Anton Pavlovich Chekhov is a talented Russian writer who very accurately reflected the vices of the society of his era in his works. A special place in his work is occupied by the cycle of stories "Little Trilogy" and "Ionych". Chekhov (we will give an analysis of one of his works below) wrote then in the conditions of widespread public upsurge. He exposed that part of the intelligentsia, which not only does not take part in this upsurge, but, on the contrary, tries to isolate itself from life.
Driven by indifference and fear, she does not want to know the problems of the people. With great satirical force, the theme of "case life" is revealed by Chekhov in his simple, at first glance, creations.
"Ionych" tells us about the history of the spiritual and moral degradation of man. The story has 5 parts, 5 portraits of the main character.
The first is a portrait of Dr. Startsev - a young, intelligent, versed in art, with a good musical and literary taste, an energetic and cheerful person. This is exactly what a real intellectual should be, according to Chekhov ("Ionych", chapter 1).
Second portrait. Before us is a young man prone to fullness, who prefers to walk in a wheelchair. Deprived of the former cheerfulness, but in love, and therefore capable of some crazy deeds.
Third portrait. Startsev's feelings turned out to be shallow, love passes. He quickly calms down after the experienced rejection.
Fourth portrait. Startsev has grown fat, suffers from shortness of breath and already has three horses.
He became closed, he prefers playing cards to spiritual life, he is unpleasant in society. Industriousness was replaced by coldness, the ability to pure, disinterested feelings went out.
Fifth portrait. Startsev became completely stout, as a result of which his voice became thin and sharp. He was mad with greed. In relation to the sick, he lost all sensitivity, respect, compassion. He became rude, arrogant, evil. The townsfolk now consider him their own and simply call him Ionych. For some 10 years there was a complete complete insignificance shows the hero Chekhov.
"Ionych" does not give us unequivocal answers to the question why such a rapid spiritual decay of the once energetic and talented representative of the young intelligentsia occurred. Perhaps Ekaterina Ivanovna, for whom the doctor had tender feelings, is to blame for something. Of course, he himself is to blame for something. However, most of the blame lies precisely with the society surrounding Startsev, Chekhov believes. Ionych, leaving disappointed after the explanation with the matured Katenka, thinks to himself: "What should this city be like, if even the most talented people in it are so mediocre?"
The Turkin family personifies the entire allegedly advanced and educated part of society. Chekhov mercilessly ridicules her. which was made above, is replete with examples. At the beginning of the story, where Startsev's first visit to the Turkins' house is described, the young doctor still notices the smallest details with a clear look: both the fact that Vera Iosifovna's novel has nothing to do with real life, and the fact that Kotik has no musical talent, and that how stupid and senseless the host's jokes are, but he does not pay much attention to this because of his love. When the veil fell from his eyes, and Startsev saw all the vulgarity that was happening around him, he did not think of anything better than to become the same.
"Ionych" - a story by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, written around 1897-1898. It tells about a zemstvo doctor named Dmitry Startsev, who gets acquainted in "a boring and monotonous provincial city of S." with the Turkin family, who were considered the most talented and educated people in those parts. He falls in love with Ekaterina Turkina, whom everyone affectionately calls "Kotik", and proposes to her.
However, the girl refuses him out of a desire to go to study at the conservatory. A few years later, when Catherine returns and meets Startsev again, he rejoices that he still did not marry her. And the remaining members of the family no longer admire him, on the contrary, yesterday's talented people now seem to Startsev stupid and boring. “What should the city be like,” he thinks, “if the most talented people in it are so mediocre?”
The theme of the story is the spiritual degradation of a person, the withering of his ability to admire. The protagonist finally dissolves in his environment, turning into a full, boring and mean "Ionych".
But at the beginning of the story, Dmitry fell in love so easily and admired the people around him.
The composition of the story is of particular interest. As the story progresses, the language is simplified, the number of descriptions and dialogues is reduced. This is comparable to the worldview of the protagonist: over time, he becomes more and more prosaic and dry, there are fewer and fewer bright, amazing, beautiful elements in his life. Another interesting feature of the composition of this work is the time in it. In the first four parts, the story is told in the past tense, while in the fifth, the author switches to the present. This illustrates the pace of the protagonist's life. Dmitry Startsev, in love and inspired, was once before, in the distant past; and his mortal and meager existence, which he leads in the fifth part, is the present, the outcome of his life, the logical conclusion of his moral character. Chekhov demonstrates to the reader the degradation of the individual, and the decomposition that he describes at the end of the story is a logical point for the life of a single person.
The situation described by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov is terrifying and frightening. It shows all the horror and all the ugliness of the spiritual degradation of a person who has exchanged the desire to see and find something beautiful in the world for good real estate and a big wallet.
Updated: 2017-12-04
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The story of A.P. Chekhov's "Ionych" was published in the "Monthly Literary Supplements" to the magazine "Niva" in the same 1898 in which it was written. This work cannot be attributed to a specific topic. It simultaneously speaks of the development of man and the degradation of his soul. On the one hand, Ionych becomes a significant person in the city, he is wealthy and has special authority, but, on the other hand, material wealth negatively affects the spiritual development of the hero. Depending on what question the reader asks himself when reading this story, it can be attributed to a social topic (what role did society play in the formation of Ionych's character?), psychology (can a person resist society?) or philosophy (why does the hero choose such life path, does not continue to struggle?).
From the author's notebooks and diaries, literary critics were able to recreate the writer's original intention, which had both differences and similarities with the published text. What is the original thought of the author? What changes did his idea undergo in the course of work? How radically does it differ from the original material? What was and what has become?
Initially, Chekhov wanted to write a story centered on the Filimonov family. It is easy to understand that this is a kind of prototype of the future Turkins. In the final edition, the main features of the members of this family were also preserved. What then is the difference? It lies in the fact that at first there was no main character in the story, that is, Ionych himself. What does it change? At first glance, the theme of the story does not change: the spiritual poverty of the Filimonov (Turkin) family. But the appearance in the work of Startsev entails a change in the main idea of the work. If initially it was about the spiritual poverty of one particular family, then in the final version the Turkins are shown as the best in the city, which makes you wonder what the rest of the inhabitants are like then, and how the society of these people changed the life of the protagonist.
The meaning of the name
Starting to read Chekhov's story, you assume that the Turkin family will be in the center of his attention: a detailed description of each of its members with character and habits is given. Only later does the reader realize that the title is related to the main character. Ionych is Dmitry's patronymic. In its rude sound, the author conveys the essence of the metamorphosis that the doctor has undergone. By patronymic, people familiarly address those whom they know, but do not really respect. Usually they say this about a person behind his back, wanting to emphasize a short acquaintance with him or even belittle him. All the inhabitants of the city intuitively understood that a promising young man became one of them, a tradesman and an inhabitant who became isolated in the routine of days, flabby and lost his destiny. If earlier he was respected, then by the end he became an ordinary resident of a county town, gray and faceless.
Ionych is Dmitry Ionovich Startsev. The chosen title focuses on the nickname of the hero, which is given to him at the end of the story. That is the meaning of the work. Having chosen this title for the story, Chekhov poses the question to the reader: “How did the zemstvo doctor Startsev turn into Ionych?” Only about that reader can we say that he understood the essence of the work, who was able to find the answer to this question in the text.
Genre, composition, direction
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov is known as the author of plays and short prose. His work "Ionych" is a realistic story. A striking feature of this direction and the main theme of "Ionych" are the social problems raised by the author. Also, an objective description and the presence of typical characters testify to belonging to realism.
In a work, everything always follows the same goal - the embodiment of the author's thought. Composition follows this. This Chekhov story consists of five chapters. Thus, the golden ratio is the third chapter. It turns out to be a turning point for the main character. In it, Startsev proposes to Kitty and is rejected. From this moment begins the spiritual fall of the hero.
essence
This is a story about a zemstvo doctor who walked, practiced and believed in love, but in a few years he turned into an “idol”, owning his own troika, a plump layman, whose favorite pastimes were games and counting money.
The author tells how, in the absence of the possibility of development and the desire for self-improvement, a person quickly gets used to a new, simpler pace of life - degradation. Starting with ambitious plans and good intentions, the hero lowers the bar and simplifies life, becoming an ordinary tradesman with a banal set of values: gambling, personal enrichment, good reputation. Chekhov also reflects on the reasons for this transformation. Kotik had a strong influence on Startsev. Perhaps if she had not acted so cruelly with Dmitry Startsev, who was in love, if she had not mocked his love, then everything would have turned out differently. But that's just speculation and speculation...
Main characters and their characteristics
- Turkins- the most educated family. They live on the main street of the provincial city of S. All members of the family have static characters. Turkin Ivan Petrovich loves to make jokes and tell jokes. He speaks his own language to entertain guests. His wife, Vera Iosifovna, writes romance novels and reads them to guests in the evenings. Turkin's daughter, Ekaterina Ivanovna, or Kotik, as she is affectionately called in the family circle, plays the piano. She even wanted to enter the conservatory, but nothing came of it. In the Turkins' house there is also a footman Pava, who, to cheer up the guests, theatrically cries out: "Die, unfortunate one!"
- Dmitry Ionovich Startsev is a talented doctor who went to work in City C after his studies. This is an educated, sensitive and shy young man, inclined to idealize everything. He does not live in the city itself, but a few versts from it. He falls in love with Katerina, proposes, but is rejected. Gradually, he changes, becoming irritable, callous and indifferent to everything. When describing this hero, an important feature is the degradation of his character throughout the work. It is shown through several constant details: the mode of transportation (on foot, a pair, and then a trio of horses with bells), fullness, attitude towards society and love of money. The appearance of the hero is a clear reflection of the impoverishment of his soul.
Topics and issues
- Vulgarity in "Ionych" is one of the main themes. Startsev, getting used to life in the city, only silently played, drank, ate and counted money at home, he became far from his former ideals. His life goals sank to daily routine worries and the desire to accumulate capital. The internal degradation of the hero is emphasized by his external changes: “Startsev has become even more stout, obese, breathes heavily and already walks with his head thrown back.”
- City life. The description of life and customs in the city, and, in particular, the Turkin family, is associated with raising the topic of mental poverty of people. How are the citizens presented to us? How do they spend their leisure time? The main character himself speaks about this. Ionych talks about his pastime to Ekaterina Ivanovna. From his words about an ordinary day, we can clearly imagine how the inhabitants spent their free time from work. Everything is monotonous, “life passes dully, without impressions, without thoughts”: a club, playing cards, alcohol.
- Love. One can only speculate about what would happen if Kotik agreed to marry Startsev. This did not happen, and the hero himself, at the last meeting with Ekaterina Ivanovna, was glad of this. Based on this, we can say that everything died in his soul, and even such a strong feeling as love could not awaken him to life. But if you look differently, then Ekaterina Ivanovna cannot be called an unusual girl capable of awakening a great feeling. At the end of the story, Ionych, already taught by life, understands this.
Idea
Despite the presence of several themes in the story, the focus is on one question - the relationship between man and society. No one will argue that by the end of the novel, Startsev becomes the same colorless inhabitant as any citizen of the city. When comparing the portrait of the hero, presented at the beginning of the book, with the lifestyle and appearance of Startsev at the end, the impoverishment of his soul and the disappearance of high aspirations become obvious. If earlier his plans included a vocation, expressed in an interest in medicine, then by the end it became clear that Dmitry had not fulfilled his mission. According to Chekhov, it is enthusiastic, conscious work that purifies and elevates us, pulling people out of the fuss and vulgarity of the world of things, everyday life and routine. Losing love for the work of his whole life, being lazy and mixing with a crowd of useless onlookers, Startsev betrays his dream and loses himself.
The author emphasizes the vulgarity of the hero with the help of details. This impression is also strengthened by the presence of Startsev's double - the coachman Panteleimon. Complementing the characteristics and descriptions of Dmitry Ionych and the changes in his lifestyle, this helps to create a complete picture in the reader's imagination.
Criticism
His opinion about the story of A.P. Chekhov's "Ionych" was expressed by many literary scholars, writers and critics. It is rather difficult to generalize because it is not unambiguous. Dmitry Ovsyaniko-Kulikovsky, a literary critic and linguist, who was one of the first to write his review, in "Studies on Chekhov's Work" noted the unusual character of the hero: he does not oppose society, but succumbs to its influence.
Writers such as Kireev and Solzhenitsyn were more impressed by the episode of the heroes' explanation at the cemetery than by the main storyline. In connection with this scene, in their opinion, the theme of a person's attitude to death is raised in the story.
There are also negative reviews of this work, which emphasize the simplicity of the images of the characters, their lack of openness and detail. Not less about this story and positive reviews. The words of R. I. Sementkovsky reflect their general idea:
Interesting? Save it on your wall!Read the latest works of Mr. Chekhov, and you will be horrified by the picture of the modern generation which he painted with his characteristic skill.
Stories by A.P. Chekhov, despite their brevity, show us the characters so convexly and brightly that they seem quite animated, even familiar to some extent. The main problem of the story "Ionych" is the interaction of the individual and the environment, society.
And the question is acute. Who will change whom: young Dmitry Startsev - the society in which he fell, or is it his? This is the problem of the story "Ionych".
From the history of literature
This question interested many of our writers. M. Yu. Lermontov, I. A. Goncharov, A. S. Griboyedov, I. S. Turgenev, one way or another, closely studied this topic, which now confronts us as the problematic of the story "Ionych". Is a person capable of changing society, or will its deadening atmosphere absorb all the best that is in a person, and he will come to terms with the inevitable degradation?
First meeting with the Turkins
The novice doctor received an appointment from a zemstvo doctor a few miles from the city of S. in Dyalizh. He worked and did not think about entertainment, but everyone advised him to make acquaintance with the talented Turkin family. One winter he was introduced to the head of the family, but Startsev postponed his visit. And in the spring, on Ascension, on a holiday, having received the sick, Startsev on foot, since he had no horses, went to the city, singing a romance. And then it occurred to him to visit this friendly hospitable family. In parallel with the analysis of the problems posed in the story, we will analyze the story of A.P. Chekhov "Ionych". The owner greeted him with jokes and introduced his wife and daughter. Under the aromas of the upcoming dinner, the hostess began to read her novel about something that never happens in life, but everyone did it calmly and well.
Then the daughter played a tedious but difficult passage on the piano, and Dmitry Ionovich listened to the noisy but cultured sounds with pleasure. At dinner, the host joked a lot, and when it was time for Startsev to return, he went to his place in Dyalizh and hummed another song and did not feel tired. What is this episode about? Only that for the first time the “refined” Turkin family did not seem like a stagnant swamp to the young doctor. The first stage, which touches upon the problems of the story "Ionych", has been successfully passed by the hero: he still loves his work, but is already able to feel comfortable in a house dominated by vulgarity.
In a year
The sexton's son did not visit the Turkins very often. He has already begun to change. He started a couple of horses, a carriage and a coachman, and unexpectedly fell in love with the Turkins' daughter, although in his mind he was already wondering what kind of dowry they would give her. So there is a degradation of the doctor, who is not yet called easily - Ionych. The problematic of the story in this case is that the doctor has not yet lost human feelings, but he is already on the verge of losing them. Startsev can still go to the cemetery at night for a date. But he has already embarked on the path from which it is impossible to turn: loving and suffering from unrequited love, he wonders where all this will lead. What will people say if they find out that the respectable man he has become is doing stupid things like a high school student? In addition, outwardly, Startsev began to turn into Ionych: he began to gain weight, but so far this still worries him. So balancing between youth and maturity Ionych. The problematic of the story lies in the metamorphoses that take place with the doctor.
Marriage proposal and rejection
Painfully, but for a short time, only three days, Startsev experiences when the girl refused to become his wife. She went to Moscow, and all love was forgotten instantly. What is the problematic of Chekhov's story? Ionych, like all residents of the city of S., is no longer capable of deep feelings. The romances that he sang when he came here are also forgotten. Poetry leaves his life.
External changes
Four years later, Dr. Startsev acquired a large practice both in Dyalizh and in the city. He has changed outwardly. The doctor became fat, he developed shortness of breath, and he no longer walked.
Now Dimitri Ionovich is the owner of a triple with bells. His coachman has also changed. He, like his master, became fat. The doctor liked to play cards. Entertainment such as theater or concerts ceased to interest him.
Internal changes
Close Startsev did not communicate with anyone. Even the liberal inhabitants of the town annoyed him with their stupidity and viciousness. They listened with irritation to Startsev's talk about the progress of humanity, and objected. And the doctor's words that every person should work were taken as a personal reproach and began to get angry. Therefore, Dmitry Ionovich stopped talking, but only sullenly remained silent, and if he sat down at the table, he ate silently, looking at his plate. So society gradually destroyed Startsev's desire not only to speak, but also to think about progress.
New entertainment
Again at the Turkins
One morning, a letter arrived at the hospital in which Dmitry Ionych Turkins invited him to the mistress's birthday party. The letter had a postscript that the daughter joins the invitation. Startsev thought and went. He found the owner very old. The daughter he was in love with has also changed. There was no former freshness in her, and there was something guilty in her manners. He liked her and didn't like her, and when he remembered his love for her, he felt embarrassed. At the Turkins', the evening went on as usual. The mistress of the house was reading her new novel, and he annoyed Startsev with his mediocrity. The daughter played the piano noisily and for a long time, and then she herself invited Startsev to go out into the garden for a walk. They sat down on the very bench where he once tried to declare his love, and he remembered all the details, and he became sad, and a light lit up in his soul. He sadly told how dimly passes life. During the day, profit, and in the evening a club with gamblers and alcoholics.
And suddenly Startsev remembered the money, which he counted with pleasure in the evenings, and everything changed in his soul, tenderness disappeared and the thought arose how good it was that he remained a bachelor. They returned to the house, where everything began to annoy the doctor. A thought flashed through the mediocrity of this very best family in the city, and he did not come to the Turkins again.
Deeper Changes by Dr. Startsev
A few years later, Startsev was no longer just fat. He became obese, began to breathe heavily and walk with his head thrown back. His practice in the city is not just big, it's huge. With the sick, he behaves rudely, and they all endure. He acquired an estate, bought two houses in the city and looked after the third. When he went to inspect a house intended for sale, he behaved in it completely unceremoniously, or, more precisely, in a boorish way.
He entered the house, knocked on the door with a stick and, without saying hello, easily entered the rooms where frightened women and children huddled. This is how the once pure Dr. Startsev became: gloomy and dissatisfied with everything. His changes under the influence of the environment, internal weakness, lack of an ennobling beginning and loss of intelligence are the problems of the story "Ionych". Chekhov, in a stingy but expressive way, shows how a person is sucked in by a close-minded society. Startsev is completely alone.
He is always bored, he is not interested in anything. In the evenings he plays cards and dine at the club. There is nothing more to say about him.
Chekhov's work "Ionych" is very bitter and honest. It, like an x-ray, enlightened Dr. Startsev's whole life and diagnosed him as terminally ill. And this disease is contagious. If you live in a shell and only with money, if you do not open yourself to the wide world, then it can amaze anyone.
One can argue about the genre of the work "Ionych" (1898): on the one hand, it seems to be a story, but in fact it actually describes the whole life of the hero, it is like a "little novel" that contains the stages of spiritual degradation of Dmitry Ionych Startsev . Probably, in terms of genre, "Ionych" can be considered a story, but in terms of the depth of coverage of events, this work is indeed close to the novel genre. The plot of the work is the story of a young doctor who, over time, turns into a "pagan god", causing fear both with his appearance and his attitude towards people. The five parts of the story are the five stages of the degradation of this person, and Chekhov shows us how the thirst for profit gradually ousts everything human from his soul.
At the beginning of the work, Startsev appears as an ordinary young doctor who is very conscientious about his duties, he devotes himself entirely to work. Living "nine versts" from S., he does not visit the city due to employment, but when he finds himself there, "as an intelligent person" he is forced to visit the Turkin family, "the most educated and talented in the city." The "demonstration of talents" by members of this family is described by Chekhov with obvious irony, but it still makes a favorable impression on Dr. Startsev: "Not bad."
In the second part, the hero changes his attitude towards the Turkins under the influence of a feeling of love for Ekaterina Ivanovna. To Startsev, who is in love with her, everything that happens to him seems unusual, the state of love for him is a revelation, and therefore Ekaterina Ivanovna also “seemed” to him not at all what she really was. However, the hero is shown here with great sympathy, his night trip to the cemetery, where he goes unexpectedly, speaks of a real deep feeling that he experiences. At the cemetery, he is experiencing one of the most exciting states in his life: "Startsev was struck by what he saw now for the first time in his life and which, probably, will never happen to see again: a world unlike anything else ..." Finding himself alone with nature, with eternity, he desperately "waits for love at all costs", but Kotik's note turns out to be just a joke ... And as confirmation of this - "And it was as if the curtain fell, the moon went under the clouds, and suddenly everything darkened all around. It seems that it was on this night that a turning point occurred in Startsev’s soul, without waiting for love, she gradually began to turn into the “soul” of Ionych ...
That it really is. can be judged on the basis of what the hero is experiencing in the third part, dedicated to the description of his explanation with Ekaterina Ivanovna. He goes to "make an offer" - and thinks that "they will give a dowry, it must be a lot"; he dissuades himself from marrying, because his chosen one and he are too different people, but he consoles himself: "They give a dowry - we'll set things up..." that he is still a “stranger” in this life!), and sincerely explains with Ekaterina Ivanovna, but, having received a refusal, he first feels a sense of shame (“He was a little ashamed, and his pride was offended ...”), and only then - pity ("it was a pity for his feelings, this love of his") ... Chekhov shows that the refusal morally destroyed the hero, again with the help of a detail: "Startsev's heart stopped beating restlessly." He had already become Ionych, because now, remembering himself, when he was in love and happy, "he stretched lazily and said: - How much trouble, however!"
The fourth part describes the "transformation" of Startsev into Ionych. Chekhov shows how gradually in the hero human feelings are replaced by the desire for profit, how until recently a club "foreign" to him becomes "his own", how he finds "one more entertainment" for himself (except playing cards): "take out papers from pockets in the evenings obtained by practice". Such a life made him see the girl he once loved in a completely different way "And now he liked her, really liked her, but something was already missing in her, or something was superfluous - he himself could not say what exactly , but something already prevented him from feeling the way he used to." Right now, when Ekaterina Ivanovna was able to appreciate his human qualities, "he felt embarrassed" from what he was four years ago, he is ashamed of himself and his love. It would seem that the meeting with her revived Startsev, he is again ready to be honest with himself, but ... "Startsev remembered the papers that he took out of his pockets in the evenings with such pleasure, and the light in his soul went out" ... And now he even rejoices that "then he did not marry," because in his present life all these "feelings" have no place.
The last part of the story "Ionych" by Chekhov is the final "diagnosis" of the main character, which Chekhov mercilessly "put" on him. The most terrible thing happened to him - he ceased to be a doctor, his "greed overcame", so the sick for him are no longer people whom he can and should help, but a source of "paper", and he treats them rudely. A doctor who once could not leave his patients - and the current Ionych ... "He is lonely. He is bored, nothing interests him," the author says.
The images of the rest of the characters against the background of the image of Startsev seem schematic, but this is not entirely true. The Turkin family is drawn by Chekhov with great depth, all its members are distinguished by their individuality, but all of them are united by failure as people who are considered the decoration of the city. This is well understood by Dr. Startsev, who has not yet completely turned into Ionych, who "thought that if the most talented people in the whole city are so mediocre, then what should the city be like." But if the senior Turkins remain in the dark about their "talents", then Ekaterina Ivanovna understands everything, she is able to soberly assess herself and her family, which makes her image very attractive, evoking sympathy.
Why did Dr. Startsev become Ionych? Who is to blame for this? The author answers this question throughout the course of the story. Of course, the person himself, who is responsible not only for his "physical" health, but also primarily for moral. Dr. Startsev, who could not cure himself of the disease of acquisitiveness, turns into Ionych, who needs nothing in this life - and who himself does not need anyone ...
