Anna's last name is a garnet bracelet. The image and characteristics of Anna Nikolaevna in the story Kuprin's garnet bracelet essay

Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin is a Russian writer who, without a doubt, can be attributed to the classics. His books are still recognizable and loved by the reader, not only under the compulsion of a school teacher, but at a conscious age. A distinctive feature of his work is documentary, his stories were based on real events or real events became the impetus for their creation - among them is the story "Garnet Bracelet".

“Garnet Bracelet” is a real story that Kuprin heard from friends while viewing family albums. The governor's wife made sketches for letters sent to her by a certain telegraph official who was unrequitedly in love with her. Once she received a gift from him: a gilded chain with a pendant in the shape of an Easter egg. Alexander Ivanovich took this story as the basis for his work, turning these meager, uninteresting data into a touching story. The writer replaced the chain with the pendant with a bracelet with five grenades, which, according to King Solomon in one story, mean anger, passion and love.

Plot

The "Garnet Bracelet" begins with preparations for the celebration, when Vera Nikolaevna Sheina suddenly receives a gift from an unknown person: a bracelet in which five garnets adorned with green splashes. On a paper note that was attached to the gift, it is indicated that the gem is able to endow the owner with foresight. The princess shares the news with her husband and shows a bracelet from an unknown person. In the course of the action, it turns out that this person is a petty official named Zheltkov. For the first time, he saw Vera Nikolaevna in the circus many years ago, and since then, suddenly flared feelings have not faded away: even the threats of her brother do not stop him. Nevertheless, Zheltkov does not want to torment his beloved, and he decides to commit suicide so as not to bring shame on her.

The story ends with the realization of the strength of the sincere feelings of a stranger, which comes to Vera Nikolaevna.

Love Theme

The main theme of the work "Garnet Bracelet" is, of course, the theme of unrequited love. Moreover, Zheltkov is a vivid example of disinterested, sincere, sacrificial feelings that he does not betray, even when his loyalty cost his life. Princess Sheina also fully feels the power of these emotions: years later she realizes that she wants to be loved and love again - and the jewelry presented by Zheltkov marks the imminent emergence of passion. Indeed, soon she falls in love with life again and feels it in a new way. you can read on our website.

The theme of love in the story is frontal and permeates the entire text: this love is high and pure, a manifestation of God. Vera Nikolaevna feels internal changes even after Zheltkov's suicide - she knew the sincerity of a noble feeling and readiness to sacrifice herself for the sake of someone who would not give anything in return. Love changes the character of the whole story: the princess's feelings die, wither, fall asleep, being once passionate and hot, and turned into a strong friendship with her husband. But Vera Nikolaevna in her soul still continues to strive for love, even if it became dull over time: she needed time to let passion and sensuality come out, but before that her calmness could seem indifferent and cold - this puts a high wall for Zheltkov.

Main characters (characteristic)

1. Zheltkov worked as a minor official in the control chamber (the author placed him there to emphasize that the main character was a small person). Kuprin does not even indicate his name in the work: only the letters are signed with initials. Zheltkov is exactly what the reader imagines as a low-ranking person: thin, pale-skinned, straightening his jacket with nervous fingers. He has delicate features, blue eyes. According to the story, Zheltkov is about thirty years old, he is not rich, modest, decent and noble - even the husband of Vera Nikolaevna notes this. The elderly mistress of his room says that for all the eight years that he lived with her, he became like a family to her, and he was a very sweet interlocutor. “... Eight years ago I saw you in a circus in a box, and then in the first second I said to myself: I love her because there is nothing like her in the world, there is nothing better ...”, - this is how the modern fairy tale about Zheltkov's feelings for Vera Nikolaevna, although he never cherished hopes that they would be mutual: "... seven years of hopeless and polite love ...". He knows the address of his beloved, what she does, where she spends time, what she wears - he admits that nothing but her is interesting and joyful to him. you can also find it on our website.
2. Vera Nikolaevna Sheina inherited her mother's appearance: a tall, stately aristocrat with a proud face. Her character is strict, uncomplicated, calm, she is polite and courteous, kind to everyone. She has been married to Prince Vasily Shein for more than six years, together they are full-fledged members of high society, arrange balls and receptions, despite financial difficulties.
3. Vera Nikolaevna has a sister, the youngest, Anna Nikolaevna Friesse, who, unlike her, inherited her father's features and his Mongolian blood: a narrow slit in the eyes, femininity of features, flirty facial expressions. Her character is frivolous, perky, cheerful, but contradictory. Her husband, Gustav Ivanovich, is rich and stupid, but idolizes her and is constantly nearby: his feelings, it seems, have not changed from the first day, he courted her and still adored her very much. Anna Nikolaevna cannot stand her husband, but they have a son and a daughter, she is faithful to him, although she is quite contemptuous.
4. General Anosov is Anna's godfather, his full name is Yakov Mikhailovich Anosov. He is fat and tall, good-natured, patient, does not hear well, he has a large, red face with clear eyes, he is very respected for the years of his service, he is fair and courageous, he has a clear conscience, constantly wears a frock coat and cap, uses a hearing horn and a stick.
5. Prince Vasily Lvovich Shein is the husband of Vera Nikolaevna. Little is said about his appearance, only that he has blond hair and a big head. He is very soft, compassionate, sensitive - he treats Zheltkov's feelings with understanding, unshakably calm. He has a sister, a widow, whom he invites to the celebration.

Features of Kuprin's creativity

Kuprin was close to the theme of the character's awareness of the truth of life. He saw the world around him in a special way and strove to learn something new, his works are characterized by drama, some anxiety, excitement. "Cognitive pathos" - this is called the hallmark of his work.

In many ways, Dostoevsky influenced Kuprin's work, especially in the early stages, when he writes about fatal and significant moments, the role of chance, the psychology of characters' passion - often the writer makes it clear that not everything can be understood.

It can be said that one of the features of Kuprin's work is a dialogue with readers, in which the plot is traced and reality is depicted - this is especially noticeable in his essays, which in turn were influenced by G. Uspensky.

Some of his works are famous for their lightness and immediacy, poetization of reality, naturalness and naturalness. Others - the theme of inhumanity and protest, the struggle for feelings. At some point, he becomes interested in history, antiquity, legends, and this is how fantastic stories are born with the motives of the inevitability of chance and fate.

Genre and composition

Kuprin is characterized by love for stories within stories. The “Garnet Bracelet” is another proof: Zheltkov’s note about the qualities of the jewelry is the plot in the plot.

The author shows love from different points of view - love in general terms and Zheltkov's unrequited feelings. These feelings have no future: the marital status of Vera Nikolaevna, the difference in social status, circumstances - everything is against them. In this doom, the subtle romanticism invested by the writer in the text of the story is manifested.

The whole work is ringed by references to the same piece of music - Beethoven's sonata. So the music, "sounding" throughout the story, shows the power of love and is the key to understanding the text, resounding in the final lines. Music communicates the unsaid. Moreover, it is Beethoven's sonata at the climax that symbolizes the awakening of the soul of Vera Nikolaevna and the realization that comes to her. Such attention to melody is also a manifestation of romanticism.

The composition of the story implies the presence of symbols and hidden meanings. So a fading garden implies the fading passion of Vera Nikolaevna. General Anosov tells short stories about love - these are also small plots within the main narrative.

It is difficult to determine the genre of the "Garnet Bracelet". In fact, the work is called a story, largely due to its composition: it consists of thirteen short chapters. However, the writer himself called "Garnet Bracelet" a story.

Interesting? Save it on your wall!

Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, the wife of the marshal of the nobility, had already lived with her husband in the country for some time, because their city apartment was being renovated. Today was her name day, and therefore guests were supposed to arrive. The first to appear was Vera's sister, Anna Nikolaevna Friesse, who was married to a very rich and very stupid man who did nothing, but was registered with some charitable society and had the title of chamber junker. Grandfather, General Anosov, whom the sisters love very much, should come. Guests began to arrive after five o'clock. Among them is the famous pianist Jenny Reiter, a friend of Princess Vera at the Smolny Institute, Anna's husband brought with him Professor Speshnikov and the local vice-governor von Seck. Prince Vasily Lvovich is accompanied by his widowed sister Lyudmila Lvovna. Lunch is a lot of fun, everyone has known each other for a long time.
Vera Nikolaevna suddenly noticed that there were thirteen guests. This scared her a little. Everyone sat down to play poker. Vera did not want to play, and she was on her way to the terrace, where they were laying tea, when the maid beckoned her from the drawing room with a somewhat mysterious air. She handed her a package that a messenger had brought half an hour earlier.
Vera opened the package - under the paper was a small red plush jewelry case. It contained an oval gold bracelet, and inside it was a carefully folded note. She unfolded it. The handwriting looked familiar to her. She put the note aside and decided to look at the bracelet first. “It was gold, low-grade, very thick, but puffy, and on the outside it was completely covered with small old, poorly polished grenades. But on the other hand, in the middle of the bracelet, surrounded by some ancient small green stone, five beautiful cabochon garnets, each the size of a pea, rose. When Vera, with a random movement, successfully turned the bracelet in front of the fire of an electric light bulb, then in them, deep under their smooth ovoid surface, lovely, densely red living lights suddenly lit up. Then she read the lines written in small, beautiful calligraphy. It was a congratulation on the day of the Angel. The author reported that this bracelet belonged to his great-grandmother, then his late mother wore it. The pebble in the middle is a very rare variety of garnet - green garnet. Then he wrote: “According to an old legend that has been preserved in our family, he has the ability to communicate the gift of foresight to women who wear it and drives away heavy thoughts from them, while protecting men from violent death ... I beg you not to be angry with me. I blush at the memory of my insolence seven years ago, when I dared to write stupid and wild letters to you, young lady, and even expect an answer to them. Now all I have left is reverence, eternal admiration and slavish devotion...” “Show Vasya or not? And if so, when? Now or after the guests? No, it’s better after - now not only this unfortunate person will be funny, but I will be with him, ”Vera thought and could not take her eyes off the five scarlet bloody fires trembling inside the five grenades. Meanwhile, the evening went on as usual. Prince Vasily Lvovich showed his sister, Anosov and brother-in-law a homemade humorous album with handwritten drawings. Their laughter attracted everyone else. There was a story: "Princess Vera and the telegraph operator in love." “Better not,” Vera said, softly touching her husband's shoulder. But he either did not hear, or did not attach importance. He humorously retells the old letters of a man in love with Vera. He wrote them when she was not yet married. Prince Vasily calls the author a telegraph operator. The husband keeps talking and saying... “Gentlemen, who wants tea?” - asked Vera Nikolaevna. General Anosov tells his goddaughters about the love he had in his youth in Bulgaria with a Bulgarian girl. When the time came for the troops to leave, they swore an oath of eternal mutual love to each other and said goodbye forever. "And that's it?" asked Lyudmila Lvovna disappointedly. Later, when the guests had almost all left, Vera, seeing off her grandfather, quietly said to her husband: “Come and see ... there in my desk, in a drawer, is a red case, and in it is a letter. Read it." It was so dark that I had to grope my way with my feet. The general led Vera by the arm. “That Ludmila Lvovna is funny,” he suddenly spoke, as if continuing aloud the course of his thoughts. - And I want to say that people in our time have forgotten how to love. I don't see true love. And in my time I didn’t see it!” Marriage, in his opinion, means nothing. “Take at least Vasya and me. Can we call our marriage unhappy?” Vera asked. Anosov was silent for a long time. Then he drawled reluctantly: "Well, well ... let's say - an exception." Why do people get married? As for women, they are afraid to remain in girls, they want to be a mistress, a lady, independent ... Men have other motives. Tiredness from a single life, from a mess in the house, from tavern dinners ... Again, the thought of children ... There are sometimes thoughts about a dowry. But where is love? Love disinterested, selfless, not waiting for a reward? “Wait, wait, Vera, now you want me again about your Vasya? Really, I love him. He is a good guy. Who knows, maybe the future will show his love in the light of great beauty. But you understand what kind of love I'm talking about. Love must be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world! No comforts of life, calculations and compromises should concern her.” “Have you ever seen such love, grandfather?” “No,” the old man answered decisively. - True, I know two similar cases ... In one regiment of our division ... there was the wife of a regimental commander ... Bony, red-haired, thin ... In addition, a morphine drinker. And then one day, in the fall, they send a newly made ensign to their regiment ... just from a military school. A month later, this old horse completely mastered him. He's a page, he's a servant, he's a slave... By Christmas, she was tired of him. She returned to one of her former ... passions. But he couldn't. Follows her like a ghost. He was exhausted all over, emaciated, blackened ... And then one spring they arranged some kind of May Day or a picnic in the regiment ... They returned back at night on foot along the railroad track. Suddenly, a freight train is coming towards them ... she suddenly whispers in the ensign's ear: “You all say that you love me. But if I order you, you probably won’t throw yourself under the train.” And he, without answering a word, ran - and under the train. He, they say, calculated correctly ... so he would have been neatly cut in half and cut. But some idiot decided to hold him back and push him away. Didn't make it. The ensign, as he clung to the rails with his hands, so he chopped off both hands ... And a man disappeared ... in the meanest way ... ”The general tells another case. When the regiment was leaving for the war and the train was already moving, the wife shouted loudly to her husband: “Remember, take care of Volodya<своего любовника> ! If anything happens to him, I will leave home and never come back. And I'll take the kids." At the front, this captain, a brave soldier, looked after this coward and loafer Vishnyakov, like a nanny, like a mother. Everyone was delighted when they learned that Vishnyakov had died of typhus in the hospital... The General asks Vera what the story with the telegraph operator is. Vera told in detail about some madman who began to pursue her with his love two years before her marriage. She has never seen him and does not know his last name. He signed G.S.Zh. Once he mentioned that he was serving in some state institution as a small official - he did not mention a word about the telegraph. He must have kept an eye on her, because in his letters he indicated exactly where she went in the evenings ... and how she was dressed. At first his letters were somewhat vulgar, though quite chaste. But once Vera wrote to him so that he would not bother her anymore. Since then, he began to be limited to congratulations on holidays. Princess Vera spoke about the bracelet and about the strange letter from her mysterious admirer. “Yes, yes,” the general drawled at last. “Maybe it’s just a crazy guy… or… maybe your life path, Verochka, was crossed by just such love…” Vera’s brother Nikolai and Vasily Lvovich are worried that an unknown person will boast Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina accepts gifts, then sends something else, then sits down for embezzlement, and the princes of Sheina will be called as witnesses "... We decided that we need to find him, return the bracelet and read the notation. "For some reason, I felt I feel sorry for this unfortunate person, "Vera said hesitantly. Vera's husband and brother find the right apartment on the eighth floor, climbing the dirty, spit-stained stairs. The inhabitant of the Zheltkov room was a man "very pale, with a tender girlish face, with blue eyes and a stubborn childish chin with a dimple in the middle; he must have been about thirty, thirty-five years old." He silently takes back his bracelet, apologizes for his behavior. Learning that the gentlemen were going to turn to the authorities for help, Zheltkov laughed, sat down on the sofa and lit a cigarette. “Now is the hardest moment of my life. And I must, prince, speak to you without any conventions... Will you listen to me?” “Listen,” Shein said. Zheltkov says that he loves Shein's wife. It is difficult for him to say this, but seven years of hopeless and polite love give him this right. He knows that he can never stop loving her. They cannot cut off this feeling of his by anything, except perhaps death. Zheltkov asks permission to speak on the phone with Princess Vera Nikolaevna. He will relay the contents of the conversation to them. He returned ten minutes later. His eyes shone and were deep, as if filled with unshed tears. “I'm ready,” he said, “and you won't hear anything from me tomorrow. It's like I'm dead for you. But one condition - I'm telling you, Prince Vasily Lvovich - you see, I spent the government money, and I have to flee this city anyway. Will you allow me to write another last letter to Princess Vera Nikolaevna?” Shane allows. In the evening, at the dacha, Vasily Lvovich told his wife in detail about the meeting with Zheltkov. He seemed to feel compelled to do so. At night, Vera says, "I know this man will kill himself." Vera never read newspapers, but on that day, for some reason, she unfolded just that sheet and came across that column, which reported the suicide of an official of the control chamber, G. S. Zheltkov. All day she walked around the flower garden and the orchard and thought about a man whom she had never seen. Maybe this was that real, selfless, true love that grandfather spoke about? At six o'clock the postman brought Zheltkov's letter. He wrote as follows: “It’s not my fault, Vera Nikolaevna, that God was pleased to send me, as an enormous happiness, love for you ... for me, my whole life lies only in you ... I am infinitely grateful to you only for the fact that you exist. I checked myself - this is not a disease, not a manic idea - this is love, which God was pleased to reward me for something ... Leaving, I say in delight: "Hallowed be thy name." Eight years ago I saw you in a box at the circus, and at that very first second I said to myself: I love her because there is nothing like her in the world, there is nothing better, there is no beast, no plant, no star, not a person is more beautiful and more tender than you. All the beauty of the earth seemed to be embodied in you ... I cut everything off, but still I think and I am even sure that you will remember me. If you remember me, then ... play or order to play the sonata in D-dur No. 2, op. 2... May God grant you happiness, and may nothing temporary and worldly disturb your beautiful soul. I kiss your hands. G. S. J.”. Vera goes to where Zheltkov lived. The owner of the apartment tells what a wonderful person he was. About the bracelet, she says that before writing a letter, he came to her and asked her to hang the bracelet on the icon. Vera enters the room where Zheltkov lies on the table: “Deep importance was in his closed eyes, and his lips smiled blissfully and serenely, as if before parting with life he had learned some deep and sweet secret that solved his whole human life. .. Vera... put a flower under his neck. At that moment, she realized that the love that every woman dreams of had passed her by ... And, parting the hair on the dead man's forehead in both directions, she tightly squeezed his temples with her hands and kissed him on the cold, wet forehead with a long friendly kiss ". Before Vera leaves, the hostess says that before his death, Zheltkov asked that if some lady came to look at him, then tell her that Beethoven had the best work ... she showed the title written on a piece of paper. Returning home late, Vera Nikolaevna was glad that neither her husband nor her brother was at home. But Jenny Reiter was waiting for her, and she asked her to play something for her. She had almost no doubt for a second that Jenny would play the very passage from the second sonata that this dead man with the ridiculous surname Zheltkov had asked for. So it was. She recognized this piece from the very first chords. And the words formed in her mind. They so coincided in her thoughts with the music that they were, as it were, couplets that ended with the words: “Hallowed be thy name.” “I remember your every step, smile, look, the sound of your gait. Sweet sadness, quiet, beautiful sadness are wrapped around my last memories ... I'm leaving alone, silently, it was so pleasing to God and fate. "Hallowed be thy name." Princess Vera hugged the trunk of an acacia tree, clung to it and wept... And at that moment the amazing music, as if obeying her grief, continued: “Calm down, dear, calm down, calm down. Do you remember me? Do you remember? You are my one and only love. Calm down, I'm with you. Think of me and I will be with you, because you and I have only loved each other for a moment, but forever. Do you remember me? Do you remember? .. Here I feel your tears. Calm down. It’s so sweet for me to sleep...” Vera, all in tears, said: “No, no, he has forgiven me now. Everything is fine".

Anna Nikolaevna was the sister of Vera Nikolaevna, but she was completely different from her, starting with her appearance and ending with her character and behavior. Despite this, the sisters cared for each other and loved each other. Anna inherited the blood of her father, who was a descendant of a Tatar prince. Her face was of the Mongolian type, with small narrow eyes, wide cheekbones, she was short, broad in the shoulders, very funny, frivolous and agile. She very often screwed up her already narrow eyes, as she was short-sighted. Her face often showed a haughty expression, but men always liked it, even more than the cold beauty of her sister's face. She had a very provocative facial expression, an unusual smile, and all the features were full of femininity and charm. Anna was married, but did not love her husband, but had two children from him - a boy and a girl, who were very obedient.

Anna had many cute habits, contradictions. She was very fond of flirting, but she never cheated on her husband, although she enjoyed incredible success in all the resorts wherever she went. She was very fond of gambling and vivid impressions, loved everything new and always eagerly absorbed information about everything. She was a little extravagant, but she was also kind and pious. Her controversy didn't end there. She had very beautiful shoulders, chest and back, and was always more naked than expected at balls, but everyone said that under her dress she had a sackcloth. She adored her sister and

Russian writer, translator.

Date and place of birth - September 7, 1870, Narovchatsky district, Penza province, Russian Empire.

Kuprin's first literary experience was poetry, which remained unpublished. The first printed work is the story "The Last Debut" (1889).

In 1910, Kuprin wrote the story "Garnet Bracelet". which was based on real events.

"Garnet bracelet"

Heroes

Prince Vasily Lvovich Shein

Is one of the main characters, the husband of Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, and the brother of Lyudmila Lvovna Durasova; prince and marshal of the nobility. Vasily Lvovich is highly revered in society. He has a well-established life and outwardly prosperous family in all respects. In fact, his wife has nothing but friendly feelings and respect for him. The financial situation of the prince also leaves much to be desired. Princess Vera tried with all her might to help Vasily Lvovich refrain from complete ruin.

Vera Nikolaevna Sheina

Georgy Stepanovich Zheltkov

Anna Nikolaevna Friesse

Nikolai Nikolaevich Mirza-Bulat-Tuganovskiy

General Yakov Mikhailovich Anosov

Ludmila Lvovna Durasova

Gustav Ivanovich Friesse

Ponamarev

Bakhtinsky

"Garnet Bracelet" summary

Source - I

In September, a small festive dinner was being prepared at the dacha in honor of the name day of the hostess. Vera Nikolaevna Sheina received earrings as a gift from her husband in the morning. She was glad that the holiday was to be arranged at the dacha, since her husband's financial affairs were not in the best way. Sister Anna came to help Vera Nikolaevna prepare dinner. Guests were arriving. The weather turned out to be good, and the evening passed in warm, sincere conversations. The guests sat down to play poker. At this time, the messenger brought a bundle. It contained a gold bracelet with garnets and a small green stone in the middle. The gift was accompanied by a note. It said that the bracelet is a family heirloom of the donor, and the green stone is a rare garnet that has the properties of a talisman.

The holiday was in full swing. The guests played cards, sang, joked, looked at an album with satirical pictures and stories made by the host. Among the stories was a story about a telegraph operator who was in love with Princess Vera, who pursued his beloved, despite the refusal. The unrequited feeling drove him to a madhouse.

Almost all the guests have left. Those who remained had a conversation with General Anosov, whom the sisters called grandfather, about his military life and love affairs. Walking in the garden, the general tells Vera about the story of his unsuccessful marriage. The conversation turns to understanding true love. Anosov tells stories about men who valued love more than their own lives. He is interested in Vera's story about the telegraph operator. It turned out that the princess had never seen him and did not know who he really was.

Returning, Vera found her husband and brother Nikolai having an unpleasant conversation. Together they decided that these letters and gifts defame the name of the princess and her husband, so this story must be put to an end. Knowing nothing about the admirer of the princess, Nikolai and Vasily Lvovich Shein tracked him down. Vera's brother attacked this pathetic man with threats. Vasily Lvovich showed generosity and listened to him. Zheltkov admitted that he loves Vera Nikolaevna hopelessly, but too much to be able to overcome this feeling. In addition, he said that he would no longer disturb the princess, as he had squandered government money and was forced to leave. The next day, from a newspaper article, it became known about the suicide of an official. The postman brought a letter from which Vera learned that love for her was for Zheltkov the greatest joy and grace. Standing at the coffin, Vera Nikolaevna understands that the wonderful deep feeling that Anosov spoke of has passed her by.

Source - II

en.wikipedia.org

On the day of her name day, Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina received a gold bracelet as a gift from her longtime anonymous admirer, with five large cabochon garnets of deep red color, surrounding a green stone - a rare variety of garnet. Being a married woman, she considered herself not entitled to receive any gifts from strangers.

Her brother, Nikolai Nikolaevich, an assistant prosecutor, together with her husband, Prince Vasily Lvovich, found the sender. It turned out to be a modest official Georgy Zheltkov. Many years ago, at a circus performance, he accidentally saw Princess Vera in a box and fell in love with her with pure and unrequited love. Several times a year, on major holidays, he allowed himself to write letters to her.

When brother Nikolai Nikolaevich, having appeared at Zheltkov’s dwelling with her husband, returned him a garnet bracelet and in a conversation mentioned the possibility of turning to the authorities to stop the persecution, according to him, of Princess Vera Nikolaevna, Zheltkov asked permission from her husband and brother of the princess to call her. She told him that if he were not there, she would be calmer. Zheltkov asked to listen to Beethoven's Sonata No. 2. Then he took the bracelet returned to him to the landlady with a request to hang the decoration on the icon of the Mother of God (according to the Catholic custom), locked himself in his room and shot himself so that Princess Vera could live in peace. He did it all out of love for Vera and for her good. Zheltkov left a suicide note in which he explained that he had shot himself because of the waste of state money.

Vera Nikolaevna, having learned about Zheltkov's death, asked her husband's permission and went to the suicide's apartment to look at least once at the person who had loved her unrequitedly for so many years. Returning home, she asked Jenny Reiter to play something, no doubt that she would play exactly the part of the sonata that Zheltkov wrote about. Sitting in the flower garden to the sound of beautiful music, Vera Nikolaevna clung to the trunk of an acacia tree and wept. She realized that the love that General Anosov spoke about, which every woman dreams of, passed her by. When the pianist finished playing and went out to the princess, she began to kiss her with the words: “No, no, he has forgiven me now. Everything is fine".

Source - III

A bundle with a small jewelry case in the name of Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina was handed over by the messenger through the maid. The princess reprimanded her, but Dasha said that the messenger immediately ran away, and she did not dare to tear the birthday girl away from the guests.

Inside the case was a gold, low-grade puffy bracelet covered with garnets, among which was a small green stone. The letter enclosed in the case contained congratulations on the day of the angel and a request to accept the bracelet that belonged to the great-grandmother. A green stone is a very rare green garnet that communicates the gift of providence and protects men from violent death. The letter ended with the words: “Your obedient servant G.S.Zh. before death and after death.”

Vera took the bracelet in her hands - inside the stones, alarming dense red living lights lit up. "Just like blood!" she thought as she returned to the living room.

Prince Vasily Lvovich was demonstrating at that moment his humorous home album, which had just been opened on the “tale” “Princess Vera and the Telegraph Operator in Love”. “Better not,” she pleaded. But the husband has already begun commenting on his own drawings full of brilliant humor. Here a girl named Vera receives a letter with kissing doves, signed by the telegraph operator P.P.Zh. Here young Vasya Shein returns the wedding ring to Vera: “I don’t dare interfere with your happiness, and yet it’s my duty to warn you: telegraphers are seductive, but insidious." But Vera marries the handsome Vasya Shein, but the telegraph operator continues to persecute. Here he, disguised as a chimney sweep, enters the boudoir of Princess Vera. Here, having changed clothes, he enters their kitchen as a dishwasher. Here, at last, he is in a lunatic asylum, etc.

"Gentlemen, who wants tea?" Vera asked. After tea, the guests began to leave. The old general Anosov, whom Vera and her sister Anna called grandfather, asked the princess to explain what was true in the prince's story.

G.S.Z. (and not P.P.Z.) began harassing her with letters two years before her marriage. Obviously, he constantly watched her, knew where she was at the parties, how she was dressed. When Vera, also in writing, asked not to bother her with his persecution, he fell silent about love and limited himself to congratulations on holidays, as well as today, on her name day.

The old man was silent. "Could it be a maniac? Or maybe, Verochka, it was precisely the kind of love that women dream of and which more men are incapable of that crossed your life path.

After the guests left, Vera's husband and her brother Nikolai decided to find an admirer and return the bracelet. The next day they already knew the address of G.S.Zh. It turned out to be a man of about thirty to thirty-five. He did not deny anything and recognized the indecency of his behavior. Finding some understanding and even sympathy in the prince, he explained to him that, alas, he loves his wife and neither deportation nor prison will kill this feeling. Except death. He must confess that he has squandered government money and will be forced to flee the city, so that they will not hear from him again.

The next day, in the newspaper, Vera read about the suicide of G. S. Zheltkov, an official of the control chamber, and in the evening the postman brought his letter.

Zheltkov wrote that for him all life consisted only in her, in Vera Nikolaevna. It is the love that God rewarded him for something. As he leaves, he repeats in delight: "Hallowed be thy name." If she remembers him, then let her play the D major part of Beethoven's Appassionata, he thanks her from the bottom of his heart for the fact that she was his only joy in life.

Vera could not help but go to say goodbye to this man. Her husband fully understood her impulse.

The face of the person lying in the coffin was serene, as if he had learned a deep secret. Vera raised his head, placed a large red rose under his neck, and kissed him on the forehead. She understood that the love that every woman dreams of had passed her by.

Returning home, she found only her college friend, the famous pianist Jenny Reiter. "Play something for me," she asked.

And Jenny (wonder!) began to play the part of "Appassionata", which Zheltkov indicated in the letter. She listened, and in her mind words were composed, like couplets, ending with a prayer: “Hallowed be thy name.” "What happened to you?" asked Jenny, seeing her tears. “…He has forgiven me now. Everything is fine,” Vera replied.

Kuprin Alexander Ivanovich - "Garnet Bracelet" summary of the story updated: May 31, 2018 by: website

Tatyana Shekhanova

Tatyana Sergeevna SHEKHANOVA is a teacher at the Moscow Lyceum No. 1536, a member of the Union of Writers of Russia, the Union of Journalists of Russia.

"Garnet bracelet" in questions and answers

In connection with the reduction of hours for literature, many teachers complain about the lack of time, especially in high school. There are scissors between the requirements of the standard and the real situation, in which you often have to not even go through, but “run through” the work.

One of the ways to neutralize these scissors is to unload the program of the senior classes (especially the final ones) due to the redistribution of material. Part of the works can be easily transferred to the 8th-9th grades: they are accessible to teenagers by age and can be combined into semantic blocks with the works traditionally studied in these classes.

This can be done, for example, with the “Garnet Bracelet” by A.I. Kuprin, which successfully fits into the line with "Romeo and Juliet", knightly ballads, Turgenev's stories, Bunin's stories, love lyrics of different times.

To help the philologists who decide on such a move, we are printing ten questions and answers on the story “Garnet Bracelet”, which will help them to “inventory” information before planning a lesson, and also serve as reference lines for the lesson.

1. Compare Vera and Anna. Are they happy? Why did you decide so?

2. Tell us about Prince Shein, Nikolai Nikolaevich, General Anosov. They have a successful career, a strong position in society. Are these heroes happy?

3. What is the meaning of the love stories told by General Anosov? What are the causes of unhappiness in all three stories?

4. Why is General Anosov the first to feel a different scale of experiences and spiritual life of Zheltkov?

5. What is “wrong” doing, in the words of Vera, Nikolai Nikolaevich, Vasily Lvovich and she herself? What does one Zheltkov do “so”?

6. How does Zheltkov change in “seven years of hopeless and polite love”? Tell us about Zheltkov's “three steps” in his last attempt to explain himself - with Shein, with Vera, and, finally, with everyone (your departure).

7. How do the images of General Anosov and petty official Zheltkov, who have never met, compare? Images of Pushkin and Napoleon - "great sufferers"?

8. In your opinion, what is the role of the epigraph and the ring composition in the Largo Appassionato theme from Beethoven's Second Sonata (Op. 2), which is associated with the theme of true love and true life?

9. Analyze the motifs of the rose, the letter, the symbolism of the detail (the bracelet is a gift from Zheltkov, the earrings are a gift from Shein), gesture, numbers. What is their role in the story?

10. How can you interpret the ending of the story?

1. Sisters Vera and Anna, on the one hand, are similar: both are married, both have influential husbands, both love to be with each other, cherish these moments. On the other hand, they are antipodes: this is manifested both in their portraits (Vera’s English thoroughbredness and the Tatar breed, Anna’s “graceful ugliness”) and in their attitude (Vera follows secular customs, Anna is self-willed and impudent, but up to a certain limit: “ wears a hair shirt under a deep neckline”), and in their family life (Vera does not know that she does not love her husband, because she does not know love, and Anna is aware of her dislike for her husband, but, having agreed to marriage, tolerates him). In the latter - in an unhappy life in marriage - both are similar. Vera is, as it were, “lost” in everyday life, her beauty is not noticeable, her exclusivity is erased (for everyone and for herself), and Anna “despises” her foolish husband and is rewarded with children who seem to be pretty, but with “mealy” faces.

2. Prince Shein is respected in society, as evidenced by his position, outwardly prosperous (there are not enough funds, but he manages to hide it; he does not suspect about the “insufficiency” of love in the family). Nikolai Nikolaevich is proud of his rank, position, active and outwardly also prosperous; however, alone, which is remarkable. Lonely and General Anosov, one of the most charming heroes of the story. A brave soldier, in his old age he remains without a family hearth. This is the main misfortune of all three heroes.

3. "Girls" compared to the ancient general Anosov, Vera and Anya ask him about love. The general answers this three times. Two parables - about what is “not love, but some kind of sourness” (fake, delusion), and one - the story of one's own life - about anti-love. The meaning of all three inserted novels is that this feeling requires no less strength and spiritual boldness than for a feat. A person must be worthy of love and not humiliate her.

4. Unlike Vera, Vasily Lvovich, Nikolai Nikolaevich and even Anna with her sensitivity (“the sea smells of watermelon”, “there is a pink color in the moonlight”), the general shares the authenticity of the feeling of the “telegrapher” and the “average” accepted in the world, obliteration, rituality of relations between people. Love requires the same heroism and selflessness as the battlefield. In the story about the “adventures of a telegraph operator” vulgarized in the mouth of Prince Shein, Anosov hears notes of spiritual valor familiar to him, an old soldier.

5. The gift of the petty official Zheltkov to Princess Sheina did not please her and worried the whole family, including her brother Nikolai Nikolayevich, assistant prosecutor. All this leads to a tragic ending. What did they do not this way(according to Vera's definition) Prince Shein and Nikolai Nikolaevich? They tried to stop Zheltkov's feeling of love for Princess Vera by putting the insignificant, in their opinion, official "in his place." That's why they go to him. Shein is passive, he "draws" Nikolai Nikolaevich as material evidence of the guilt of Zheltkov, who encroached on Vera. She Married and her husband is proof of that. Shein is silent and weak-willed, his attempts to interrupt the categorical speeches of Nikolai Nikolaevich are sluggish. That's what it not this way. Nikolai Nikolaevich threatens Zheltkov, referring to his connections and job opportunities, that is, he acts, assuming that Zheltkov can be frightened and obediently stop loving Princess Vera, not suspecting that the nature of true love is such that it is not a person who controls it, but she controls a person. In that - not this way Nikolai Nikolaevich. Faith, which failed to accept the gift of love (and, as its manifestation, the gift of a bracelet), also acts not this way, because he lives not according to his own, but according to someone else's rules, established once and by someone, without feeling himself. She will come to her senses only after the news of Zheltkov's death and farewell to him (twice - with the body and with the soul).

6. Who is Zheltkov? Not without reason at first we see a parodic reproduction of his strange behavior: it does not fit into the framework of decency. Shein parodies the letters and actions of G.Zh. There are reasons for this: Zheltkov's early letter is very different from his later one, and ardent, awkward actions young man in love- from deeds truly loving mature person. There is a growth of personality, and it is a high feeling that determines this growth, as evidenced by the vocabulary, the structure of sentences, the system of arguments of the “late” Zheltkov. Through parodic portrayals, we, the readers, make our way, as if through an annoying barrier, to the true face of Zheltkov's personality. The portrait and speech of the hero grow with him. The author teaches us to see not a place on the social ladder, but the person himself. He warns against the fact that, once we are convinced of the imperfection of a person, we do not stop seeing the prospect of his development, do not deny him the opportunity to improve, and ourselves - the opportunity to see his self-improvement. Zheltkov takes three steps to explain himself to Shein, to Vera, and, finally, to the whole world. Sheinu Zheltkov speaks of love that cannot be resisted. But he promises not to disturb him again. Vera - she refuses to listen to Zheltkov - says the same thing, but posthumously (in a letter). And finally, his last explanation to the world and to all who can hear, is Beethoven's Sonata No. 2 - about life, death and love.

7. Zheltkov was never heard during his lifetime, just as Pushkin and Napoleon, the “great sufferers”, were not fully heard during their lifetime. It is here that Kuprin, after the death of Zheltkov, openly introduces the romantic motif of rejection and incomprehension. hero elevating it above everyday life. No wonder that only General Anosov, who knows the value of life, death and love, could hear this in the mocking speeches of Shein and especially Nikolai Nikolaevich. It is very important that secular conversation does not confuse the general, he asks Vera - and in response to her counter questions he gives a definition of true love, which he himself was not awarded, but about which he thought a lot. Anosov and Zheltkov do not meet, but the general recognizes in him a hero who is not comparable in scale to Prince Shein, according to rumors about him.

8. The epigraph sets us up to listen to Beethoven's sonata - a majestic, romantically elevated reflection on the gift of life and love. The story ends with these sounds. Fanned by them, she teaches the same thing - not to shrink, not to fuss, but to think and feel for real, in proportion to oneself. Music clearly tells Princess Vera, What there is life and What is love. This is the last gift of Zheltkov, which only the deaf can not accept. This generosity and mercy clarify Faith to herself. She will remain so. This is the main gift of Zheltkov, who once in his youth saw the authenticity and perfection of the Faith, which was unclear to her. Only three things can explain everything to a person so quickly - love, music and death. Kuprin and combines all three in the finale of the story. This is the special meaning of the musical theme, which gives - from the epigraph to the last scene - an exceptional completeness to the work.

9. The system of details and symbols in the story is working hard. The rose is a symbol of not only love, but also the perfection of the universe. Only two heroes are awarded roses throughout the story: General Anosov and Zheltkov (the latter posthumously). The gifts of Prince Shein are symbolic (earrings with pearls - two disconnected objects, decorated with a symbol of sorrow and tears) and Zheltkov (a garnet bracelet with a green garnet in the middle; a bracelet closed in a ring is the embodiment of harmony, garnet, according to legend, brought joy and fun to its owner , and the green pomegranate reported, as Zheltkov himself rightly warns, the gift of insight). The gestures of the heroes are symbolic, especially of the antipodes - Nikolai Nikolaevich and Zheltkov - when explaining to each other.

10. All these observations allow us to conclude that Kuprin's theme of romantic love is unusually deep and attractive. She's just deceiving. In fact, behind its transparency - depth and scope. Not without reason in the artistic space of the story there are such powerful images-symbols as Pushkin, Napoleon, Beethoven. Another image is unnamed, subtly present here - Prince Myshkin (the portrait, the speech in the scene of Zheltkov's explanation with Shein and Nikolai Nikolaevich remind us of him), Dostoevsky's character. No wonder Kuprin says through the mouth of General Anosov that love is a “great tragedy”. However, despite the tragedy, love remains majestic and strong in our memory. This is the peculiarity of Kuprin's approach to the topic.