Dark alleys analysis of the story. "Dark Alleys", I

Bunin Ivan Alekseevich is one of best writers our country. The first collection of his poems appeared in 1881. Then he wrote the stories “To the End of the World”, “Tanka”, “News from the Motherland” and some others. In 1901 it was published new collection"Falling Leaves", for which the author received the Pushkin Prize.

Popularity and recognition come to the writer. He meets M. Gorky, A. P. Chekhov, L. N. Tolstoy.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Ivan Alekseevich created the stories "Zakhar Vorobyov", "Pines", " Antonov apples"and others, which depict the tragedy of a dispossessed, impoverished people, as well as the ruin of the estates of the nobles.

and emigration

Bunin perceived the October Revolution negatively, as a social drama. He emigrated in 1920 to France. Here he wrote, among other works, a cycle of short stories called " Dark alleys"(We will analyze the story of the same name from this collection below). The main theme of the cycle is love. Ivan Alekseevich reveals to us not only its bright sides, but also its dark ones, as the title itself suggests.

Bunin's fate was both tragic and happy. He reached unsurpassed heights in his art, and was the first Russian writer to receive the prestigious Nobel Prize. But he was forced to live for thirty years in a foreign land, with longing for his homeland and spiritual closeness with her.

Collection "Dark Alleys"

These experiences served as the impetus for the creation of the “Dark Alleys” cycle, which we will analyze. This collection, in a truncated form, first appeared in New York in 1943. In 1946, the next edition was published in Paris, which included 38 stories. The collection differed sharply in its content from how the topic of love was usually covered in Soviet literature.

Bunin's view of love

Bunin had his own, different from others, own view to this feeling. Its ending was one - death or separation, no matter how much the characters loved each other. Ivan Alekseevich thought that it looked like a flash, but that’s what was wonderful. Over time, love is replaced by affection, which gradually turns into everyday life. Bunin's heroes lack this. They experience only a flash and part, having enjoyed it.

Let's consider the analysis of the story that opens the cycle of the same name, starting with brief description plots.

The plot of the story "Dark Alleys"

Its plot is simple. General Nikolai Alekseevich, already an old man, arrives at the postal station and meets here his beloved, whom he has not seen for about 35 years. He will not recognize hope right away. Now she is the mistress of where their first meeting once took place. The hero finds out that all this time she loved only him.

The story "Dark Alleys" continues. Nikolai Alekseevich is trying to justify himself to the woman for not visiting her for so many years. “Everything passes,” he says. But these explanations are very insincere and clumsy. Nadezhda wisely answers the general, saying that youth passes for everyone, but love does not. A woman reproaches her lover for leaving her heartlessly, so she wanted to commit suicide many times, but she realizes that it is now too late to reproach.

Let's take a closer look at the story "Dark Alleys". shows that Nikolai Alekseevich does not seem to feel repentance, but Nadezhda is right when she says that not everything is forgotten. The general also could not forget this woman, his first love. In vain he asks her: “Please go away.” And he says that if only God would forgive him, and Nadezhda, apparently, has already forgiven him. But it turns out that no. The woman admits that she could not do this. Therefore, the general is forced to make excuses, apologize to his former lover, saying that he was never happy, but he loved his wife deeply, and she left Nikolai Alekseevich and cheated on him. He adored his son, had high hopes, but he turned out to be an insolent man, a spendthrift, without honor, heart, or conscience.

Is the old love still there?

Let's analyze the work "Dark Alleys". Analysis of the story shows that the feelings of the main characters have not faded away. It becomes clear to us that it has been preserved old love, the heroes of this work still love each other. Leaving, the general admits to himself that this woman gave him the best moments of his life. Fate takes revenge on the hero for betraying his first love. Doesn't find happiness in life family Nikolai Alekseevich (“Dark Alleys”). An analysis of his experiences proves this. He realizes that he missed the chance once given by fate. When the coachman tells the general that this landlady gives money at interest and is very “cool”, although she is fair: he didn’t return it on time - that means you have yourself to blame, Nikolai Alekseevich projects these words onto his life, reflects on what would have happened , if he had not left this woman.

What prevented the happiness of the main characters?

At one time, class prejudices prevented the future general from uniting his fate with a commoner. But love did not leave the protagonist’s heart and prevented him from becoming happy with another woman and raising his son with dignity, as our analysis shows. "Dark Alleys" (Bunin) is a work that has a tragic connotation.

Nadezhda also carried love throughout her life and in the end she also found herself alone. She could not forgive the hero for the suffering he caused, since he remained the most important thing in her life. dear person. Nikolai Alekseevich was unable to break the rules established in society and did not risk acting against them. After all, if the general had married Nadezhda, he would have met with contempt and misunderstanding from those around him. And the poor girl had no choice but to submit to fate. In those days, bright alleys of love between a peasant woman and a gentleman were impossible. This problem is already public, not personal.

The dramatic destinies of the main characters

In his work, Bunin wanted to show the dramatic destinies of the main characters, who were forced to part, being in love with each other. In this world, love turned out to be doomed and especially fragile. But she illuminated their whole life and forever remained in their memory as the best moments. This story is romantically beautiful, although dramatic.

In Bunin's work "Dark Alleys" (we are now analyzing this story), the theme of love is a cross-cutting motif. It permeates all creativity, thereby connecting the emigrant and Russian periods. It is this that allows the writer to correlate spiritual experiences with the phenomena of external life, and also to get closer to the secret of the human soul, based on the influence of objective reality on him.

This concludes the analysis of “Dark Alleys”. Everyone understands love in their own way. This amazing feeling has not yet been solved. The theme of love will always be relevant, since it is the driving force of many human actions, the meaning of our lives. In particular, our analysis leads to this conclusion. “Dark Alleys” by Bunin is a story that even in its title reflects the idea that this feeling cannot be fully understood, it is “dark”, but at the same time beautiful.

A series of stories called “Dark Alleys” is dedicated to the eternal theme of any type of art - love. “Dark Alleys” is spoken of as a kind of encyclopedia of love, which contains the most diverse and incredible stories about this great and often contradictory feeling.

And the stories that are included in Bunin’s collection are stunning with their varied plots and extraordinary style; they are the main assistants of Bunin, who wants to portray love at the peak of feelings, tragic love, but therefore perfect.

Feature of the series “Dark Alleys”

The very phrase that served as the title for the collection was taken by the writer from the poem “An Ordinary Tale” by N. Ogarev, which is dedicated to first love, which never had the expected continuation.

In the collection itself there is a story with the same name, but this does not mean that this story is the main one, no, this expression is the personification of the mood of all the stories and tales, a common elusive meaning, a transparent, almost invisible thread connecting the stories with each other.

A special feature of the series of stories “Dark Alleys” can be called moments when the love of two heroes for some reason cannot continue. Often the executioner of the passionate feelings of Bunin’s heroes is death, sometimes unforeseen circumstances or misfortunes, but most importantly, love is never allowed to come true.

This is what key concept Bunin's ideas about earthly love between two. He wants to show love at the peak of its blossoming, he wants to emphasize its true richness and highest value, the fact that it does not need to turn into life circumstances, like a wedding, marriage, life together...

Female images of “Dark Alleys”

Particular attention should be paid to the unusual female portraits that “Dark Alleys” are so rich in. Ivan Alekseevich paints images of women with such grace and originality that female portrait each story becomes unforgettable and truly intriguing.

Bunin's skill lies in several precise expressions and metaphors that instantly paint in the reader's mind the picture described by the author with many colors, shades and nuances.

The stories “Rusya”, “Antigone”, “Galya Ganskaya” are an exemplary example of different but vivid images of a Russian woman. The girls, whose stories were created by the talented Bunin, partly resemble the love stories that they experience.

We can say that the writer’s key attention is directed precisely to these two elements of the cycle of stories: women and love. And the love stories are just as intense, unique, sometimes fatal and willful, sometimes so original and incredible that it’s hard to believe in them.

The male characters in “Dark Alleys” are weak-willed and insincere, and this also determines the fatal course of all love stories.

The peculiarity of love in “Dark Alleys”

The stories of “Dark Alleys” reveal not only the theme of love, they reveal the depths human personality both souls and the very concept of “love” is presented as the basis of this difficult and not always happy life.

And love does not have to be mutual in order to bring unforgettable impressions; love does not have to turn into something eternal and tirelessly ongoing in order to please and make a person happy.

Bunin insightfully and subtly shows only the “moments” of love, for the sake of which everything else is worth experiencing, for which it is worth living.

The story "Clean Monday"

Story " Clean Monday"is a mysterious and not fully understood love story. Bunin describes a pair of young lovers who seem to be ideally suited to each other, but the catch is that their inner worlds have nothing in common.

Image young man simple and logical, and the image of his beloved is unattainable and complex, striking her chosen one with its inconsistency. One day she says that she would like to go to a monastery, and this causes complete bewilderment and misunderstanding for the hero.

And the end of this love is as complex and incomprehensible as the heroine herself. After intimacy with the young man, she silently leaves him, then asks him not to ask anything, and soon he finds out that she has gone to a monastery.

She made the decision on Clean Monday, when intimacy between lovers occurred, and the symbol of this holiday is a symbol of her purity and torment, which she wants to get rid of.

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Collection of stories “Dark Alleys” by I.A. Bunin wrote far from his homeland, while in France and worried about the consequences October revolution And difficult years First World War. The works included in this cycle are filled with motifs tragic fate person, the inevitability of events and longing for native land. The central theme of the collection of stories “Dark Alleys” is love, which turns out to be closely connected with suffering and fatal outcome.

Central to understanding the writer's intention is story of the same name collection "Dark Alleys". It was written in 1938 under the influence of a poem by N.P. Ogarev’s “An Ordinary Tale”, where the image of dark alleys is used, as well as the philosophical thoughts of L.N. Tolstoy that happiness in life is unattainable, and a person only catches its “lightnings” that need to be appreciated.

Analysis of the work by I.A. Bunin "Dark Alleys"

The plot of the work is based on the meeting of two already elderly people after many years of separation. To be precise, the story talks about 35 years since the last breakup. Nikolai Alekseevich arrives at the inn, where the owner Nadezhda meets him. The woman calls the hero by name, and he recognizes his former lover in her.

It's passed since then whole life, which the loved ones were destined to spend separately. The whole point is that Nikolai Alekseevich in his youth left a beautiful maid, who then received her freedom from the landowner and became the mistress of the inn. The meeting of two heroes raises a whole storm of feelings, thoughts and experiences inside them. However, the past cannot be returned and Nikolai Alekseevich leaves, imagining how life could have turned out differently if he had not neglected Nadezhda’s feelings. He is sure that he would be happy, he thinks about how she would become his wife, mother of children and mistress of the house in St. Petersburg. True, all this will remain the hero’s pipe dreams.

Thus, in the story “Dark Alleys” there are three main plot points:

• The hero's stop at the inn
• Meeting ex-lovers
• Reflections on the way after the incident

The first part of the work is an episode before the characters recognize each other. It prevails here portrait characteristic characters. It is the social difference between people that is significant. For example, Nadezhda addresses the visitor “Your Excellency,” but the hero allows himself “Hey, who’s there.”

The pivotal moment is the meeting that marks the second part of the plot. Here we see a description of feelings, emotions and experiences. Social boundaries are dropped, allowing for greater knowledge characters, contrast their thoughts. For the hero, a meeting with Nadezhda is a rendezvous with his conscience. The reader understands that she has retained her internal integrity. Nikolai Alekseevich, on the contrary, feels his life is useless, aimless, he sees only its ordinariness and vulgarity.

The third part of the story is the actual departure and conversation with the coachman. Social boundaries are important for the hero, which he cannot neglect even for the sake of high feelings. Nikolai Alekseevich is ashamed of his words and revelations, and regrets that he kissed the hand of the owner of the inn and his former lover.

This structure of the plot makes it possible to imagine love and past feelings as a flash that unexpectedly illuminated the ordinary life of Nikolai Alekseevich, who was bored with himself. A story based on the hero's memories is artistic device, which allows the author to talk about familiar things in a more exciting way and make an additional impression on the reader.

In the text of the work there are no instructive intonations, condemnation of the actions of the heroes or, conversely, manifestations of pity for them. The narration is based on a description of the feelings and emotions of the characters, which are revealed to the reader and it is he who has to evaluate what happened.

Characteristics of the main characters of the story “Dark Alleys”

The image of Nadezhda appears in a positive light. We don't learn much about her from the story, but it's enough to draw certain conclusions. The heroine is a former serf, who is now the mistress of a state-owned postal station. Having grown old, she continues to look beautiful, feel light and “beyond her age.” Nadezhda was able to get a good job in life thanks to her intelligence and honesty. The coachman, in a conversation with Nikolai Alekseevich, notes that she is “getting rich, giving money on interest,” i.e. on loan. The heroine is characterized by practicality and enterprise.

She had to go through a lot. The feelings from Nikolai Alekseevich’s act were so strong that Nadezhda admits that she wanted to commit suicide. However, she was able to overcome difficulties and become stronger.

The woman continues to love, but she was unable to forgive the betrayal of her beloved. She boldly declares this to Nikolai Alekseevich. The wisdom of Nadezhda evokes the reader’s sympathy. For example, to the general’s attempts to justify his past actions, she replies that youth passes for everyone, but love never does. These words of the heroine also say that she knows how and can truly love, but this does not bring her happiness.

The image of Nikolai Alekseevich is in many ways contrasted with Nadezhda. He is a nobleman and a general, a representative of high society. He made a good career, but in personal life the hero is unhappy. His wife left him, and his son grew up to be an insolent and dishonest man. The hero looks tired, while he ex-lover full of strength and desire to act. He once gave up love a long time ago and never got to know it, spending his whole life without happiness and pursuing false goals. "Everything passes. Everything is forgotten” - this is the hero’s position in relation to happiness and love.

Nikolai Alekseevich is already about 60 years old, but when he meets Nadezhda, he blushes like a young man. The soldier remembers with shame that he abandoned his beloved, but does he have the strength to correct what happened? No. The hero again chooses the easiest path and leaves.

The character’s spiritual weakness, the inability to distinguish true feelings from “a vulgar, ordinary story” dooms him and Nadezhda to suffering. Nikolai Alekseevich can only remember the past, his love, which “gave him the best minutes of his life.”

The love between Nadezhda and Nikolai Alekseevich turns out to be doomed, and the history of their relationship is full of drama. Why did everything happen like this? There are several reasons. This is also the weakness of the hero, who pushed away his loved one and did not see the future in his feelings for her. This is also the role of prejudices in society, which exclude the possibility of a relationship, and especially a marriage, between a nobleman and an ordinary maid.

The difference in views on love also predetermined the dramatic destinies of the heroes. If for Nadezhda, feelings for a loved one are loyalty to herself, a driving force that inspires and helps her in life, then for Nikolai Alekseevich love is a moment, a past story. The irony is that it was this moment, this part of my life associated with my ex-lover, that became the best moment in all my years.

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The cycle of stories by the outstanding Russian writer Ivan A “Dark Alleys” consists of 38 works. They reflect different layers of time and differ in the methods of creating images and genres. The writer created the last cycle of stories in his life during the Second World War, in last years own life. At a time when the established world was collapsing from a bloody war, he wrote about the power of feelings and eternal love. He considered his book “Dark Alleys” to be one of his most outstanding works and considered it the most perfect in artistic skill. The cycle of stories “Dark Alleys” is a memoir book in which the author, through people’s declaration of love for each other, confesses his own love for Russia and admires its deep mysterious soul.

The running theme of all the stories in the cycle is love, a great feeling in all its manifestations. The author considers love to be the greatest priceless gift that no one can take away from a person. Therefore, people are truly free only in love.

“Dark Alleys” is one of the stories in the cycle, which gave the title to the entire collection. This story was written in 1938. In it, as in other stories, main theme is love. The author reveals to the reader the catastrophic and tragic nature of love. Love is a gift from above that is beyond human control. The story “Dark Alleys” is, at first glance, a banal story about a meeting of elderly people who, in their youth, loved each other very much. A young, rich and handsome landowner seduces and after a while abandons his maid. But with the help of a simple plot, they managed to tell an impressive and exciting story about seemingly simple things. This work is just a short flash of memories of lost love and youth. The story has only three compositional parts:

• Parking at the inn of an elderly military man.
• A sudden meeting of this military man with his former lover.
• Reflections of the hero of the story about the meeting.

At the beginning of the story, we are presented with pictures of everyday life and everyday dullness. But suddenly, in the owner of the inn, tired Nikolai Alekseevich recognizes his young love - the beautiful Nadezhda, who served as his maid. He betrayed this girl thirty years ago. Nikolai Alekseevich “quickly straightened up, opened his eyes and blushed.” A whole life has passed since they broke up. It turned out that both heroes remained lonely. Although Nikolai Alekseevich has weight in society and is quite comfortable in life, he is unhappy. His wife “cheated on him, abandoned me even more insultingly than I left you,” and his son has grown very much bad person"without heart, without honor, without conscience."

And Nadezhda, who said goodbye to her masters and turned from a former serf into the owner of a private hotel opened at the post station. Nadezhda is a “mind chamber.” And everyone, they say, is getting rich, cool.” But... She never got married. If the hero of the story is already tired of life, then his former lover is still beautiful, light and full of vitality. Nikolai Alekseevich once voluntarily renounced love, and his punishment for this was complete loneliness for the rest of my life, without a loved one and without happiness. Nadezhda, in the same way, all her life loved only one person, to whom she gave “her beauty, her fever,” whom she once called “Nikolenka.” Love for this man still lives in her heart, but she still does not forgive Nikolai Alekseevich...

IN touching stories I. Bunin, the reader very often encounters the topic love relationship between man and woman. Perhaps this is the most actual topic, which is found not only in his work, but also in the works of other writers. Why is that? Yes, because love unites hearts. Each of us at least once in our lives was loved and loved as much as we could. Therefore, reading the stories on love theme, the reader is always interested and captivated to watch the development of the plot.

In I. Bunina's stories we encounter various manifestations of love. She can be devoted until the end of her life, she can be passionate, platonic, sad and unrequited.

In one of the author’s stories, “Dark Alleys,” we are introduced to the story of a man who, long ago, in his youth, betrayed his love. Now he is already an old man, but this does not stop him from looking attractive. He stops to rest and have lunch at an inn and meets the very woman whom he once loved and betrayed long ago. Thirty years later, she remained just as beautiful, built her own farm and managed it skillfully. Everything in her life was going smoothly and well, except for her personal relationships.

Nadezhda was lonely, because after Nikolai Alekseevich she could not love anyone else. The man, being a military man, started a family and children. Only his wife cheated on him constantly, and his son turned out to be a real heartless scoundrel. So life punished Nikolai Alekseevich for the betrayal of his youth.

The meeting with Nadezhnaya led the hero into deep thoughts about whether the love of his youth could become good for him and faithful wife, could they build a family?

The foundations and prejudices of thirty years ago took over, and Nikolai Alekseevich never understood that Nadezhda loved him alone all her life. It turns out that he didn’t arrange his own life and ruined someone else’s. The man called past relationships only “vulgar and ordinary.”

In the story “Dark Alleys,” the reader encounters true, devoted and faithful female love, which later long years, remained faithful to that one and only beloved.