The "Garnet Bracelet" was created to prove the existence of true, pure love in the modern world. To do this, he created a story, some perceive it as an anecdote about a telegraph operator who fell in love, while others perceive it as a touching "Love Song" - touching, pure.

The hero of the story is Zheltkov G.S. He was an official of the control chamber. The writer portrays him as a young man "about thirty-five years old", quite pleasant in appearance: tall, rather thin, with long soft hair. Constantly pale, face so tender, as if girlish, with a childish chin and blue eyes. Zheltkov is endowed with a sense of beauty, namely musical.

Our hero is in love with Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, a woman of "aristocratic" appearance. Zheltkov believes that she is unusual, sophisticated. At first, Zheltkov wrote letters of a vulgar and, at the same time, wise nature. But after a while, he began to reveal his feelings in a more restrained, delicate way. Every moment that he sees the princess is dear to him like nothing else.

Zheltkov - he is the chosen one. That selflessness, selflessness of his love is really strong as death. She does not wait for a reward, for her sake one can give one's life. All women dream of such "eternal, holy" love.

Vera Nikolaevna can be considered the chosen one, since real, selfless love passed through her life. Unfortunately, unlike women, in the modern world, men have become completely impoverished both in spirit and body; But Zheltkov is far from being such. And the dating scene proves it. As he feels and understands people well, he immediately stopped paying attention to the threats from Nikolai Nikolayevich.

Then, when this difficult conversation took place, Zheltkov was returned his own gift - an amazing garnet bracelet, a family heirloom, the hero showed a strong will. He decides that the only way out is to die, because he does not want to cause any inconvenience to his beloved. It was a farewell to life for him. His last words of gratitude to the princess for the fact that she is his only joy, his only consolation, were a wish of happiness for his beloved.

All this proves that Zheltkov is endowed with Kuprin nobility. This is not an image of a “little” person, poor in spirit, who was conquered by love. Saying goodbye to life, he turns out to be loving and strong selflessly.

Thus, an official, an “inconspicuous” person of a rather ridiculous surname Zheltkov, for the sake of the happiness of his beloved, gave his life to God. Of course, the fact that he was possessed is true, but what? High feeling! It cannot be considered a "disease". This love is great, the one that fills life with meaning and saves a person from the degeneration of morals. This is the love that only the chosen ones deserve.

Love is a great, sublime feeling, pushing for exploits and self-sacrifice for the good of one's chosen one. In books, writers extolled this feeling as the meaning of existence, the great goal in human life. Pushkin, Lermontov, Kuprin, Yesenin, Akhmatova and Tsvetaeva are world famous writers whose works sing of this wonderful feeling. But is love always like this? Unfortunately no. Behind such a feeling, betrayal, hatred, anger can also be hidden. Against such imaginary love was the Russian writer Kuprin Alexander Ivanovich.

Characteristics of Zheltkov in the story "Garnet Bracelet"

From 1900 to 1910, the writer wrote a series of novels and short stories that show true love. Kuprin elevates this all-consuming feeling over people, endowing it with his main characters. The story "Garnet Bracelet" did not bypass this topic. The main character in it becomes a simple official - G. S. Zheltkov. Kuprin endows him with true and pure love, one that is not capable of betrayal and deceit, which is similar to an ideal.

Zheltkov's characterization in "Garnet Bracelet" begins with a description of his unrequited love. The subject of the protagonist's sigh is a young secular lady - Vera Nikolaevna. The main character of the story writes the first letter to the princess before her marriage. In it, a young and inexperienced telegraph operator describes all his feelings for Vera Nikolaevna. But he doesn't get any response. For many years, hopelessly in love, Zheltkov sent letters to the princess, who did not take all his love revelations seriously. Moreover, the whole family of Vera openly mocked and ridiculed him, considering G.S.Zh. a maniac and an abnormal person.

Garnet bracelet

Zheltkov sends his penultimate letter and gift to the princess on her name day. As the telegrapher himself wrote: "I would never allow myself to present you with anything chosen by me personally: for this I have neither the right, nor fine taste, and - I confess - no money." This fragment, taken from a letter to his beloved, can be included as the beginning of Zheltkov's characterization. The gift of a petty official is a bracelet decorated with a scattering of red garnets. This is the only thing that the main character of the story could give to his beloved.

Despite the severity of fate, the hero of Kuprin's story is happy from the realization that he loves. The main characteristic of Zheltkov is the purity and recklessness of his feelings for Vera. In his letters, he reflects that it would be best to leave and leave his love, but he is not able to do this. With all his thoughts and feelings, he would still be forever connected with her.

External characteristics of the hero

In appearance, Zheltkov was endowed with soft features, a medium build, blue eyes, and tall stature. He looked about 35 years old. Despite his gentle appearance, the hero absorbed both sensitivity and sincerity, as well as perseverance. The external characteristic of Zheltkov is intertwined with his state of mind.

The grandfather of Vera Nikolaevna, General Anosov, becomes a supporter of his feelings. Having been imbued with the whole story of the unrequited feelings of the poor telegraph operator, he tries to convince his granddaughter of that selfless, selfless love that Zheltkov burns.

Housing conditions of the protagonist

The key characteristic of Zheltkov in Kuprin's "Garnet Bracelet" is also the room in which he lived. Because of his small rank, the hero lives in one room, which presents him as a poor man, with a complex life history. The living space itself was low-ceilinged and small-windowed, with only the bare necessities of furniture.

With all its guts, the room showed the state of mind of its owner. He did not strive for comfort and rich decoration. Vera Nikolaevna was the only joy and outlet in Zheltkov's life. Feelings for her overwhelmed the protagonist, and he was not interested in anything else. This moment complements the characterization of Zheltkov in "Garnet Bracelet" as a sincere person and capable of sacrifices in the name of pure and great love.

In his story, Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin shows all the power and strength of true love, not waiting for a reward. One that is as strong as death. And he carries such love as a cross, all his life, the main character of the story. According to Zheltkov's characterization in "Garnet Bracelet", it is clear that he is a man of a wide soul, in which there is a place for love and self-sacrifice. And he gives himself to her completely, without a trace, feeling happy only because he has the opportunity to experience this feeling.

The dramatic events that happened to the main characters will not leave anyone indifferent. Unrequited love took the life of a wonderful man who never managed to come to terms with the fact that he could never be together with his beloved woman. The image and characterization of Zheltkov in the story "Garnet Bracelet" is the key. On his example, you can see that true love exists regardless of time and era.

Zheltkov- the protagonist of the story. Full name unknown. There is an assumption that his name was George. The man always signed documents with three letters G.S.Zh. Works as an official. For many years he has been unrequitedly in love with Vera Sheina, a married lady.

Image

Young man aged 35.

"...he must have been about thirty, thirty-five years old...".

Skinny, emaciated. High growth. Long, soft hair cascaded down her shoulders. Zheltkov's appearance is painful. Perhaps this is because of the too pale complexion.

“very pale, with a gentle girlish face, blue eyes and a stubborn childlike chin with a dimple in the middle…”

The official wore a light mustache with a reddish tint. Thin, nervous fingers were in constant motion, which betrayed nervousness and imbalance.

Characteristic

Zheltkov was a wonderful person. Educated, tactful, modest. Over the years that he rented an apartment, he became almost a son for the owner of the living space.

The man had no family. There is only one brother.

Not rich. He lived very modestly, not allowing himself any frills. The salary of a petty official was low, you can’t really clear up.

decent. Noble.

“I immediately guessed a noble person in you ...”

Fair. Sincere. You can always rely on people like him. Will not let you down, will not deceive. Not capable of betrayal.

loves music. Favorite composer Beethoven.

Love in Zheltkov's life

A few years ago, Zheltkov fell in love with Vera after seeing her at the opera. At that time she was not married. He did not have the courage to verbally confess his feelings. He wrote letters to her, but Vera asked not to disturb her anymore. She did not like his importunity. Instead of a reciprocal feeling, a wave of irritation rose in the woman. For a while he was silent, not reminding himself of anything, until the time came for the celebration of the name day at Vera's. At the celebration, she receives an expensive gift sent by the hopelessly in love Zheltkov. With his gift, he showed that feelings have not cooled down. Only now did he understand everything and realized that the letters were stupid and impudent. He repented and asked for forgiveness. Faith became the meaning of life for him. He couldn't breathe without her. She is the only joy that brightens up gray everyday life. Vera's husband and brother read his letter. At the family council, it was decided to stop his love impulses by returning the bracelet and asking him not to disturb their family anymore. Vera herself told him about it on the phone. For the poor fellow, this was a heavy blow. He could not bear it, deciding to leave this life forever, choosing a terrible way for this - suicide.

Yes, I foresee suffering, blood and death. And I think that it is difficult for the body to part with the soul, but, Beautiful, praise to you, passionate praise and quiet love. "Hallowed be thy name"...

In the dying sad hour, I pray only to you. Life could be great for me too. Do not grumble, poor heart, do not grumble. In my soul I call for death, but in my heart I am full of praise to you: "Hallowed be your name" ...

A. Kuprin

In the 20th century, in the era of cataclysms, in a period of political and social instability, when a new attitude to universal values ​​began to form, love often became the only moral category that survived in a collapsing and dying world. The theme of love became central in the work of many writers of the beginning of the century. She became one of the central themes in the work of A. I. Kuprin. Love in his works is always disinterested, selfless, "no life's conveniences, calculations and compromises" concern it. But this love is always tragic, obviously doomed to suffering. Heroes are dying. But their feelings are stronger than death. Their feelings don't die. Isn't that why the images of "Olesya", "Duel", "Sulamith", "Pomegranate Bracelet" remain in the memory for so long?

In the story "Shulamith" (1908), written based on the biblical Song of Songs, the ideal of love according to Kuprin is presented. He describes such "tender and fiery, devoted and beautiful love, which alone is more precious than wealth, glory and wisdom, which is more precious than life itself, because even life it does not value and is not afraid of death." The story "Garnet Bracelet" (1911) was intended to prove that such love exists in the modern world, and to refute the opinion expressed in the work by General Anosov, the grandfather of the main character: "... love among people has taken ... vulgar forms and descended simply to some kind of worldly convenience, to a little entertainment. And the men are to blame for this, "satiated at twenty years old, with chicken bodies and hare souls, incapable of strong desires, heroic deeds, tenderness and adoration before love ..."

Kuprin presented the story, which others perceive as an anecdote about a telegraph operator who fell in love, as a touching and sublime Song of Songs about true love.

The hero of the story is Zheltkov G.S. pan Ezhy, an official of the control chamber, a young man of pleasant appearance, "about thirty, thirty-five years old." He is "tall, thin, with long fluffy, soft hair", "very pale, with a gentle girlish face, with blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle." We learn that Zheltkov is musical and endowed with a sense of beauty. The spiritual image of the hero is revealed in his letters to Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, in a conversation with her husband on the eve of suicide, but "seven years of hopeless and polite love" characterize him most fully.

Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, whom the hero is in love with, attracts with her "aristocratic" beauty, inherited from her mother, "with her tall, flexible figure, gentle, but cold and proud face, beautiful, although rather large hands, and that charming sloping of the shoulders, which can be seen on old miniatures. Zheltkov considers her unusual, refined and musical. He "began to pursue her with his love" two years before his marriage. When he first saw the princess at the circus in a box, he said to himself: “I love her because there is nothing like her in the world, there is nothing better, there is no beast, no plant, no star, no. More beautiful than a person ... and more tender ". He admits that since then he "is not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people." For Zheltkov in Vera Nikolaevna "as if all the beauty of the earth was embodied." It is no coincidence that he constantly speaks of God: "God was pleased to send me, as an enormous happiness, love for you," "the love that God was pleased to reward me for something."

At first, Zheltkov's letters to Princess Vera were "vulgar and curiously ardent" in nature, "although they were quite chaste." But over time, he began to reveal his feelings more restrained and delicately: “I blush at the memory of my insolence seven years ago, when I dared to write stupid and wild letters to you, young lady ... Now only reverence, eternal admiration remain in me. and slavish devotion. “For me, my whole life lies only in you,” Zheltkov writes to Vera Nikolaevna. In this life, every moment is dear to him when he sees the princess or watches her with excitement at a ball or in the theater. When he passes away, he burns everything dear to his heart: Vera's handkerchief, which she forgot at the ball in the Noble Assembly, her note asking "not to bother her anymore with your love outpourings", the program of the art exhibition, which the princess held in her hand, and then I forgot in my chair when I left.

Knowing full well that his feelings are undivided, Zheltkov hopes and is "even sure" that someday Vera Nikolaevna will remember him. She, unaware of it herself, hurts him painfully, pushes him to suicide, uttering the phrase in a telephone conversation: "Oh, if you only knew how tired I am of this whole story. Please stop it as soon as possible." Nevertheless, in the farewell letter, the hero "from the depths of his soul" thanks Vera Nikolaevna for being his "only joy in life, the only consolation." He wishes her happiness and that "nothing temporary and worldly disturbs" her "beautiful soul".

Zheltkov is the chosen one. His love is "selfless, selfless, not waiting for a reward ...". The one about which it is said - "strong as death" ... such love, "for which to accomplish any feat, to give one's life, to go to torment is not labor at all, but one joy ...". In his own words, this love was sent to him by God. He loves, and his feeling "contains the whole meaning of life - the whole universe!". Every woman in the depths of her heart dreams of such love - "holy, pure, eternal ... unearthly", "one, all-forgiving, ready for anything."

And Vera Nikolaevna is also chosen, because it was her life that was "crossed" by real, "modest and selfless" true love. And if "almost every woman is capable of the highest heroism in love," then men in the modern world, unfortunately, have become impoverished in spirit and body; But Zheltkov is not like that. The date scene reveals many aspects of the character of this person. At first he is lost ("jumped up, ran to the window, pulling his hair"), he admits that now "the hardest minute has come" in his life, and his whole appearance testifies to inexpressible spiritual anguish: he speaks with Shein and Tuganovsky "with one jaw" , and his lips are "white ... as dead." But self-control quickly returns to him, Zheltkov again finds the gift of speech and the ability to reason sensibly. As a person who is sensitive and able to understand people, he immediately rebuffed Nikolai Nikolaevich, stopped paying attention to his stupid threats, but in Vasily Lvovich he guessed a smart, understanding person, able to listen to his confession. During this meeting, when a difficult conversation took place with the husband and brother of his beloved, and Zheltkov was returned his gift - a wonderful garnet bracelet, a family heirloom, which he calls "a modest loyal offering", the hero demonstrated strong will.

After a call to Vera Nikolaevna, he decided that he had only one way out - to die so as not to cause inconvenience to his beloved anymore. This step was the only possible one, because his whole life was centered around his beloved, and now he is denied even the last small thing: to stay in the city, "to see her at least occasionally, of course, without showing her eyes." Zheltkov understands that life away from Vera Nikolaevna will not bring deliverance from "sweet delirium", because wherever he is, his heart will remain at the feet of his beloved, "every moment of the day" will be filled with Her, the thought of Her, dreams of Her. Having made this difficult decision, Zheltkov finds the strength to explain himself. His excitement is betrayed by his behavior (“he stopped behaving like a gentleman”) and speech, which becomes businesslike, categorical and tough. "That's all," said Zheltkov, smiling arrogantly. "You won't hear about me anymore and, of course, you'll never see me again... It seems that I did everything I could?"

Farewell to Vera Nikolaevna for the hero is farewell to life. It is no coincidence that Princess Vera, leaning over the deceased to put a rose, notices that “deep importance” is hidden in his closed eyes, and his lips smile “blissfully and serenely, as if before parting with life he had learned some deep and sweet secret that solved throughout his human life." Zheltkov's last words are words of gratitude for the fact that the princess was his "only joy in life, the only consolation, the only thought", a wish for the happiness of his beloved and the hope that she will fulfill his last request: she will perform the sonata in D-dur No. 2, op. 2.

All of the above convinces us that the image of Zheltkov, written out by Kuprin with such nobility and enlightened love, is not an image of a “small”, pathetic, defeated by love, poor in spirit person. No, passing away, Zheltkov remains strong and selflessly loving. He reserves the right to choose, protects his human dignity. Even the husband of Vera Nikolaevna understood how deep this man’s feeling was, and treated him with respect: “I’ll say that he loved you, but he wasn’t crazy at all,” Shein reports after meeting with Zheltkov. “I didn’t take my eyes off him and saw every movement, every change of his face. And for him there was no life without you. It seemed to me that I was present at the tremendous suffering from which people die. "

An inconspicuous official, a "little man" with a funny surname Zheltkov, performed a feat of self-sacrifice in the name of the happiness and tranquility of his beloved woman. Yes, he was obsessed, but possessed by a high feeling. It was "not a disease, not a manic idea." It was love - great and poetic, filling life with meaning and content, saving man and humanity itself from moral degeneration. A love that only a select few are capable of. A love "that every woman dreams of... a love that only repeats itself once in a thousand years"...

"Garnet bracelet" Kuprin A.I.

Zheltkov G.S.- appears in the story only towards the end: “very pale, with a gentle girlish face, blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle; he must have been about thirty, thirty-five years old.” Along with Princess Vera can be called the main character of the story. The outset of the conflict is the receipt by Princess Vera on September 17, on the day of her name day, a letter signed with the initials “G. S. Zh. ”, and a garnet bracelet in a red case.

It was a gift from a stranger then to Vera Zh., who fell in love with her seven years ago, wrote letters, then stopped bothering her at her request, but now again confessed his love. In a letter, Zh. explained that the old silver bracelet once belonged to his grandmother, then all the stones were transferred to a new, gold bracelet. Zh. repents that before "dared to write stupid and daring letters" and adds: "Now I have only reverence, eternal admiration and slavish devotion." One of the guests at the birthday party for fun presents the love story of the telegraphist, P.P.Zh. (distorted G.S.Zh.), to Vera in a comic form, stylized as a tabloid novel. Another guest, a person close to the family, the old general Anosov, suggests: “Maybe this is just a crazy guy, a maniac<...>maybe your life path, Verochka, was crossed by exactly the kind of love that women dream of and that men are no longer capable of.

Under the influence of his brother-in-law, Vera's husband, Prince Vasily Lvovich Shein, decides to return the bracelet and stop correspondence. Zh. struck Shein at the meeting with his sincerity. Zh., having asked permission from Shein, speaks on the phone with Vera, but she also asks to stop "this story." Shein felt that he was present "at some tremendous tragedy of the soul." When he informs Vera about this, she predicts that Zh. will kill herself. Later, from the newspaper, she accidentally learned about the suicide of J., who referred in his suicide note to the embezzlement of state money. In the evening of the same day, she receives a farewell letter from J. He calls his love for Vera "great happiness" sent to him by God. It is recognized that he "is not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concern for the future happiness of people." All life lies in love for Vera: “Let me be ridiculous in your eyes and in the eyes of your brother<...>Leaving, I say in ecstasy: Hallowed be thy name. Prince Shein admits: Zh. was not crazy and loved Vera very much and was therefore doomed to death. He allows Vera to say goodbye to J. Looking at the deceased, she "realized that the love that every woman dreams of has passed her by." In the face of the dead ^K. she noticed "deep importance", "deep and sweet mystery", "peaceful expression", which "she saw on the masks of the great sufferers - Pushkin and Napoleon".

At home, Vera found a familiar pianist - Jenny Reuter, who played her exactly the place from Beethoven's second sonata, which seemed to J. the most perfect - "Largo Appassionato". And this music became an afterlife declaration of love addressed to Vera. Vera's thoughts that "a great love passed by her" coincided with the music, each "verse" of which ended with the words: "Hallowed be thy name." At the very end of the story, Vera utters words that only she can understand: “... he has forgiven me now. Everything is fine".

All the characters in the story, not excluding Zh., had real prototypes. Criticism pointed, however, to the connection of the "Garnet Bracelet" with the prose of the Norwegian writer Knut Hamsun.