Character and type in literature: features, examples. Literary heroines who inspire us

CHARACTER (in literature) CHARACTER (in literature)

Artistic CHARACTER, the image of a person in a literary work, outlined with a certain completeness and individual certainty, through which both a historically determined type of behavior and the moral and aesthetic concept inherent in the author are revealed human existence. The principles and techniques of character reconstruction vary depending on the tragic, satirical and other ways of depicting life, on the literary type of the work and genre; they largely determine the face of a literary movement.

encyclopedic Dictionary . 2009 .

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When a new personality is born, it receives a unique character as a gift. Human nature can consist of traits inherited from parents, or it can manifest itself in a completely different, unexpected quality.

Nature not only determines behavioral reactions, it specifically influences the manner of communication, attitude towards others and oneself, and towards work. A person's character traits create a certain worldview in an individual.

A person’s behavioral reactions depend on character

These two definitions create confusion because they both play a role in shaping personality and behavior. In fact, character and temperament are heterogeneous:

1. Character is formed from a list of certain acquired qualities of a person’s mental make-up.
2. Temperament is a biological quality. Psychologists distinguish four types of it: choleric, melancholic, sanguine and phlegmatic.

Having the same temperament, individuals can have absolutely different character. But temperament has an important influence on the development of nature - smoothing or exacerbating it. Also, human nature directly affects temperament.

What is character

Psychologists, speaking about character, mean a certain combination of individual traits that are persistent in their expression. These traits have the maximum impact on the behavioral line of the individual in diverse relationships:

• among people;
• in the work team;
• to one's own personality;
• to the surrounding reality;
• to physical and mental labor.

The word "character" Greek origin, it means “to mint.” This definition was introduced into everyday use by the natural scientist of Ancient Greece, the philosopher Theophrastus. Such a word really, very accurately defines the nature of an individual.

The character seems to be drawn as a unique drawing; it gives birth to a unique stamp, which is worn by the individual in a single copy.

To put it simply, character is a set, a combination of stable individual mental characteristics.

How to understand nature

To understand what kind of nature an individual has, you need to analyze all his actions. It is behavioral reactions that determine examples of character and characterize personality.

But such a judgment is often subjective. A person does not always react the way his intuition tells him. Actions are influenced by upbringing life experience, customs of the environment where the person lives.

But you can understand what kind of character a person has. Observing and analyzing for a long time actions of a certain person, it is possible to identify individual, especially stable traits. If a person behaves the same way in completely different situations, showing similar reactions, makes the same decision, this indicates the presence of a certain nature.

Knowing which character traits are manifested and predominant in an individual, one can predict how he will manifest himself in a given situation.

Character and its traits

A character trait is an important part of a personality; it is a stable quality that determines the interaction between a person and the surrounding reality. This is the defining method of resolving emerging situations, therefore psychologists consider a personality trait as a predictable personal behavior.

A person acquires characteristics of character throughout his entire life; it is impossible to classify individual traits of nature as innate and characterological. To analyze and assess a personality, a psychologist not only determines the totality of individual characteristics, but also identifies their distinctive features.

It is character traits that are defined as primary in the study and compilation of psychological characteristics personality.

But, when defining and assessing a person, studying behavioral traits in social terms, the psychologist also uses knowledge of the meaningful orientation of nature. It is defined in:

• strength-weakness;
• breadth-narrowness;
• static-dynamic;
• integrity-contradiction;
• integrity-fragmentation.

Such nuances constitute a general, complete characteristic of a particular person.

List of personality traits

Human nature is a complex combination of unique traits that forms a unique system. This order includes the most striking, stable personal qualities, revealed in gradations of human-society relationships:

In addition to the character traits included by psychologists in the gradation of relationships ( a separate category) manifestations of nature in the moral, temperamental, cognitive and sthenic spheres were highlighted:

• moral: humanity, toughness, sincerity, good nature, patriotism, impartiality, responsiveness;
• temperamental: passion, sensuality, romance, liveliness, receptivity; passion, frivolity;
• intellectual (cognitive): analytical, flexible, inquisitive, resourceful, efficient, critical, thoughtful;
• sthenic (volitional): categoricalness, persistence, obstinacy, stubbornness, determination, timidity, courage, independence.

Many leading psychologists are inclined to believe that some personality traits should be divided into two categories:

1. Productive (motivational). Such traits push a person to perform certain actions and actions. These are goal-traits.
2. Instrumental. Giving personality during any activity individuality and method (manner) of action. These are methods-traits.

Gradation of character traits according to Allport

Allport's theory

The famous American psychologist Gordon Allport, an expert and developer of gradations of an individual’s personal characteristics, divided personality traits into three classes:

Dominant. Such traits most clearly reveal the behavioral form: actions, activities of a certain person. These include: kindness, selfishness, greed, secrecy, gentleness, modesty, greed.

Ordinary. They manifest themselves equally in all numerous areas of human life. These are: humanity, honesty, generosity, arrogance, altruism, egocentrism, cordiality, openness.

Secondary. These nuances do not have a particular impact on behavioral reactions. These are not dominant behavior. These include musicality, poetry, diligence, and diligence.

A strong relationship is formed between a person’s existing personality traits. This pattern forms the final character of the individual.

But any existing structure has its own hierarchy. The human warehouse was no exception. This nuance is observed in Allport’s proposed gradation structure, where minor features can be suppressed by dominant ones. But in order to predict an individual’s actions, it is necessary to focus on the entire set of personality traits.

What is typicality and individuality?

The manifestation of the nature of each person always reflects the individual and typical. This is a harmonious combination of personal qualities, because the typical serves as the basis for identifying the individual.

What's happened typical character . When a person has a certain set of traits that are the same (common) for a specific group of people, such a warehouse is called typical. It is like a mirror, reflecting the accepted and habitual conditions of existence of a particular group.

Also, typical features depend on the warehouse (a certain type of nature). They are also a condition for the emergence of a behavioral type of character into the category of which a person is “recorded.”

Having understood exactly what characteristics are inherent in a given personality, a person can be drawn up an average (typical) psychological portrait and assigned a certain type of temperament. For example:

Such typical character traits, corresponding to a certain temperament, are observed in each (to one degree or another) representative of the group.

Individual manifestation. Relationships between individuals always have an evaluative characteristic; they are manifested in a rich variety of behavioral reactions. For manifestation individual traits The individual is greatly influenced by emerging circumstances, the formed worldview and a certain environment.

This characteristic is reflected in the vividness of the individual's various typical features. They vary in intensity and develop individually for each individual.

Some typical traits manifest themselves so powerfully in a person that they become not just individual, but unique.

In this case, typicality develops, by definition, into individuality. This personality classification helps to identify negative characteristics individuals who prevent them from expressing themselves and achieving a certain position in society.

By working on himself, analyzing and correcting shortcomings in his own character, each person creates the life he strives for.

The reasons for the emergence of interest in Russian society in the spiritual and material manifestation of national identity, the “spirit of the people” are quite well known and are described in detail in the specialized literature: the collapse of the philosophy of rationalism in recent decades The 18th century predetermined the transition to new, “idealistic” worldview systems that discovered the intrinsic value of momentary phenomena and their constant dynamism; the establishment of a romantic way of creatively understanding reality made it possible to discover the undoubted aesthetic value of the folk principle, and Patriotic War 1812, clearly proved that the concepts of “people” and “national character” are not at all an invention, a philosophical or aesthetic abstraction, but a very real phenomenon, which has a very interesting and dramatic history.

It is not surprising that it is under the sign of “nationality” and the search for forms of its expression that almost the entire “golden age” of Russian literature passes.

If we consider Russian literature of the 19th – early 20th centuries. (at least using the example of the creativity of authors who invariably formed the backbone school curriculum) in relation to the concept of “national character”, the following should be noted.

1. For Russians artists of the XIX- beginning of the 20th century national character is a completely objective phenomenon real life, and not just an artistic generalization, a symbol, beautiful myth, and therefore the national character deserves careful and detailed study.

2. Like any phenomenon of real life, the national character is complex and contradictory, has both attractive and repulsive features, includes dramatic contradictions of the surrounding reality, acute spiritual problems. This forces us to abandon the schoolboy view of folk character in Russian literature as something absolutely positive, integral, having the value of a model, an ideal, the proximity or distance from which the viability of certain characters is measured. So, in the drama A.N. Ostrovsky's "Thunderstorm" Kabanikha, Dikoy, Katerina, Varvara, Vanya Kudryash - the characters are very different both in content and in ideological and semantic terms, but, of course, “folk”.

3. The consequence of the first two provisions is that in the works of Russian classical literature the concept and the “phenomenon” itself, the image of a national character, is essentially devoid of a clear social-class reference (which is also an ideologeme firmly rooted in the practice of school teaching): manifestations of “nationality”, “folk spirit” can equally be inherent in a nobleman ( like Andrei Bolkonsky, Pierre Bezukhov, M.I. Kutuzov), and the merchant, and the peasant, and the representative of the “middle class”, the intelligentsia (for example, Osip Stepanovich Dymov in “The Jumper” by A.P. Chekhov). Therefore, it seems, thoughtful debates about whether a servant can be considered as a typical representative of the people (for example, Petrushka and Selifan in “Dead Souls”, Zakhara in “Oblomov”), or whether only a hereditary farmer can lay claim to this role, do not make sense .

This approach allows us to distinguish between the concepts of “national character” and “nationality”. National character is a private, individual manifestation of nationality, those very general religious, everyday, moral, aesthetic attitudes that objectively exist in the people’s environment and, in fact, form the latter into a “people.” However, as an aesthetic category in literature, nationality is secondary in relation to the national character, is derived from it and cannot serve as the initial measure of its assessment. One or the other literary character“folk” because the artist correctly depicted its objective, really existing folk features, but not because the latter were already given by one way or another understood “nationality”. At the same time, the provisions stated above allow us to get away from the identification of the concepts of “folk” and “common people”, and from the currently fashionable understanding of folk character exclusively in its national Russian specificity.

Let us consider in more detail the features of artistic embodiment and the role of folk character in the works of Russian classics of the 19th century.

In the comedy A.S. Griboyedov's "Woe from Wit" the only stage character that can be considered truly folk is Lisa. If we leave aside her role as a soubrette, which dates back to Western European comedy, then the functions of this character, especially in terms of expressing the author’s idea, are extremely interesting. According to A. S. Griboyedov, the world is “stupid,” that is, it is governed by laws that are absurd from the point of view common sense: society is actually ruled not by men, but by women; in the eyes of people, it is not civic or personal virtues that are valued, but success in life - and it does not matter at what cost it is achieved; private selfish interests will always dominate over “public” ones; it is impossible to love “reasonably”, but love is the goal and meaning of human life, therefore a lover is always “stupid”, and even if a person is prudent and careful, the feeling will force him to take a rash, truly stupid step. In other words, “fools are happy,” or “Silent people are blissful in the world!”

In this regard, it is very significant that Lisa expresses those purely practical, sober, and partly even somewhat cynical views on life that are taken for granted by the majority, in fact, by the people, and do not always coincide with the requirements of a rationalist (and, therefore, maximalist) Chatsky: “And they hear, they don’t want to understand, Well, why would they take away the shutters?”, “Sin is not a problem, rumor is not good.”

She is well versed in the everyday psychology of people (“When they tell us what we want, Wherever we willingly believe!”, “A smile and a few words, And whoever is in love is ready for anything”). Advising Sophia to assume an appearance (in very Molchalin style) of fun and carelessness in front of her father and Chatsky, and reminding Molchalin exactly how a “bride seeker” should behave (“And you, bride seekers, should not luxuriate and yawn; Prigozh and dear, who doesn’t finish eating and doesn’t sleep until the wedding”). She is observant and practical in her assessments (“I wish he had a son-in-law with stars and ranks, But with the stars, not everyone is rich, between us”, “And a golden bag, and aims to become a general”, “... Speech, but it doesn’t hurt cunning"). She is not at all mistaken about the true nature of the relationship between a man and a woman, especially if they occupy a place in society different position(just as Aunt Sophia inks her hair for the “young Frenchman,” so Molchalin takes on the appearance of a languid and tender lover for his boss’s daughter: in love, everyone tries for himself). Despite her devotion, she does not forget about herself. Far from neglecting her current rather comfortable position as the confidante of the young daughter of a rich and influential owner, Lisa prefers not to get involved in dangerous adventures (“Don’t watch, your power, And what in return for you, of course, I’ll get,” “He’ll ban you, - good, still with me, Otherwise, God have mercy, get me, Molchalin and everyone out of the yard at once,” “...Ah! Far away from the gentlemen, They have troubles ready for themselves at every hour...”, “Well! people in this side! She is to him, and he is to me. And I... I am the only one who is dying of love - How can I not fall in love with the barman Petrusha!"). Liza is resourceful (“Yes, sir, the young lady’s disposition is unhappy: She can’t watch from the outside, How people fall headlong?” she says, cleverly hiding the real reason Sophia's fainting spell), cheerful, sharp-tongued (Chatsky: I would like to kill myself with him... Lisa: For company?..; Molchalin: Her position, you... Lisa: Out of boredom! I ask you to keep your hands off!..; “Say, sir, you have great care!”), admires Chatsky (“Who is so sensitive, and cheerful, and sharp!..”), but does not understand at all what he is saying (Sofia: A mixture of languages? Chatsky: Yes , two, you can’t do without it. Lisa: But it’s tricky to tailor one of them, like yours.” This image plays an extremely important role in expressing the author’s main idea: the world is not governed by the laws of the “mind,” and the one who judges is truly insane. it from the point of view of reason.

In the works of A. S. Pushkin ("Eugene Onegin", "Station Warden", "Dubrovsky", " Captain's daughter") the national character acquires those visual and ideological qualities that are long years will determine his existence in Russian literature.

On the one hand, the national character is interesting to A.S. Pushkin in aesthetic terms: his amazing integrity despite the apparent external contradiction in good and evil, cruelty and mercy. Typical example- the blacksmith Arkhip in "Dubrovsky", deliberately locking the manor's house and "looking with an evil smile at the fire" and at the clerks trying to escape, risking his life, saves a cat from the fire, while reproaching the village boys: "You are not afraid of God: God's creation is perishing , and you are foolishly happy." The inherent strength and spontaneity of feelings, manifested in the most dramatic situations - in a word, the qualities of the people's character precisely as a worthy object of attention high art, seem interesting to A.S. Pushkin and find their perfect aesthetic embodiment in his works.

On the other hand, “people” (and, accordingly, “national character”) is a phenomenon that exists objectively, regardless of our ideas or conventions accepted as true, this is what exists in reality and in practice (for example, in 1812 d.) has proven its existence, which means that there is something that is invisibly present in the soul of every Russian person and finds its manifestation in the entire way of life, the spiritual and material structure of Russian life.

A. S. Pushkin comes to the image and artistic analysis everything that unites the master and the serf man ("Dubrovsky", "The Captain's Daughter"), the nobleman and the runaway Cossack ("The Captain's Daughter"), the landowners - mother and daughter - and their serf, the old nanny ("Eugene Onegin"), a passing official with the low rank of titular councilor, an old retired soldier - a postal station keeper, and a rich, handsome hussar ("Station Warden"). They are equally capable of loving, perceive this feeling equally and are equally helpless in front of it, and, in fact, love plays the same role in their destinies. For example, the story of the old nanny in "Eugene Onegin": the story of her life and love is an exact analogy of the life and love of both Tatyana Larina and her mother, for the fate of a woman - a peasant woman or a noblewoman - is the same: the same girlish dreams of her betrothed and oh happiness, the same marriage is not for love, but according to the principle “if you endure it, you will fall in love,” the same care in everyday troubles and honest fulfillment of the duty of a wife and mother; The role of folklore epigraphs in “The Captain’s Daughter” is indicative: Masha Mironova speaks almost in the words of a folk song about the impossibility of uniting in marriage with a loved one without the blessing of his parents (the point is not in “customs”, but in the understanding that love is from God).

IN " Stationmaster“For the sake of such a natural right to love, for the right to make a loved one happy, to give everything for him and find his own happiness in this, neither a nobleman nor a person from the people will spare either themselves, or the loved ones of those whom they loved, or even their loved ones themselves. The brilliant hussar captain will deceive Dunya into the city, throw him out of Vyrin’s threshold - and at the same time restrain given to him honestly, Dunya will be happy. Dunya will willingly leave with the young nobleman (“Dunya cried, although she seemed to be traveling on her own accord”) and will indeed “get unaccustomed to her previous state,” so much so that she will faint at the sight of her father. Samson Vyrin, blinded by his father's love, will try to return his beautiful daughter - touchingly, selflessly, not sparing either himself or her current happiness and position, for love is cruel, and happiness is selfish, whether for a master or a peasant, and it is not for nothing that the ancients called the god of love Eros is evil, cruel and merciless. Both the nobleman and the commoner know what “honor” is - not formal, but real, natural, synonymous with the concept of “conscience”: justice, gratitude, mercy, loyalty - whether to an oath, a word or a loved one. Heroes who are so different in position and age act according to honor and conscience, such as Pyotr Grinev, his parents, Savelich, the Mironovs and their daughter, the old lieutenant Ivan Ignatievich, Pugachev, the empress - the list goes on. Even such a repulsive character as Khlopusha is not devoid of either mercy or nobility: “Enough, Naumych... You should strangle and cut everyone... You yourself are looking into the grave, and you are destroying others. Isn’t there enough blood on your conscience?.. I destroyed the enemy, not the guest; dark forest, not at home, sitting at the stove; with a flail and a butt, and not with a woman's slander." They even speak and write practically in the same language. Thus, in the story "Dubrovsky" the speech of the "old Russian gentleman" Kirila Petrovich Troekurov is extremely folk, replete with characteristic colloquial (and sometimes rude) in common parlance: “Great, what’s your name”, “I care about you”, “You’re lying, brother, what kind of documents do you need”, “Tell this monsieur... so that he doesn’t dare to hang around my girls, otherwise I’ll him, the dog's son...", "This was no mistake, no blunder", "Stop lying, Anton Pafnutich. We know you... at home you live like a pig..." In the story "The Captain's Daughter" the letter from a strict and demanding master and the worthy answer from a faithful and respectful servant are stylistically the same: the same mixture of rude vernacular and bureaucratic language of "high calm" with "low ", almost colloquially, even to the point of saying: "Shame on you, old dog... that you didn't inform about my son... I hate you, old dog! I will send pigs to graze for hiding the truth and for conniving with a young man...", - also: "... to teach you a lesson like a boy, to transfer you from Belogorsk fortress somewhere far away, where your nonsense can go away."

At the same time, these unifying features can have not only positive, but also negative qualities, this is, so to speak, unity in both good and evil. So, Kirila Petrovich Troekurov, the richest and most influential landowner, as befits the people’s understanding of a person of his position and condition, is tough, despotic, proud, arrogant, self-willed and stubborn. However, his peasants and servants are an exact replica of his master: “He treated the peasants and servants strictly and capriciously, but they were vain about the wealth and glory of their master and, in turn, allowed themselves a lot in relation to their neighbors, hoping for his strong patronage.” It is characteristic that the quarrel between Troekurov and his only close friend Andrei Gavrilovich Dubrovsky begins because of the insolence of Troekurov’s hound addressed to the poor nobleman, although the latter seems to speak out in favor of the “oppressed” serf: “No,” he answered (Dubrovsky - A. F.) is harsh, - the kennel is wonderful, it’s unlikely that your people will live the same life as your dogs.” One of the hounds was offended. “We don’t complain about our living,” he said, “thanks to God and the master, and what’s true is true; it wouldn’t be a bad idea for another nobleman to exchange his estate for any local kennel. It would be better for him and warmer.” It is curious that Savelich (“The Captain’s Daughter”), lamenting the money foolishly lost by the young master and reproaching himself for this, unexpectedly admits: “I was led astray: I decided to wander into the sacristan’s house and see my godfather. So, I went to see my godfather, yes stuck in prison,” after all, this is an accurate summary of everything that happened to both Pyotr Grinev and his faithful servant.
It is also significant that A. S. Pushkin, especially towards the end of his creative career, in depicting the people’s character more and more departs from the traditional Karamzin “and peasant women know how to love,” that is, from the simple recognition of the people’s character’s right to strong and deep experiences and rich inner world. A.S. Pushkin reveals the ideological and moral identity of the nobleman and the peasant: in similar concepts about good and evil, about the beautiful and the ugly, about the true and the false, about the possible and the proper, about sin and retribution.

Of course, the national character itself is not an absolute expression of the author’s aesthetic ideal; not all of its aspects are attractive to A. S. Pushkin (although all are interesting to him as an artist): he is repulsed by what F. M. Dostoevsky would later call “uncontrollability” - the infinity and recklessness of one’s own manifestations in both good and evil. Having heard a Kalmyk fairy tale told by Pugachev: " Better time drink living blood, and then what God will give! Petrovich Troekurov, at times cruelly - quite in the spirit of “folk fun” - mocked his guests and was personally convinced of the courage and composure of the young teacher, not only after that “loved him and did not even think about ... trying,” but categorically defends Deforge from suspicions of the police officer: “Eh, brother, ... get out, you know where, with your signs. I won’t give you my Frenchman until I sort out the matter myself. How can you take the word of Anton Pafnutich, a coward and a liar..."

A. S. Pushkin does not accept folk traits - arrogant plebeianism, pragmatism, rudeness and cruelty (in "The Captain's Daughter" the unfortunate Vasilisa Egorovna, on the orders of Pugachev - "Put down the old witch!" - is immediately "pacified" by a young Cossack with a saber on the head), contrasting They have something that distinguishes a nobleman from a peasant, which obliges the former to be higher than the latter, to lead and guide the latter. Even the kind and selfless Savelich (“The Captain’s Daughter”) persuades the young officer to undergo “vile humiliation” in order to save his life: “Don’t be stubborn! What’s it worth to you? Spit and kiss the evil one... (ugh!) kiss his hand.”

In the works of A. S. Pushkin, folk character for the first time acquires independent significance as a full-fledged subject of creative research, and not just an illustration of certain ethical, socio-political, and philosophical ideas.

The folk character in the depiction of M. Yu. Lermontov (“Hero of Our Time”) bears a clear imprint of the author’s ideological and strictly aesthetic quests; he is deep, sincere, uncompromising, frank in his desires, direct and adamant in achieving his goals - and therefore, from an ordinary, everyday point of view, he is often immoral (Yanko, “undine”, Azamat, Kazbich). The national character is “down to earth”, its desires and goals are subordinated to the trivial needs of everyday earthly existence and are determined by effective but primitive laws: if you are deceived - take revenge, if someone has penetrated into your secret - kill, if you like something - achieve possession by any means and at any price (compare Azamat and Pechorin in this regard). What will not change you personally cannot be sold or exchanged (Kazbich and his Karagyoz), but everything else, including own life, strength, dexterity, cost money, and they need to be sold at a higher price. It is not for nothing that fifteen-year-old Azamat is “terribly hungry for money,” and the fearless Yanko, fully aware that the owner now “will never find such a daredevil,” says: “...If only he had paid better for his work, Yanko would not have left him.. ".

However, M.Yu. Lermontov, turning to the people's character and drawing a contrast, favorite for romantics, between a “savage”, a person living according to natural laws - the laws of his own heart, and a “civilized” person, endowed with all the advantages and disadvantages " modern culture", actually equalizes them, making the main subject of the image not originality national character(highlanders - Russians), namely the specificity of human character, more precisely, universal, universal. Interesting in this regard is Pechorin’s remark that “in a Circassian costume on horseback” he “looks more like a Kabardian than many Kabardians”: in fact, the nature of people is one, and the “costume” is just a change of dress at the masquerade of life. Yes, the mountaineers-smugglers, the same Cossacks, are simpler and more frank in expressing their feelings and desires, they are closer to nature and, like nature itself, they do not know how and do not want to lie, they are as natural and immoral as, for example, the mysterious, the ever-turbulent sea (“Taman”), the mighty inaccessible mountains (“Bela”, “Princess Mary”) or the equally eternal and mysterious stars in their unattainability (“Fatalist”). They are internally whole and strong in spirit and body, their look is simple and clear (“...- What if he drowns?” - “Well? On Sunday you will go to church without a new ribbon...” - “Taman”. Their love (Bela) or hatred (Kazbich, “undine”) are eternal and do not recognize halftones, which means that Azamat is ready to rob his father or secretly sell him for a horse he likes. sister. Kazbich, loving Bela, will not think about killing her at a critical moment. Their passions are frantic (".. As soon as he drinks a chikhir, he goes off to crumble whatever he finds..."). But these people are ready to answer for their words and deeds, feelings and desires; having made a choice, they do not look for justification and do not give anyone - including themselves - mercy: Bela, having once fallen in love with Pechorin, will only reproach him in his dying delirium for “falling out of love with his little girl”; The Cossack, who hacked Vulich to death in a drunken frenzy, responds “menacingly” to all conciliatory persuasion and appeals to his Christian conscience: “I will not submit!” They live honestly, but they also die honestly (“honest smugglers”). And therefore they are beautiful, just as nature itself is beautiful, regardless of whether it brings good or evil to a person, and therefore, they are closer to the truth, closer to what the world really is and what a person really is.

Simple, a pure soul Maxim Maksimovich perfectly understands (and accepts!) these people, although he rightly calls them “savages” for their cruelty, cunning, filth and penchant for robbery. “Of course, in their opinion, he was absolutely right,” says Maxim Maksimych, telling about Kazbich’s cruel revenge. He gives preference to the ragged daredevil, the abrek, over the “peaceful” man in the street: “... Our Kabardians or Chechens may be robbers, naked people, but they are desperate, but these have no desire for weapons: you won’t see a decent dagger on any of them,” “The beshmet is always torn, in patches, and the weapon is in silver.” He is simple-minded and faithful to friendship to the end: “After all, he’ll come running now!” - he says, waiting to meet Pechorin). He is not averse to using local fighting tricks, from the European point of view insidious and cruel: the sentry, at the prompting of the staff captain, asked Kazbich, who was prancing on his horse, to stop and immediately shot at him.

But there is one more quality that surprisingly makes the Russian officer similar to local residents, - that he had long ago become accustomed to the beauty around him, as well as to the whistle of Chechen bullets: “And you can get used to the whistle of a bullet, that is, get used to hiding the involuntary beating of the heart...” (“Bela”). He perceives reality clearly, soberly and pragmatically: his cart is moving faster; he knows which signs indicate approaching bad weather and which ones indicate good weather, and knows how to calculate the time of departure and the speed of movement towards the pass; he knows how to behave with local residents, and even when invited to a wedding to his “kunak”, he will prudently note where his horses were placed and will disappear in time from the celebration that has become dangerous (“Bela”). His judgments are simple, logical and are understandable in everyday life: "...And that's it, tea, the French have introduced a fashion for being bored?" - "No, the British." - “Aha, that’s what!... but they were always notorious drunkards!” And therefore, for the main character of Lermontov’s novel (as, indeed, for the author himself), this alone is not enough - it is not enough for him to simply live, it is important for him to determine the goal, the meaning of this life.

For M. Yu. Lermontov, national character is the best, most accurate and aesthetically perfect manifestation of the essence of man in general. That is why similar passions rage in the souls of representatives of completely different social and cultural strata: Mary, like Bela, wants Pechorin to belong only to her, Grushnitsky, noticing that Mary is carried away by Pechorin, spreads defamatory gossip about her and about his recent friend, but after all, Kazbich, in the same way, in revenge, will kill the woman whom he seemed to love; the same Grushnitsky, again out of a sense of revenge, will not hesitate to resort to direct meanness, quite comparable to the robber “cunning”, and will turn to his enemy with words worthy of some savage, an abrek, and not an officer of the imperial army: “If You won’t kill me, I’ll stab you at night from around the corner. There’s no place for the two of us on earth..."

In turn, Pechorin, for the sake of satisfaction own desires will not stop at anything or anyone, for he is a man, the same as all these mountaineers, smugglers, officers and Cossacks, representatives of the “water society” and inhabitants of dirty, smoky dwellings in the mountains (“Bela”). They are equally unhappy, vain and wretched, equally slaves to their passions, equally far from God, from the Truth and equally incapable of understanding it.

Thus, the folk character in the image of M. Yu. Lermontov is attractive, aesthetic, but not associated with the author’s aesthetic ideal, although there was a time when the folk character was the direct embodiment of the writer’s aesthetic ideal in such works as “Borodino” and “Song about the Tsar” Ivan Vasilievich...").

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In literature, men rule the show: writers, heroes, villains. But aren't women less interesting and talented? We have chosen several heroines who inspire with intelligence, ingenuity, strong character and kindness. Women and goddesses from ancient literature and cut her off at the most intriguing moment. Curiosity took possession of Shahryar, and he kept the girl alive until the next night. This went on for a thousand days (almost three years!), during which time Scheherazade gave birth to three children. When she finally fell at his feet and asked to save her life for the sake of their common sons, Shahriyar replied that he had pardoned her a long time ago. This is how the narrator’s courage, intelligence and skill saved many innocent lives.

Elizabeth. "Pride and Prejudice "

Witty and observant, Elizabeth captivated not only the unapproachable and proud Mr. Darcy, but also millions of readers around the world. She loves her family very much, especially her sisters, whom she tries to protect. She is even more offended to see the shortcomings of her parents, but she does not try to change the people close to her or rebel: she only wants to find an acceptable place for herself in her contemporary society.

Scarlett O'Hara. "Gone With the Wind "

Bright, capricious and eccentric, Scarlett evokes conflicting feelings among readers. Many believe that she herself was to blame for her misfortunes and was generally an obnoxious woman. The writer Margaret Mitchell herself had an ambivalent attitude towards her heroine. But beautiful and strong women people who are not used to losing often infuriate others. Unlike men: they are praised for the same qualities. Still, it’s worth admiring the strength of spirit of the green-eyed Irish woman: she survived civil war, the death of parents and deprivation, coping with all the adversity herself.

Margarita. "Master and Margarita "

A beautiful woman who chose love with a poor artist over a profitable marriage. For his sake, she was humiliated, made a deal with the devil and took revenge on the offenders of her betrothed. Some see sacrifice in Margarita, but we know that she understood well for whom she risked everything. She inspires admiration for the strength of her love and courage.

Pippi Longstocking. Cycle of stories

Astrid Lindgren was such a prankster and did not hesitate to break the far-fetched rules of decency. For example, she made a daring attempt to walk from her native Vimmerby to Lake Vättern (a distance of 300 kilometers) in the company of five women and completely without male help. Believe me, for Sweden at that time it was a challenge! It's no surprise that her heroines also make boring people itch. Pippi Longstocking breaks easily social norms and infuriates adults: he goes to bed whenever he wants, keeps a horse on the balcony, beats thieves and generally lives without parental supervision. Real moms and dads are also annoyed by her: there were even complaints that because of Pippi, children “have the opportunity to find a socially acceptable outlet for aggression against their parents.” But the children like her because she can do everything they would like, but will not do for fear of the “big ones.” The fact that Pippi has become so popular only speaks of the longing for spontaneous, bright heroines, headstrong and funny.

Hermione. Series of books about Harry Potter

How can you not love Hermione? We spend our entire (and her) childhood with her. We meet her as a little girl who is very smart and wants to be as good as everyone else in her class. After all, she immediately realized that it would be more difficult for her, because she did not know those things that children of wizards know from childhood. She makes friends, falls in love, becomes stronger before our eyes. Hermione learns from her mistakes: after the story with the windbag Lockhart, she does not trust everyone, but only those who deserve her respect. She is brave and knows how to sympathize with the weak, and now she has an emotional range that is clearly wider than that of a toothpick.

A strong character is not formed overnight; one is not born with it, although the inclinations may be there from birth. A person who has developed a strong character sets difficult goals for himself and achieves them, and all the difficulties for him strong personality only a way to deeply know yourself.

What does strong character mean?

Strength of character, how is it expressed, why can we say about one person that he has a strong character, but about another not? Everyone has a character in itself, but a strong character is a set of qualities of a person that allows him to have his own solid life position, not to deviate from what was planned, to be able to overcome difficult periods in life with self-confidence and not to give up.

Strong Character Traits

All strong qualities The character of a woman or man implies all those positive properties and traits that are inherent in a person as a whole. It cannot be said that certain qualities, and only these, form a strong character. Each person has his own set of life circumstances that make him strong. But in general, we can list the following qualities that contribute to the development of a strong-willed, strong character:

• determination;
• courage;
• high motivation;
• ambition;
• the desire to become better and change the world.

A man has a strong character

A person's character strengths do not just appear out of nowhere. How does a person build his life path consciously or simply goes with the flow, the formation of his character depends on this. Men are characterized by purposefulness, straightforwardness and great activity, in severe life trials they are more imprisoned than the fair half of humanity. Male strong character, how it is expressed:

• follows its purpose;
• achieves success in his chosen field;
• respected in society;
• with his determination and personal success he contributes to the development of society, being an example to follow;
• has courage and an iron will;
• compassionate towards the misfortunes of others;
• is honest with himself and others;
• true to his goal, ideal, family.

A woman with a strong character

Who is a woman or girl with a strong character - psychological portrait:

• she is independent;
• focused on cooperation with others, sees strength in this;
• knows how to take care of his needs in a timely manner;
• trusts his thoughts, feelings;
• understands and accepts that others have the right to be themselves;
• appreciates the help of others;
• endures difficulties with dignity and supports others in difficult moments.

A child with a strong character

How to recognize a child with the makings of a strong character and will? Child's strong character - behavior:

• difficulties arise when you need to force a child to do something that he does not want until he decides to do it himself;
• strives to make decisions himself;
• and anger - as character traits;
• If a child is busy with something and it doesn’t work out, he reacts very emotionally, but strives to figure it out and bring it to the end.

Strong character - examples

Strength of character and strong will allow people to perform heroic deeds, change society for the better and leave a memory of themselves for many centuries. In the history of mankind there are many examples of such people with strong character:

How to develop a strong character?

First you need to set a goal to develop in yourself strengths. You don’t need to start moving mountains right away, otherwise your motivation will quickly burn out. How to become stronger in character, recommendations from psychologists:

• remember important rule: “all responsibility for your life lies entirely with you”;
• develop a positive outlook on surrounding events and phenomena;
• believe in yourself in any situation and be above your fears;
• understand that difficulties and obstacles are the next step towards development;
• support your physical fitness: moderate physical activity and proper nutrition are an integral part of the formation of a strong character;
• gradually, step by step, turn your weaknesses into strengths, ruthlessly saying goodbye to bad habits.

Quotes about strong character

Aphorisms and sayings famous writers and philosophers for many people become a motto in life, helping to overcome difficult periods. Quotes about strong character:

• A strong character must be combined with flexibility of mind (L. Vauvenargues);
• Man himself is the final creator of his character (L. Lopatin);
• A strong character, like a strong stream, encounters an obstacle, only becomes irritated and intensifies even more, but at the same time, having overturned the obstacle, it creates a deep channel for itself (K. Ushinsky);
• Character consists of the ability to act according to principles (I. Kant);
• Talents are formed in peace, characters are formed amid the storms of life (I. Goethe).

Films about strong character

All people experience ups and downs, but strong ones are different from weak topics that they consider obstacles and difficulties an integral part of their path, while weak people quickly give up at the first difficulties Films about strength, character, watching which will help you get out of the period of despair and start taking action:

1. "Cast Away". To him, the main character, who lived an ordinary life human life I had to face a different reality of life, when every day is a struggle for survival. Thus, in a difficult trial, the hero’s strong character blossoms and courage and perseverance come to the surface.

1. "Soul Surfer". An autobiographical film about the girl Bethany Hamilton, a surfer at the age of 13 who lost her arm in a shark attack while training. This ordeal did not dampen her desire to compete alongside able-bodied surfers.

1. "Jobs: Empire of Temptation / Jobs". This name needs no introduction. The film is about the formation, ups and downs of life and the strong character of the Apple founder.

1. "The Pursuit of Happiness". The biography of Chris Gernet, a millionaire and philanthropist who went from a homeless single father and aspiring sales representative to a successful broker.

1. "Gone With the Wind". Strong in character and independent, Scarlett O'Hara accepts all trials as a challenge from fate, because she is the mistress of her life.

Strong character - books

Books about strength of character give readers an example and inspire them to achieve their goals. Books about a strong-willed character:

1. "Guide to life. How to achieve your goals, learn to overcome obstacles and forge a strong character” B. Grylls.
2. A famous traveler and conqueror of difficult mountain peaks shares his experience on how to become a strong and purposeful person.“Born with character” by E. Belonoshchenko.
3. A book for parents on how to recognize in a child the will to overcome obstacles, his desire to know himself."The Hunger Games" by S. Collins.
4. A fictional trilogy about a strong girl, Katniss, who became this way thanks to harsh life circumstances.“An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth. What 4,000 hours in orbit taught me" K. Hadfield.
5. A bestseller about perseverance, strength of spirit and character with humor and kindness of the author."Frida Kahlo" by J. Herrera. This amazing woman, artist, little fragile went through severe trials