home › Miscellaneous › The idea of the work is the stationmaster. Analysis of the work "The Stationmaster" (A

The idea of the work is the stationmaster. Analysis of the work "The Stationmaster" (A

This cycle includes several short stories, which are interconnected by one narrator - Ivan Petrovich Belkin.

This character is fictional, as Pushkin wrote, suffering from a fever and died in 1828.

In contact with

The reader learns about the fate of the narrator when he just begins to get acquainted with the cycle of stories that can be read online. The author in his work acts as a publisher and in the "Foreword" talks about the fate of the narrator Belkin himself. This cycle of stories by Pushkin came out of print in 1831. It included the following works:

"Undertaker".

History of the creation of the story

Alexander Pushkin worked on a work staying in 1830 in Boldino. The story was written quickly, in just a few days, and already on September 14 it was finished. It is known that some money matters brought him to the Boldin estate, but the cholera epidemic forced him to linger.

At this time, many beautiful and wonderful works were written, among which the most outstanding is The Stationmaster, a brief retelling of which can be found in this article.

The plot and composition of the story

This is a story about ordinary people who experience both moments of happiness and tragedy in their lives. The plot of the story shows that happiness is different for each person and that it is sometimes hidden in the small and ordinary.

The whole life of the protagonist is connected with the philosophical thought of the entire cycle. In the room of Samson Vyrin there are many pictures from the famous parable of the prodigal son, which help not only to understand the content of the whole story, but also its idea. He waited for his Dunya to return to him, but the girl did not return. The father was well aware that his daughter was not needed by the one who took her away from the family.

The narrative in the work comes from the perspective of a titular adviser who knew both Dunya and her father. In total, there are several main characters in the story:

Narrator.
Dunya.
Samson Vyrin.
Minsky.

The narrator passed through these places several times and drank tea in the caretaker's house, admiring his daughter. According to him, Vyrin himself told him this whole tragic story. The plot of the whole tragic story takes place at the moment when Dunya secretly runs away from home with a hussar.

The final scene of the work takes place in the cemetery, where Samson Vyrin now rests. He asks for forgiveness at this grave and Dunya, who is now deeply repentant.

The main idea of the story

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin constantly emphasizes in his story: everything parents want their children to be happy. But Dunya is unhappy, and her sinful love brings torment and worries to her father.

The behavior of Dunya and Minsky drives Vyrin to the grave.

Samson Vyrin dies because, while continuing to love his daughter, he has lost faith that he will ever see her again.

Dunya seems to have deleted her father from her life, and this ingratitude and loss of the meaning of life, which was in her daughter, leads to such a sad ending to the story.

Brief retelling of the story

Each person met with the caretakers, setting off on the road. Usually such people cause only anger and rudeness. Few of those who are on the road revere them, considering them either robbers or monsters. But if you think about what their life is like, delve into it, then you will begin to treat them more condescendingly. For days on end they have no peace, and some irritated passers-by can even beat them, venting their annoyance and anger that they have accumulated while driving.

The dwelling of such a caretaker is poor and miserable. There is never peace in it, as guests spend time there waiting for horses. Only compassion can be evoked by such a caretaker who, regardless of the weather, is looking for horses, trying to please all those passing by. The narrator, who has been traveling for twenty years, often visits such dwellings, and he knows perfectly well how hard and thankless this hard work is.

The narrator in 1816 again went to work. At that time he was young and hot-tempered and often quarreled with the stationmasters. One rainy day, he stopped at one of the stations to rest from the road and change clothes. The tea was served by a girl who was lovely. At that time, Dunya was 14 years old. The attention of the visitor was also attracted by the pictures that adorned the walls of the caretaker's poor dwelling. These were illustrations from the parable of the prodigal son.

Samson Vyrin was fresh and cheerful, he was already fifty years old. He loved his daughter and raised her freely and freely. The three of them drank tea for a long time and chatted merrily.

A few years later, the narrator soon found himself again in the same places and decided to visit the stationmaster and his lovely daughter. But it was impossible to recognize Samson Vyrin: he had grown old, there were deep wrinkles on his unshaven face, he was hunched over.

In the conversation it turned out that three years ago one of the passers-by, seeing Dunya, acted out fainting and illness. Dunya looked after him for two days. And on Sunday he was going to leave , offering to bring the girl to the church mass. Dunya thought for a moment, but her father himself persuaded her to sit in a wagon with a young and slender hussar.

Soon Samson became agitated and went to mass, but it turned out that Dunya never appeared there. The girl did not return even in the evening, and the drunken coachman said that she had left with a young hussar. The caretaker immediately fell ill, and when he recovered, he immediately went to St. Petersburg to find Captain Minsky and bring his daughter home. Soon he was at the reception of the hussar, but he simply decided to pay him off and demanded that he never again seek meetings with his daughter and did not disturb her.

But Samson made one more attempt and made his way into the house where Dunya lived. He saw her among luxury, happy. But as soon as the girl recognized her father, she immediately fainted. Minsky demanded to expose Vyrin and never let him into this house again. After that, returning home, the stationmaster grew old and never bothered Dunya and Minsky again. This story struck the narrator and haunted for many years.

When, after a while, he again found himself in these parts, he decided to find out how Samson Vyrin was doing. But it turned out that he died a year ago and was buried in the local cemetery. And in his house housed the family of the brewer. The brewer's son accompanied the narrator to the grave. Vanka said that in the summer some lady with three children came and went to his grave. When she learned that Samson Vyrin had died, she immediately began to cry. And then she herself went to the cemetery and lay for a long time on the grave of her father.

Analysis of the story

This is a work of Alexander Pushkin the most difficult and saddest of the whole cycle. The short story tells about the tragic fate of the stationmaster and the happy fate of his daughter. Samson Vyrin, having studied the biblical parable of the prodigal son from pictures, constantly thinks that misfortune can happen to his daughter. He constantly remembers Dunya and thinks that she, too, will be deceived and one day she will be abandoned. And it worries his heart. These thoughts become disastrous for the stationmaster, who died, having lost the meaning of his life.

Themes, storylines, direction

In the cycle, the story "The Stationmaster" is the compositional center, the peak. It is based on the characteristic features of Russian literary realism and sentimentalism. The expressiveness of the work, the plot, the capacious, complex theme give the right to call it a novel in miniature. This, it would seem, is a simple story about ordinary people, however, everyday circumstances that intervened in the fate of the characters make the semantic load of the story more difficult. Alexander Sergeevich, in addition to the romantic thematic line, reveals the theme of happiness in the broadest sense of the word. Fate gives a person happiness sometimes not when you expect it, following the generally accepted morality, worldly foundations. This requires both a fortunate combination of circumstances and the subsequent struggle for happiness, even if it seems impossible.

The description of the life of Samson Vyrin is inextricably linked with the philosophical thought of the entire cycle of stories. His perception of the world and life is reflected in the pictures with German poems hung on the walls of his dwelling. The narrator describes the content of these pictures, which depict the biblical legend of the prodigal son. Vyrin also perceives and experiences what happened to his daughter through the prism of the images surrounding him. He hopes that Dunya will return to him, but she did not return. Vyrin's life experience tells him that his child will be deceived and abandoned. The stationmaster is a “little man” who has become a toy in the hands of the greedy, mercenary sowers of the world, for whom the emptiness of the soul is more terrible than material poverty, for whom honor is above all.

The narration comes from the lips of a titular adviser, whose name is hidden behind the initials A. G. N. In turn, this story was “transferred” to the narrator by Vyrin himself and a “red-haired and crooked” boy. The plot of the drama is the secret departure of Dunya with a little-known hussar to Petersburg. Dunya's father tries to turn back time in order to save his daughter from what he sees as "death". The story of the titular adviser takes us to St. Petersburg, where Vyrin is trying to find his daughter, and the mournful ending shows us the grave of the caretaker outside the outskirts. The destiny of the "little man" is humility. The irreparability of the current situation, hopelessness, despair, indifference finish off the caretaker. Dunya asks for forgiveness from her father at his grave, her repentance is belated.

"The Captain's Daughter", a summary of the chapters of Pushkin's story
"Boris Godunov", analysis of the tragedy by Alexander Pushkin
"Gypsies", analysis of the poem by Alexander Pushkin

The story "The Stationmaster" is included in Pushkin's cycle of stories "Belkin's Tale", published as a collection in 1831.

Work on the stories was carried out in the famous "Boldino autumn" - the time when Pushkin arrived at the Boldino family estate to quickly resolve financial issues, and stayed for the whole autumn because of the cholera epidemic that broke out in the vicinity. It seemed to the writer that there would be no more boring time, but inspiration suddenly appeared, and the stories began to come out from under his pen one after another. So, on September 9, 1830, the story “The Undertaker” ended, on September 14, “The Stationmaster” was ready, and on September 20, he finished “The Young Lady-Peasant Woman”. Then a short creative break followed, and in the new year the stories were published. The stories were republished in 1834 under the original authorship.

Analysis of the work

Genre, theme, composition

The researchers note that The Stationmaster is written in the genre of sentimentalism, but there are many moments in the story that demonstrate the skill of Pushkin as a romantic and realist. The writer deliberately chose a sentimental manner of narration (more precisely, he put sentimental notes into the voice of his hero-narrator, Ivan Belkin), in accordance with the content of the story.

Thematically, The Stationmaster is very multifaceted, despite the small content:

the theme of romantic love (with an escape from the father's house and following the beloved against the parental will),
search for happiness theme
the theme of fathers and children,
the theme of the "little man" is the greatest theme for the followers of Pushkin, the Russian realists.

The thematic multilevel nature of the work allows us to call it a miniature novel. The story is much more complex and expressive in terms of meaning than a typical sentimental work. There are many issues raised here, in addition to the general theme of love.

Compositionally, the story is built in accordance with the rest of the stories - a fictional narrator talks about the fate of the stationmasters, people downtrodden and in the lowest positions, then tells a story that happened about 10 years ago, and its continuation. The way it starts

“The Stationmaster” (reasoning-beginning, in the style of a sentimental journey), indicates that the work belongs to the sentimental genre, but later at the end of the work there is a severity of realism.

Belkin reports that station employees are people of a difficult lot who are treated impolitely, perceived as servants, complained and rude to them. One of the caretakers, Samson Vyrin, was sympathetic to Belkin. He was a peaceful and kind man, with a sad fate - his own daughter, tired of living at the station, ran away with the hussar Minsky. The hussar, according to his father, could only make her a kept woman, and now, 3 years after the escape, he does not know what to think, because the fate of seduced young fools is terrible. Vyrin went to St. Petersburg, tried to find his daughter and return her, but could not - Minsky sent him out. The fact that the daughter does not live with Minsky, but separately, clearly indicates her status as a kept woman.

The author, who personally knew Dunya as a 14-year-old girl, empathizes with her father. Soon he learns that Vyrin has died. Even later, visiting the station where the late Vyrin once worked, he learns that his daughter came home with three children. She cried for a long time at her father's grave and left, rewarding a local boy who showed her the way to the old man's grave.

Heroes of the work

There are two main characters in the story: a father and a daughter.

Samson Vyrin is a diligent worker and a father who tenderly loves his daughter, raising her alone.

Samson is a typical “little man” who has no illusions both about himself (he is perfectly aware of his place in this world) and about his daughter (neither a brilliant party nor sudden smiles of fate shine like her). Samson's life position is humility. His life and the life of his daughter are and should be on a modest corner of the earth, a station cut off from the rest of the world. Beautiful princes do not meet here, and if they are shown on the horizon, they promise girls only a fall and danger.

When Dunya disappears, Samson cannot believe it. Although matters of honor are important to him, love for his daughter is more important, so he goes to look for her, pick her up and return her. Terrible pictures of misfortune are drawn to him, it seems to him that now his Dunya is sweeping the streets somewhere, and it is better to die than to drag out such a miserable existence.

Dunya

In contrast to his father, Dunya is a more determined and steadfast being. The sudden feeling for the hussar is rather a heightened attempt to break out of the wilderness in which she vegetated. Dunya decides to leave her father, even if this step is not easy for her (she allegedly delays the trip to church, leaves, according to witnesses, in tears). It is not entirely clear how Dunya's life turned out, and in the end she became the wife of Minsky or someone else. Old man Vyrin saw that Minsky rented a separate apartment for Dunya, and this clearly indicated her status as a kept woman, and when meeting with her father, Dunya looked at Minsky “significantly” and sadly, then fainted. Minsky pushed Vyrin out, preventing him from communicating with Dunya - apparently, he was afraid that Dunya would return with his father, and apparently she was ready for this. One way or another, Dunya achieved happiness - she is rich, she has six horses, servants and, most importantly, three "barchats", so for her justified risk, one can only rejoice. The only thing she will never forgive herself is the death of her father, who brought his death closer with a strong longing for his daughter. At the grave of the father, come belated repentance to the woman.

Characteristics of the work

The story is riddled with symbolism. The very name "station guard" in Pushkin's time had the same shade of irony and slight contempt that we put into the words "conductor" or "watchman" today. This means a small person, capable of looking like servants in the eyes of others, working for a penny, not seeing the world.

Thus, the stationmaster is a symbol of a “humiliated and insulted” person, a bug for the mercantile and powerful.

The symbolism of the story manifested itself in the painting that adorns the wall of the house - this is "The Return of the Prodigal Son". The stationmaster longed for only one thing - the embodiment of the scenario of the biblical story, as in this picture: Dunya could return to him in any status and in any form. Her father would have forgiven her, would have humbled himself, as he had humbled himself all his life under the circumstances of a fate that was merciless to "little people."

"The Stationmaster" predetermined the development of domestic realism in the direction of works that defend the honor of the "humiliated and insulted." The image of Vyrin's father is deeply realistic, strikingly capacious. This is a small man with a huge range of feelings and with every right to respect for his honor and dignity.

In the famous Boldin autumn of 1830, A.S. Pushkin wrote an amazing work in 11 days - Belkin's Tales - which included five independent stories told to one person (his name is in the title). In them, the author managed to create a gallery of provincial images, truthfully and without embellishment to show life in contemporary Russia for the writer.

A special place in the cycle is occupied by the story "". It was she who laid the foundation for the development of the theme of the "little man" in Russian literature of the 19th century.

Getting to know the characters

The story of the stationmaster Samson Vyrin was told to Belkin by a certain I.L.P., a titular adviser. His bitter thoughts about the attitude towards people of this rank set the reader in a not very cheerful mood from the very beginning. Anyone stopping at the station is ready to scold them. Either the horses are bad, or the weather and the road are bad, or the mood is not good at all - and the stationmaster is to blame for everything. The main idea of the story is to show the plight of a simple person without a high rank and rank.

Samson Vyrin, a retired soldier, a widower who raised his fourteen-year-old daughter Dunechka, calmly endured all the claims of those passing by. He was a fresh and cheerful man of about fifty, sociable and sensitive. This is how the titular adviser saw him at the first meeting.

The house was clean and comfortable, with balsams growing on the windows. And all those who stopped by were given tea from a samovar by Dunya, who had learned to housekeeping early. She, with her meek look and smile, subdued the anger of all the dissatisfied. In the company of Vyrin and the “little coquette”, time for the adviser flew by unnoticed. The guest said goodbye to the hosts as if they were old acquaintances: their company seemed so pleasant to him.

How has Vyrin changed…

The story "The Stationmaster" continues with a description of the second meeting of the narrator with the main character. A few years later, fate again threw him into those parts. He drove up to the station with disturbing thoughts: everything could happen during this time. The premonition did not really deceive: instead of a cheerful and cheerful person, a grey-haired, long-shaven, hunched old man appeared before him. It was still the same Vyrin, only now very taciturn and sullen. However, a glass of punch did its job, and soon the narrator learned the story of Dunya.

About three years ago, a young hussar passed by. He liked the girl, and for several days he pretended to be sick. And when he got mutual feelings from her, he secretly took away, without blessing, from his father. So the misfortune that fell down changed the long-established life of the family. The heroes of The Stationmaster, father and daughter, no longer see each other. The old man's attempt to return Dunya ended in nothing. He got to St. Petersburg and was even able to see her, richly dressed and happy. But the girl, looking at her father, fell unconscious, and he was simply kicked out. Now Samson lived in anguish and loneliness, and the bottle became his main companion.

The story of the prodigal son

Even during his first visit, the narrator noticed pictures with captions in German on the walls. They depicted the biblical story of the prodigal son who took his share of the inheritance and squandered it. In the last picture, the humble lad returned to his home to the parent who forgave him.

This legend is very reminiscent of what happened to Vyrin and Dunya, therefore it is no coincidence that it is included in the composition of the story "The Stationmaster". The main idea of the work is connected with the idea of helplessness and defenselessness of ordinary people. Vyrin, who is well acquainted with the foundations of high society, could not believe that his daughter could be happy. The scene seen in St. Petersburg did not convince either - everything can still change. He waited for the return of Dunya until the end of his life, but their meeting and forgiveness never took place. Perhaps Dunya simply did not dare to appear before her father for a long time.

Daughter's return

On his third visit, the narrator learns about the death of an old acquaintance. And the boy accompanying him to the cemetery will tell him about the mistress, who came after the stationmaster had died. The content of their conversation makes it clear that everything went well for Dunya. She arrived in a carriage with six horses, accompanied by a nurse and three barchettes. But Dunya did not find her father alive, and therefore the repentance of the “lost” daughter became impossible. The lady lay on the grave for a long time - this is how, according to tradition, they asked for forgiveness from a deceased person and said goodbye to him forever - and then left.

Why did the happiness of the daughter bring unbearable mental suffering to her father?

Samson Vyrin always believed that life without blessing and as a mistress is a sin. And the fault of Dunya and Minsky, probably, first of all, is that both their departure (the caretaker himself convinced his daughter to take the hussar to the church) and misunderstanding when meeting in St. Petersburg only strengthened him in this conviction, which, in the end, will bring the hero to the grave . There is another important point - what happened undermined the father's faith. He sincerely loved his daughter, who was the meaning of his existence. And suddenly such ingratitude: in all the years, Dunya has never made herself known. She seemed to have cut her father out of her life.

Having portrayed a poor man of the lowest rank, but with a high and sensitive soul, A.S. Pushkin drew the attention of contemporaries to the position of people who were on the lowest rung of the social ladder. The inability to protest and resignation to fate make them defenseless against life's circumstances. So is the stationmaster.

The main idea that the author wants to convey to the reader is that it is necessary to be sensitive and attentive towards each person, regardless of his character, and only this will help change the indifference and anger that reign in the world of people.

The story "The Stationmaster" is included in Pushkin's cycle of stories "Belkin's Tale", published as a collection in 1831.

Analysis of the work

Genre, theme, composition

Thematically, The Stationmaster is very multifaceted, despite the small content:

the theme of romantic love (with an escape from the father's house and following the beloved against the parental will),
the theme of fathers and children,
the theme of the "little man" is the greatest theme for the followers of Pushkin, the Russian realists.

Belkin reports that station employees are people of a difficult lot who are treated impolitely, perceived as servants, complained and rude to them. One of the caretakers, Samson Vyrin, was sympathetic to Belkin. He was a peaceful and kind person, with a sad fate - his own daughter, tired of living at the station, ran away with the hussar Minsky. The hussar, according to his father, could only make her a kept woman, and now, 3 years after the escape, he does not know what to think, because the fate of seduced young fools is terrible. Vyrin went to St. Petersburg, tried to find his daughter and return her, but could not - Minsky sent him out. The fact that the daughter does not live with Minsky, but separately, clearly indicates her status as a kept woman.

Heroes of the work

There are two main characters in the story: a father and a daughter.

Samson Vyrin is a diligent worker and a father who tenderly loves his daughter, raising her alone.

Samson is a typical “little man”, who has no illusions both about himself (he is perfectly aware of his place in this world) and about his daughter (neither a brilliant party nor sudden smiles of fate shine like her). Samson's life position is humility. His life and the life of his daughter are and should be on a modest corner of the earth, a station cut off from the rest of the world. Beautiful princes do not meet here, and if any are shown on the horizon, they promise the girls only a fall and danger.

Thus, the stationmaster is a symbol of a “humiliated and insulted” person, a bug for the mercantile and powerful.

The symbolism of the story manifested itself in the picture that adorns the wall of the house - this is "The Return of the Prodigal Son". The stationmaster longed for only one thing - the embodiment of the scenario of the biblical story, as in this picture: Dunya could return to him in any status and in any form. Her father would have forgiven her, would have humbled himself, as he had humbled himself all his life under the circumstances of a fate that was merciless to "little people."

collegiate registrar,
Post station dictator.

Prince Vyazemsky.

Who hasn't cursed the stationmasters, who hasn't scolded them? Who, in a moment of anger, did not demand from them a fatal book in order to write in it their useless complaint of oppression, rudeness and malfunction? Who does not revere them as monsters of the human race, equal to the deceased clerks, or at least Murom robbers? Let us, however, be fair, let us try to enter into their position and, perhaps, we will begin to judge them much more condescendingly. What is a station attendant? A real martyr of the fourteenth grade, protected by his rank only from beatings, and even then not always (I refer to the conscience of my readers). What is the position of this dictator, as Prince Vyazemsky jokingly calls him? Isn't it real hard labor? Peace of day or night. All the annoyance accumulated during a boring ride, the traveler takes out on the caretaker. The weather is unbearable, the road is bad, the driver is stubborn, the horses are not driven - and the caretaker is to blame. Entering his poor dwelling, the traveler looks at him as an enemy; well, if he manages to get rid of the uninvited guest soon; but if there are no horses? .. God! what curses, what threats will fall on his head! In rain and sleet he is forced to run around the yards; in a storm, in the Epiphany frost, he goes into the canopy, so that only for a moment can he rest from the screams and pushes of the irritated guest. The general arrives; the trembling caretaker gives him the last two triples, including the courier. The general goes without saying thank you. Five minutes later - a bell! .. and the courier throws his road trip on the table! .. Let us delve into all this thoroughly, and instead of indignation, our heart will be filled with sincere compassion. A few more words: for twenty years in a row I traveled all over Russia; almost all postal routes are known to me; several generations of coachmen are familiar to me; I don’t know a rare caretaker by sight, I didn’t deal with a rare one; I hope to publish a curious stock of my travel observations in a short time; for the time being, I will only say that the class of stationmasters is presented to the general opinion in the most false form. These so-slandered overseers are generally peaceful people, naturally obliging, prone to cohabitation, modest in their claims to honors and not too fond of money. From their conversations (which gentlemen passing by inappropriately neglect) one can learn a lot of curious and instructive things. As for me, I confess that I prefer their conversation to the speeches of some official of the 6th class, following on official business. You can easily guess that I have friends from the respectable class of caretakers. Indeed, the memory of one of them is precious to me. Circumstances once brought us closer, and I now intend to talk about it with my kind readers. In the year 1816, in the month of May, I happened to pass through the *** province, along the highway, now destroyed. I was in a small rank, rode on chaises and paid runs for two horses. As a result of this, the wardens did not stand on ceremony with me, and I often took with a fight what, in my opinion, followed me by right. Being young and quick-tempered, I was indignant at the meanness and cowardice of the superintendent when this latter gave the troika prepared for me under the carriage of the bureaucratic gentleman. It took me just as long to get used to the fact that a choosy lackey carried me a dish at the governor's dinner. Now both seem to me in the order of things. Indeed, what would happen to us if, instead of the generally convenient rule: rank rank read, another came into use, for example, honor the mind mind? What controversy would arise! and servants with whom would they start serving food? But back to my story. The day was hot. Three versts from the station, *** began to drip, and a minute later the pouring rain soaked me to the last thread. Upon arrival at the station, the first concern was to change clothes as soon as possible, the second to ask yourself for tea, “Hey, Dunya! - the caretaker shouted, - put the samovar on and go for cream. At these words, a girl of fourteen years old came out from behind the partition and ran into the passage. Her beauty struck me. "Is this your daughter?" I asked the caretaker. "Daughter, sir," he replied with an air of contented pride, "but such a reasonable, such a nimble mother, all dead." Here he began to rewrite my travelogue, and I busied myself with examining the pictures that adorned his humble but tidy abode. They depicted the story of the prodigal son: in the first, a respectable old man in a cap and dressing gown releases a restless young man, who hastily accepts his blessing and a bag of money. In another, the depraved behavior of a young man is depicted in vivid features: he sits at a table, surrounded by false friends and shameless women. Further, a squandered young man, in rags and a three-cornered hat, tends pigs and shares a meal with them; deep sadness and remorse are depicted in his face. Finally, his return to his father is presented; a kind old man in the same cap and dressing gown runs out to meet him: the prodigal son is on his knees; in the future, the cook kills a well-fed calf, and the elder brother asks the servants about the reason for such joy. Under each picture I read decent German verses. All this has been preserved in my memory to this day, as well as pots of balsam, and a bed with a colorful curtain, and other objects that surrounded me at that time. I see, as now, the owner himself, a man of about fifty, fresh and vigorous, and his long green coat with three medals on faded ribbons. Before I had time to pay off my old coachman, Dunya returned with a samovar. The little coquette noticed at a second glance the impression she made on me; she lowered her large blue eyes; I began to talk to her, she answered me without any timidity, like a girl who has seen the light. I offered her father a glass of punch; I gave Dunya a cup of tea, and the three of us began to talk, as if we had known each other for centuries. The horses were ready for a long time, but I still did not want to part with the caretaker and his daughter. At last I said goodbye to them; my father wished me a good journey, and my daughter accompanied me to the cart. In the passage I stopped and asked her permission to kiss her; Dunya agreed ... I can count many kisses,

Ever since I've been doing this

But no one has left such a long, such a pleasant memory in me.

Several years passed, and circumstances led me to that very road, to those very places. I remembered the old caretaker's daughter and was glad at the thought of seeing her again. But, I thought, the old caretaker may have already been replaced; probably Dunya is already married. The thought of the death of one or the other also flashed through my mind, and I approached the station *** with a sad foreboding. The horses stood at the post house. Entering the room, I immediately recognized the pictures depicting the story of the prodigal son; the table and bed were in their original places; but there were no more flowers on the windows, and everything around showed dilapidation and neglect. The caretaker slept under a sheepskin coat; my arrival woke him up; he got up... It was definitely Samson Vyrin; but how old he is! While he was about to rewrite my road trip, I looked at his gray hair, at the deep wrinkles of his long unshaven face, at his hunched back - and could not be surprised how three or four years could turn a cheerful man into a frail old man. “Did you recognize me? - I asked him, - you and I are old acquaintances. - “It may happen,” he answered sullenly, “there is a big road here; I have had many passers-by." - “Is your Dunya healthy?” I continued. The old man frowned. “God only knows,” he replied. - "So she's married?" - I said. The old man pretended not to have heard my question, and continued to read my travelogue in a whisper. I stopped my questions and ordered the kettle to be put on. Curiosity began to bother me, and I hoped that the punch would resolve the language of my old acquaintance. I was not mistaken: the old man did not refuse the proposed glass. I noticed that the rum cleared up his sullenness. At the second glass he became talkative: he remembered or pretended to remember me, and I learned from him a story that at that time greatly occupied and touched me. “So you knew my Dunya? he began. Who didn't know her? Oh, Dunya, Dunya! What a girl she was! It used to be that whoever passes by, everyone will praise, no one will condemn. The ladies gave her, the one with a handkerchief, the other with earrings. Gentlemen, the travelers stopped on purpose, as if to dine or supper, but in fact only to look at her longer. Sometimes the gentleman, no matter how angry he was, would calm down in her presence and talk graciously to me. Believe me, sir: couriers, couriers talked to her for half an hour. She kept the house: what to clean up, what to cook, she managed to do everything. And I, the old fool, do not look enough, it used to be, I do not get enough; did I not love my Dunya, did I not cherish my child; did she not have a life? No, you can’t get rid of trouble; what is destined, that cannot be avoided. Then he began to tell me his grief in detail. - Three years ago, once, on a winter evening, when the caretaker was lining up a new book, and his daughter was sewing a dress behind the partition, a troika drove up, and a traveler in a Circassian hat, in a military overcoat, wrapped in a shawl, entered the room, demanding horses. The horses were all running. At this news the traveler raised his voice and whip; but Dunya, accustomed to such scenes, ran out from behind the partition and affectionately turned to the traveler with the question: would he like to eat something? Dunya's appearance had its usual effect. The wrath of the traveler has passed; he agreed to wait for the horses and ordered supper for himself. Taking off his wet, shaggy hat, untangling his shawl and pulling off his overcoat, the traveler appeared as a young, slender hussar with a black mustache. He settled down at the caretaker, began to talk cheerfully with him and with his daughter. Served dinner. In the meantime, the horses came, and the keeper ordered that immediately, without feeding, they were harnessed to the carriage of the traveler; but returning, he found a young man lying almost unconscious on a bench: he became ill, his head ached, it was impossible to go ... What to do! the superintendent gave him his bed, and it was necessary, if the patient did not feel better, the next morning to send to S *** for a doctor. The next day the hussar became worse. His man went on horseback to the city for a doctor. Dunya tied a handkerchief soaked with vinegar around his head and sat down with her sewing by his bed. The sick man groaned in front of the caretaker and did not say almost a word, but he drank two cups of coffee and, groaning, ordered himself dinner. Dunya did not leave him. He constantly asked for a drink, and Dunya brought him a mug of lemonade prepared by her. The sick man dipped his lips and every time he returned the mug, as a token of gratitude, he shook Dunyushka's hand with his weak hand. The doctor arrived at lunchtime. He felt the patient's pulse, spoke to him in German, and announced in Russian that all he needed was peace of mind and that in two days he could be on the road. The hussar gave him twenty-five rubles for the visit, invited him to dine; the doctor agreed; both ate with great appetite, drank a bottle of wine, and parted very pleased with each other. Another day passed, and the hussar completely recovered. He was extremely cheerful, incessantly joking with Dunya, then with the caretaker; he whistled songs, talked to the passers-by, entered their wayfarers in the post book, and so fell in love with the kind caretaker that on the third morning he was sorry to part with his kind guest. The day was Sunday; Dunya was going to dinner. The hussar was given a kibitka. He said goodbye to the caretaker, generously rewarding him for his stay and refreshments; he also said goodbye to Dunya and volunteered to take her to the church, which was located on the edge of the village. Dunya stood in perplexity ... “What are you afraid of? - her father said to her, - after all, his nobility is not a wolf and will not eat you: take a ride to the church. Dunya got into the wagon next to the hussar, the servant jumped on the pole, the coachman whistled, and the horses galloped off. The poor caretaker did not understand how he himself could allow his Duna to ride with the hussar, how he was blinded, and what happened to his mind then. In less than half an hour, his heart began to whine, whine, and anxiety took possession of him to such an extent that he could not resist and went himself to mass. Approaching the church, he saw that the people were already dispersing, but Dunya was neither in the fence nor on the porch. He hastily entered the church: the priest was leaving the altar; the deacon was extinguishing the candles, two old women were still praying in the corner; but Dunya was not in the church. The poor father forcibly decided to ask the deacon whether she had been at Mass. The deacon replied that she had not been. The caretaker went home neither alive nor dead. One hope remained for him: Dunya, due to the windiness of her young years, took it into her head, perhaps, to ride to the next station, where her godmother lived. In excruciating excitement, he expected the return of the troika, on which he let her go. The coachman did not return. Finally, in the evening, he arrived alone and tipsy, with the deadly news: "Dunya from that station went further with a hussar." The old man did not bear his misfortune; he immediately fell into the same bed where the young deceiver had lain the day before. Now the caretaker, considering all the circumstances, guessed that the illness was feigned. The poor man fell ill with a strong fever; he was taken to S *** and another was appointed in his place for a while. The same doctor who came to the hussar treated him too. He assured the caretaker that the young man was quite healthy and that at that time he still guessed about his malicious intention, but was silent, fearing his whip. Whether the German was telling the truth, or just wishing to boast of far-sightedness, he did not in the least console the poor patient. Hardly recovering from his illness, the superintendent begged S*** the postmaster for a vacation of two months and, without saying a word to anyone about his intention, went on foot to fetch his daughter. He knew from the traveler that Captain Minsky was on his way from Smolensk to Petersburg. The coachman who drove him said that Dunya was crying all the way, although she seemed to be driving on her own accord. “Perhaps,” thought the caretaker, “I will bring home my lost lamb.” With this thought he arrived in Petersburg, stayed in the Izmailovsky regiment, in the house of a retired non-commissioned officer, his old colleague, and began his search. He soon learned that Captain Minsky was in St. Petersburg and was living in the Demutov tavern. The caretaker decided to come to him. Early in the morning he came to his hall and asked him to report to his honor that the old soldier asked to see him. The military footman, cleaning his boot on the block, announced that the master was resting and that before eleven o'clock he did not receive anyone. The caretaker left and returned at the appointed time. Minsky himself came out to him in a dressing gown, in a red skufi. "What, brother, do you want?" he asked him. The old man’s heart boiled, tears welled up in his eyes, and he only said in a trembling voice: “Your honor! .. do such a divine favor! ..” Minsky glanced at him quickly, flushed, took his hand, led him into the office and locked him behind him door. “Your honor! - continued the old man, - what fell from the cart is gone: give me at least my poor Dunya. After all, you have enjoyed it; don't waste it in vain." “What has been done cannot be returned,” said the young man in extreme confusion, “I am guilty before you and glad to ask your forgiveness; but do not think that I could leave Dunya: she will be happy, I give you my word of honor. Why do you want her? She loves Me; she had lost the habit of her former state. Neither you nor she - you will not forget what happened. Then, thrusting something into his sleeve, he opened the door, and the caretaker, without remembering how, found himself in the street. For a long time he stood motionless, at last he saw a roll of papers behind the cuff of his sleeve; he took them out and unfolded several crumpled banknotes of five and ten rubles. Tears welled up again in his eyes, tears of indignation! He squeezed the papers into a ball, threw them on the ground, stamped them down with his heel, and went... After walking a few steps, he stopped, thought... and turned back... but there were no banknotes anymore. A well-dressed young man, seeing him, ran up to the cab, sat down hurriedly and shouted: "Go! .." The caretaker did not chase him. He decided to go home to his station, but first he wanted to see his poor Dunya at least once. For this day, after two days, he returned to Minsky; but the military lackey told him sternly that the master was not receiving anyone, forced him out of the hall with his chest and slammed the door under his breath. The caretaker stood, stood - and went. On that same day, in the evening, he walked along Liteinaya, having served a prayer service for All Who Sorrow. Suddenly a smart droshky rushed past him, and the caretaker recognized Minsky. Drozhki stopped in front of a three-story house, at the very entrance, and the hussar ran onto the porch. A happy thought flashed through the caretaker's head. He turned back and, having caught up with the coachman: “Whose, brother, is the horse? - he asked, - is it Minsky? - “Exactly so,” answered the coachman, “but what about you?” - “Yes, this is what: your master ordered me to take a note to his Dunya, and I forget where Dunya lives.” “Yes, right here on the second floor. You are late, brother, with your note; now he is with her." - "There is no need," the caretaker objected with an inexplicable movement of his heart, "thanks for the thought, and I'll do my job." And with that word he went up the stairs. The doors were locked; he called, several seconds passed in painful expectation for him. The key rattled, they opened it. “Is Avdotya Samsonovna standing here?” - he asked. “Here,” answered the young maid, “why do you need her?” The caretaker, without answering, entered the hall. “No, no! the maid shouted after him, “Avdotya Samsonovna has guests.” But the caretaker, not listening, went on. The first two rooms were dark, the third was on fire. He walked to the open door and stopped. In the room, beautifully decorated, Minsky sat in thought. Dunya, dressed in all the luxury of fashion, sat on the arm of his chair, like a rider on her English saddle. She looked tenderly at Minsky, winding his black curls around her glittering fingers. Poor caretaker! Never had his daughter seemed to him so beautiful; he reluctantly admired her. "Who's there?" she asked without raising her head. He remained silent. Receiving no answer, Dunya raised her head ... and fell on the carpet with a cry. Frightened, Minsky rushed to pick it up and, suddenly seeing the old caretaker at the door, left Dunya and went up to him, trembling with anger. “What do you need? - he said to him, clenching his teeth, - why are you sneaking around me like a robber? Or do you want to kill me? Go away!" - and with a strong hand, grabbing the old man by the collar, pushed him onto the stairs. The old man came to his apartment. His friend advised him to complain; but the caretaker thought, waved his hand, and decided to retreat. Two days later he went from Petersburg back to his station and again took up his post. “For the third year already,” he concluded, “how I live without Dunya and how there is neither a rumor nor a spirit about her. Whether she is alive or not, God knows. Anything happens. Not her first, not her last, was lured by a passing rake, but there he held it and left it. There are many of them in St. Petersburg, young fools, today in satin and velvet, and tomorrow, you'll see, sweeping the street along with the barn's tavern. When you sometimes think that Dunya, perhaps, immediately disappears, you will inevitably sin, but wish her a grave ... " Such was the story of my friend, the old caretaker, a story repeatedly interrupted by tears, which he picturesquely wiped away with his coat, like the zealous Terentyich in Dmitriev's beautiful ballad. These tears were partly excited by the punch, of which he drew out five glasses in the continuation of his story; but be that as it may, they touched my heart greatly. Having parted with him, for a long time I could not forget the old caretaker, for a long time I thought about poor Dunya ... Not long ago, while passing through a place ***, I remembered my friend; I learned that the station he commanded had already been destroyed. To my question: "Is the old caretaker still alive?" - no one could give me a satisfactory answer. I decided to visit the familiar side, took free horses and set off for the village of N. It happened in the fall. Greyish clouds covered the sky; a cold wind blew from the reaped fields, blowing the red and yellow leaves from the trees on the way. I arrived at the village at sunset and stopped at the post house. In the hallway (where poor Dunya had once kissed me) a fat woman came out and answered my questions, "that the old caretaker had died a year ago, that a brewer had settled in his house, and that she was the brewer's wife. I felt sorry for my wasted trip and the seven rubles spent for nothing. Why did he die? I asked the brewer's wife. “He drank himself, father,” she answered. "Where was he buried?" - "Beyond the outskirts, near his late mistress." - "Can't you take me to his grave?" - “Why not. Hey Vanka! it's enough for you to mess with the cat. Take the gentleman to the cemetery and show him the caretaker's grave. At these words, a ragged boy, red-haired and crooked, ran out to me and immediately led me beyond the outskirts. - Did you know the dead man? I asked him dear. - How not to know! He taught me how to cut pipes. It used to happen (God rest his soul!) coming from the tavern, and we followed him: “Grandfather, grandfather! nuts! - and he gives us nuts. Everything has been messing with us. Do passers-by remember him? - Yes, there are few travelers; unless the assessor wraps up, but that is not up to the dead. Here in the summer a lady passed by, so she asked about the old caretaker and went to his grave. - What lady? I asked curiously. - A beautiful lady, - answered the boy; - she rode in a carriage with six horses, with three small barchats and with a nurse, and with a black pug; and as she was told that the old caretaker had died, she wept and said to the children: "Sit quietly, and I will go to the cemetery." And I volunteered to bring her. And the lady said: "I myself know the way." And she gave me a nickel in silver - such a kind lady! .. We arrived at the cemetery, a bare place, unenclosed by anything, dotted with wooden crosses, not overshadowed by a single tree. Never in my life have I seen such a sad cemetery. “Here is the grave of the old caretaker,” the boy told me, jumping onto a pile of sand, into which a black cross with a copper image was dug. - And the lady came here? I asked. - She came, - answered Vanka, - I looked at her from a distance. She lay down here and lay there for a long time. And there the lady went to the village and called the priest, gave him money and went, and she gave me a nickel in silver - a glorious lady! And I gave the boy a nickel and no longer regretted either the trip or the seven rubles I had spent.

A special place in the cycle is occupied by the story "The Stationmaster". It was she who laid the foundation for the development of the theme of the "little man" in Russian literature of the 19th century.

Getting to know the characters

How has Vyrin changed…

The story of the prodigal son

Even during his first visit, the narrator noticed pictures with signatures in German on the walls. They depicted the biblical story of the prodigal son who took his share of the inheritance and squandered it. In the last picture, the humble lad returned to his home to the parent who forgave him.