Andrey Stolz is a friend and main antagonist of Oblomov. Stolz and Oblomov: relationship (based on the novel "Oblomov") Oblomov and Stolz are friends

The main characters of the novel by I.A. Goncharov "Oblomov" are Oblomov and Stolz. The essay must begin with a description of the writer's intention. Goncharov shows the gradual death of the human soul. Of course, the author was not the first to bring such an image to the pages of the work, but he portrayed it in such a scale and versatility that literature did not know before him.

Barin Ilya Oblomov

From the beginning of the novel, the writer introduces the reader to an unremarkable gentleman. This is a typical image of the Russian nobility. Sedentary, imposing, loose, passive. The plot is devoid of action, intrigue. The apathy of Ilya Oblomov seems absolutely incomprehensible. All day Ilya lies on the sofa in a greasy dressing gown and thinks about everything. Many ideas hovers in his head, but none finds further continuation. Oblomov has no desire to start a conversation. He tries not to disturb the peaceful course of life in Oblomovka. His lazy daydreaming is interrupted only by petitioners who profit from him. But Oblomov doesn't care. He is so far from reality that he does not even notice the true intentions of his "guests". And here Goncharov introduces which takes us to the childhood of the hero. This is where the reason for this behavior lies. It was in childhood that a boy was raised to be a person unadapted to life. Indulging his desires, protecting him from any action, Ilyusha was inspired with the idea that nothing needs to be done, there will always be someone who will do it for him. A typical position of the nobles living at the expense of the peasants.

friend's arrival

The life of Ilya Oblomov changes with the arrival of Andrey Stolz, an old friend. Oblomov sincerely hopes that Stolz is able to change the current situation, is able to bring him out of his state of half-asleep. And indeed, a handsome young man arrives, who has gained both experience and money. No wonder Goncharov compares him with a blooded English horse. Unlike his friend, Stolz in Oblomov is alien to daydreaming and laziness. He is practical in everything.

It cannot be said that Oblomov has always been the same as he is now. In the days of their youth, Ilya and Andrey studied science together, enjoyed life, and strived for something. However, then the lively and active Andrei could not captivate Oblomov with his enthusiasm, and gradually this young gentleman revived in his estate the atmosphere to which he was accustomed from childhood. Stolz in the novel "Oblomov" is the exact opposite of the main character and at the same time the closest person. And it helps to reveal the features of Ilyusha, to identify and emphasize his strengths and weaknesses.

Friends since childhood

The characters are childhood friends. These are two completely different people who were brought together by fate. Ilya Oblomov was a family favorite from an early age. He lived in harmony with himself and with the world around him. Ilyusha had everything he wanted. Relatives protected him from all troubles. He grew up as a kind of darling of fate, brought up on nanny's fairy tales, in an atmosphere of laziness and serenity, without much desire to learn, to learn something new. As a teenager, Oblomov met Stolz in the nearby village of Verkhlevo. The little gentleman, accustomed to bliss in his estate, - Ilya, enters a completely different world, energetic, new. Andrei Stolz's father taught his son to be independent early, instilling German pedantry in him. From his mother, Oblomov's friend Stolz inherited a love of poetry, from his father - a craving for science, for accuracy and accuracy. From childhood, he not only helps his father in business, but works and receives a salary. Hence Andrey's ability to make bold and independent decisions, to be responsible for his actions. Even outwardly friends are absolutely opposite. Ilya is a fat, loose, lethargic man who does not know what labor is. On the contrary, Andrei is a fit, cheerful, active person, accustomed to constant work. Lack of movement is like death for him.

The table "Oblomov and Stolz", located below, will allow you to more clearly present the difference in the images of the characters.

Love in the lives of heroes

Both experience love in different ways. And in love, Oblomov and Stolz are completely opposite. The essay, due to its volume, cannot cover the totality of the differences between the heroes of the novel. However, the theme of love should be considered.

When Olga brightens up Ilya's boring everyday life, he comes to life, from a flabby creature turns into an interesting man. Energy in Oblomov is in full swing, he needs everything, everything is interesting. He forgets about his old habits and even wants to get married. But suddenly he begins to be tormented by doubts about the truth of Olga's love. The endless questions asked by Oblomov to himself, in the end, do not allow him to change his life. He returns to his former existence, and nothing touches him anymore. Andrei Stoltz loves selflessly, passionately, surrendering to the feeling without a trace.

Opposites converge

In other words, we see that Oblomov and Stolz (the essay reflects the generally accepted point of view) are completely different people who grew up in a different environment. However, it was this difference that brought them together. Each of them finds in the other what he himself lacks. Oblomov attracts Stolz with a calm and kind disposition. And vice versa, in Andrey Ilya admires vital activity. Time tests both of them for strength, but their friendship only grows stronger.

Table "Oblomov and Stolz"

It is these that are presented to readers by Oblomov and Stolz. The essay can be completed with the words of the author himself: “It contained something that is more precious than any mind: an honest, faithful heart! This is his natural gold; he carried it unscathed through life."

The remarkable Russian writer I. A. Goncharov entered the history of literature as a man who, in his unique work, perfectly captured the process of spiritual death of a person. The image of Oblomov is Goncharov's greatest achievement. This type, in general, is not new to Russian literature. We meet with him in the comedy "Lazy" by Fonvizin, and in "The Marriage" by Gogol. But he is most fully and multifacetedly embodied in the image of Oblomov from the novel of the same name by Goncharov.

We get acquainted with Oblomov from the first pages of the novel, where the reader is presented with a lazy person, devoid of any external movement, his extraordinary fate is drawn, without the slightest adventure and intrigue. Involuntarily, the reader wonders why the author creates a hero who does not at first attract him with his life. A little later, Goncharov gives the answer, describing Oblomov's dream, which takes us to his childhood. It is childhood that is the prehistory of the whole uncompleted life of the protagonist. His childhood passed in a quiet serene paradise - Oblomovka. There, the child was brought up to regard work as a punishment that must be avoided at the slightest opportunity. So, for example, on the initiative of Ilyushenka to go for something, we meet his mother's bewilderment: “How?! For what? What are the servants for? Hence Oblomov's inability to take care of himself. The tales that his beloved parents told him about rivers of milk, the sweet life, that you need to live for your own pleasure, doing nothing, inspired Ilyushenka with the idea that you don’t have to strive for anything, spend energy on something and time, there is always someone who will do it for you.

Unlike Oblomov, his friend Stolz had a completely different childhood. Andrei was brought up in a different environment: he knew that everything needed to be achieved on his own, not counting on someone. Even then, Stolz formed a certain attitude to life, he knows what he wants to achieve. In a word, this is a purposeful person who achieves the goal that he has set for himself.

Outwardly, Oblomov is a full, flabby, inactive person. His white and plump hands indicate that he has no idea what labor is.

Stolz is a fit, energetic person, whose eyes show that he enjoys life. He is ready to work even "when he triples his capital." For him, life without movement is slow aging and spiritual death.

As you can see, even this small comparison is striking by the opposite of the results. To be completely convinced that Oblomov and Stolz are antipodes, let's turn to such an important topic as their attitude to love.

Stolz, returning from a business trip, sees what happened to his best friend, and decides to add variety to his boring life, to make it the one they both dreamed of in their youth.

With the acquaintance with Olga Ilyinskaya, Oblomov has a meaning in life. He becomes unrecognizable to the people around him. This is no longer the lazy Oblomov that appeared before us on the first pages of the novel. This is an energetic person who reads, walks and even (surprisingly for himself) dine at home less often. He does not need to sleep an hour or two after dinner. He strives to devote all his free time to Olga. But doubts began to creep into his soul: “Does she love me?”; fears that Olga will soon stop loving him, because there is nothing to love him for, that this is too much happiness that has fallen to his lot, and it will soon end. And we notice how, in a relatively short time, Oblomov returns to his former habits, stops leaving the house - in general, he turns into the same apathetic and withdrawn Oblomov that he was before he met Olga.

Stolz loves selflessly, without asking questions: “why”, “what if”, “what if”. He is in a hurry to enjoy the moment that he lives now, without thinking about tomorrow.

A logical conclusion follows from these comparisons: Stolz and Oblomov are two different, absolutely opposite personalities. They have different habits, different views on life, on relationships between people. But meanwhile, this does not prevent them from being best friends. Yes, Stolz is more energetic, purposeful, independent, unlike the naive Oblomov. But he does not have that precious quality that Oblomov possesses: a faithful and kind heart, for which you can forgive him for his slowness and phlegmatic perception of life.

Goncharov's novel "Oblomov" was written in the 19th century, but remains interesting for modern readers. The reasons for the relevance of the work lie in a wide range of issues raised by the author and "eternal" topics that have worried people throughout almost the entire human civilization: the themes of love, friendship, the meaning and purpose of life. The problematics of the work are revealed especially clearly through the opposition in the book of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov and Andrei Ivanovich Stolz, as characters reflecting different views on the world and leading a different lifestyle. According to the plot of the novel, Oblomov is the antipode of Stolz, they have different appearances, different aspirations and different fates, but there is something that connects the heroes over the years - a strong mutual friendship that both characters need.

Differences in the personalities of Oblomov and Stolz

In Goncharov's novel, Oblomov appears as a dreamy, kind, gentle and indecisive person. He attracts with his calm, disposable character, but also repels with constant laziness, unwillingness to strive forward and gradual degradation. He tries to move as little as possible, spends all his days on the couch, making all kinds of plans and experiencing fictional situations more fully and emotionally than the real events of his life. The reasons for this attitude of Ilya Ilyich to the world lie in his "hothouse" upbringing and the pacifying atmosphere of Oblomovka - the hero's native estate, a distant corner of Russia. In the village they lived not according to a real calendar, but from rite to rite, all new values ​​​​were denied here and outdated, partially archaic norms were cherished. Oblomov grew up as a "hothouse plant", which was protected from everything new from childhood, instilling in him an aversion to work and activity.

As mentioned above, Oblomov has an antipode in the novel - this is Andrei Ivanovich Stolz. Unlike Ilya Ilyich, Stolz leads an active social life, considers work and activity to be the main active forces in the world. Andrei Ivanovich is always in the center of attention, he is known in many secular circles, he is a valuable worker, rapidly climbing the career ladder, many people want to be friends with him. However, like Oblomov, Stolz is not an ideal person. If Ilya Ilyich’s “weak” point is activity and diligence, the desire for comprehensive development, then for Andrei Ivanovich the sphere of feelings that cannot be rationally explained has become a “stumbling block”. The reasons for the hero's misunderstanding of the essence of love also lie in his childhood - educating his son industriousness and the ability to confidently move forward in any situation, the rational German father did not care about the sensual side of his personality. With the death of his mother, which became a great grief for the character, Andrei Ivanovich fenced himself off even more from the sphere of feelings (including dreams and illusions), further guided solely by the dictates of the mind, but continuing to look for in others that sensual beginning, which he himself was deprived of.

Stolz and Oblomov: antipodes or twins?

Most researchers are inclined to think that heroes are undoubtedly antipodes, reflecting different views of the world. This is confirmed by the text of the novel. However, with a detailed analysis, it becomes clear that they are also mirror counterparts, and the characters' images have as much in common as dissimilar. Stolz, as the antipode of Oblomov in the novel Oblomov, tries to restore spiritual harmony through communication with a friend, which he loses in the daily bustle. Ilya Ilyich also finds in a friend what he lacks in himself - activity and determination. It is Stolz who deals with all issues related to Oblomovka and the material support of a friend.

The characters not only complement each other, but also see their distorted reflection in each other. So, Stolz is the embodiment of activity, rationalism, extroversion, work and striving for the future, and Oblomov is the embodiment of passivity, irrationalism, daydreaming, introversion and orientation to the past. Both characters are “extra” heroes of the novel, who do not fit into their era and are unable to find true happiness, which is why Oblomov falls into illusions, and Stolz does not find harmony in relations with his wife, for whom he always needs to be the best, to meet her excessively high demands .

Brings together the heroes and love for Ilyinskaya, who attracted them with her openness, intellect and determination. However, due to the fact that the girl was a person of “her era”, both heroes did not find their true happiness next to her (whereas, for example, Oblomov finds peace precisely in marriage with Agafya, who lives in the world of the past close to him and shares the Domostroevsky way of life ).

Looking at each other, the characters see what they could be if their upbringing would have been somewhat different. For example, if Oblomov protested against Oblomovka's way of life and went against his parents, he could have turned out to be a prototype of Stolz. That is, no matter how paradoxical it may be, Ilya Ilyich and Andrei Ivanovich, from a different angle of consideration, are both twins and antipodes in the novel Oblomov. In addition, given the history of the creation of the work and the prototypes of the characters, there is a version that both characters are reflections of different sides of Goncharov's personality. In letters to friends, the author indicated that he had described himself in a brilliant novel: Oblomov as the personification of his daydreaming and escapism and Stolz as a rational, active and career streak.

Artwork test

The novel “Oblomov” by I. A. Goncharov has not lost its relevance and its objective significance in our time, because it contains a universal philosophical meaning. The main conflict of the novel - between the patriarchal and bourgeois ways of Russian life - the writer reveals on the opposition of people, feelings and reason, peace and action, life and death. With the help of antithesis, Goncharov makes it possible to understand the idea of ​​the novel with all the depth, to penetrate into the souls of the characters.

Ilya Oblomov and Andrei Stolz are the main characters of the work. These are people of the same class, society, time. It would seem that people of the same environment have similar characters and worldviews. But they are completely opposite to each other. Stolz, unlike Oblomov, is shown by the writer as an active person, in whom reason prevails over feeling. Goncharov makes attempts to understand why these people are so different, and he looks for the origins of this in origin, upbringing and education, since this lays the foundations of characters.

Stolz was brought up in a poor family. His father was a German by origin, and his mother was a Russian noblewoman. We see that the family spent all day at work. When Stolz grew up, his father began to take him to the field, to the market, forced him to work. At the same time, he taught him the sciences, taught the German language, that is, he brought up in his son respect for knowledge, the habit of thinking, doing business. Then Stolz began to send his son to the city with instructions, “and it never happened that he forgot something, changed it, overlooked it, made a mistake.” The writer shows us how zealously, persistently this person develops economic tenacity in Andrei, the need for constant activity. The mother taught her son literature and managed to give him an excellent spiritual education. So, Stolz was formed as a strong, intelligent young man.

But what about Oblomov? His parents were nobles. Their life in the village of Oblomovka followed its own special laws. The Oblomov family had a cult of food. The whole family decided "what dishes will be for lunch or dinner." And after dinner, the whole house fell asleep, plunged into a long sleep. And so passed every day in this family: only sleep and food. When Oblomov grew up, he was sent to study at the gymnasium. But we see that Ilyusha's parents were not interested in their son's knowledge. They themselves came up with pretexts in order to free their adored child from study, they dreamed of receiving a certificate proving that "Ilya went through all the sciences and arts." They didn’t even let him go outside again, because they were afraid that he would be crippled, would not get sick. Therefore, Oblomov grew up lazy, apathetic, did not receive a proper education.

But let's look deeper into the characters of the main characters. Rethinking the pages I read in a new way, I realized that both Andrei and Ilya have their own tragedy in life.

Stolz at first glance is a new, progressive, almost ideal person. Work for him is part of life, pleasure. He does not shun even the most menial work, leads an active life. From the moment he left home, he lives by work, thanks to which he became rich and famous to a wide circle of people. Stolz's ideal of happiness is material wealth, comfort, personal well-being. And he achieves his goal by hard work. His life is full of action. But despite the external well-being, it is boring and monotonous.

Unlike Oblomov, a man of a subtle soul, Stolz appears to the reader as a kind of machine: “He was all made up of bones, muscles and nerves, like a blooded English horse. He is thin; he has almost no cheeks at all, that is, bone and muscle ... his complexion is even, swarthy and no blush. Stolz lives strictly according to plan, his life is scheduled by the minute, and there are no surprises, interesting moments in it, he almost never gets worried, does not experience any event especially strongly. And we see that the tragedy of this man lies precisely in the monotony of his life, in the one-sidedness of his worldview.

And now let's turn to Oblomov. Work for him is a burden. He was a gentleman, which means that he did not have to devote a drop of time to work. And I'm not talking about physical labor, because he was even too lazy to get up from the sofa, leave the room to be cleaned there. He spends his whole life on the couch, doing nothing, not interested in anything (he can't bring himself to finish reading the book "Journey through Africa", even the pages of this book turned yellow). Oblomov's ideal of happiness is complete peace and good food. And he reached his ideal. Servants cleaned up after him, and at home he had no big problems with the household. And before us is revealed another tragedy - the moral death of the hero. Before our eyes, the inner world of this person is getting poorer, from a kind, pure person, Oblomov turns into a moral cripple.

But despite all the differences between Stolz and Oblomov, they are friends, friends since childhood. They are brought together by the most beautiful character traits: honesty, kindness, decency.

The essence of the novel is that inaction can destroy all the best feelings of a person, corrode his soul, destroy his personality, and work, the desire for education will bring happiness, subject to the rich inner world of a person.

The characters of the main characters in Goncharov's novel "Oblomov" are exceptionally true and talentedly depicted by the author. If the artist's task is to snatch and capture the essence of life, inaccessible to the understanding of the layman, then the great Russian writer coped with it brilliantly. Its main character, for example, personifies a whole social phenomenon, named after him "Oblomovism". No less worthy of attention is the phenomenal friendship of Oblomov and Stolz, two antipodes who, it would seem, should have irreconcilably argued with each other or even despised each other, as often happens in the communication of completely different people. However, Goncharov goes against stereotypes, linking the antagonists with strong friendship. Throughout the novel, observing the relationship between Oblomov and Stolz is not only necessary, but also interesting to the reader. The clash of two life positions, two worldviews - this is the main conflict in Goncharov's novel Oblomov.

The differences between Oblomov and Stolz are not difficult to find. Firstly, the appearance is striking: Ilya Ilyich is a portly gentleman with soft features, puffy hands, and slow gestures. His favorite clothes are a spacious dressing gown that does not restrict movement, as if protecting and warming a person. Stolz - fit, slender. Constant activity and business acumen characterize his practical nature, so his gestures are bold, his reaction is quick. He is always dressed appropriately to move in the light and make the right impression.

Second, they have different upbringings. If little Ilyusha was cherished and cherished by parents, nannies and other inhabitants of Oblomovka (he grew up a pampered boy), then Andrei was brought up in strictness, his father taught him how to run a business, leaving him to make his own way. Stoltz, in the end, did not have enough parental affection, which he was looking for in his friend's house. Oblomov, on the contrary, was too affectionate, his parents spoiled him: he was not suitable either for the service or for the work of a landowner (taking care of the estate and its profitability).

Thirdly, their attitude to life differs. Ilya Ilyich does not like fuss, does not waste efforts to please society, or at least wedge into it. Many condemn him for laziness, but is it laziness? I think not: he is a nonconformist who is honest to himself and to the people around him. A nonconformist is a person who defends his right to behave differently from what is customary in his contemporary society. Oblomov had the courage and fortitude to silently, calmly adhere to his position and go his own way, not exchanging for trifles. In his manner of carrying himself, a rich spiritual life is guessed, which he does not put on a social showcase. Stolz lives in this window, because flickering in a good society always benefits the businessman. It can be said that Andrei had no other choice, because he is not a gentleman, his father earned capital, but no one will leave him villages by inheritance. He was taught from childhood that he himself should earn his living, so Stoltz adapted to the circumstances, developing hereditary qualities: perseverance, hard work, social activity. But if he is so successful by modern standards, why does Stoltz need Oblomov? From his father, he inherited obsession with business, the limitations of a practical person, which he felt, and therefore subconsciously reached out to the spiritually rich Oblomov.

They were drawn to the opposite, feeling the lack of certain properties of nature, but could not adopt each other's good qualities. None of them could make Olga Ilyinskaya happy: with one and the other, she felt dissatisfied. Unfortunately, this is the truth of life: people rarely change in the name of love. Oblomov tried, but still remained faithful to his principles. Stolz was also only enough for courtship, and after that the routine of living together began. Thus, in love, the similarities between Oblomov and Stolz manifested themselves: they both failed to build happiness.

In these two images, Goncharov reflected the conflicting trends in the society of that time. The nobility is the backbone of the state, but some of its representatives cannot take an active part in its fate, if only because it has gone and is petty for them. They are gradually being replaced by people who have gone through a harsh school of life, more skillful and greedy Stoltsy. They do not have that spiritual component that is needed for any useful work in Russia. But even the apathetic landowners will not save the situation. Apparently, the author believed that the merging of these extremes, a kind of golden mean, is the only way to achieve the well-being of Russia. If we consider the novel from this angle, it turns out that the friendship of Oblomov and Stolz is a symbol of the unification of various social forces for the sake of a common goal.