Description of Yolkov in the story garnet bracelet. The image and characteristics of Zheltkov in the story Kuprin’s garnet bracelet essay. Essay by Yolks with portrait characteristics
"GARNET BRACELET"
Another work that moved me, called “Garnet Bracelet,” also shows true love. In this work, Kuprin depicts the fragility and insecurity of high human feelings. G. S. Zheltkov is one of the employees in a government institution. He has been in love with Vera Nikolaevna Sheina for eight years, but his feelings are unrequited. Zheltkov wrote love letters to Vera even before Vera’s marriage. But no one knew who was sending them, since Zheltkov signed with the initials “P. P.Zh.” They assumed that he was abnormal, crazy, crazy, “manic.” But this was a man who truly loved. Zheltkov’s love was unselfish, selfless, not waiting for reward, “love for which to accomplish any feat, to give one’s life, to go to torment is not work at all, but one joy.” This is exactly what Zheltkov’s love for Vera was. In his life, he loved only her and no one else. Faith for him was the only joy in life, the only consolation, “the only thought.” And since his love had no future, it was hopeless, he committed suicide.
The heroine is married, but she loves her husband, and, on the contrary, she does not feel any feelings towards Mr. Zheltkov except annoyance. And Zheltkov himself seems to us at first to be just a vulgar suitor. This is how both Vera and her family perceive him. But in the story about a calm and happy life, disturbing notes flash: this is the fatal love of Vera’s husband’s brother; the love and adoration that her husband has for Vera’s sister; the failed love of Vera’s grandfather, it is this general who says that true love should be a tragedy, but in life it is vulgarized, everyday life and various kinds of conventions interfere. He tells two stories (one of them even somewhat resembles the plot of “The Duel”), where true love turns into a farce. Listening to this story, Vera has already received a garnet bracelet with a bloody stone, which should protect her from misfortune, and could save her former owner from violent death. It is with this gift that the reader’s attitude towards Zheltkov changes. He sacrifices everything for his love: career, money, peace of mind. And doesn't require anything in return.
But again, empty secular conventions destroy even this illusory happiness. Nikolai, Vera’s brother-in-law, who once surrendered his love to these prejudices, now demands the same from Zheltkov, he threatens him with prison, the court of society, and his connections. But Zheltkov reasonably objects: what can all these threats do to his love? Unlike Nikolai (and Romashov), he is ready to fight and defend his feelings. The barriers put up by society mean nothing to him. Just for the sake of the peace of his beloved, he is ready to give up love, but along with his life: he commits suicide.
Now Vera understands what she has lost. If Shurochka gave up feeling for the sake of well-being and did it consciously, then Vera simply did not see the big feeling. But in the end, she didn’t want to see him, she preferred peace and a familiar life (although nothing was demanded of her) and by this she seemed to have betrayed the man who loved her. But true love is generous - it was forgiven.
According to Kuprin himself, the “Garnet Bracelet” is his most “chaste” thing. Kuprin turned the traditional plot about a small official and a woman of secular society into a poem about unrequited love, sublime, selfless, selfless.
The owner of spiritual wealth and beauty of feeling in the story is a poor man - the official Zheltkov, who sincerely loved Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina for seven years. “For him there was no life without you,” the princess’s husband, Prince Vasily, said about Zheltkov. Zheltkov loved Sheina without the slightest hope of reciprocity. It was lucky for him that she read his letters. Zheltkov loved all the little things associated with her. He kept the handkerchief she had forgotten, the program she kept, the note in which the princess forbade her to write. He worshiped these things as believers worship holy relics. “I mentally bow to the ground of the furniture on which you sit, the parquet floor on which you walk, the trees that you touch in passing, the servants with whom you speak.” Zheltkov deified the princess, even when he was dying: “When leaving, I say in delight: “Hallowed be Thy name.” In the boring life of a petty official, in the constant struggle for life, working for a piece of bread, this sudden feeling was, in the words of the hero himself, “... enormous happiness... love with which God was pleased to reward me for something.”
Princess Vera’s brother was unable to understand Zheltkov, but her husband, Prince Vasily Lvovich, appreciated this man’s feelings, although he was forced by the laws of decency to stop this story. He foresaw a tragic end: “It seemed to me that I was present at enormous suffering from which people were dying,” he confesses to Vera.
Princess Vera at first treated G.S.Zh.’s letters and gifts with some contempt, then pity for the unfortunate lover stirred in her soul. After Zheltkov’s death, “...she realized that the love that every woman dreams of had passed her by.”
Vera came to terms with herself after Zheltkov’s death only after, at the request of the man who committed suicide for her, she listened to “Beethoven’s best work” - the Second Sonata. The music seemed to speak to her on behalf of Zheltkov’s soul: “You and I love each other only for one moment, but forever.” And Vera feels that in the soul of the poor man at the hour of death, neither anger, nor hatred, nor even resentment really stirred to her, the culprit of great happiness and great tragedy in Zheltkov’s life, and that he died loving and blessing his beloved.
Kuprin showed in his story “The Garnet Bracelet” bright human feelings, contrasted with the callousness of the surrounding world.
In the story “The Garnet Bracelet,” Kuprin, with all the power of his skill, develops the idea of true love. He does not want to come to terms with vulgar, practical views on love and marriage, drawing our attention to these problems in a rather unusual way, equating to an ideal feeling. Through the mouth of General Anosov, he says: “...People in our time have forgotten how to love! I don't see true love. I didn’t even see it in my time.” What is this? Call? Isn't what we feel the truth? We have calm, moderate happiness with the person we need. What more? According to Kuprin, “Love must be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world! No life’s conveniences, calculations and compromises should concern her.” Only then can love be called a real feeling, completely true and moral.
I still cannot forget the impression Zheltkov’s feelings made on me. How much he loved Vera Nikolaevna that he could commit suicide! This is crazy! Loving Princess Sheina “for seven years with a hopeless and polite love,” he, without ever meeting her, talking about his love only in letters, suddenly commits suicide! Not because Vera Nikolaevna’s brother is going to turn to the authorities, and not because his gift - a garnet bracelet - was returned. (It is a symbol of deep fiery love and at the same time a terrible bloody sign of death.) And, probably, not because he squandered government money. For Zheltkov there was simply no other choice. He loved a married woman so much that he could not help but think about her for a minute, and exist without remembering her smile, her look, the sound of her walk. He himself tells Vera’s husband: “Only one thing remains - death... You want me to accept it in any form.” The terrible thing is that he was pushed to this decision by Vera Nikolaevna’s brother and husband, who came to demand that their family be left alone. They turned out to be indirectly responsible for his death. They had the right to demand peace, but Nikolai Nikolaevich’s threat to turn to the authorities was unacceptable, even ridiculous. How can the government prohibit a person from loving?
Kuprin’s ideal is “selfless, selfless love, not expecting a reward,” one for which you can give your life and endure anything. It was with this kind of love that happens once every thousand years that Zheltkov loved. This was his need, the meaning of life, and he proved this: “I knew neither complaint, nor reproach, nor the pain of pride, I have only one prayer before you: “Hallowed be your name.” These words, with which his soul was filled, are felt by Princess Vera in the sounds of Beethoven’s immortal sonata. They cannot leave us indifferent and instill in us an unbridled desire to strive for the same incomparably pure feeling. Its roots go back to morality and spiritual harmony in a person... Princess Vera did not regret that this love, “which every woman dreams of, passed her by.” She cries because her soul is filled with admiration for sublime, almost unearthly feelings.
A person who could love so much must have some special worldview. Although Zheltkov was just a small official, he turned out to be above social norms and standards. People like them are elevated by people's rumors to the rank of saints, and the bright memory of them lives on for a long time.
The dramatic events that happened to the main characters will not leave anyone indifferent. Unrequited love took the life of a wonderful man who was unable to come to terms with the fact that he could never be with the woman he loved. The image and characterization of Zheltkov in the story “Garnet Bracelet” is key. From his example you can see that true love exists regardless of time and era.
Zheltkov- the main character of the work. Full name unknown. There is an assumption that his name was George. The man always signed documents with the three letters G.S.ZH. Works as an official. For many years he has been unrequitedly in love with Vera Sheina, a married lady.
Image
A young man about 35 years old.
“...he must have been about thirty, thirty-five years old...”
Thin, emaciated. Tall. Long, soft hair hung down over her shoulders. Zheltkov looks sick. Perhaps this is due to the overly pale complexion.
“very pale, with a gentle girlish face, blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle...”
The official wore a light mustache with a reddish tint. Thin, nervous fingers were in constant motion, which betrayed nervousness and imbalance.
Characteristic
Zheltkov was a wonderful person. Well-mannered, tactful, modest. Over the years that he rented an apartment, he became almost a son to the landlady.
The man did not have his own family. There is only a brother.
Not rich. He lived very modestly, not allowing himself any excesses. The salary of a minor official was not high, there was not much to go around.
Decent. Noble.
“I immediately recognized you as a noble person...”
Honest. Sincere. You can always rely on people like him. He won't let you down, he won't deceive you. Incapable of betrayal.
Loves music. Favorite composer Beethoven.
Love in Zheltkov's life
Several years ago, Zheltkov fell in love with Vera after seeing her at the opera. At that time she was not married. He didn't have the courage to verbally admit his feelings. He wrote letters to her, but Vera asked not to bother her anymore. She really didn't like his importunity. Instead of a reciprocal feeling, a wave of irritation rose in the woman. For some time he fell silent, not making any mention of himself, until the time came for Vera’s name day celebration. At the holiday, she receives an expensive gift, the sender of which was the hopelessly in love Zheltkov. With his gift, he showed that feelings had not cooled down. Only now did he understand everything and realize that the letters were stupid and impudent. He repented and asked for forgiveness. Faith became the meaning of life for him. He couldn't breathe without her. She is the only joy that brightens up gray everyday life. His letter was read by Vera’s husband and brother. At the family council, it was decided to stop his love impulses by returning the bracelet and asking him not to bother their family anymore. Vera herself told him about this over the phone. This was a heavy blow for the poor guy. He could not bear it, deciding to die forever, choosing a terrible method for this - suicide.
Sections: Literature
Lesson type: lesson on learning new material.
Type of lesson: lesson-conversation.
The purpose of the lesson: to identify the originality of the solution to the love theme in the work of A.I. Kuprina.
Educational:
- deepen students’ understanding of the artistic originality of A. I. Kuprin’s prose;
- introduce students to the history of the creation of the story “The Garnet Bracelet”;
- based on direct impressions from reading the story, conduct a comprehensive analysis of the work, considering the problems of the story, its plot and compositional features, and the originality of artistic images.
Educational:
- improve students’ skills in analyzing a work of art, developing the ability to identify the main, significant moments in the development of an action, determine their role in revealing the theme and idea of the work, and draw independent conclusions; develop literary text research skills; comparative analysis, detailed answers to questions; enrichment of students' vocabulary;
- to form in students their own attitude to the events and characters of the story, thereby promoting the development of an active life position and the ability to defend their own point of view.
Educational:
- to cultivate the moral qualities of students using the example of the heroes of the story (inner beauty, nobility);
- form aesthetic perception using various types of art: literature, music, fine arts, cinema;
- cultivate an attentive attitude to the word.
Preparatory stage: students are divided into 4 groups.
Progress of the lesson
I. Organizational moment. Explanation of the goals and objectives of the lesson.
II. Introductory speech by the teacher.
“Kuprin has one cherished theme. He touches it chastely, reverently and nervously. Otherwise, you can’t touch it. This is the theme of love...”
“The great power of love!” – this is exactly what the topic of our lesson sounds like. The theme of love has always been, is and will be one of the most pressing topics for all humanity.
One of the most fragrant and yearning stories about love - and the saddest - is Kuprin's "Garnet Bracelet"
“Love has thousands of stories, and each of them has its own light, its own sadness, its own happiness and its own fragrance.”
(K.G. Paustovsky)
One of these “plots” will be the subject of our attention today.
We will focus on the analysis of A.I. Kuprin’s story “The Garnet Bracelet”.
III. Analysis of Kuprin’s story “Garnet Bracelet”.
Teacher:
V. Lvov-Rogachevsky: “Kuprin’s work reflected life in all its endless diversity, not so much life as a whole, but in fragments, in a whirlwind of accidents... He has the greed of a collector, only he collects not rare coins, but rare incidents of life.” Familiarity with the history of the creation of this work will allow us to verify the authenticity of V. Lvov-Rogachevsky’s words.
1.Student’s message “The history of the creation of A. I. Kuprin’s story”(student’s individual homework).
Teacher:
2. “Garnet Bracelet” has an unusual creative history. Work on the story began in the fall of 1910 in Odessa. At this time, Kuprin often visited the family of the Odessa doctor L. Ya. Meisels and listened to Beethoven’s Second Sonata performed by his wife. The musical work captivated Alexander Ivanovich so much that work on the story began with him writing down the epigraph. “L. van Beethoven. 2 Son. (op. 2, no. 2). Largo Appassionato.” Beethoven's Sonata "Appassionata", one of the most intense, languid, passionate creations of human genius in music, awakened Kuprin to literary creativity. The sounds of the sonata were combined in his imagination with the story of the bright love that he witnessed.
(Listen to the fragment “Appassionata”)
3. Analytical conversation of a comparative nature.
How did Kuprin artistically transform the real story he heard? (Kuprin embodied in his creation the ideal of beautiful, omnipotent, but not mutual love, showed that a “little man” is capable of a great, all-encompassing feeling. Kuprin ended the story with the death of the hero, which made Vera Nikolaevna think about love, about feeling, made her worry , sympathize, which she has not done before.)
Why do you think Kuprin artistically transformed the real story?
Do you think the writer achieved his intention?
4. Quiz on the work.
Before we directly move on to discussing the story, revealing the main themes, and discussing the characters’ characters, we will conduct a special quiz. Her questions will help you remember the details of the work, and your answers will show how carefully you read the story “The Garnet Bracelet” and how well you remember its contents:
1. What time of year does the story take place? (Autumn, September.)
2. Where do the events of the story take place? (Black Sea city.)
3. What is the name of the main character? (Princess Vera Sheina.)
4. Princess Sheina’s surname before marriage? (Mirza-Bulat-Tuganovskaya.)
5. Who was Vera Sheina’s ancestor? (Tamerlane.)
6. What is the name of Vera’s sister? (Anna Friesse.)
7. What is the name of Princess Vera’s husband? (Prince Vasily Lvovich.)
8. His position? (Leader of the nobility.)
9. What date was the name day of Princess Vera Sheina? (September 17.)
10. What did her husband give her? (Earrings made of pear-shaped pearls.)
11. What did your sister give Vera? (A notebook in an “amazing binding.”)
12. What was the name of the famous pianist, Vera’s friend? (Zhenya Reuter.)
13. Who gave the bracelet with garnets? (Zheltkov.)
14. What does faith compare deep red pomegranates to? (Exactly blood.)
15. Who is Zheltkov? (A telegraph operator in love with faith.)
16. What does his owner call Zheltkov? (“Pan Ezhiy.”)
17. Zheltkov’s real name? (George.)
18. About whom Kuprin wrote: “...took after her mother, a beautiful Englishwoman, with her tall flexible figure, gentle but cold and proud face, beautiful, although rather large hands, and that charming sloping shoulders that can be seen in ancient miniatures...” (about Princess Vera).
19. What was the name of the husband of Anna, Vera’s sister? (Gustav Ivanovich.)
20. Whose portrait is this? “She was half a head shorter, somewhat broad in the shoulders, lively and frivolous, a mocker. Her face was of a very Mongolian type with quite noticeable cheekbones, with narrow eyes... captivating with some elusive and incomprehensible charm...” (Anna)
21. About whom Kuprin writes: “... very pale, with a gentle girlish face, with blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle; he must have been about thirty, thirty-five years old”? (about Zheltkov.)
22. What kind of music is heard in the work? (Beethoven's Second Sonata.)
23. Whose portrait is this? “A corpulent, tall, silvery old man, heavily getting off the step... He had a large, rough, red face with a fleshy nose and with that good-natured, stately, slightly contemptuous expression in his narrowed eyes... which is characteristic of courageous and simple people...” ( General Anosov).
24. About whom does the author write: “..she hugged the acacia trunk, pressed herself against it and cried...”? (about Vera Sheina.)
25. Who owns the following words: “Where is love?” Is love unselfish, selfless, not waiting for reward? The one about whom it is said “strong as death”?
5. Work in groups.
What is a group? This is a song, a song that is only sung in the choir.
Where eyes and hands are always together, the truth is born in a creative dispute!
Exercise 1.
Let's talk about what you understand love to be and what it can be.
First group: What positive feelings can LOVE cause?
(Love is a sublime feeling, beautiful, extraordinary, love is capable of conquering everything, is capable of raising a person to the pinnacle of bliss, making a person work on himself. It is impossible to live without love)
Second group: What negative feelings can LOVE cause?
(love is a feeling that brings pain, disappointment, self-doubt, love can destroy a person, force him to commit madness, love throws a person into the abyss of grief. It is better to live without love.)
Third group: Choose epithets for the word LOVE .
(Love is kind, soft, mutual, creative, joyful, happy, tragic, fatal, painful, unrequited, destructive.)
Fourth group: Working with dictionaries
Let's turn to explanatory dictionaries of the Russian language and see what definition linguists give to “LOVE”.
Love is:
Love is an intimate and deep feeling, a desire for another person, a human community or an idea. (Large encyclopedic dictionary.)
Love is 1) deep emotional attraction, a strong heartfelt feeling; 2) a feeling of deep affection, selfless and sincere affection; 3) a constant, strong inclination, passion for something; 4) the object of love (one or she whom someone loves, to whom he feels attraction, affection); 5) addiction, taste for something. (Explanatory dictionary of S.I. Ozhegov.)
Love – 1) a feeling of affection based on common interests, ideals, and the willingness to devote one’s strength to a common cause. 2) An inclination, disposition, or attraction to something. (Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, edited by D.N. Ushakov.)
Teacher:
We see that in each definition the words sound: deep feeling; strong heart feeling; feeling of affection; inclination, disposition.
Kuprin himself spoke about love like this: “a feeling that has not yet found an interpretation.”
But not a single definition has an exact indication of whether love is happiness or misfortune.
How can this be determined? Let us turn to the story by A.I. Kuprin “Garnet Bracelet” and try to find out
Task 2.
First group: How does the princess appear to the readers in the first chapters of the story? (Coldness, indifference, royal calm, a sense of superiority.)
Second group: Is she capable of ardent, passionate love? (In her youth and early youth, the princess was capable of a strong, all-consuming feeling, but now she has changed, and “the former passionate love for her husband has long turned into a feeling of lasting, faithful, true friendship.”)
Third group: What role does Beethoven’s music play in the work? (The music is in amazing harmony with the experiences of Vera, in whose soul the words ring: “Hallowed be Thy name.” In these gentle sounds there is life, which “humblely and joyfully doomed itself to torment, suffering and death.” Zheltkov’s last memories are covered with sweet sadness, moments of happiness become eternity for him) Beethoven’s Sonata No. 2 is “an exceptional, unique work of depth.”)
Fourth group : “Love” and “infatuation”: how do these concepts differ?
Task 3.
The person who fell in love with Vera Nikolaevna so much was a simple man, an official of the control chamber, G.S. Zheltkov.
First group: How do we find out about Zheltkov’s love? Who's talking about her? (We learn about Zheltkov’s love for the first time from the stories of Prince Shein. For the prince, truth is intertwined with fiction. For him, this is a funny story. The image of Zheltkov in the prince’s stories undergoes changes: a telegraph operator - dresses up as a chimney sweep - becomes a dishwasher - turns into a monk - dies tragically, leaving a will after death.)
Second group: How was Zheltkov’s gift different from all the others? Why did Vera Nikolaevna feel anxious? (The garnet bracelet is a symbol of love, reverent, endless and hopeless, and tragedy in the fate of the hero.)
Third group: Love without reciprocity: happiness or tragedy? (Zheltkov admits that he “cut an uncomfortable wedge” into Vera’s life and is eternally grateful to her just for the fact that she exists. His love is not a disease, not a manic idea, but a reward sent by God. His tragedy is hopeless, he is a dead man.)
Fourth group: How does Zheltkov appear in his suicide letter?
Task 4.
First group: When does the conversation about true love come up for the first time? (In a conversation with Anosov. He believes that in his time people forgot how to love.)
Second group: To love and be loved? What's better?
Third group: What is the story of General Anosov? Why is it given in such detail?
Anosov knows what love is at first sight. But his wife left him. “People in our time have forgotten how to love,” says the general. “I don’t see real love. And I didn’t see it in my time.” Anosov talks about why people get married. Women have “the desire to be a housewife, the head of the house, independent... In addition, the need for motherhood, and to start building your own nest.” Men have other motives - “tiredness from a single life, from a mess in the rooms... from debts, from unceremonious comrades... You feel that living as a family is more profitable, healthier and more economical... you think: the kids will come, - I I’ll die, but a part of me will still remain in the world... sometimes I even think about a dowry.” As we see, the motives for marriage of people who lived at the beginning of the 20th century differ little from the aspirations of our contemporaries... Through the mouth of his hero, Kuprin exclaims: “Where is love? Selfless, selfless love, not waiting for reward? about which it is said - “strong as death. Every woman dreams of love, “united, forgiving, ready for everything, modest and selfless.” This is the ideal of love according to Kuprin. But achieving the ideal is difficult, almost impossible. They take revenge on themselves and others.
Fourth group: Does ideal love exist?
Old General Anosov, who is sure that high love exists, but it “... must be a tragedy, the greatest secret in the world,” without compromise.
Kuprin: true love is the basis of everything earthly. It should not be isolated, undivided, it should be based on high sincere feelings, strive for the ideal. Love is stronger than death, it elevates a person.
What is the fate of the garnet bracelet? (The unhappy lover asked to hang a bracelet - a symbol of holy love - on the icon.)
6. Work with the statements of the characters in the story.
The heroes of the story express their opinions about love. Here are the statements of the heroes of the story. Whose point of view is closer to you and why?
Anosov: “Love must be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world! No life’s conveniences, calculations and compromises should concern her.”
Vera Nikolaevna: “And what is this: love or madness?”
Zheltkov: “... this is not a disease, not a manic idea - this is love with which God was pleased to reward me for something... “Hallowed be your name...”
Shein: “... is it possible to control such a feeling as love - a feeling that has not yet found an interpretation”
IV. Summing up the lesson.
The small package was kept in a case.
For Princess Vera Nikolaevna,
There was a garnet bracelet in it,
A stone birthday gift...Framed in gold frames,
Let them be cheap, of low standard,
A green pebble, like a count,
I was amazed by the special glow...He hid a living fire within himself -
Amulet from death and deception,
He called the owner: “Just touch me with your finger,
The future will emerge from the fog..."Beethoven's tune will sound
The third part of "Appasionata",
And the words: “I love you as long as you live!” -
They will repeat grenades for a long time...
Introduction
“The Garnet Bracelet” is one of the most famous stories by Russian prose writer Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin. It was published in 1910, but for the domestic reader it still remains a symbol of unselfish, sincere love, the kind that girls dream about, and the one that we so often miss. Previously, we published a summary of this wonderful work. In this same publication we will tell you about the main characters, analyze the work and talk about its problems.
The events of the story begin to unfold on the birthday of Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina. They celebrate at the dacha with their closest people. At the height of the fun, the hero of the occasion receives a gift - a garnet bracelet. The sender decided to remain unrecognized and signed the short note only with the initials of the HSG. However, everyone immediately guesses that this is Vera’s long-time admirer, a certain petty official who has been inundating her with love letters for many years. The princess's husband and brother quickly figure out the identity of the annoying suitor and the next day they go to his home.
In a wretched apartment they are met by a timid official named Zheltkov, he meekly agrees to take the gift and promises never to appear in front of the respectable family again, provided that he makes a final farewell call to Vera and makes sure that she does not want to know him. Vera Nikolaevna, of course, asks Zheltkov to leave her. The next morning the newspapers will write that a certain official took his own life. In his farewell note, he wrote that he had squandered government property.
Main characters: characteristics of key images
Kuprin is a master of portraiture, and through appearance he draws the character of the characters. The author pays a lot of attention to each character, devoting a good half of the story to portrait characteristics and memories, which are also revealed by the characters. The main characters of the story are:
- – princess, central female image;
- - her husband, the prince, the provincial leader of the nobility;
- - a minor official of the control chamber, passionately in love with Vera Nikolaevna;
- Anna Nikolaevna Friesse– Vera’s younger sister;
- Nikolai Nikolaevich Mirza-Bulat-Tuganovsky– brother of Vera and Anna;
- Yakov Mikhailovich Anosov- general, military comrade of Vera’s father, close friend of the family.
Vera is an ideal representative of high society in appearance, manners, and character.
“Vera took after her mother, a beautiful Englishwoman, with her tall, flexible figure, gentle but cold and proud face, beautiful, albeit rather large hands and that charming sloping shoulders that can be seen in ancient miniatures.”
Princess Vera was married to Vasily Nikolaevich Shein. Their love had long ceased to be passionate and moved into that calm stage of mutual respect and tender friendship. Their union was happy. The couple did not have children, although Vera Nikolaevna passionately wanted a baby, and therefore gave all her unspent feelings to the children of her younger sister.
Vera was royally calm, coldly kind to everyone, but at the same time very funny, open and sincere with close people. She was not characterized by such feminine tricks as affectation and coquetry. Despite her high status, Vera was very prudent, and knowing how poorly things were going for her husband, she sometimes tried to deprive herself so as not to put him in an uncomfortable position.
Vera Nikolaevna’s husband is a talented, pleasant, gallant, noble person. He has an amazing sense of humor and is a brilliant storyteller. Shein keeps a home journal, which contains true stories with pictures about the life of the family and those close to them.
Vasily Lvovich loves his wife, perhaps not as passionately as in the first years of marriage, but who knows how long passion actually lasts? The husband deeply respects her opinion, feelings, and personality. He is compassionate and merciful to others, even those who are much lower in status than him (this is evidenced by his meeting with Zheltkov). Shein is noble and endowed with the courage to admit mistakes and his own wrongness.
We first meet Official Zheltkov towards the end of the story. Until this moment, he is present in the work invisibly in the grotesque image of a klutz, an eccentric, a fool in love. When the long-awaited meeting finally takes place, we see before us a meek and shy person, it is customary to not notice such people and call them “little”:
“He was tall, thin, with long, fluffy, soft hair.”
His speeches, however, are devoid of the chaotic whims of a madman. He is fully aware of his words and actions. Despite his apparent cowardice, this man is very courageous; he boldly tells the prince, Vera Nikolaevna’s legal husband, that he is in love with her and cannot do anything about it. Zheltkov does not fawn over the rank and position in society of his guests. He submits, but not to fate, but only to his beloved. And he also knows how to love – selflessly and sincerely.
“It so happened that I am not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people - for me life lies only in you. I now feel that I have crashed into your life like some kind of uncomfortable wedge. If you can, forgive me for this.”
Analysis of the work
Kuprin got the idea for his story from real life. In reality, the story was more of an anecdotal nature. A certain poor telegraph operator named Zheltikov was in love with the wife of one of the Russian generals. One day this eccentric was so brave that he sent his beloved a simple gold chain with a pendant in the shape of an Easter egg. It's hilarious and that's it! Everyone laughed at the stupid telegraph operator, but the inquisitive writer’s mind decided to look beyond the anecdote, because real drama can always be hidden behind the apparent curiosity.
Also in “The Pomegranate Bracelet,” the Sheins and their guests first make fun of Zheltkov. Vasily Lvovich even has a funny story about this in his home magazine called “Princess Vera and the telegraph operator in love.” People tend not to think about other people's feelings. The Sheins were not bad, callous, soulless (this is proven by the metamorphosis in them after meeting Zheltkov), they just did not believe that the love that the official admitted could exist..
There are many symbolic elements in the work. For example, a garnet bracelet. Garnet is a stone of love, anger and blood. If a feverish person picks it up (a parallel with the expression “love fever”), the stone will take on a more saturated hue. According to Zheltkov himself, this special type of pomegranate (green pomegranate) gives women the gift of foresight, and protects men from violent death. Zheltkov, having parted with his amulet bracelet, dies, and Vera unexpectedly predicts his death.
Another symbolic stone - pearls - also appears in the work. Vera receives pearl earrings as a gift from her husband on the morning of her name day. Pearls, despite their beauty and nobility, are an omen of bad news.
The weather also tried to predict something bad. On the eve of the fateful day, a terrible storm broke out, but on the birthday everything calmed down, the sun came out and the weather was calm, like a calm before a deafening clap of thunder and an even stronger storm.
Problems of the story
The key problem of the work is the question “What is true love?” In order for the “experiment” to be pure, the author gives different types of “love”. This is the tender love-friendship of the Sheins, and the calculating, convenient love of Anna Friesse for her indecently rich old man-husband, who blindly adores her soul mate, and the long-forgotten ancient love of General Amosov, and the all-consuming love-worship of Zheltkov for Vera.
The main character herself cannot understand for a long time whether it is love or madness, but looking into his face, albeit hidden by the mask of death, she is convinced that it was love. Vasily Lvovich draws the same conclusions after meeting his wife’s admirer. And if at first he was somewhat belligerent, then later he could not be angry with the unfortunate man, because, it seems, a secret was revealed to him, which neither he, nor Vera, nor their friends could comprehend.
People are selfish by nature and even in love, they think first of all about their feelings, masking their own egocentrism from their other half and even themselves. True love, which occurs between a man and a woman once every hundred years, puts the beloved first. So Zheltkov calmly lets Vera go, because that’s the only way she will be happy. The only problem is that he doesn’t need life without her. In his world, suicide is a completely natural step.
Princess Sheina understands this. She sincerely mourns Zheltkov, a man whom she practically did not know, but, oh my God, perhaps true love, which occurs once every hundred years, passed her by.
“I am eternally grateful to you just for the fact that you exist. I checked myself - this is not a disease, not a manic idea - this is love with which God was pleased to reward me for something... Leaving, I say in delight: “Hallowed be Thy name.”
Place in literature: Literature of the 20th century → Russian literature of the 20th century → Works of Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin → The story “Garnet Bracelet” (1910)
Zheltkov G.S. (apparently, Georgy is “Pan Ezhiy”)- appears in the story only towards the end: “very pale, with a gentle girlish face, blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle; He must have been about thirty, thirty-five years old.” Along with Princess Vera, he can be called the main character of the story. The beginning of the conflict is when Princess Vera received on September 17, her name day, a letter signed with the initials “G. S. Zh.”, and a garnet bracelet in a red case.
It was a gift from a then stranger to Vera Zh., who fell in love with her seven years ago, wrote letters, then, at her request, stopped bothering her, but now confessed his love again. In the letter, Zh. explained that the old silver bracelet once belonged to his grandmother, then all the stones were transferred to a new, gold bracelet. J. repents that he previously “dared to write stupid and impudent letters” and adds: “Now only reverence, eternal admiration and slavish devotion remain in me.” One of the guests at the name day, for the sake of entertainment, presents the love story of the telegraph operator, P.P.Zh. (distorted G.S.Zh.), to Vera in a comic form, stylized as a pulp novel. Another guest, a person close to the family, old General Anosov, suggests: “Maybe he’s just an abnormal fellow, a maniac.”<...>Maybe your path in life, Verochka, has been crossed by exactly the kind of love that women dream about and that men are no longer capable of.”
Under the influence of his brother-in-law, Vera’s husband, Prince Vasily Lvovich Shein, decides to return the bracelet and stop the correspondence. J. amazed Shein at the meeting with his sincerity. Zh., having asked Shein for permission, speaks on the phone with Vera, but she also asks to stop “this story.” Shein felt that he was present “at some enormous tragedy of the soul.” When he reports this to Vera, she predicts that J. will kill himself. Later, from a newspaper, she accidentally learned about the suicide of Zh., who referred in his suicide note to the embezzlement of government money. In the evening of the same day, she receives a farewell letter from J. He calls his love for Vera “an enormous happiness” sent to him by God. He admits that he “is not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people.” All life lies in love for Vera: “Even though I was ridiculous in your eyes and in the eyes of your brother<...>As I leave, I say in delight: Hallowed be Thy name.” Prince Shein admits: J. was not crazy and loved Vera very much and therefore was doomed to death. He allows Vera to say goodbye to J. Looking at the deceased, she “realized that the love that every woman dreams of has passed her by.” In the face of the dead ^K. she noticed “deep importance”, “deep and sweet mystery”, “peaceful expression”, which “she saw on the masks of the great sufferers - Pushkin and Napoleon.”
At home, Vera found a familiar pianist, Jenny Reiter, who played her exactly that passage from Beethoven’s second sonata that seemed to J. the most perfect - “Largo Appassionato”. And this music became an afterlife declaration of love addressed to Vera. Vera’s thoughts that “great love passed by” coincided with the music, each “verse” of which ended with the words: “Hallowed be Thy name.” At the very end of the story, Vera utters words that only she understands: “...he has forgiven me now. Everything is fine".
All the characters in the story, not excluding J., had real prototypes. Criticism pointed out, however, the connection between “The Garnet Bracelet” and the prose of the Norwegian writer Knut Hamsun.
