Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin is an outstanding Russian writer of the early twentieth century. In his works, he sang love: genuine, sincere and real, not demanding anything in return. Not every person is given the opportunity to experience such feelings, and only a few are capable of discerning them, accepting them and surrendering to them among the abyss of life events.

A. I. Kuprin - biography and creativity

Little Alexander Kuprin lost his father when he was only a year old. His mother, a representative of an old family of Tatar princes, made a fateful decision for the boy to move to Moscow. At the age of 10, he entered the Moscow Military Academy; the education he received played a significant role in the writer’s work.

Later, he would create more than one work dedicated to his military youth: the writer’s memories can be found in the stories “At the Turning Point (Cadets)”, “Army Ensign”, and in the novel “Junker”. For 4 years Kuprin remained an officer in an infantry regiment, but the desire to become a novelist never left him: first famous work, the story “In the Dark,” Kuprin wrote at the age of 22. The life of the army will be reflected more than once in his work, including in his most significant work, the story “The Duel.” One of the important themes that made the writer’s works classics of Russian literature was love. Kuprin, masterfully wielding the pen, creating incredibly realistic, detailed and thoughtful images, was not afraid to demonstrate the realities of society, exposing its most immoral sides, as, for example, in the story “The Pit”.

The story “Garnet Bracelet”: history of creation

Kuprin began working on the story in difficult times for the country: one revolution ended, the funnel of another began to spin. The theme of love in Kuprin’s work “The Garnet Bracelet” is created in opposition to the mood of society; it becomes sincere, honest, and selfless. “The Garnet Bracelet” became an ode to such love, a prayer and a requiem for it.

The story was published in 1911. It was based on real story, which made a deep impression on the writer, Kuprin almost completely preserved it in his work. Only the ending was changed: in the original, Zheltkov’s prototype abandoned his love, but remained alive. The suicide that ended Zheltkov’s love in the story is just another interpretation of the tragic ending of incredible feelings, which makes it possible to fully demonstrate the destructive power of the callousness and lack of will of the people of that time, which is what “Garnet Bracelet” is about. The theme of love in the work is one of the key ones; it is worked out in detail, and the fact that the story was created based on real events makes it even more expressive.

The theme of love in Kuprin’s work “The Garnet Bracelet” is at the center of the plot. main character works - Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, the prince's wife. She constantly receives letters from a secret admirer, but one day an admirer gives her an expensive gift - a garnet bracelet. The theme of love in the work begins here. Considering such a gift indecent and compromising, she told her husband and brother about it. Using their connections, they can easily find the sender of the gift.

He turns out to be a modest and petty official Georgy Zheltkov, who, having accidentally seen Sheina, fell in love with her with all his heart and soul. He was content with allowing himself to write letters occasionally. The prince came to him with a conversation, after which Zheltkov felt that he had failed his pure and immaculate love, betrayed Vera Nikolaevna, compromising her with his gift. He wrote a farewell letter, where he asked his beloved to forgive him and listen to Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 2 goodbye, and then shot himself. This story alarmed and interested Sheina; she, having received permission from her husband, went to the apartment of the late Zheltkov. There, for the first time in her life, she experienced those feelings that she had not recognized throughout the eight years of the existence of this love. Already at home, listening to that same melody, she realizes that she has lost her chance at happiness. This is how the theme of love is revealed in the work “Garnet Bracelet”.

Images of the main characters

The images of the main characters reflect the social realities not only of that time. These roles are characteristic of humanity as a whole. In pursuit of status and material well-being, a person again and again abandons the most important thing - a bright and pure feeling that does not need expensive gifts and loud words.
The image of Georgy Zheltkov is the main confirmation of this. He is not rich, unremarkable. This is a modest person who does not demand anything in return for his love. Even in his suicide note, he indicates a false reason for his action, so as not to bring trouble to his beloved, who indifferently abandoned him.

Vera Nikolaevna is a young woman accustomed to living exclusively in accordance with the principles of society. She does not shy away from love, but does not consider it a vital necessity. She has a husband who was able to give her everything she needed, and she does not consider the existence of other feelings possible. This happens until she encounters the abyss after the death of Zheltkov - the only thing that can excite the heart and inspire turned out to be hopelessly missed.

The main theme of the story “Garnet Bracelet” is the theme of love in the work

Love in the story is a symbol of the nobility of the soul. This is not the case with the callous Prince Shein or Nikolai; Vera Nikolaevna herself can be called callous - until the moment of her trip to the deceased’s apartment. Love was the highest manifestation of happiness for Zheltkov, he did not need anything else, he found the bliss and splendor of life in his feelings. Vera Nikolaevna saw only tragedy in this unrequited love, her admirer evoked only pity in her, and this is where main drama heroine - she was not able to appreciate the beauty and purity of these feelings, this is noted in every essay on the work “Garnet Bracelet”. The theme of love, interpreted differently, will invariably appear in every text.

Vera Nikolaevna herself committed a betrayal of love when she took the bracelet to her husband and brother - the foundations of society turned out to be more important to her than the only bright and selfless feeling that took place in her emotionally meager life. She realizes this too late: that feeling that occurs once every few hundred years has disappeared. It touched her lightly, but she could not see the touch.

Love that leads to self-destruction

Kuprin himself earlier in his essays once expressed the idea that love is always a tragedy, it contains equally all emotions and joys, pain, happiness, joy and death. All these feelings were contained in one little man, Georgiy Zheltkov, who saw sincere happiness in unrequited feelings for a cold and inaccessible woman. His love had no ups and downs until brute force in the person of Vasily Shein intervened. The resurrection of love and the resurrection of Zheltkov himself symbolically occurs at the moment of Vera Nikolaevna’s epiphany, when she listens to the very music of Beethoven and cries by the acacia tree. This is the “Garnet Bracelet” - the theme of love in the work is full of sadness and bitterness.

Main conclusions from the work

Perhaps the main line is the theme of love in the work. Kuprin demonstrates a depth of feelings that not every soul is able to understand and accept.

Kuprin's love requires a rejection of morals and norms forcibly imposed by society. Love doesn't need money or high position in society, but it requires much more from a person: unselfishness, sincerity, complete dedication and selflessness. I would like to note the following, concluding the analysis of the work “Garnet Bracelet”: the theme of love in it forces one to renounce all social values, but in return bestows true happiness.

Cultural heritage of the work

Kuprin made a huge contribution to the development of love lyrics: “Garnet Bracelet,” analysis of the work, the theme of love and its study became mandatory in school curriculum. This work has also been filmed several times. The first film based on the story was released 4 years after publication, in 1914.

Them. N. M. Zagursky staged the ballet of the same name in 2013.

1. The main character of the story, her married life.
2. Feelings of the mysterious G.S.Zh.
3. Love in the reasoning of General Anosov.
4. The meaning of love for the main character of the story and A.I. Kuprin himself.

I have one prayer before you:
"Hallowed be it your name».
A. I. Kuprin

The story “The Garnet Bracelet,” written by A. I. Kuprin in 1910, begins with a description of the weather of a suburban Black Sea resort in late August - early September. The main character of the work is Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, the wife of the leader of the local nobility Vasily Lvovich. From the first pages of the story we learn that she has already experienced passionate love for her husband, but now this feeling has grown into “faithful!” true friendship." Is Vera happy in her marriage? It is difficult to say “yes” or “no” specifically. But Vera clearly lacks the main component of the family - children. Therefore, she gave all the unspent love for her own children who had not yet appeared to her nephews. As the work continues, it is noticeable that Vera Nikolaevna seemed to despair of having her own child. So, to grandfather Anosov’s question about christenings, she replies: “Oh, I’m afraid, grandfather, that I will never...”. While the princess herself “greedily wanted children... the more, the better...”. These observations suggest that family life Vera cannot be called completely prosperous, despite the fact that she and her husband had quite trusting relationship. After all, she shared her little secret with him...

This secret was that for seven years now Vera Sheina had been unrequitedly loved by one young man. Before and after his marriage, he sent the princess tender letters, imbued with sincere love, and later with repentance for the ardor of his first letters to his beloved. Vera Nikolaevna's secret admirer never fully identified himself, signing only with the initials G.S.Zh. After reading the story, one gets the impression that Vera herself never saw her secret admirer alive, she was only secretly pursued by her admirer. Therefore, G.S.Zh.’s love is most likely platonic. It lasts neither more nor less - seven years, from the time when Vera was still a girl. And now the young man who has hopelessly fallen in love with her asks to forgive him for the impudence of his youthful letters and hopes for an answer. All that remained in him was “reverence, eternal admiration and slavish devotion.” The main character of the story, Zheltkov, is attracted by his honesty both to his beloved Vera, and to her husband Vasily Lvovich and to his overly tough brother Nikolai Nikolaevich. The young man does not frighten the princess with his love. His letters rather evoke pity and sometimes laughter. But he writes to his beloved Vera with sincere kindness and almost sacrificial dedication: “...I can now only wish you happiness every minute and rejoice if you are happy. I mentally bow to the ground of the furniture on which you sit, the parquet floor on which you walk, the trees that you touch in passing, the servants with whom you speak. I don’t even have envy of people or things.” And when the relatives of Vera Sheina come to the unfortunate, unrequitedly loving G.S.Zh., he does not dodge, does not hide his feelings, but also does not allow himself insolence. Zheltkov is honest and extremely sincere with the husband of his beloved woman, Prince Shein. This is confirmed by the words of the main character: “It’s difficult to pronounce such... a phrase... that I love your wife. But seven years of hopeless and polite love give me the right to this... here I look straight into your eyes and feel that you will understand me. I know that I can never stop loving her...” It seems that Zheltkov no longer hopes for Vera’s reciprocity, but his holy feeling, love, is the meaning of his life. But then the princess asks him on the phone to stop “this whole story,” and the unhappy lover is left with no other choice but death.

But Vera was not such a callous person at all. At first, the princess received messages from a secret admirer with displeasure, and then grandfather Yakov Mikhailovich Anosov arrived and unwittingly changed Princess Sheina’s attitude towards love and towards the unfortunate admirer G.S.Zh. And the old general believes that people have completely forgotten how to love: “Where is love?” -That? Is love unselfish, selfless, not waiting for reward? The one about whom it is said “strong as death”? You see, the kind of love for which to accomplish any feat, to give one’s life, to undergo torture is not work at all, but pure joy.” When Vera tells him the story of G.S.Zh., who unrequitedly loves her, General Anosov makes cautious assumptions: perhaps this young man is abnormal. Or maybe: “yours life path, Verochka, crossed exactly the kind of love that women dream about and which men are no longer capable of,” he concludes. Vera hesitantly informs her husband and brother that she feels sorry for her unfortunate admirer, but still her cruel brother Nikolai Nikolaevich crushes her with his morality and decisive condemnation of the unfortunate young man. So, the words spoken by the princess into the telephone receiver were most likely dictated precisely under pressure from her brother, and not from Vera’s heart. She herself clearly realizes with horror that this young man will commit suicide.

What is the meaning of Zheltkov’s love? What is the meaning of love in general? I think the author expressed his understanding of the highest purpose of this feeling in the following words: “I am sure that almost every woman is capable of the highest heroism in love. Understand, she kisses, hugs, gives herself away - and she is already a mother. For her, if she loves, love contains the whole meaning of life - the whole universe! But, according to the old general, men have forgotten how to love purely and selflessly, and women will take revenge on them in thirty years. Perhaps after this Vera realized that love is not only shared happiness. A true feeling of love contains the greatest tragedy of the soul, suffering. Both Verochka and Prince Vasily Shein himself understand this. General Anosov is also convinced of this, who says: “Love must be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world! No life conveniences, calculations or compromises should concern her.” In the end, it becomes clear to everyone that laughing at Zheltkov’s feelings is not only inconvenient, but also mean. He is worthy of pity, understanding and compassion. And G.S.Zh. himself is happy, even in his last, farewell letter to his beloved, he seems to bless her from above, endlessly wishing Vera happiness. Forgiving her, he reassures the princess, all the time repeating the cherished: “Hallowed be Thy name.” Along with forgiveness, inner harmony comes to Vera, purified by tears and the sounds of Beethoven's Sonata No. 2 played on the piano. The princess passed by, albeit unrequited, but great, pure, sincere and selfless love, which happens once every thousand years. This is worth living for.

Essay-reasoning “Garnet bracelet: love or madness.” Love in Kuprin's story

Kuprin's story “The Garnet Bracelet” reveals secret wealth human soul, so it is traditionally loved by young readers. It shows what the power of sincere feeling is capable of, and each of us hopes that we are also capable of feeling so nobly. However, the most valuable quality of this book lies in main topic, which the author masterfully illuminates from work to work. This is the theme of love between a man and a woman, a dangerous and slippery road for a writer. It's hard not to be banal when describing the same thing for the thousandth time. However, Kuprin invariably manages to surprise and touch even the most experienced reader.

In this story, the author tells the story of an undivided and forbidden love: Zheltkov loves Vera, but he cannot be with her, if only because she does not love him. In addition, all circumstances are against this couple. Firstly, their situation differs significantly, he is too poor and is a representative of a different class. Secondly, Vera is married. Thirdly, she is attached to her husband and would never agree to cheat on him. These are just the main reasons why the heroes cannot be together. It would seem that with such hopelessness it is hardly possible to continue to believe in something. And if you don’t believe, how can you nourish a feeling of love that is devoid of even hope for reciprocity? Zheltkov did it. His feeling was phenomenal, it did not demand anything in return, but gave its all.

Zheltkov’s love for Vera was precisely a Christian feeling. The hero accepted his fate, did not complain about it and did not rebel. He did not expect reward for his love in the form of a response; this feeling is selfless, not tied to selfish motives. Zheltkov renounces himself; his neighbor has become more important and dearer to him. He loved Vera as he loved himself, and even more. In addition, the hero turned out to be extremely honest towards personal life his chosen one. In response to the claims of her relatives, he humbly laid down his arms and did not persist and impose his right to feelings on them. He recognized the rights of Prince Vasily and understood that his passion was in some sense sinful. Not once over the years did he cross the line and did not dare to come to Vera with a proposal or to compromise her in any way. That is, he cared about her and her well-being more than about himself, and this spiritual feat- self-denial.

The greatness of this feeling is that the hero managed to let go of his beloved so that she would not feel the slightest discomfort from his existence. He did this at the cost of his life. He knew what he would do with himself after wasting government money, but he did it deliberately. At the same time, Zheltkov did not give Vera a single reason to consider herself guilty of what happened. The official committed suicide because of his crime. Desperate debtors in those days shot themselves in order to wash away their shame and not shift financial obligations to relatives. His action seemed logical to everyone and had nothing to do with his feelings for Vera. This fact speaks of an unusual reverent attitude towards a loved one, who is the rarest treasure of the soul. Zheltkov proved that love is stronger than death.

In conclusion, I want to say that the noble feeling of Zheltkov is depicted by the author not by chance. Here are my thoughts on this matter: in a world where comfort and routine obligations are crowding out genuine and sublime passion, it is necessary to sober up and not take your loved one for granted and everyday life. You need to be able to appreciate loved one on an equal basis with himself, as Zheltkov did. It is precisely this kind of reverent attitude that the story “The Garnet Bracelet” teaches.

The theme of love in A. I. Kuprin’s story “The Garnet Bracelet”

(“The disease of love is incurable...”)

Love... is stronger than death and the fear of death. Only by her, only by love does life hold and move.

I.S. Turgenev.

Love... A word denoting the most reverent, tender, romantic and inspired feeling inherent in a person. However, people often confuse love with being in love. A real feeling takes possession of a person’s entire being, sets all his forces in motion, inspires the most incredible actions, evokes the best motives, and excites the creative imagination. But love is not always joy, mutual feeling, happiness given to two. It is also disappointment from unrequited love. A person cannot stop loving at will.

Every great artist devoted many pages to this “eternal” topic. A.I. Kuprin did not ignore it either. Throughout his career, the writer showed great interest in everything beautiful, strong, sincere and natural. He considered love to be one of the great joys of life. His stories and stories “Olesya”, “Shulamith”, “Garnet Bracelet” tell about perfect love, pure, limitless, beautiful and powerful.

In Russian literature, perhaps, there is no stronger emotional impact on the reader of the work than “Garnet Bracelet”. Kuprin touches on the theme of love chastely, reverently and at the same time nervously. Otherwise, you can’t touch her.

Sometimes it seems that everything has been said about love in world literature. Is it possible to talk about love after “Tristan and Isolde”, after the sonnets of Petrarch and “Romeo and Juliet” by Shakespeare, after Pushkin’s poem “For the Shores of the Distant Fatherland”, Lermontov’s “Don’t Laugh at My Prophetic Melancholy”, after Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” and Chekhov's "Lady with a Dog"? But love has thousands of aspects, and each of them has its own light, its own joy, its own happiness, its own sadness and pain, and its own fragrance.

The story “The Garnet Bracelet” is one of the saddest works about love. Kuprin admitted that he cried over the manuscript. And if a work makes the author and reader cry, then this speaks of the deep vitality of what the writer created and his great talent. Kuprin has many works about love, about the expectation of love, about its touching outcomes, about its poetry, longing and eternal youth. He always and everywhere blessed love. The theme of the story “The Garnet Bracelet” is love to the point of self-abasement, to the point of self-denial. But the interesting thing is that love strikes the most ordinary person - the office official Zheltkov. Such love, it seems to me, was given to him from above as a reward for a joyless existence. The hero of the story is no longer young, and his love for Princess Vera Sheina gave meaning to his life, filled it with inspiration and joy. This love was meaning and happiness only for Zheltkov. Princess Vera considered him crazy. She did not know his last name and had never seen this man. He just sent her Greeting Cards and wrote letters, signing G.S.Zh.

But one day, on the princess’s name day, Zheltkov decided to be bold: he sent her an antique bracelet with beautiful garnets as a gift. Fearing that her name may be compromised, Vera's brother insists on returning the bracelet to its owner, and her husband and Vera agree.

In a fit of nervous excitement, Zheltkov confesses to Prince Shein his love for his wife. This confession touches to the depths of the soul: “I know that I can never stop loving her. What would you do to end this feeling? Send me to another city? All the same, I will love Vera Nikolaevna there just as much as I do here. Put me in jail? But even there I will find a way to let her know about my existence. There is only one thing left - death...” Over the years, love has become a disease, an incurable disease. She absorbed his entire essence without a trace. Zheltkov lived only by this love. Even if Princess Vera didn’t know him, even if he couldn’t reveal his feelings to her, couldn’t possess her... That’s not the main thing. The main thing is that he loved her sublime, platonic, pure love. It was enough for him to just see her sometimes and know that she was doing well.

Zheltkov wrote his last words of love for the one who had been the meaning of his life for many years in his suicide letter. It is impossible to read this letter without heavy emotional excitement, in which the refrain sounds hysterically and amazingly: “Hallowed be thy name!” What gives the story special power is that love appears in it as an unexpected gift of fate, poeticized and illuminating life. Lyubov Zheltkova is like a ray of light among everyday life, among sober reality and established life. There is no cure for such love, it is incurable. Only death can serve as deliverance. This love is confined to one person and carries destructive power. “It so happened that I am not interested in anything in life: neither politics, nor science, nor philosophy, nor concerns about the future happiness of people,” Zheltkov writes in a letter, “for me, all life lies in you.” This feeling crowds out all other thoughts from the hero’s consciousness.

What gives the story special strength and bitterness is autumn landscape, silent sea, empty dachas, the grassy smell of the last flowers.

Love, according to Kuprin, is passion, it is a strong and real feeling that elevates a person, awakens best qualities his soul; it is truthfulness and honesty in relationships. The writer put his thoughts about love into the mouth of General Anosov: “Love should be a tragedy. The greatest secret in the world. No life conveniences, calculations or compromises should concern her.”

It seems to me that today it is almost impossible to find such love. Lyubov Zheltkova - romantic worship of a woman, knightly service to her. Princess Vera realized that real love, which is given to a person only once in a lifetime and which every woman dreams of, passed her by.