The story “The Garnet Bracelet” is a famous work about tragic love. Kuprin shows the origins and role of love in human life. The author skillfully creates a socio-psychological tone that determines the behavior of the characters. But he does not fully reveal and cannot explain this feeling, which, in his opinion, is beyond reason and depends on some higher will.
Before getting acquainted with the characteristics of the characters in “Garnet Bracelet,” I would like to briefly outline the plot. At first glance, it is quite simple, but the psychological component emphasizes the tragedy: the main character, on her name day, receives a bracelet as a gift, sent by her longtime admirer, and informs her husband about it. He, under the influence of his brother, goes to her admirer and asks him to stop pursuing the married woman. The admirer promises to leave her alone, but asks permission to call her. The next day, Vera finds out that he shot himself.
Vera Nikolaevna
The main character of the story “The Garnet Bracelet” is a young, beautiful woman with a flexible figure - Sheina Vera Nikolaevna. Refined facial features and a certain coldness, inherited from her English mother, emphasized the grace and beauty of the young woman. Vera Nikolaevna had known her husband, Prince Shein, since childhood. During this time, passionate love for him grew into deep, sincere friendship. The princess helped Vasily Lvovich cope with his affairs and, in order to somehow alleviate their unenviable situation, she could deny herself something.
The Sheins had no children, and Vera Nikolaevna transferred her unspent maternal feelings to her sister Anna’s husband and children. The princess was compassionate and pitied the man who loved her. Although he caused her troubles by sometimes appearing in her life, Vera behaves with dignity in this situation. The very embodiment of calm, she doesn't make a problem out of it. But as a subtle and noble nature, Vera feels what tragedy is happening in the soul of this person. Treats his fan with understanding and compassion.
Prince Vasily Lvovich
Vasily Shein is one of the main characters. In “The Garnet Bracelet” Kuprin presents him as a prince and leader of the nobility. Vera Nikolaevna's husband, Vasily Lvovich, is revered in society. The Shein family is outwardly prosperous: they live in a large estate built by the prince’s influential ancestors. They often host social gatherings, run an extensive household and engage in charity work, as required by their position in society. In fact, the prince’s financial affairs leave much to be desired and he makes considerable efforts to stay afloat.
A fair and empathetic man, Shein earned the respect of friends and relatives. “Really, I love him. He’s a good guy,” General Anosov, a family friend, says about him. Vera's brother, Nikolai, believes that Vasily Lvovich is too soft for a man whose wife is sent a gift by a secret admirer. The prince has a different opinion on this matter. After a conversation with Zheltkov, the prince understands that this man loves his wife immensely. And he admits that the “telegraph operator” is not to blame for his love, so he sincerely feels sorry for the man who has been recklessly in love for eight years.
Friend of the Anosov family
Anosov, a military general, became friends with the father of Vera and Anna when he was appointed commandant of the fortress. Many years later. During this time, the general became a friend of the family and became attached to the girls, like a father. Honest, noble and brave, the general was a soldier to the core. He was always guided by his conscience and respected both soldiers and officers equally.
Anosov always acted fairly. Even with his dishonest wife, who ran away from him. His pride and self-esteem did not allow him to let this woman back into his life. But, like a real man, he did not leave her to the mercy of fate and paid her benefits. They had no children, and the general transferred his paternal feelings to the offspring of his friend Tuganovsky. He played with the girls and told stories from his camping life. However, he treated everyone who was younger than him or needed help in a fatherly manner.
Kuprin, in characterizing the heroes of “The Garnet Bracelet,” emphasized very important points. In the words of General Anosov: “Love must be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world! the author expresses his understanding of what love is. He explores why deep feelings are doomed.
Mysterious admirer
Zheltkov fell in love with Vera Nikolaevna a long time ago. She was for him the ideal and perfection of beauty. I wrote letters to her and dreamed of meeting her. He continued to love the princess even when he realized that nothing would work out for him. The peace and happiness of the woman he loved came first for him. He understood perfectly well what was happening. The man wanted to see her, but had no right to do so. Love for him was higher than desire. But Zheltkov sent the bracelet in the hope that she would at least look at the gift and take it in her hands for a second.
As an honest and noble man, Gregory did not pursue Vera after her marriage. After she sent a note asking him not to write to her, he did not send any more letters. Only sometimes congratulations on major holidays. Zheltkov could not even imagine upsetting the marriage of the woman he loved, and when he realized that he had gone too far, he decided to get out of the way. The only way to stop wanting to see her is to take your own life. Zheltkov was strong enough to draw this conclusion, but too weak to live without his love.
This is the characteristics of the heroes of “The Garnet Bracelet”, to whom the author assigns a key place in his story. But we cannot ignore the other participants in this drama: Vera Nikolaevna’s brother and sister.
Minor characters
Nikolai Nikolaevich witnessed a gift addressed to his married sister. As Vera's brother, he was deeply outraged. Nikolai Nikolaevich is self-confident and single, he does not like to talk about feelings, he is always rude and deliberately serious. He and the prince decide to pay a visit to the mysterious admirer. At the sight of the distinguished guests, Zheltkov becomes lost. But after Nikolai Nikolaevich’s threats, he calms down and understands that love is a feeling that cannot be taken away and it will remain with him until the end of his days. After the conversation, Zheltkov finally became stronger in his decision to die so as not to interfere with Vera’s life.
Vera's sister, Anna Nikolaevna, was completely different from her. She is married to a man she cannot stand, but has two children with him. Her character consists of many cute habits and contradictions. She enjoyed incredible success with men and loved to flirt, but she never cheated on her husband. She loved vivid impressions and gambling, but she was pious and kind. Why is its characteristic important?
The heroes of “The Pomegranate Bracelet,” sisters Anna and Vera, on the one hand, are somewhat similar, both are married to influential people. But Anna is the complete opposite of Vera. This is manifested externally: the “graceful ugliness” of one sister and the English thoroughbred of the other. By paying more attention to the description of Anna, the author makes it possible to understand the internal state of the characters. Anna does not hide her dislike for her husband, but tolerates this marriage. Vera does not know about her lack of love, because she did not know true love. Kuprin seems to emphasize that Vera is “lost” in ordinary life, which is why the beauty of the main character is unnoticed and her exclusivity is erased.
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. We previously published 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, such people are usually not noticed and called “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)
The novel “The Garnet Bracelet” by A. Kuprin is rightfully considered one of the best, revealing the theme of love. The storyline is based on real events. The situation in which the main character of the novel found herself was actually experienced by the mother of the writer’s friend, Lyubimov. This work is named so for a reason. Indeed, for the author, “pomegranate” is a symbol of passionate, but very dangerous love.
The history of the novel
Most of A. Kuprin’s stories are permeated with the eternal theme of love, and the novel “The Garnet Bracelet” most vividly reproduces it. A. Kuprin began work on his masterpiece in the fall of 1910 in Odessa. The idea for this work was the writer’s visit to the Lyubimov family in St. Petersburg.
One day, Lyubimova’s son told an entertaining story about his mother’s secret admirer, who for many years wrote her letters with frank declarations of unrequited love. The mother was not delighted with this manifestation of feelings, because she had been married for a long time. At the same time, she had a higher social status in society than her admirer, a simple official P.P. Zheltikov. The situation was aggravated by a gift in the form of a red bracelet, given for the princess’s name day. At that time, this was a daring act and could cast a bad shadow on the lady’s reputation.
Lyubimova’s husband and brother paid a visit to the fan’s home, he was just writing another letter to his beloved. They returned the gift to the owner, asking not to disturb Lyubimova in the future. None of the family members knew about the further fate of the official.
The story that was told at the tea party hooked the writer. A. Kuprin decided to use it as the basis for his novel, which was somewhat modified and expanded. It should be noted that work on the novel was difficult, about which the author wrote to his friend Batyushkov in a letter on November 21, 1910. The work was published only in 1911, first published in the magazine “Earth”.
Analysis of the work
Description of the work
On her birthday, Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina receives an anonymous gift in the form of a bracelet, which is decorated with green stones - “garnets”. The gift was accompanied by a note, from which it became known that the bracelet belonged to the great-grandmother of the princess's secret admirer. The unknown person signed with the initials “G.S.” AND.". The princess is embarrassed by this present and remembers that for many years a stranger has been writing to her about his feelings.
The princess's husband, Vasily Lvovich Shein, and brother, Nikolai Nikolaevich, who worked as an assistant prosecutor, are looking for a secret writer. He turns out to be a simple official under the name Georgy Zheltkov. They return the bracelet to him and ask him to leave the woman alone. Zheltkov feels a sense of shame that Vera Nikolaevna could lose her reputation because of his actions. It turns out that he fell in love with her a long time ago, having accidentally seen her at the circus. Since then, he writes letters to her about unrequited love until his death several times a year.
The next day, the Shein family learns that official Georgy Zheltkov shot himself. He managed to write his last letter to Vera Nikolaevna, in which he asks for her forgiveness. He writes that his life no longer has meaning, but he still loves her. The only thing Zheltkov asks is that the princess not blame herself for his death. If this fact torments her, then let her listen to Beethoven’s Sonata No. 2 in his honor. The bracelet, which was returned to the official the day before, he ordered the maid to hang on the icon of the Mother of God before his death.
Vera Nikolaevna, having read the note, asks her husband for permission to look at the deceased. She arrives at the official's apartment, where she sees him dead. The lady kisses his forehead and places a bouquet of flowers on the deceased. When she returns home, she asks to play a piece by Beethoven, after which Vera Nikolaevna burst into tears. She realizes that “he” has forgiven her. At the end of the novel, Sheina realizes the loss of the great love that a woman can only dream of. Here she recalls the words of General Anosov: “Love should be a tragedy, the greatest secret in the world.”
Main characters
Princess, middle-aged woman. She is married, but her relationship with her husband has long grown into friendly feelings. She has no children, but she is always attentive to her husband and takes care of him. She has a bright appearance, is well educated, and is interested in music. But for more than 8 years she has been receiving strange letters from a fan of “G.S.Z.” This fact confuses her; she told her husband and family about it and does not reciprocate the writer’s feelings. At the end of the work, after the death of the official, she bitterly understands the severity of lost love, which happens only once in a life.
Official Georgy Zheltkov
A young man about 30-35 years old. Modest, poor, well-mannered. He is secretly in love with Vera Nikolaevna and writes about his feelings to her in letters. When the bracelet he had been given was returned to him and asked to stop writing to the princess, he commits an act of suicide, leaving a farewell note to the woman.
Vera Nikolaevna's husband. A good, cheerful man who truly loves his wife. But because of his love for constant social life, he is on the verge of ruin, which drags his family to the bottom.
The main character's younger sister. She is married to an influential young man, with whom she has 2 children. In marriage, she does not lose her feminine nature, loves to flirt, gambles, but is very pious. Anna is very attached to her older sister.
Nikolai Nikolaevich Mirza-Bulat-Tuganovsky
Brother of Vera and Anna Nikolaevna. He works as an assistant prosecutor, a very serious guy by nature, with strict rules. Nikolai is not wasteful, far from feelings of sincere love. It is he who asks Zheltkov to stop writing to Vera Nikolaevna.
General Anosov
An old military general, a former friend of the late father of Vera, Anna and Nikolai. A participant in the Russian-Turkish war, he was wounded. He has no family or children, but is close to Vera and Anna like his own father. He is even called “grandfather” in the Sheins’ house.
This work is full of different symbols and mysticism. It is based on the story of one man's tragic and unrequited love. At the end of the novel, the tragedy of the story takes on even greater proportions, because the heroine realizes the severity of loss and unconscious love.
Today the novel “The Garnet Bracelet” is very popular. It describes great feelings of love, sometimes even dangerous, lyrical, with a tragic ending. This has always been relevant among the population, because love is immortal. In addition, the main characters of the work are described very realistically. After the publication of the story, A. Kuprin gained high popularity.
Vera Nikolaevna was a slightly cold, beautiful young woman. She looked like her mother, a beautiful Englishwoman. She had a flexible figure and beautiful shoulders, and her face was proud and beautiful, everyone always admired her beauty and sophistication. She was married to a prince Shein, Vasily Lvovich. He was her childhood friend, and then they got married. Vera Nikolaevna was not only beautiful, but also kind and smart. Her love for her husband had long become a deep friendship, but she tried to help him cope with his affairs, she denied herself something to make things easier.
Vera Nikolaevna was a real woman, she wanted to have children very much, but she couldn’t, so they transferred all their care to her husband, and also to her sister’s children, Anna. In addition, Vera Nikolaevna was compassionate, because she felt sorry for the man who loved her, despite the fact that he sometimes caused her troubles. She felt sorry for him, and she felt that a tragedy of the soul was happening before her eyes, this shows. that she was very sensitive. She understands the situation, doesn't make a problem out of it, it just makes her uncomfortable because she doesn't like Zheltkova, he became just a regular person who appears occasionally. Vera Nikolaevna is capable of love and compassion, which she shows in her attitude towards her admirer. She is the very embodiment of calm and dignity in any situation, very honest and generous towards the weak, but also a little arrogant, although she does not try to appear so. This is her innate quality.
