunya: she will be happy, I give you my word of honor. Why do you want her? She loves Me; she had lost the habit of her former state. Neither you, niona - you will not forget what happened. Then, thrusting something into his sleeve, he opened the door, and the caretaker, without remembering how, found himself in the street.

For a long time he stood motionless, at last he saw a roll of papers behind the cuff of his sleeve; he took them out and unfolded several crumpled banknotes of five and ten rubles. Tears welled up again in his eyes, tears of indignation! He squeezed the papers into a ball, threw them on the ground, stamped them down with his heel, and went... Having walked a few steps, he stopped, thought... and returned... but there were no banknotes anymore. A well-dressed young man, seeing him, ran up to the cab, sat down hurriedly and shouted: "Go! .." The caretaker did not chase him. He decided to go home to his station, but first he wanted to see his poor Dunya at least once. For this day, after two days, he returned to Minsky; but the military lackey told him sternly that the master was not receiving anyone, forced him out of the hall with his chest and slammed the door under his breath. The caretaker stood, stood - and went.

On that same day, in the evening, he walked along Liteinaya, having served a prayer service for All Who Sorrow. Suddenly a smart droshky rushed past him, and the caretaker recognized Minsky. Drozhki stopped in front of a three-story house, at the very entrance, and the hussar ran onto the porch. A happy thought flashed through the caretaker's mind. He turned back and, having caught up with the coachman: “Whose, brother, is the horse? - he asked, - is it Minsky? - “Exactly so,” answered the coachman, “but what about you?” - “Yes, that's what: your master ordered me to take a note to his Dunya, and I forget where Dunya lives.” - “Yes, right here, on the second floor. You are late, brother, with your note; now he is with her." - "There is no need," the caretaker objected with an inexplicable movement of his heart, "thanks for the thought, and I'll do my job." And with that word he went up the stairs.

The doors were locked; he called, several seconds passed in painful expectation for him. The key rattled, they opened it. “Is Avdotya Samsonovna standing here?” - he asked. “Here,” answered the young maid, “why do you need her?” The caretaker, without answering, entered the hall. “No, no! the maid shouted after him, “Avdotya Samsonovna has guests.” But the caretaker, not listening, went on. The first two rooms were dark, the third was on fire. He walked to the open door and stopped. In the room, beautifully decorated, Minsky sat in thought. Dunya, dressed in all the luxury of fashion, sat on the arm of his chair, like a rider on her English saddle. She looked tenderly at Minsky, winding his black curls around her glittering fingers. Poor caretaker! Never had his daughter seemed to him so beautiful; he reluctantly admired her. "Who's there?" she asked without raising her head. He remained silent. Receiving no answer, Dunya raised her head ... and fell on the carpet with a cry. Frightened, Minsky rushed to pick it up and, suddenly seeing the old caretaker at the door, left Dunya and went up to him, trembling with anger. “What do you need? - he said to him, clenching his teeth, - why are you sneaking around me like a robber? Or do you want to kill me? Go away!" - and, with a strong hand, seizing the old man by the collar, pushed him onto the stairs.

The old man came to his apartment. His friend advised him to complain; but the caretaker thought, waved his hand, and decided to retreat. Two days later he went from Petersburg back to his station and again took up his post. “For the third year already,” he concluded, “how I live without Dunya and how there is neither a rumor nor a spirit about her. Whether she is alive or not, God knows. Anything happens. Not her first, not her last, was seduced by a passing rake, and there he held her, and left her. There are many of them in St. Petersburg, young fools, today in satin and velvet, and tomorrow, you'll see, sweeping the street along with the barn's tavern. When you sometimes think that Dunya, perhaps, immediately disappears, you willy-nilly sin and wish her a grave ... "

Such was the story of my friend, the old caretaker, a story repeatedly interrupted by tears, which he picturesquely wiped away with his coat, like the zealous Terentyich in Dmitriev's beautiful ballad. These tears were partly excited, they were punch, which I draw

n five glasses in the continuation of his story; but be that as it may, they touched my heart greatly. Having parted with him, for a long time I could not forget the old caretaker, for a long time I thought about poor Dunya ...

Not long ago, while passing through a place ***, I remembered my friend; I learned that the station he commanded had already been destroyed. To my question: "Is the old caretaker still alive?" - no one could give me a satisfactory answer. I decided to visit the familiar side, took free horses and set off for the village of N.

It happened in the fall. Greyish clouds covered the sky; a cold wind blew from the reaped fields, blowing the red and yellow leaves from the trees on the way. I arrived at the village at sunset and stopped at the post house. In the hallway (where poor Dunya once kissed me) a fat woman came out and answered my questions that the old caretaker had died a year ago, that a brewer had settled in his house, and that she was the brewer's wife. I felt sorry for my wasted trip and the seven rubles spent for nothing. Why did he die? I asked the brewer's wife. “He drank himself, father,” she answered. "Where was he buried?" - "Beyond the outskirts, near his late mistress." - "Can't you take me to his grave?" - “Why not. Hey Vanka! it's enough for you to mess with the cat. Take the gentleman to the cemetery and show him the caretaker's grave.

At these words, a ragged boy, red-haired and crooked, ran out to me and immediately led me beyond the outskirts.

Did you know the deceased? I asked him dear.

How not to know! He taught me how to cut pipes. It used to happen (God rest his soul!), He comes from the tavern, and we follow him: “Grandfather, grandfather! nuts! - and he gives us nuts. Everything used to be messing with us.

Do passers-by remember him?

Yes, there are few passers-by; unless the assessor wraps up, but that is not up to the dead. Here in the summer a lady passed by, so she asked about the old caretaker and went to his grave.

What lady? I asked curiously.

A beautiful lady, the boy answered; - she rode in a carriage with six horses, with three small barchats and with a nurse, and with a black pug; and as she was told that the old caretaker had died, she wept and said to the children: "Sit quietly, and I will go to the cemetery." And I volunteered to bring her. And the lady said: "I myself know the way." And she gave me a nickel in silver - such a kind lady! ..

We arrived at the cemetery, a bare place, unenclosed by anything, dotted with wooden crosses, not overshadowed by a single tree. Never in my life have I seen such a sad cemetery.

Here is the grave of the old caretaker, - the boy told me, jumping onto a pile of sand, into which a black cross with a copper image was dug.

And the lady came here? I asked.

She came, - answered Vanka, - I looked at her from afar. She lay down here and lay there for a long time. And there the lady went to the village and called the priest, gave him money and went, and she gave me a nickel in silver - a glorious lady!

And I gave the boy a nickel and no longer regretted either the trip or the seven rubles I had spent.

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin is one of the most widely read authors. His name is known to all our compatriots, young and old. His works are read everywhere. This is truly a great writer. And, perhaps, his books are worth studying more deeply. For example, the same "Tales of the late Ivan Petrovich Belkin" are simple only at first glance. Let's consider one of them, namely "The Stationmaster" - a story about how important it is to realize in time the significance of people dear to the heart.

In 1830, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin went to Boldino to solve some financial problems. He was about to return, but in Russia at that time the deadly cholera had spread greatly, and the return had to be postponed for a long time. This period of development of his talent is called the Boldin autumn. At this time, some of the best works were written, including a cycle of stories called "The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin", consisting of five works, one of which is "The Stationmaster". Its author finished on September 14th.

During the forced confinement, Pushkin suffered from separation from another lady of the heart, so his muse was sad and often set him in a sad mood. Perhaps the very atmosphere of autumn contributed to the creation of The Stationmaster - a season of withering and nostalgia. The protagonist withered as quickly as a leaf dropped from a branch.

Genre and direction

Pushkin himself calls his work "tales", although in essence each of them is a small novel. Why did he call them that? Alexander Sergeevich answered: “Tales and novels are read by everyone and everywhere” - that is, he did not see much difference between them, and made a choice in favor of a smaller epic genre, as if pointing to the modest volume of the work.

In a separate story "The Stationmaster" laid the foundations of realism. A hero is a very real hero who could meet at that time in reality. This is the first work in which the theme of the "little man" is raised. It is here that Pushkin first talks about how this unnoticed subject lives.

Composition

The structure of the story "The Stationmaster" allows the reader to look at the world through the eyes of a narrator, in whose words the personality of Pushkin himself is hidden.

1. The story begins with a lyrical digression of the writer, where he abstractly talks about the ungrateful profession of the stationmaster, who is already humiliated on duty. In such positions, the characters of small people are formed.
2. The main part consists of the author's conversations with the main character: he arrives and learns the latest news about his life. The first visit is an introduction. The second is the main plot twist and climax when he learns about Dunya's fate.
3. Something like an epilogue is his last visit to the station, when Samson Vyrin was already dead. It reports the remorse of his daughter

About what?

The story "The Stationmaster" begins with a small digression, where the author talks about what a humiliating position it is. No one pays any attention to these people, they are “shoved”, sometimes even beaten. No one ever says a simple “thank you” to them, and in fact they are often very interesting interlocutors who can tell a lot.

Then the author tells about Samson Vyrin. He holds the position of stationmaster. The narrator comes to him at the station by accident. There he meets the caretaker himself and his daughter Dunya (she is 14 years old). The guest notes that the girl is very pretty. After a couple of years, the hero again finds himself at the same station. During this visit, we will learn the essence of the "Station Master". He meets Vyrin again, but his daughter is nowhere to be seen. Later, from the father's story, it becomes clear that one day a hussar drove into the station, and because of his illness, he had to stay there for some time. Dunya constantly looked after him. Soon the guest recovered and began to get ready for the journey. In parting, he offered to bring his nurse to the church, but she did not come back. Later, Samson Vyrin learns that the young man was not sick at all, he pretended to lure the girl by deceit and take him to St. Petersburg with him. On foot, the caretaker goes to the city and tries to find the deceitful hussar there. Having found him, he asks to return Dunya to him and not to dishonor him anymore, but he refuses. Later, the unfortunate parent also finds the house in which the kidnapper keeps his daughter. He sees her dressed richly, admires her. When the heroine raises her head and sees her father, she gets frightened and falls on the carpet, and the hussar drives the poor old man away. After that, the caretaker never saw his daughter again.

After a while, the author again finds himself at the station of the good Samson Vyrin. He learns that the station was disbanded, and the poor old man died. Now a brewer and his wife live in his house, who sends her son to show where the former caretaker is buried. From the boy, the narrator learns that some time ago a rich lady with children came to the city. She also asked about Samson, and when she learned that he had died, she wept for a long time, lying on his grave. Dunya repented, but it was too late.

Main characters

1. Samson Vyrin is a kind and sociable old man of about 50, who does not have a soul in his daughter. She protects him from beatings and abuse from visitors. When they see her, they always behave calmly and benevolently. At the first meeting, Samson looks like a sympathetic and timid man who is content with little and lives only with love for his child. He does not need wealth or fame, as long as his dear Dunyasha is nearby. In the subsequent meeting, he is already a flabby old man who seeks solace in a bottle. The escape of his daughter broke his personality. The image of the stationmaster is a textbook example of a small person who is unable to withstand circumstances. He is not outstanding, not strong, not smart, he is just an inhabitant with a kind heart and a meek disposition - this is his characteristic. The merit of the author is that he was able to give an interesting description of the most ordinary type, to find drama and tragedy in his modest life.
2. Dunya is a young girl. She leaves her father and leaves with a hussar not out of selfish or unkind motives. The girl loves her parent, but naively trusts the man. Like any young woman, she is attracted by a great feeling. She follows him, forgetting everything. At the end of the story, we see that she is worried about the death of a lonely father, she is ashamed. But what has been done cannot be corrected, and now she, already a mother, is crying at the grave of her parent, regretting that she did this to him. Years later, Dunya remains the same sweet and caring beauty, whose appearance did not reflect the tragic story of the stationmaster's daughter. All the pain of separation was absorbed by her father, who never saw his grandchildren.

Subject

• In "The Station Agent" rises for the first time little man theme. This is a hero that no one notices, but who has a big soul. From the author's story, we see that he is often scolded just like that, sometimes even beaten. He is not considered a person, he is the lowest link, the service personnel. But in fact, this uncomplaining old man is infinitely kind. Despite everything, he is always ready to offer travelers an overnight stay and dinner. He allows the hussar, who wanted to beat him and whom Dunya stopped, to stay for a few days, calls a doctor for him, and feeds him. Even when his daughter betrays him, he is still ready to forgive her everything and accept any of her back.
• Love Theme also reveals itself in the story. First of all, this is the feeling of a parent for a child, which even time, resentment and separation are powerless to shake. Samson recklessly loves Dunya, runs to save her on foot, searches and does not give up, although no one expected such courage from a timid and downtrodden servant. For her sake, he is ready to endure rudeness and beatings, and only after making sure that his daughter made a choice in favor of wealth, he dropped his hands and thought that she no longer needed her poor father. Another aspect is the passion of the young lady and the hussar. At first, the reader was worried about the fate of the provincial girl in the city: she really could be deceived and dishonored. But in the end it turns out that a casual relationship turned into a marriage. Love is the main theme in The Station Agent, since it was this feeling that became both the cause of all troubles and the antidote for them, which was not delivered in a timely manner.

Issues

Pushkin raises moral issues in his work. Yielding to a fleeting feeling, unsupported by anything, Dunya leaves his father and follows the hussar into the unknown. She allows herself to become his mistress, she knows what she is getting into, and still does not stop. Here the ending turns out to be happy, the hussar nevertheless takes the girl as his wife, but even in those days this was a rarity. However, even for the sake of the prospect of a marriage union, it was not worth renouncing one family while building another. The bridegroom of the girl behaved unacceptably rudely, it was he who made her an orphan. Both of them easily stepped over the grief of the little man.

Against the background of Dunya's act, the problem of loneliness and the problem of fathers and children develop. From the moment the girl left her father's house, she never visited her father, although she knew in what conditions he lives, she never wrote to him. In pursuit of personal happiness, she completely forgot about the person who loved her, raised her and was ready to forgive literally everything. This is happening to this day. And in the modern world, children leave and forget their parents. Having escaped from the nest, they try to "break out into people", achieve goals, pursue material prosperity and do not remember those who gave them the most important thing - life. The fate of Samson Vyrin is lived by many parents, abandoned and forgotten by their children. Of course, after a while, young people remember the family, and it’s good if it’s not too late to meet with her. Dunya did not have time for the meeting.

the main idea

The idea of ​​the "Station Master" is still urgent and relevant: even a small person must be treated with respect. You can not measure people by rank, class or ability to offend others. The hussar, for example, judged those around him by strength and position, so he caused such grief to his wife, his own children, depriving them of their father and grandfather. By his behavior, he pushed away and humiliated the one who could become his support in family life. Also, the main idea of ​​the work is a call for us to take care of our loved ones and not put off reconciliation until tomorrow. Time is fleeting and can rob us of the chance to correct our mistakes.

If you look at the meaning of the story "The Stationmaster" more globally, then we can conclude that Pushkin opposes social inequality, which became the cornerstone of the relationship between people of that time.

What makes you think about?

Pushkin also makes negligent children think about their old people, instructs them not to forget their parents, to be grateful to them. Family is the most valuable thing in the life of every person. It is she who is ready to forgive us everything, to accept us in any way, to comfort and reassure us in difficult times. Parents are the most devoted people. They give us everything, and ask for nothing in return, except for love and a little attention and care from our side.

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The work belongs to the cycle "Tales of the late Ivan Petrovich Belkin", where, in addition to "The Stationmaster", there are four more works and a foreword by the publisher. The story "The Stationmaster" is listed as the fourth in the cycle, its text was written on September 14, 1830 in Boldino. A year later, it was published as part of a series.

The story is told on behalf of the simple-minded landowner Ivan Petrovich Belkin, invented by Pushkin. The fictional Belkin recalls a half-forgotten story told to him by Samson Vyrin, a station superintendent in one of the Russian provinces.

Vyrin had a daughter, Dunya, a beautiful and coquettish girl who captivated the passing hussar Minsky with her grace. In order not to part with Dunya, Minsky pretended to be ill and for several days enjoyed the company of a young charmer who took care of him. Samson Vyrin did not suspect deception, and when the “recovered” hussar offered to take Dunya to the nearest church, he himself convinced his daughter to get into the crew of a “decent person”. Minsky took the girl to St. Petersburg and made her his kept woman. The heartbroken father went in search of his daughter. Minsky tried to pay off Vyrin with money and convince him that Dunya lives in splendor and luxury, is in love with him and does not want to return to her father's house. And so it turned out. Seeing her father on the threshold, the girl faints, and the lackeys push Samson Vyrin out into the street. Unable to cope with grief, the old man died. Many years later, a young lady with three children comes to his grave and cries inconsolably, hugging a mound overgrown with grass.

Pushkin's story "The Stationmaster" is written in the style of sentimentalism. This is one of the trends that dominated Russian literature in the first half of the 19th century.

There are no people more unfortunate than stationmasters, for travelers certainly blame the stationmasters for all their troubles and seek to take out their anger on them about bad roads, unbearable weather, bad horses, and the like. Meanwhile, the caretakers are mostly meek and unrequited people, “real martyrs of the fourteenth grade, protected by their rank only from beatings, and even then not always.” The caretaker's life is full of worries and troubles, he does not see gratitude from anyone, on the contrary, he hears threats and screams and feels the pushes of angry guests. Meanwhile, "one can learn a lot of curious and instructive things from their conversations."

In 1816, the narrator happened to pass through the *** province, and on the way he was caught in the rain. At the station he hurried to change and drink tea. The samovar was put on and the table was set by the caretaker's daughter, a girl of fourteen years old named Dunya, who struck the narrator with her beauty. While Dunya was busy, the traveler examined the decoration of the hut. On the wall he noticed pictures depicting the story of the prodigal son, geraniums on the windows, in the room there was a bed behind a colorful curtain. The traveler invited Samson Vyrin - that was the name of the caretaker - and his daughters to share a meal with him, and a relaxed atmosphere arose, conducive to sympathy. The horses had already been brought in, but the traveler still did not want to part with his new acquaintances.

Several years passed, and again he had a chance to go along this road. He looked forward to meeting old friends. "Entering the room", he recognized the former situation, but "everything around showed dilapidation and neglect." Dunya was not in the house either. The aged caretaker was gloomy and taciturn, only a glass of punch stirred him, and the traveler heard the sad story of Dunya's disappearance. It happened three years ago. A young officer arrived at the station, who was in a hurry and was angry that the horses were not being served for a long time, but when he saw Dunya, he softened and even stayed for supper. When the horses arrived, the officer suddenly felt very unwell. The doctor who arrived found a fever in him and prescribed complete rest. On the third day, the officer was already healthy and was about to leave. The day was Sunday, and he offered Dunya to take her to the church. The father allowed his daughter to go, not assuming anything bad, but nevertheless he was seized with anxiety, and he ran to the church. Mass was already over, the prayers dispersed, and from the words of the deacon, the caretaker learned that Dunya was not in the church. The coachman who returned in the evening, carrying the officer, said that Dunya had gone with him to the next station. The caretaker realized that the officer's illness was feigned, and he himself fell ill with a high fever. Having recovered, Samson begged for leave and went on foot to Petersburg, where, as he knew from the road, Captain Minsky was going. In St. Petersburg, he found Minsky and appeared to him. Minsky did not immediately recognize him, but upon learning, he began to assure Samson that he loved Dunya, would never leave her and would make her happy. He gave the caretaker money and escorted him out into the street.

Samson really wanted to see his daughter again. The case helped him. At Liteinaya, he noticed Minsky in a smart droshky, which stopped at the entrance of a three-story building. Minsky entered the house, and the caretaker learned from a conversation with the coachman that Dunya lives here, and entered the entrance. Once in the apartment, through the open door of the room he saw Minsky and his Dunya, beautifully dressed and vaguely looking at Minsky. Noticing her father, Dunya screamed and fell unconscious on the carpet. Enraged, Minsky pushed the old man onto the stairs, and he went home. And now for the third year he knows nothing about Dunya and is afraid that her fate is the same as the fate of many young fools.

After some time, the narrator again happened to pass through these places. The station no longer existed, and Samson "died a year ago." The boy, the son of a brewer who settled in Samson's hut, accompanied the narrator to Samson's grave and said that in the summer a beautiful lady with three barchats came and lay for a long time on the caretaker's grave, and the good lady gave him a nickel in silver.

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