The novel "Oblomov" is one of the iconic works of the 19th century, covering many social and philosophical topics. An important role in disclosure ideological meaning the work is played by the analysis of the relationship in the book of the two main male characters. In the novel “Oblomov,” the characterization of Oblomov and Stolz reflects their completely different natures, contrasted by the author.
According to the plot of the work, the heroes are best friends from an early age, if possible, helping each other even in adulthood: Stolts to Oblomov - with a solution to many of his pressing problems, and Ilya Ilyich to Andrei Ivanovich - with pleasant conversations that allow Stolts to return peace of mind.
Portrait characteristics of heroes
A comparative description of Oblomov and Stolz in Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” is given by the author himself and is most noteworthy when comparing them portrait characteristics, as well as characters. Ilya Ilyich is a soft, quiet, kind, dreamy, reflective fellow who makes any decision at the behest of his heart, even if his mind leads the hero to the opposite conclusion. The appearance of the introverted Oblomov fully corresponds to his character - his movements are soft, lazy, rounded, and his image is characterized by excessive effeminacy, not typical for a man.
Stolz, both internally and externally, is completely different from Oblomov. The main thing in Andrei Ivanovich’s life is the rational grain; in all matters he relies only on reason, while the dictates of the heart, intuition and the sphere of feelings for the hero not only represent something secondary, but are also inaccessible and incomprehensible to his rational thoughts. Unlike Oblomov, “flabby beyond his years,” Stolz seems to consist of “bones, muscles and nerves.” His life is a rapid race forward, the important attributes of which are constant personal development and continuous work. The images of Oblomov and Stolz seem to be a mirror image of each other: the active, extroverted, successful in society and in his career, Stolz is contrasted with the lazy, apathetic Oblomov, who does not want to communicate with anyone, much less go to work again.
Differences in the upbringing of heroes
When comparing Ilya Oblomov and Andrei Stolts, as well as for a better understanding of the images of the heroes, it is important to briefly describe the atmosphere in which each of the characters grew up. Despite the “dragging” environment that seemed to cover Oblomovka with a veil of half-asleep and laziness, little Ilya was a cheerful, active and curious child, which at first was very similar to Stolz. He wanted to learn as much as possible about the world around him, but the excessive care of his parents, his “greenhouse” upbringing, the instillation of outdated, obsolete and aimed at the ideals of the past, made the child a worthy successor to the traditions of “Oblomovism”, a bearer of the “Oblomovism” worldview - lazy, introverted, living in his own illusory world.
However, Stolz also did not grow up the way he could have grown up. At first glance, the combination in his upbringing of the strict approach of his German father and the tenderness of his mother, a noblewoman of Russian origin, would have allowed Andrei to become a harmonious, comprehensively developed personality. Nevertheless, as the author points out, Stolz grew up “like a cactus accustomed to drought.” The young man lacked love, warmth and gentleness, since he was mainly raised by his father, who did not believe that sensitivity should be instilled in a man. However, until the end of his life, Stolz’s Russian roots sought this spiritual warmth, finding it in Oblomov, and then in the idea of Oblomovka, which he denied.
Education and career of heroes
The contradictory characters of Stolz and Oblomov are already evident in teenage years, when Andrei Ivanovich, trying to learn as much as possible about the world around him, tried to instill in Ilya Ilyich a love of books, to light a flame in him that would make him strive forward. And Stoltz succeeded, but for a very short time - as soon as Oblomov was left alone, the book became less important for him than, for example, a dream. Somehow, rather for his parents, Ilya Ilyich graduated from school and then university, where he was absolutely not interested, since the hero did not understand how mathematics and other sciences could be useful to him in life. Even a single failure in the service became the end of his career for him - it was too difficult for the sensitive, soft Oblomov to adapt to the strict rules of the capital's world, far from the norms of life in Oblomovka.
For Stolz, with his rational, active view of the world, it is much easier to move forward career ladder, because any failure was more like another incentive for him than a defeat. Andrei Ivanovich's continuous activity, high efficiency, and ability to please others made him useful person in any workplace and a pleasant guest in any society, and all thanks to the determination laid down by his father and the continuous thirst for knowledge, which in Stolz his parents developed in childhood.
Characteristics of Oblomov and Stolz as carriers of two opposite principles
IN critical literature when comparing Oblomov and Stolz, it is widely believed that the characters represent two opposites, two types of “extra” heroes who cannot be found in their “pure” form in real life, even despite the fact that “Oblomov” is a realistic novel, and, therefore, the images described should be typical images. However, when analyzing the upbringing and development of each of the characters, the reasons for Oblomov’s apathy, laziness and daydreaming become clear, as well as excessive dryness, rationality, and even similarities with a certain Stolz mechanism.
A comparison of Stolz and Oblomov makes it possible to understand that both heroes are not only typical personalities for their time, but are also images that are tendentious for any time. Oblomov is a typical son of rich parents, raised in an atmosphere of love and intense care, protected by his family from the need to work, decide something and actively act, because there will always be “Zakhar” who will do everything for him. Stolz, on the other hand, is a person who, from an early age, is taught the need to work and labor, while being deprived of love and care, which leads to a certain internal callousness of such a person, to a misunderstanding of the nature of feelings and emotional deprivation.
Work test
The great Russian writer, Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov, published his second novel “Oblomov” in 1859. It was a very difficult time for Russia. Society was divided into two parts: the first, and the minority - those who understood the need to abolish serfdom, those who were not satisfied with life ordinary people in Russia; the second, the majority, are landowners, “lords”, wealthy people whose life consisted of spending idle time, that is, those who lived at the expense of the peasants who belonged to them. In the novel, the author tells us about the life of the landowner Oblomov, about his friends.
So, the main character of the novel is Ilya Ilyich Oblomov. But the author also pays a lot of attention to Oblomov’s best friend, Stolz. Both heroes live at the same time, and it would seem that they should be similar, but is this so?
Oblomov appears before us as a man “... about thirty-two or three years old, of average height, pleasant appearance, with dark gray eyes, but with the absence of any definite idea, ... an even light of carelessness glowed throughout his whole face.” Stolz is the same age as Oblomov, “thin , he has almost no cheeks at all,... his complexion is even, darkish and no blush; the eyes, although a little greenish, are expressive.” Oblomov's parents were Russian nobles who owned several hundred serf souls. Stolz on his father's side was half German, his mother was a Russian noblewoman. Andrei Ivanovich professed the Orthodox faith and spoke Russian.
Oblomov and Stolz have known each other since childhood; they studied in a small boarding school located five miles from Oblomovka, in the village of Verkhleve. Stolz's father was the manager there. “Maybe Ilyusha would have had time to learn something well from him if Oblomovka had been about five hundred miles from Verkhlevo... The charm of Oblomov’s atmosphere, way of life and habits extended to Verkhlevo;...there, except for Stolz’s house, everything breathed the same primitive laziness, simplicity of morals, silence and stillness.” But Ivan Bogdanovich raised his son strictly: “From the age of eight, he sat with his father at the geographical map, sorted through the warehouses of Herder, Wieland, biblical verses and summed up the illiterate accounts of peasants, townspeople and factory workers, and with his mother he read sacred history, taught Krylov’s fables and sorted it out from Telemacus’ warehouses.” Concerning physical education, then Oblomov was not even allowed out into the street, and Stolz “took up from the pointer and ran to destroy birds’ nests with the boys,” sometimes disappearing from home for a day. From childhood, Oblomov was surrounded by the tender care of his parents and nanny, and Stolz was brought up in an atmosphere of constant mental and physical labor.
But both Oblomov and Stoltz are already over thirty, what are they like now? Ilya Ilyich turned into a lazy gentleman, whose life is spent lying on the sofa: “Ilya Ilyich’s lying down was neither a necessity, like that of a sick person or like a person who wants to sleep, nor an accident, like that of someone who is tired, nor a pleasure, like for a lazy person: this was his normal state.” Stolz cannot imagine life without movement: “He is constantly on the move: if society needs to send an agent to Belgium or England, they send him; you need to write some project or adapt a new idea to business - they choose it. Meanwhile, he goes out into the world and reads: when he has time, God knows.”
Comparing Oblomov and Stolz, we see that they are very different, but what unites them? Yes, undoubtedly, friendship, but what else? It seems to me that they are united by an eternal and endless sleep. Oblomov sleeps on his sofa, and Stolz sleeps in his stormy and rich life. “Life: life is good!” says Oblomov, “What to look for there? interests of the mind, heart? Look where the center is around which all this revolves: it is not there, there is nothing deep that touches the living. All these are dead people, sleeping people, worse than me, these members of the world and society!... Don’t they sleep sitting all their lives? Why am I more guilty than them, lying at home and not infecting my head with threes and jacks? I completely agree with Oblomov and believe that people who live without a specific, lofty goal simply sleep in pursuit of satisfying their desires.
But who is more needed by Russia, Oblomov or Stolz? Of course, such progressive people as Stolz are simply necessary, especially at the beginning of the third millennium. But the Oblomovs will never die, there is a piece of Oblomov in each of us, we are all a little Oblomov in our souls. It seems to me that the problem of the “sleeping man”, raised in the nineteenth century by Goncharov, is still relevant today. Lenin’s words are well known that even after three revolutions “old Oblomov remained and he had to be washed, cleaned, scuffed and torn for a long time in order for any sense to come out.”
Goncharov dedicated his novel to Oblomov. We see this by the fact that the author named his work after him. I.I. Oblomov is a whole phenomenon in Russian literature. It gave rise to such a phenomenon as “Oblomovism”, meaning a person incapable of active activity lying on the sofa and dreaming that everything in life will happen with the wave of a magic wand, like in a fairy tale.
Oblomov is the main character. But there is another striking image in Goncharov’s novel. This is Andrei Stolts.. He is the complete opposite of our hero. With a different character and life attitudes.
Let's try to compare them
they differ even in appearance. Stolz is German, dry, direct, fast and impetuous.
Even as a child, Ilya was distinguished by his looseness and slowness. And as an adult, he was flabby and fat.
The characters had different upbringings.
Ilya Ilyich is a nobleman. He was looked after by “300 Zakharovs”, that is, he did nothing himself. He was fed, watered, clothed, and put on shoes by servants. Having accustomed Ilyusha to the idea that this is how it should be, it is no coincidence that he has a dream about his childhood .Everything there was clear, calm, serene and peaceful. The boy was loved, cared for, cherished, pampered. He was sick from his studies, and they protected him from it in every possible way. Exactly according to Pushkin, “We all learned a little something and somehow.” In Oblomov, his upbringing developed inactivity, laziness, daydreaming and an inability to work.
Oblomov’s friend received a completely different upbringing Stolz. His father’s strictness taught him not to rely on anyone, but to work on his own. The father instilled in his son a sense of duty, prudence, practicality, and determination.
His mother developed aesthetic principles in him. Stolz studied well and became a business man.
Both heroes served. Only Oblomov quickly got tired of this activity. And Stolz, no matter what he undertook, did everything superbly. He was appreciated in the service, sent on important matters. He is a very active, active and purposeful person. The complete opposite of the dreamy, hiding from life in Oblomov's robe.
Social life weighed heavily on Oblomov, and he eventually began to avoid receptions and receptions.
Stolz, understanding the need for connections in society, felt like a duck to water at social balls.
The heroes also have different attitudes towards love. It is surprising that O. Ilyinskaya, having known Stolz for a long time, fell in love with the romantic Oblomov. Did Stolz seem too dry and pragmatic to her? But I.I. and here he showed laziness and cowardice. He believed that everything should happen, as in a fairy tale - of course. And Stolz understood that Olga, with her intelligence and reason, would be a good wife for him. And so it happened.
And Oblomov was comforted in the arms of the widow, and his life flowed as he dreamed - calmly, carefree and peaceful.
Thus, we can conclude that Stolz is opposed to Oblomov. The author’s goal is to show how upbringing and personal reluctance to do at least something in life for one’s own good lead a person to spiritual and physical death.
If Stolz is a fighter, then Oblomov is a groundless dreamer. Goncharov's merit is that he identified the phenomenon of "Oblomovism" and pointed out its causes and consequences.
The critic Dobrolyubov spoke about the novel in the article “What is Oblomovism”Oblomovka is our direct homeland, its owners are our educators, its three hundred Zakharovs are always ready for our services. There is a significant part of Oblomov in each of us, and it is too early to write a funeral eulogy for us.”
Introduction
Goncharov’s work “Oblomov” is a socio-psychological novel based on literary method antitheses. The principle of opposition can be traced both when comparing the characters of the main characters, as well as their basic values and life path. Comparing the lifestyles of Oblomov and Stolz in the novel “Oblomov” allows us to better understand the ideological concept of the work and understand the reasons for the tragedy of the destinies of both heroes.
Features of the heroes' lifestyle
The central character of the novel is Oblomov. Ilya Ilyich is afraid life difficulties, does not want to do or decide anything. Any difficulty and the need to act causes sadness in the hero and plunges him even deeper into an apathetic state. That is why Oblomov, after his first failure in the service, no longer wanted to try his hand at a career and took refuge from the outside world on his favorite sofa, trying not only not to leave the house, but not even to get out of bed unless absolutely necessary. Ilya Ilyich’s way of life is similar to slow dying - both spiritual and physical. The hero's personality gradually degrades, and he himself is completely immersed in illusions and dreams that are not destined to come true.
On the contrary, difficulties spur Stolz on; any mistake for him is only a reason to move on, achieving more. Andrei Ivanovich is in constant motion - business trips, meetings with friends and social evenings are an integral part of his life. Stolz looks at the world soberly and rationally; there are no surprises, illusions or strong shocks in his life, because he has calculated everything in advance and understands what to expect in each specific situation.
The characters' lifestyle and their childhood
The development and formation of the images of Oblomov and Stolz is shown by the author from the very beginning early years heroes. Their childhood, teenage and mature years proceed differently, they are instilled with different values and life guidelines, which only emphasizes the dissimilarity of the characters.
Oblomov grew like a greenhouse plant, fenced off from possible impacts the surrounding world. The parents spoiled little Ilya in every possible way, indulged his desires, and were ready to do everything to make their son happy and contented. Special attention The very atmosphere of Oblomovka, the hero’s native estate, requires it. Slow, lazy and poorly educated villagers considered labor to be something similar to punishment. Therefore, they tried to avoid it in every possible way, and if they had to work, they worked reluctantly, without any inspiration or desire. Naturally, this could not help but influence Oblomov, who from an early age absorbed the love of an idle life, absolute idleness, when Zakhar, as lazy and slow as his master, can always do everything for you. Even when Ilya Ilyich finds himself in a new, urban environment, he does not want to change his lifestyle and start working intensively. Oblomov simply closes himself off from the outside world and creates in his imagination some idealized prototype of Oblomovka, in which he continues to “live.”
Stolz's childhood is different, which is due, first of all, to the roots of the hero - a strict German father tried to raise his son as a worthy bourgeois, who could achieve everything in life on his own, without fear of any work. Andrei Ivanovich’s sophisticated mother, on the contrary, wanted her son to achieve a brilliant secular reputation in society, so from an early age she instilled in him a love of books and the arts. All this, as well as the evenings and receptions regularly held at the Stoltsev estate, influenced little Andrey, having formed an extroverted, educated and purposeful personality. The hero was interested in everything new, he knew how to confidently move forward, so after graduating from university he easily took his place in society, becoming an irreplaceable person for many. Unlike Oblomov, who perceived any activity as an aggravating necessity (even university studies or reading a long book), for Stolz his activity was an impulse for further personal, social and career development.
Similarities and differences in the characters' lifestyles
If the differences in the lifestyles of Ilya Oblomov and Andrei Stolts are noticeable and obvious almost immediately, correlating respectively as a passive lifestyle leading to degradation and an active one aimed at comprehensive development, then their similarities are visible only after detailed analysis characters. Both heroes are “superfluous” people for their era; they both do not live in the present tense, and therefore are in constant search yourself and your true happiness. The introverted, slow Oblomov holds on with all his might to his past, to the “heavenly”, idealized Oblomovka - a place where he will always feel good and calm.
Stolz strives exclusively for the future. He perceives his past as a valuable experience and does not try to cling to it. Even their friendship with Oblomov is full of unrealizable plans for the future - about how Ilya Ilyich’s life can be transformed, made more vivid and real. Stolz is always one step ahead, so it is difficult for him to be an ideal husband for Olga (however, Oblomov’s “extra” nature in the novel also becomes an obstacle to the development of relations with Olga).
Such isolation from others and internal loneliness, which Oblomov fills with illusions, and Stolz fills with thoughts about work and self-improvement, become the basis of their friendship. The characters unconsciously see in each other the ideal of their own existence, while completely denying their friend’s lifestyle, considering it either too active and intense (Oblomov was even upset by the fact that he had to walk for a long time in boots, and not in his usual soft slippers), or excessively lazy and inactive (at the end of the novel, Stolz says that it was “Oblomovism” that ruined Ilya Ilyich).
Conclusion
Using the example of the lifestyle of Oblomov and Stolz, Goncharov showed how the fates of people who come from the same social class but who received different upbringings can differ. Depicting the tragedy of both characters, the author shows that a person cannot live hiding from the whole world in illusion or giving himself overly to others, to the point of mental exhaustion - in order to be happy, it is important to find harmony between these two directions.
Work test
I.A. Goncharov in his novel touches upon very current topic the confrontation between work and laziness, which for centuries remains the most discussed and debatable. Nowadays, this topic is very problematic, since in our modern society Technology progresses and people stop working, laziness develops into the meaning of life.
The heroes of the novel Oblomov and Stolz are friends with early childhood. Their acquaintance occurs while studying in the house of Stolz's father, who taught the basics of the most important sciences.
Ilya Oblomov comes from a noble family; from early childhood, little Ilya is pampered and cherished. Parents and nannies forbid him to show any independent activity. Ilyusha, seeing this attitude toward himself, immediately realized that he could do nothing, since other people would do it all for him. His education took place in Stolz's house; he did not particularly want to study and his parents indulged him in this. This is how Oblomov’s entire youth passed. Adult life was no different from childhood and adolescence; Oblomov continues to lead a calm and lazy lifestyle. His passivity and idleness are reflected in Everyday life. He woke up at lunchtime, slowly climbed out of bed, lazily ate his food and was not interested in any business. Laziness, ingrained from childhood, did not give Oblomov the slightest chance to strive for science, to understand the world around him. Despite all this, his imagination was very well developed, since due to idleness Oblomov’s imaginary world was very rich. Oblomov was also a very trusting person, and the main person Ilya trusted was Andrei Stolts. Stolz is the complete antipode of Oblomov. From early childhood, Andrei was accustomed to order and to work. His parents raised him strictly but fairly. His father, a German by nationality, instilled in Andrei precision, hard work and punctuality. WITH youth Andrei carried out various assignments for his father, strengthening his character. He studied with Ilya, from his father, unlike Oblomov, Andrei was good at science, and he studied them with curiosity. Stolz made the transition from childhood to adulthood very early, so Andrei was a very active person. He strived for constant replenishment of knowledge, because “learning is light, and ignorance is darkness. He had a sober and practical view of current events, he never did anything hastily without thinking this issue, which he needed to solve. Prudence and punctuality, ingrained in childhood, have found a place in adult life Stolz. Mobility and energy contributed to him in any endeavors. Considering life positions Oblomov and Stolz in relation to Olga Ilyinskaya, the following conclusions can be drawn: Oblomov, living in his world - “Oblomovshchina,” was a romantic who took a long time to decide on concrete steps in real life. Their acquaintance with Olga Ilyinskaya occurs thanks to Stolz. Their relationship was not strong from the very beginning. Olga, knowing a lot about Oblomov from Stolz’s stories, tries to bring Oblomov back to life through the means of her love, but she fails to do this and “Oblomovism” wins. The relationship between Olga and Andrey develops naturally throughout life, “she laughs at his jokes, and he listens to her singing with pleasure.” They had a lot in common, but the most important thing was that they strived for life, this contributed to their rapprochement and the formation of a family.
Be that as it may, the fates of both heroes turn out relatively well. Stolz finds his happiness with Olga, and Oblomov finds his Oblomovka in the house on Vyborg side and lives out his life there with the woman he always dreamed of. This denouement shows that the author’s position towards both of his heroes is positive.
After reading the novel by I.A. Goncharov “Oblomov”, I am inclined to think that the events described in this work may be applicable to our time, since in modern society there are many people like Stolz and Oblomov. And their confrontation will be eternal.
