The main characters of the story “Ionych. Analysis of the story "Ionych" (A

"Ionych". A doctor from the provincial town of S. makes acquaintance with the Turkin family and falls in love with their daughter Ekaterina. However, the novel has no development, and over time the characters are absorbed by the quagmire of provincial existence.

History of creation

Chekhov wrote the story "Ionych" in 1898, and at the same time the text was first published in the ninth issue of the literary supplement to the popular magazine "Niva". Chekhov began his story after returning from France in the spring of 1898. The writer's notebooks have been preserved, where he outlines the plot. Initially, the focus of the author was the Turkin family, who in the first edition had a different surname.

The head of the family was supposed to be a witty official who plays on stage and sings, the wife of the hero was supposed to write liberal novels and flirt with others for the sake of fun with her husband. Chekhov was going to focus on this family in order to debunk them and portray them as empty people, but in the final version, Dr. Startsev is also under attack.

In 1966, a black-and-white film “In the city of S.” was released at the Lenfilm studio. - adaptation of the story "Ionych", filmed by director Iosif Kheifits. An actor starred in the role of Dmitry Startsev. The director portrays the sad life path of Dr. Startsev, ending in the complete degradation of his personality, and the image of the provincial city of S. is filled with cemetery symbols.

"Ionych"

The young doctor Startsev arrives in the village of Dyalizh near the provincial town of S. and meets the well-known Turkin family in the city. The head of the family puts on amateur performances, the wife writes stories and novels that she reads to her friends, and her daughter Ekaterina plays the piano. Startsev, by invitation, comes to visit and spends an evening in the company of the Turkins. The heroes spend their time mentally - they drink tea, the hostess Vera reads her novel aloud, and Ekaterina plays music. Startsev likes the Turkins, and the hero leaves them in a good mood.

A few months later, the young doctor again finds himself in the Turkins' house, where he was invited to the mistress of the house, suffering from migraines. The hero is fond of Ekaterina Turkina and begins to visit often to spend time with the girl and talk. It soon becomes difficult for the doctor to do without Catherine's company for even a week.

One day the girl decided to make a joke by making an appointment with Startsev at night in the cemetery. The doctor understands that this is nothing more than a joke, and yet he arrives at the cemetery at midnight, where he wanders alone between the graves for a long time. The next day, the doctor proposes to Ekaterina Turkina, but the girl does not want to get married. The heroine is going to leave the boring provincial town of S. and become an artist. A few days later, Ekaterina really leaves to enter the Moscow Conservatory, and the doctor stops worrying about her.

Time goes by, Startsev gets richer and expands his practice. And a few years later he again ends up in the Turkins' house, where he meets Ekaterina. She could not become a famous pianist, as she intended, and returned to her parents' house, where things are still the same. Everyone drinks tea the same way, mother writes novels. After this visit, Startsev no longer communicates with the Turkins. The hero drowns in boredom, greed and dissatisfaction with life and gradually degrades. In the Turkins' house, too, everything remains the same, the characters only grow old and do not develop at all.

Dr. Dmitry Ionovich Startsev began his career as a zemstvo doctor in the village of Dyalizh in the vicinity of the provincial city of S. The hero grew up among ordinary and unsecured people, in the family of a sexton - a petty church minister. By nature, Dmitry Ionovich is a kind and intelligent person, Ekaterina Turkina calls the hero "the best of people." In the eyes of the public, Dmitry Ionovich appears as an intelligent person, he works hard at work. The hero is so busy in the hospital that he cannot find free time for personal matters.

At first, Dmitry Startsev has no money, and the hero lives rather poorly. Nine miles that separate the village of Dyalizh from the city of S., the hero has to overcome on foot, because Dmitry Ionovich has no money for horses. The young doctor is interested not only in medicine, but also in literature and art. He can talk for hours about these subjects. Startsev also likes to talk about his work in the hospital, being passionate about what he does.

In his youth, Dr. Startsev "ardently" falls in love with Ekaterina Turkina, who refuses to become the hero's wife, despite the common interests and tenderness that Startsev shows to her. Meanwhile, the doctor's career is slowly going up, and in a year Startsev can afford to get a pair of horses and hire a coachman.

Four years after the hero broke off relations with Catherine, the reader sees a different picture. Startsev has grown fat and has developed shortness of breath, has fallen out of love with walking and is driving around the city on a troika of horses. The hero's time is occupied for the most part by work. Startsev has extensive practice. In the morning, the hero hurriedly receives patients in the village, then takes a troika and goes to the city, where patients are also waiting for him. The hero returns home late at night.

Startsev has no friends. The hero has to see a lot of people on duty and visit different houses, but patients and other townsfolk cause Startsev one deaf irritation. Their views on life, appearance and conversations are unpleasant for the hero, so Startsev does not get close to anyone. The life of the hero is dull and monotonous, Startsev lacks impressions. According to my own feeling, the hero only "gets old" and "falls". Work turns for Startsev into a means of profit, and he does not see anything good in such a life.

Four years later, when Startsev meets Catherine again, he does not have any tender feelings for the woman, and the doctor is only glad that he did not marry before. Catherine herself regrets that she refused Startsev then, and wants to get closer again, but the hero no longer wants any close relationship. Ekaterina seems too pale to Startsev, the heroine's expression, smile, voice, and even the dress and chair now cause Startsev to be rejected. As a result, the doctor stops visiting the Turkins altogether.

A few more years pass, and Dr. Startsev turns into an unpleasant type, whom those around him call exclusively "Ionych". The doctor grew fat even more, became unhealthy red in the face, began to breathe heavily and can now walk only with his head thrown back. The hero got so rich that he bought himself an estate and two houses in the city, and is going to buy a third one. There was even more work, and Startsev "has no time to breathe."

The hero has a kind of "entertainment" - in the evenings, to pull out of all pockets the money received from patients during the day, and lovingly count them. When a sufficiently large amount is collected, the hero deposits the money into an account with the Mutual Credit Society.

Startsev's character deteriorates completely, and life is completely meaningless and monotonous. The doctor is easily irritated with patients, gets angry and raises his voice at patients, impatiently knocks on the floor with a stick. The hero lives alone, he has no interests left. Life is boring for Startsev. In the evenings, the hero goes to the club, where he plays vint, and then dine alone at a large table. Youthful love for Ekaterina Turkina turns out to be the only bright episode in the life of the hero.

The further biography of the hero is unknown.

Quotes

“While you play cards with the layman or have a snack with him, then he is a peaceful, complacent and even intelligent person, but as soon as you talk to him about something inedible, for example, about politics or science, he gets into a dead end or starts such a philosophy , stupid and angry, that it remains only to wave your hand and move away.

“It is not the one who cannot write stories that is incompetent, but the one who writes them and does not know how to hide it.”

"If the most talented people in the whole city are so mediocre, then what should the city be like?"

Characteristics of the hero

When you read the later stories of A.P. Chekhov, you involuntarily pay attention to the fact that they are imbued with some kind of sadness, but they have a dream of unattainable harmony, which contrasts sharply with a miserable and awkward life. This motive sounds with particular force in the wonderful story "Ionych".

The plot of this little masterpiece is a sad story of a young zemstvo doctor who has turned into a disgusting, malicious and greedy creature. How and why does such a metamorphosis happen to the hero? The writer helps to find the answer to this question, as if placing milestones in Startsev's life path: "more than a year has passed", "four years have passed", "several more years have passed". Each period of time is perceived as a kind of milestone, showing the changes that occur in the inner world of the hero. Of great importance in the spiritual degradation of Dmitry Startsev is the environment in which this young doctor finds himself.

The beginning of Chekhov's story introduces the reader into the boring and monotonous atmosphere of the provincial city of S., which, however, was brightened up by its attraction - the Turkin family, which all city dwellers unanimously considered the most educated and cultured. Indeed, each member of this family has some kind of talent. Ivan Petrovich Turkin tirelessly entertains guests with his jokes and charades. His wife, Vera Iosifovna, writes novels that she reads to guests, finding grateful listeners in them. The Turkins' daughter Katerina Ivanovna, according to others, is a talented pianist, so she firmly decides to study at the conservatory in order to achieve fame and fame. The list of talents of this gifted family is certainly impressive, but let us remember how Chekhov describes the Turkin family, showing it in the perception of a new person - Dmitry Ionych Startsev. Somewhat alarming is the phrase that by long exercises in wit Ivan Petrovich worked out his unusual language. In my opinion, wit is an innate quality of a person - it cannot be developed. This natural conclusion is immediately confirmed by typical examples of Turkic wit ("I humbled you, thank you," "Hello, please," etc.), which, moreover, are repeated a year later, and a few years later, like the phrase from Shakespeare's "Othello" , which is uttered first by a boy-servant, and then by a grown-up hefty fellow. Everything convinces us that the Turkins, alas, are mediocre. Vera Iosifovna's soporific novel and Kotik's playing, which hit the keys with such force, as if it wanted to drive them deep into the piano, speak of this. In any case, this is the impression her play made on Dr. Startsev. But he, along with everyone, admires Kotik's talent, speaks approvingly of the novel of the mistress of the house, laughs at Ivan Petrovich's jokes. The internal state of a "fresh" person clearly contrasts with the unnatural, poseur "intelligence" of this very cultured family. If the most talented people in the city are so mediocre, then what are the rest of them! Thus, depicting the Turkin family in close-up, the author thereby characterizes the low educational and cultural level of the urban intelligentsia. It becomes clear what kind of environment the young active doctor found himself in, who at first favorably differs from the city dwellers in his honesty, diligence, purposefulness, desire to engage in useful, noble work.

The townsfolk irritated him for a long time with their conversations, views on life, and even their appearance. He pretty soon came to the conclusion that with such people you can only play cards, have a snack and talk about the most ordinary everyday things, without touching the spheres of politics or science. The emerging conflict of an intelligent, educated, hardworking person with a miserable philistine environment, however, does not find further development in the story. Perhaps this comes from the fact that Startsev, for the first time in his life, passionately and passionately falls in love with Katerina Ivanovna Turkina. This feeling overshadows all other problems, forcing the young man to idealize this pretty, intelligent girl, to fulfill all her whims and whims. Although common sense tells Startsev that Kotik will not be a good assistant and girlfriend to him, it is she who the hero wants to see as his wife. He has little doubt that his proposal will be accepted, reflecting on how his life will turn out after marriage. And here, in his dreams and thoughts, somewhat alarming thoughts clearly appear that a dowry must be given a lot, that he will have to move from Dyalizh to the city and engage in private practice.

This means that Dr. Startsev, who is carried away by work in the zemstvo hospital, receives patients there on Sundays and holidays, in the event of marriage, is ready without any doubts and regrets to part with the work of his life. This dangerous symptom suggests that the popular ideas, under the influence of which the young intellectual goes to serve the people, never became his convictions. Therefore, it cannot be said that Startsev changed his views: he simply did not have them. It is noteworthy that the hero very easily makes compromises, deals with conscience. He is incapable of experiencing even real suffering. After all, after Kotik's refusal, Startsev suffered and suffered for exactly three days, and then his life returned to its former track. Even memories of a beloved girl are limited to a lazy phrase: "How much trouble, however."

Thus, Chekhov already here debunks his hero, revealing the amazing indifference and callousness of his soul, in which there is a clear tendency to complete mortification. Therefore, in my opinion, there is nothing surprising and unexpected in the subsequent transformation of the hero. Having said goodbye to his only love and dream of noble service to people, Startsev himself narrows the circle of his interests. The real pleasure is given to him only by playing vint and counting the daily fee. During a meeting with Kotik four years later, under the influence of her tenderness, care, love, a spark still lit up in the soul of Dmitry Ionych, he felt the need to tell about himself. Sincere bitterness is heard in his words addressed to Katerina Ivanovna: “How are we doing here? No way. We are getting old, we are getting fat, we are sinking. in the evening a club, a society of gamblers, alcoholics, wheezing, whom I can not stand. What's good? This means that Startsev is well aware that he is sinking, degrading, but he has neither the desire nor the strength to fight the vulgar philistine environment. He passively submits to her, and a few years later, at the end of the story, we already see a plump, red, shortness of breath man who unceremoniously throws open the doors and inspects the house that is for sale, although he already has two houses in the city and an estate in Dyalizh. He is completely alone, nothing interests him. The life of the hero is over. His soul has completely deadened, everything has disappeared from it, except for the progressive proprietary interest.

A person, initially opposed to the vulgar philistine environment, becomes its terrible symbol. With this story, the author wanted to say a lot: about the wretched, soulless atmosphere that kills high noble impulses in young people, and about those intellectuals who are devoid of will, perseverance, purposefulness, incapable of fighting and defending their life positions. But the main thing, in my opinion, is that Chekhov makes the reader think about what prevents people from living a full, rich life, from creative work, from sincere and strong love. After all, the writer dreamed of just such a life, of a perfect, harmonious person, in whom "everything should be beautiful." Therefore, Chekhov's wonderful story retains its relevance even today, helping us to notice the features of Ionych in ourselves and those around us and fight them.

The story of A.P. Chekhov's "Ionych" was published in the "Monthly Literary Supplements" to the magazine "Niva" in the same 1898 in which it was written. This work cannot be attributed to a specific topic. It simultaneously speaks of the development of man and the degradation of his soul. On the one hand, Ionych becomes a significant person in the city, he is wealthy and has special authority, but, on the other hand, material wealth negatively affects the spiritual development of the hero. Depending on what question the reader asks himself when reading this story, it can be attributed to a social topic (what role did society play in the formation of Ionych's character?), psychology (can a person resist society?) or philosophy (why does the hero choose such life path, does not continue to struggle?).

From the author's notebooks and diaries, literary critics were able to recreate the writer's original intention, which had both differences and similarities with the published text. What is the original thought of the author? What changes did his idea undergo in the course of work? How radically does it differ from the original material? What was and what has become?

Initially, Chekhov wanted to write a story centered on the Filimonov family. It is easy to understand that this is a kind of prototype of the future Turkins. In the final edition, the main features of the members of this family were also preserved. What then is the difference? It lies in the fact that at first there was no main character in the story, that is, Ionych himself. What does it change? At first glance, the theme of the story does not change: the spiritual poverty of the Filimonov (Turkin) family. But the appearance in the work of Startsev entails a change in the main idea of ​​the work. If initially it was about the mental poverty of one particular family, then in the final version the Turkins are shown as the best in the city, which makes you wonder what the rest of the inhabitants are like then, and how the society of these people changed the life of the protagonist.

The meaning of the name

Starting to read Chekhov's story, you assume that the Turkin family will be in the center of his attention: a detailed description of each of its members with character and habits is given. Only later does the reader realize that the title is related to the main character. Ionych is Dmitry's patronymic. In its rude sound, the author conveys the essence of the metamorphosis that the doctor has undergone. By patronymic, people familiarly address those whom they know, but do not really respect. Usually they say this about a person behind his back, wanting to emphasize a short acquaintance with him or even belittle him. All the inhabitants of the city intuitively understood that a promising young man became one of them, a tradesman and an inhabitant who became isolated in the routine of days, flabby and lost his destiny. If earlier he was respected, then by the end he became an ordinary resident of a county town, gray and faceless.

Ionych is Dmitry Ionovich Startsev. The chosen title focuses on the nickname of the hero, which is given to him at the end of the story. That is the meaning of the work. Having chosen this title for the story, Chekhov poses the question to the reader: “How did the zemstvo doctor Startsev turn into Ionych?” Only about that reader can we say that he understood the essence of the work, who was able to find the answer to this question in the text.

Genre, composition, direction

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov is known as the author of plays and short prose. His work "Ionych" is a realistic story. A striking feature of this direction and the main theme of "Ionych" are the social problems raised by the author. Also, an objective description and the presence of typical characters testify to belonging to realism.

In a work, everything always follows the same goal - the embodiment of the author's thought. Composition follows this. This Chekhov story consists of five chapters. Thus, the golden ratio is the third chapter. It turns out to be a turning point for the main character. In it, Startsev proposes to Kitty and is rejected. From this moment begins the spiritual fall of the hero.

essence

This is a story about a zemstvo doctor who walked, practiced and believed in love, but in a few years he turned into an “idol”, owning his own troika, a plump layman, whose favorite pastimes were games and counting money.

The author tells how, in the absence of the possibility of development and the desire for self-improvement, a person quickly gets used to a new, simpler pace of life - degradation. Starting with ambitious plans and good intentions, the hero lowers the bar and simplifies life, becoming an ordinary tradesman with a banal set of values: gambling, personal enrichment, good reputation. Chekhov also reflects on the reasons for this transformation. Kotik had a strong influence on Startsev. Perhaps if she had not acted so cruelly with Dmitry Startsev, who was in love, if she had not mocked his love, then everything would have turned out differently. But that's just speculation and speculation...

Main characters and their characteristics

1. Turkins- the most educated family. They live on the main street of the provincial city of S. All members of the family have static characters. Turkin Ivan Petrovich loves to make jokes and tell jokes. He speaks his own language to entertain guests. His wife, Vera Iosifovna, writes romance novels and reads them to guests in the evenings. Turkin's daughter, Ekaterina Ivanovna, or Kotik, as she is affectionately called in the family circle, plays the piano. She even wanted to enter the conservatory, but nothing came of it. In the Turkins' house there is also a footman Pava, who, to cheer up the guests, theatrically cries out: "Die, unfortunate one!"
2. Dmitry Ionovich Startsev is a talented doctor who went to work in City C after his studies. This is an educated, sensitive and shy young man, inclined to idealize everything. He does not live in the city itself, but a few versts from it. He falls in love with Katerina, proposes, but is rejected. Gradually, he changes, becoming irritable, callous and indifferent to everything. When describing this hero, an important feature is the degradation of his character throughout the work. It is shown through several constant details: the mode of transportation (on foot, a pair, and then a trio of horses with bells), fullness, attitude towards society and love of money. The appearance of the hero is a clear reflection of the impoverishment of his soul.

Topics and issues

• Vulgarity in "Ionych" is one of the main themes. Startsev, getting used to life in the city, only silently played, drank, ate and counted money at home, he became far from his former ideals. His life goals sank to daily routine worries and the desire to accumulate capital. The internal degradation of the hero is emphasized by his external changes: “Startsev has become even more stout, obese, breathes heavily and already walks with his head thrown back.”
• City life. The description of life and customs in the city, and, in particular, the Turkin family, is associated with raising the topic of mental poverty of people. How are the citizens presented to us? How do they spend their leisure time? The main character himself speaks about this. Ionych talks about his pastime to Ekaterina Ivanovna. From his words about an ordinary day, we can clearly imagine how the inhabitants spent their free time from work. Everything is monotonous, “life passes dully, without impressions, without thoughts”: a club, playing cards, alcohol.
• Love. One can only speculate about what would happen if Kotik agreed to marry Startsev. This did not happen, and the hero himself, at the last meeting with Ekaterina Ivanovna, was glad of this. Based on this, we can say that everything died in his soul, and even such a strong feeling as love could not awaken him to life. But if you look differently, then Ekaterina Ivanovna cannot be called an unusual girl capable of awakening a great feeling. At the end of the story, Ionych, already taught by life, understands this.

Idea

Despite the presence of several themes in the story, the focus is on one question - the relationship between man and society. No one will argue that by the end of the novel, Startsev becomes the same colorless inhabitant as any citizen of the city. When comparing the portrait of the hero, presented at the beginning of the book, with the lifestyle and appearance of Startsev at the end, the impoverishment of his soul and the disappearance of high aspirations become obvious. If earlier his plans included a vocation, expressed in an interest in medicine, then by the end it became clear that Dmitry had not fulfilled his mission. According to Chekhov, it is enthusiastic, conscious work that purifies and elevates us, pulling people out of the fuss and vulgarity of the world of things, everyday life and routine. Losing love for the work of his whole life, being lazy and mixing with a crowd of useless onlookers, Startsev betrays his dream and loses himself.

The author emphasizes the vulgarity of the hero with the help of details. This impression is also strengthened by the presence of Startsev's double - the coachman Panteleimon. Complementing the characteristics and descriptions of Dmitry Ionych and the changes in his lifestyle, this helps to create a complete picture in the reader's imagination.

Criticism

His opinion about the story of A.P. Chekhov's "Ionych" was expressed by many literary scholars, writers and critics. It is rather difficult to generalize because it is not unambiguous. Dmitry Ovsyaniko-Kulikovsky, a literary critic and linguist, who was one of the first to write his review, in "Studies on Chekhov's Work" noted the unusual character of the hero: he does not oppose society, but succumbs to its influence.

Writers such as Kireev and Solzhenitsyn were more impressed by the episode of the heroes' explanation at the cemetery than by the main storyline. In connection with this scene, in their opinion, the theme of a person's attitude to death is raised in the story.

There are also negative reviews of this work, which emphasize the simplicity of the images of the characters, their lack of openness and detail. Not less about this story and positive reviews. The words of R. I. Sementkovsky reflect their general idea:

Read the latest works of Mr. Chekhov, and you will be horrified by the picture of the modern generation which he painted with his characteristic skill.

Interesting? Save it on your wall!

The story "Ionych", referring to the late period of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov's work, is filled with drama, deep sadness and loneliness. The protagonist at the very beginning of the work appears before the readers as a young zemstvo doctor. Startsev Dmitry Ionovich has just started his medical practice and does not yet have a large number of patients. He does not yet have respect in society, just as he does not have good acquaintances in the city. But he does have a purpose in life. Startsev certainly wants stability and reliability. Therefore, he works, earns money and saves them for the future. As the plot develops, the reader can watch how the main character changes, how he goes to his goal. After a year of staying in the city and practicing medicine, he gets so many clients that he gets a horse and carriage, after a while, he has a two horses, then a three. This suggests that he is a good doctor who does his job well, who helps sick people, curing them of diseases, thereby gaining their trust.

Chekhov's character, Ionych Startsev, is a simple person in all respects. He does not prevaricate, is not inclined to deceive and hypocrite. All his thoughts are easy to read and understand. He does not build castles in the air and does not believe in pipe dreams. Startsev knows what he is capable of and does not strive to achieve more. This character prefers to have what fate gives him. He is not in a hurry to do everything at once. For this slowness and measuredness, a man receives a reward: he becomes a popular doctor, to whom queues line up. They recognize him, talk about him and even consider him a close person. After all, it’s not just that they call him Ionych. In this case, this is not a sign of disdain, but a sign of friendliness.

The characterization of Ionych cannot be complete without such a quality as insight, which the hero had thanks to his intellect and education. He could tell a lot about the people of City C just by looking at them. Immediately after the first supper in the Turkins' house, he understood what its inhabitants were like. Having fallen in love with Katya Turkina, thinking about the wedding, Dmitry Ionovich understood that he would probably have to move to the city to live, and, therefore, he would have to give up practice in the zemstvo hospital. He knew that it would be quite difficult to get along with Katya, whose ardent character would be difficult to tame with love alone. The girl was beautiful, talented, but too capricious. Startsev foresaw everything and could calculate for the future, but feelings were stronger than reason, so he risked succumbing to them.

Negative Traits

Chekhov does not seek to show his hero only from the positive side and tell the reader how unfair fate disposed of in relation to Startsev. The image of Ionych is collective; it has both positive and negative features. For example, his apathy. The way he easily parted with the idea of ​​losing Katya Turkina, the way he resigned himself to his boring, monotonous life. Each time the author talks about the hero, while moving forward several years, we see that the character becomes aloof, lazy, and only gets fatter every year. A noticeable degradation of the character is due to his unwillingness to change anything in his life.

The image of Dr. Startsev in Chekhov's story "Ionych" at the very beginning of the work looks much more positive than at the end. If in the first chapters of the story he appears to the readers as an active, purposeful, enthusiastic person who openly despises the inhabitants of the city, believing that one can only drink and play cards with them, then gradually, he turns into an average city dweller. The doctor rarely enters into conversations, never arranges receptions, does not attend parties. As if with the love that left his heart, all the craving for life also left. The fact that he is gradually becoming his own person among the inhabitants of the city is also the fact that the name of Ionych is gradually forgotten. It cannot be said that the Hero does not notice the gradual degradation. In his conversation with Ekaterina Turkina, he directly answers: “How are we doing here? No way. We grow old, we grow fat, we fall. Day and night - a day away, life passes dully, without impressions, without thoughts ... During the day, profit, and in the evening a club, a society of gamblers, alcoholics, wheezing, whom I can not stand. What's good?

Startsev condemns people, but nevertheless says "we", identifying himself with the crowd, which he "cannot stand". Perhaps Chekhov wanted to thereby show the duplicity of the character: on the one hand, he is a weak-willed person, on the other hand, the owner of a consecrated mind. Gradually, from a positive image, offended by a girl, he turns into a callous and indifferent person, who without love will be even easier. You won't have to sacrifice anything. The character of Ionych is changing before our eyes.

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