Youth. Main idea, character characteristics

In Russian classical literature, there are two works with the same name - these are the stories "Childhood" written by L. Tolstoy and, later, M. Gorky. Both works are autobiographical - in them the writers talk about their childhood, the people around them, the conditions in which they were brought up.

Why did Tolstoy and Gorky decide to address this particular period of their lives? What did they want to tell the reader? I think both writers considered childhood to be one of the most important stages in a person's life, when he gets to know the world around him, learns to love and hate, decides what is better - good or evil. In childhood, according to Tolstoy and Gorky, the character of the child is laid, which is why it is so important that this time be happy.

It is about a happy childhood that Tolstoy tells us in his story. We see that the main character Nikolenka is surrounded by people who love him - mother, tutor Karl Ivanovich, nanny, father, brothers and sisters, grandmother. They all take care of the boy, strive to do everything to make him happy.

Of course, in the life of Nikolenka there are also disappointments, failures, disappointments. However, he draws the right conclusions from them. This is the idea that you don’t need to offend those who love you (remember the episode with Karl Ivanovich) or who are weaker than you (the episode with Ilenka Grap). This is the idea that the value of a person is measured by his spiritual qualities, and not by his social position (episode with nanny Natalia Savishna). This is a bitter discovery that loved ones will not always be with you, that they are mortal (the death of a beloved mother) and so on.

We encounter a completely different childhood in Gorky's story. Her hero Alyosha is not as lucky as Nikolenka. After the death of his father, Alyosha ended up in his grandfather's family, where severe morals reigned. Here, no one took care of the children, did not give them love and affection, as in the Nikolenka family. Each of the Kashirins lived on his own, considering even members of his family as enemies. Therefore, scandals, quarrels, fights often happened in the grandfather's house.

Of course, such an environment oppressed the little hero. It would have been completely unbearable for him to live in his grandfather's house if it were not for his grandmother, who became Alyosha's "beam of light". Only she gave her grandson the love, affection, care that he needed so much. Without them, I think Alyosha would have turned into an embittered or lost person, like many around him. And this hero found the strength to remain kind, fair, merciful. And in this he is similar to Nikolenka Irtenyev, who also always strove for goodness and justice.

Thus, the stories "Childhood" written by Tolstoy and Gorky are not only examples of "high" literature. These are also valuable psychological documents that reveal the inner world of the child, reliably and vividly convey his experiences, show what influences the formation of the character of a small person.

Tolstoy and Gorky can be called humanist writers with full confidence, because in their work they call for a humane attitude towards children, for showing attention, care, and love. That is why, it seems to me, their stories "Childhood" are among the best works of domestic and world literature.

In 1857, the story "Youth" by Tolstoy was published. A summary of the two previous stories, "Childhood" and "Boyhood", will have to be read by all those who want to know more about the main characters of "Youth". The story is part of a pseudo-autobiographical trilogy.

The name of the protagonist of the story is Nikolai Irteniev. In the third part of the trilogy, he is already presented as a young man. Nikolai is preparing for the entrance exams to the university. For the protagonist, it is time to seriously think about his future and the choice of his life path. Irteniev strives for self-discipline and moral self-improvement. For these purposes, he starts a special notebook to write down his life principles, which he intends to strictly follow. In addition, Nikolai confesses, trying to remember even the most ancient and already forgotten sins. After the confession, the protagonist feels reborn.

Having entered the university, Irtenyev feels like an adult and goes with his friends to a restaurant to celebrate enrollment. Nikolai carefully observes the behavior of his acquaintances. Dmitry Nekhlyudov is an example of morality. He doesn't drink, smoke or gamble like the others. However, Nikolai decided to imitate Dubkov and Volodya. The main character drinks champagne and smokes a cigarette.

The next day, Irteniev goes on visits to friends of his parents. The father believes that his son has become an adult, which means he should get used to secular life. Nikolai is bored in the company of unfamiliar people. Only with Dmitry Nekhlyudov can he afford to be himself. Dmitry invites a friend to his estate. After a long sincere conversation with Nekhlyudov, the protagonist has a desire to intermarry with him. Dimitri may marry his sister, or he himself will marry Dimitri's sister. The next day, the main character goes to the village, where he is given childhood memories. Here he thinks a lot about his mother, about his place in this world and enjoys all the delights of village life.

Irteniev Sr. married a second time. Children do not develop a relationship with their stepmother. A few months after the marriage, Nikolai's father himself begins to feel hatred for his new wife.

Nikolai is disappointed with his student life, which he imagined differently. The protagonist continues to communicate with Nekhlyudov, while not neglecting student revelry, for which Dmitry condemns him. Nikolai's new acquaintances are not distinguished by good manners. They expect from life, first of all, pleasures, without thinking about how they will be received. The protagonist is annoyed by secular communication, which he considers too hypocritical. Under the influence of new friends, Nikolai forgets about his studies and is addicted to the pursuit of pleasure. The result is failure in exams.

Irteniev locks himself in his room, feeling shame and despair. He is disappointed with life and does not want to talk to anyone. One day, Nikolai finds a notebook in which he wrote down the rules of life. The young man feels remorse and cries for a long time. Nikolai decides to follow his rules further. But now he intends never to retreat from them.

Character characteristics

Nikolai Irteniev

The protagonist of the story involuntarily arouses the sympathy of the reader. Nicholas is distinguished by independence, which arose as a result of his prolonged loneliness. A young man grows up without a mother. Father is always busy. Not all topics can be discussed with a sister. The main character decides to engage in self-education. He feels an acute need for a moral core, without which, in his opinion, it is impossible to live his life with dignity. Religion becomes for a young person one of the ways to achieve a moral ideal. Nicholas believes that sincere repentance for sins at confession can cleanse the soul. However, religion is not enough. The young man begins to come up with his own rules, following which should make him even more perfect.

Like many young people of his age, Nikolai tends to get carried away quickly and disillusioned just as quickly. Student life seems to him another step towards a moral ideal. A visit to the "temple of science", as well as a visit to God's temple, should elevate the main character, contribute to the improvement of his moral qualities.

Misconceptions about student life
In reality, student life turned out to be not what Nikolai expected to see. Students are not only far from the moral ideal, they do not aspire to it. The protagonist tries to find the joy of life in forbidden pleasures, but they, in the end, disappoint him and cause a lot of trouble.

At the end of the story, the young man comes to the conclusion that he started his path correctly, but then lost his way. Nicholas sets himself the task of returning to the true path. The protagonist again makes a decision consciously and independently, without experiencing pressure from outside.

Nikolai unconsciously reaches out to a person who corresponds to his ideas about the moral ideal. Nekhlyudov becomes the "alter ego" of the protagonist. But unlike Nikolai, Dmitry does not set himself the goal of acquiring high moral qualities. He has these qualities from birth. Nekhlyudov does not have to make any effort whatsoever to become "correct." The belief that drinking, smoking and indulging in various forms of debauchery is evil is his internal guide. This is the same inalienable and unchanging quality as, for example, the color of hair or eyes. Nekhlyudov has no need to hide from all sorts of temptations, from which Irtenyev is so frantically trying to protect himself. Dmitry simply does not imagine that his behavior could be any different. Any other behavior other than that which he has is unnatural for him.

It should be noted that Dmitry does not try to seem "good", does not show hypocrisy. All his actions are completely sincere and correspond to his internal moral principles. Dmitry never imposes his “moral code” on others, but it is considered necessary to make a remark to a friend who has stumbled.

The main idea of ​​the story

Youth is one of the most difficult periods in a person's life. It marks the transition to a new life. Self-control and the participation of a loved one will help not to make a fatal mistake.

Analysis of the work

A significant place in the story is given to the reflections of the protagonist, the description of his feelings. There are few events in the work. The author decided to devote his story to the inner world of Nicholas. Events, as such, are necessary only to show the movements of the soul of the protagonist, his reaction to what is happening.

The novel addresses the theme of family fidelity, mutual understanding and life for the happiness of the other half as the only right path.

The story "Youth" by Tolstoy, written in 1857, was the completion of the famous trilogy of Leo Nikolayevich ("Childhood", "Boyhood", "Youth"). The book describes the student years of the life of the protagonist and his inner circle.

Main characters

Nikolai Irteniev (Nikolenka)- a sixteen-year-old boy from the nobility.

Volodya Nikolay's older brother.

Dmitry Nekhlyudov- A close friend of Nicholas.

Other characters

Dad- Nikolai's father, a widower, later re-tying the knot.

Sonechka- Nikolenka's first love.

Avdotya Nicholas' stepmother.

Varenka Nekhlyudova- Dmitry's sister, Nikolai's girlfriend.

Lyubochka- the sister of Nikolai and Volodya.

Ikonin, Zukhin, Semenov- students, friends of Nikolai.

Short description

Chapter I. What I Consider the Beginning of Youth

To the young nobleman Nikolenka Irteniev "the sixteenth year in the exodus." He values ​​​​his friendship with Dmitry Nekhlyudov very much - an interesting, smart young man, thanks to whom Nikolai was carried away by the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bself-development.

Currently, the hero dreams of successfully passing the entrance exams to the university.

Chapter II. Spring

Spring comes into its own, and Nikolenka admires the changes in nature that inspire him.

Chapter III. dreams

Young Irteniev dreams of how he will enter the university and will be part of the scholarship "to give to the poor, and so that no one knows." He will live a simple, modest life, and will certainly finish "the course as the first candidate with two gold medals."

Chapter IV. Our family circle

Nikolenka's father is absent for a long time, but with his appearance in the house, fun always begins. Nikolai is increasingly moving away from his older brother Volodya, despite the fact that the brothers still love each other. Sister Lyubochka has become quite an adult, and is now a marriageable girl.

Chapter V Rules

Nikolai decides to draw up a "schedule of duties and classes for the next year". There were so many plans that the young man had to sew a notebook out of sheets and call it “Rules of Life”.

The father invites a confessor to the house so that the whole family can confess.

Chapter VI. Confession

The Irtenyevs go in turn to the monk and confess their sins. After the confession, Nikolenka feels "completely pure, morally reborn and a new person." Before going to sleep, he recalls "the shameful sin that he concealed in confession" and is very worried about this. Nicholas decides to go to the monastery tomorrow and confess again.

Chapter VII. Trip to the monastery

After spending an anxious night, Nikolenka wakes up at dawn and immediately gets ready to go. Having hardly caught a cab driver on a deserted street, he worries that he will take him "into a back alley and rob him." But soon Nikolai calms down, and safely arrives at the monastery.

Chapter VIII. Second confession

Nikolai re-confesses, and after his confession feels unspeakable relief. However, minor domestic troubles "soon dispersed this feeling."

Chapter IX. How do I prepare for the exam

The entire Irtenev family, with the exception of Nikolai and Volodya, leaves for the village. “Consciousness of freedom and that spring feeling of expecting something” and prevent Nikolenka from concentrating on preparing for exams. And only the fear of disappointing Nekhlyudov makes the young man study diligently.

Chapter X History Examination

For his first exam in his life, Nikolai puts on a tailcoat. It seems to him that he is simply "dazzling", but confidence is replaced by timidity immediately after the young man steps over the threshold of the audience. Nikolenka comes across a familiar ticket, and he gives the story "excellent".

Chapter XI. math exam

The next exam is math. Nikolenka knows "the subject quite well, but there were two questions from algebra", with which he was completely unfamiliar. The young man comes to learn from his new acquaintance - Ikonin, who gives him his ticket. As a result, Nikolenka passes the exam with flying colours.

Chapter XII. Latin exam

Nikolenka learns that the professor taking the Latin exam “was like some kind of animal enjoying the death of young people”, whom he flunked at the exams. The professor gives Irteniev a text that was not provided for in the preparatory program. The young man can hardly cope with it, and as a result receives the lowest score.

Chapter XIII. I'm big

Nikolai successfully passes the last exam and becomes a student. Now he has his own horse and driver. In order to fully feel like an adult, Nikolenka lights up his pipe and begins to “throw rings and take a puff”, but very quickly he becomes ill.

Chapter XIV. What Volodya and Dubkov did

Dmitry comes to congratulate Nikolai, and together they go to Dubkov, where they find Volodya playing cards. Volodya loses, and the whole company decides to go to a restaurant to congratulate Nikolenka on entering the university.

Chapter XV. They congratulate me

Everyone in the restaurant congratulates Nikolai. He really wants to seem like an adult, and he orders "half a bottle of champagne" with his own money. Volodya, looking at his tipsy brother, is embarrassed.

Chapter XVI. Argument

At the restaurant, Nikolai clashes with one of the visitors, who calls him ignorant. The confused young man could not give a proper rebuff, and, ashamed of his behavior, hides this unfortunate incident from his friends. In the future, he will worry about this for a long time, believing that he "acted like a coward."

Chapter XVII. I'm going to make visits

On the last day of his stay in Moscow, Nikolai was supposed to "make, by order of the pope, visits." He hopes that Volodya will keep him company, but his brother resolutely refuses.

Chapter XVIII. Wallachins

Nikolenka pays his first visit to the Valakhins. He awaits with trepidation the appearance of Sonya, because in him "there was still a living and touching memory of past childhood love." Nikolai knows that a couple of years ago, "Sonechka's face was cut with the windows of a carriage", which turned over while driving. However, when he sees a girl, the younger Irtenyev does not notice any scars - he sees in front of him the same sweet girl with whom he was once so in love.

Chapter XIX. Kornakovs

The visit to the Kornakovs turned out to be less pleasant for Nikolai. During a conversation with the princess and her daughters, the young man learns that the Kornakovs and Irtenyevs are the only legitimate heirs of the wealthy Prince Ivan Ivanovich.

Chapter XX. Iviny

At the Ivins, Nikolenka feels extremely uncomfortable. At the meeting, the general's son shows courtesy, but at the same time makes it clear that he is not at all happy about Nikolenka's arrival. As a result, Irteniev begins to "come into an irritated state of mind." The princess puts Nikolenka in an awkward position with her unexpected tears, and the prince behaves coldly and arrogantly towards him.

Chapter XXI. Prince Ivan Ivanovich

Nicholas pays his last visit to the prince. As a child, he called "Ivan Ivanovich grandpa", but the news that he is one of his heirs makes Nikolenka uncomfortable in the company of a benevolent old man.

Chapter XXII. Intimate conversation with my friend

Nikolenka goes with Dmitri to the Nekhlyudovs' dacha. On the way, friends talk heart to heart, and Dmitry confesses his love for Lyubov Sergeevna's hanger.

Chapter XXIII. Nekhlyudovs

At the dacha, Nikolenka meets Dmitry's mother and sister. He wonders how his friend could fall in love with an old maid, Lyubov Sergeevna, who "was very unpretty: red-haired, thin, small in stature, a little lopsided".

Chapter XXIV. Love

Also at the Nekhlyudovs, Nikolai meets Dmitry's aunt Sofya Ivanovna, a surprisingly kind and loving woman.

Chapter XXV. I am getting acquainted

Nikolenka notices that in the Nekhlyudov family, Dmitry's feeling for the hanger-on is a sore subject. Irtenyev is very pleased with the trip - among these people he feels completely grown up.

Chapter XXVI. I show my best side

During a walk in the garden, Nikolenka, wanting to impress, boasts of her relationship with Ivan Ivanovich. He embellishes his relationship with the prince, because of which he is embarrassed and blushes.

Chapter XXVII. Dmitriy

A severe toothache changes Dmitry's mood for the worse. At first, he fell on the maid, and after "with all his might he hit the head with his fist several times" the servant boy. Noticing that Nikolai witnessed his cruelty, Dmitry felt ashamed.

Chapter XXVIII. In the village

Nikolenka and Volodya join their family in the village. Nikolai periodically recalls his love for Sonya, but soon village life captivates him. He notices that his father seems unusually cheerful lately.

Chapter XXIX. Relationship between us and girls

Nikolenka “completely involuntarily in her look at the girls” imitates her older brother, and treats her sister and Katya somewhat contemptuously. Meanwhile, the brothers become even closer to each other.

Chapter XXX. My classes

Convinced that he has "talent and passion for music", Nikolenka spends the whole summer taking piano lessons. Thus he wants to charm the young ladies. Nikolai also enjoys reading French novels.

Chapter XXXI. Comme il faut

Wanting to imitate the heroes of novels, Nikolenka strives to always look perfect. He places particular emphasis on the condition of his nails.

Chapter XXXII. Youth

This summer, Nikolenka acutely feels that he is "young, innocent, free and therefore almost happy." He enjoys the summer, admires nature and does what the soul is drawn to.

Chapter XXXIII. Neighbours

Nikolenka is surprised to notice that his father has changed in his attitude towards the Epifanov neighbors, with whom he had a long-standing "litigation for some kind of land." The father often goes to the neighbors and calls them "nice people".

Chapter XXXIV. Father's marriage

The second time, Nikolai's father is going to marry at the age of 48. Avdotya Vasilievna Epifanova, a young and beautiful woman, becomes his chosen one.

Chapter XXXV. How do we receive this news?

The father's marriage becomes the main subject of discussion in the Irtenev family. Volodya is extremely negative towards his future stepmother, and admits that the reason for the marriage is some kind of "dark story".

Chapter XXXVI. university

Classes begin at the university, and Volodya and Nikolai are forced to miss the wedding of their father and Avdotya. At the university, Nikolenka cannot quickly and easily join "any company and, feeling lonely and incapable of rapprochement", begins to behave arrogantly with classmates.

Chapter XXXVII. affairs of the heart

Nikolenka often falls in love "with unfamiliar and especially married women." However, all his heartfelt hobbies are very fleeting.

Chapter XXXVIII. Light

"Secular pleasures" disappoint Nikolenka. Finding himself at the long-awaited reception at the Kornakovs, the young man becomes shy and begins to behave extremely unnaturally and carry all sorts of nonsense. He looks so stupid that even Volodya avoids him.

Chapter XXXIX. spree

In winter, Nikolai happens to participate in a revelry, and he endures "a not entirely pleasant feeling out of him." He prepared for the upcoming event for a long time, but in fact it turned out to be not as fun as young Irtenyev expected. He is unspeakably surprised that the next day the participants of the spree praised him in every way.

Chapter XL. Friendship with the Nekhlyudovs

Nikolai becomes a frequent visitor to the Nekhlyudovs' house. He likes to be in this family, and soon he becomes close to Dmitry's sister, Varya.

Chapter XLI. Friendship with Nekhlyudov

And if Nikolai's friendship with the Nekhlyudovs is strengthening, then relations with Dmitry himself at that time hung "only by a thread." Nikolenka ceases to understand the actions of his friend, he finds many shortcomings in him, and one day a quarrel flares up between his friends.

Chapter XLII. Stepmother

A father comes to Moscow with his stepmother, whom Nikolenka does not love and does not respect. He is especially annoyed by the duplicity in Avdotya: when visiting, she is invariably “a young, healthy and cold beauty”, and in ordinary life she is “a yearning woman, sloppy and bored”.

Chapter XLIII. New comrades

Nikolai is preparing for the upcoming exams. She meets poor, but extremely intelligent and interesting students who are superior to him in everything except belonging to the aristocracy.

Chapter XLIV. Zukhin and Semyonov

Among Nikolenka's acquaintances, two students stand out especially - Semenov and Zukhin. The latter "was extraordinarily smart" and enjoyed great respect among the teachers, while Semyonov was a passionate lover of carousing. As a result, he was terribly indebted and was forced to leave the university and join the soldiers.

Chapter XLV. I'm failing

Nikolenka miserably fails the exam in mathematics, and he is not transferred to the next course. Closing himself in a room, he weeps bitterly for three days, regretting that he did not adhere to his own “Rules of Life”. Nikolai vows "not to do anything bad", to work and not change his own principles.

Conclusion

In his story, Tolstoy surprisingly subtly describes the psychology of growing up of the protagonist, entering into "adult" life. He masterfully describes the experiences, doubts and hopes of a young man who was a boy yesterday.

After reading the brief retelling of Youth, we recommend that you read Tolstoy's work in its full version.

Story test

Check the memorization of the summary with the test:

Retelling rating

Average rating: 4.2. Total ratings received: 359.

The work of Leo Tolstoy "Youth" with understanding and pity, sincerely shares the pain in the soul of Nikolai Irtenyev. The work is narrated from the perspective of the protagonist, which makes us closer to the hero.

In the story, fantasy and simple life coexist together. Sometimes it seems that only you Nikolai reveals his personality, his soul, deeply immerses the reader in his inner world, shares his emotions. Youth was written in the form of autobiographical prose. I have an assumption that it was this kind of genre that made it easier for Leo Tolstoy to describe a picture of a turbulent flow of human thoughts. No wonder the Russian philosopher Nikolai Gavrilovich Chernyshevsky described the writer as a man who understood the souls of people.

In the introduction, Nikolai explains at what point youth began. Youth began when Nikolai thought that the goal of a person is the desire for self-improvement of his sixteen-year-old Kolenka, to prepare for the entrance exams for entering Moscow University. The young philosopher reflects on his purpose, on the future. He writes down all his thoughts in a special notebook, where he talks about the rules that, in his opinion, every person needs for self-improvement. He seeks his destiny in this hostile society, tries to prove his independence from everyone. Move away from public opinion, from the stereotypical thinking against which he is fighting. This confirms his character, independent and persistent.

Nikolai is in his youth. It is at this age that he begins to better understand his role in history and the meaning of society for a person, as well as to become aware of himself.

After passing the entrance exams well and successfully entering the university, our hero turns into a student of a narrow circle of friends. Able to analyze what is happening around him, his qualities become broader, and he better adapts to communication. The relationship between the intelligentsia and the common people is a big problem in Russia, which Nikolai is well aware of.

The protagonist noticed that secular society is head and shoulders above him with absolutely the same selfish demeanor towards his personality and himself, as he towards peasant people. He communicates well with students of different backgrounds, even if he did not like the speech of the interlocutor, he saw something good in these people, which attracts and inspires Nikolai. He liked talking to these people, it cheered him up. He understood that no matter what the origin of a person, his responsiveness, sociability and, most importantly, character, plays a major role in building an opinion about a person. Subsequently, he himself becomes the main enemy, fighting for morality. The fact is, he is still attracted to the mores of aristocratic life, tied to him by people from above. He takes everything around him to heart, self-critically reproaching himself for being petty, helpless and cowardly.

Option 2

"Youth" is the final part of the trilogy by L.N. Tolstoy, work on which the author completed in September 56. The writer revised the story three times, and even the last version was dissatisfied.

The autobiographical story became a natural and logical continuation of the first two parts "Childhood" and "Adolescence". One gets the first impression that nothing has changed in the life of the matured hero. However, the Crimean War influenced the views of the writer and this was reflected in the work. The hero evaluates what is happening around him and himself critically and incredulously, the ideas and feelings of the author, captured in his diary, are reflected in the story of Lev Nikolayevich.

The reader identifies the hero of the story with Tolstoy himself, through Nikolenka's thoughts the author's speculations and ideas are transmitted, which change over time, life goals increase, the writer's spirituality grows.

So, in the chapter "Spring" the reader expects a description of nature, however, the main goal is far from the desire to paint the awakening of nature. Before us is a symbol of the birth of a renewed person, his transformation.

Striving for spiritual renewal and self-improvement, Nikolenka goes to the monastery to confess his sin, which he forgot about during his previous visit. The indifference of the cabbies to his zeal strikes the young hero unpleasantly. He feels his superiority over these peasants, and self-esteem and pride - these are the sins with which the young man wages an unsuccessful struggle, take possession of him again.

The hero constantly analyzes his actions and thoughts, is ready to convict himself of insincerity and lies. Nikolenka Ignatiev strives for the truth, constant self-examination leads to dissatisfaction with himself. Dmitry Nekhlyudov, a friend of the hero, is also concerned about the purity of thoughts, and their communication makes the hero think about the issues of life, about moral duty.

Volodya and his friend Dubkov become the complete opposite of Dmitry. They are far from Dmitry's thoughts, his actions are incomprehensible to them, therefore they become the subject of ridicule. These self-satisfied young people take life very lightly; Nekhlyudov's demanding seriousness seems like country to them.

There is a certain duality in the main character. On the one hand, this is a desire for purity of thoughts, for the love of all people, and on the other hand, a desire, if not to be better, then at least no worse than those who grew up with him in the same environment. So, having entered the university, he expresses a desire to have a trotter and flaunt a personal coachman at an opportunity. The lordly habits, from which the hero has not yet got rid of, do not allow the hero to be fully identified with the author, who never disdained the peasants, small dealers and workers.

Heroes appear in the story that influence Nikolenka's peculiar insight. So it turns out that for a good education it is not at all necessary to be educated at home, to have personal tutors. Peers who did not have such opportunities have no worse knowledge, and sometimes even have more knowledge.

The characters Semyonov and Zukhin appear in the life of the hero, and Nikolenka should learn from them a disdainful attitude towards secular habits. In addition, Zukhin's superiority in knowledge of physics and literature makes the hero feel a hidden confrontation.

Which of the characters is closer, which path to follow is the choice of the hero and the reader. You can follow the path of Dubkov, who lives in an unusually comfortable apartment. However, the description of comfort makes this apartment a primitive way of life, so insignificant before the possibility of spiritual development. So, the metaphorical "cardboard animal heads" turn the abundance of paintings, wallpapers, pistols and other things into a primitive life, a fake.

The search for truth and lies, the real and the fake is extremely important for Tolstoy and is reflected throughout the writer's entire career. In Youth, true feelings and false ones are tested by love for the hero. Love for the girl, whom he coldly recalls, or rather makes him remember her, and love for his father's house, which he recalls with sincere feelings and warmth. For the reader there are no riddles, where is the truth and where is the lie.

In Russian classical literature, there are two works with the same name - these are the stories "Childhood" written by L. Tolstoy and, later, M. Gorky. Both works are autobiographical - in them the writers talk about their childhood, the people around them, the conditions in which they were brought up.
Why did Tolstoy and Gorky decide to address this particular period of their lives? What did they want to tell the reader? I think both writers considered childhood to be one of the most important stages in a person's life, when he gets to know the world around him, learns to love and hate, decides what is better - good or evil. In childhood, according to Tolstoy and Gorky, the character of the child is laid, which is why it is so important that this time be happy.
It is about a happy childhood that Tolstoy tells us in his story. We see that the main character Nikolenka is surrounded by people who love him - mother, tutor Karl Ivanovich, nanny, father, brothers and sisters, grandmother. They all take care of the boy, strive to do everything to make him happy.
Of course, in the life of Nikolenka there are also disappointments, failures, disappointments. However, he draws the right conclusions from them. This is also the idea that there is no need to offend those who love you (remember the episode with Karl Ivanovich) or who are weaker than you (the episode with Ilenka Grap). This is the idea that the value of a person is measured by his spiritual qualities, and not by his social position (episode with the nanny Natalya Savishna). This is a bitter discovery that loved ones will not always be with you, that they are mortal (the death of a beloved mother) and so on.
We encounter a completely different childhood in Gorky's story. Her hero Alyosha is not as lucky as Nikolenka. After the death of his father, Alyosha ended up in his grandfather's family, where severe morals reigned. Here, no one took care of the children, did not give them love and affection, as in the Nikolenka family. Each of the Kashirins lived on his own, considering even members of his family as enemies. Therefore, scandals, quarrels, fights often happened in the grandfather's house.
Of course, such an environment oppressed the little hero. Living in his grandfather's house would have been completely unbearable for him if it were not for his grandmother, who became Alyosha's "beam of light". Only she gave her grandson the love, affection, care that he needed so much. Without them, I think Alyosha would have turned into an embittered or lost person, like many around him. And this hero found the strength to remain kind, fair, merciful. And in this he is similar to Nikolenka Irtenyev, who also always strove for goodness and justice.
Thus, the stories "Childhood" written by Tolstoy and Gorky are not only examples of "high" literature. These are also valuable psychological documents that reveal the inner world of the child, reliably and vividly convey his experiences, show what influences the formation of the character of a small person.
Tolstoy and Gorky can be called humanist writers with full confidence, because in their work they call for a humane attitude towards children, for showing attention, care, and love. That is why, it seems to me, their stories "Childhood" are among the best works of domestic and world literature.