In Russian, there is a proverb: "they meet by clothes, they see off by mind." Indeed, when meeting a person, we first of all pay attention to his appearance, costume, hairstyle, and only then we listen to what and how he says, what level of knowledge and spiritual development he demonstrates. It often happens that first impressions are deceiving. A person can be incredibly beautiful on the outside, but his inner world will turn out to be disgusting and uninteresting.
It also happens exactly the opposite. What is more important: appearance or soul? It is the problem of the relationship between external and internal beauty that is considered in this text by the Russian prose writer and journalist Yu. M. Nagibin.
The author presents his thoughts on the concept of beauty, its knowledge and role in human life. It clearly distinguishes between the beauty of the external and internal. In his understanding, external beauty is soulless, it covers "emptiness, even ugliness." Quite different views of the writer on the beauty of the inner. For him, it is "something higher, bearing moral strength." It is she who characterizes a person as a person, makes up his essence, reflects his best qualities, demonstrates spiritual wealth.
Nagibin's position is unequivocal: appearance does not matter, true beauty is reflected in the inner world of a person, and only it is of value, because only inner beauty "illuminates the world with good, elevates the person himself and strengthens faith in the future."
I agree with the author's point of view. Indeed, the appearance of a person does not play a big role, since we value him not for the correct facial features and a slender body, but for his views on life, actions, character - manifestations of inner beauty.
To prove the validity of my point of view, I will give the following example. Recall the work of O. Wilde "The Picture of Dorian Gray". The protagonist of this novel is Dorian Gray, a young aristocrat whose impeccable appearance has become the ideal of many. Initially, his thoughts were pure and chaste, but, having met the adherent of hedonism Henry Wotton and falling under his influence, the young man is rapidly changing, turning into an egoist and a criminal. Outwardly, Dorian is still beautiful, but his inner world is gloomy and soulless. All the deformities of Gray's soul were reflected in the portrait painted for him by the artist Basil, while Dorian himself remained young and attractive. But the portrait did not give him rest, showing the true appearance of his soul. In the end, Gray destroyed the image and died an ugly old man, while the painting returned to its original form.
An equally convincing example illustrating this problem is N. Zabolotsky's poem "Ugly Girl". The author describes an ordinary little girl, whose appearance is rather unattractive: "the mouth is long, the teeth are crooked, the features are sharp and ugly." But it’s not at all external nondescriptness that attracts the eye to her, but sincere feelings and emotions: “someone else’s joy, just like her own, torments her and breaks out of her heart, and the girl rejoices and laughs, embraced by the happiness of being.” She knows no envy, hatred, anger. Zabolotsky is sure that the "infant grace of the soul" will help her withstand the cruel world, where only a bright appearance is valued.
Thus, the external appearance of a person does not always correspond to the internal content. And everyone must decide for himself what is more important to him - a beautiful shell and emptiness inside, or an unsightly appearance and spiritual purity.
Problem types
Inner beauty of a person
Arguments
LN Tolstoy "War and Peace". What makes a person beautiful is the harmonious combination of external and internal beauty. In L. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace", the writer's favorite characters did not have external beauty. The author wanted to convey to the reader the idea that physical attractiveness disappears over the years, but inner beauty remains in a person forever.
Tolstoy constantly reminds of Kutuzov's external shortcomings, but his inner fortitude is all the more manifest. The commander-in-chief of the Russian army is the personification of "goodness, simplicity and truth." Supporting Andrei Bolkonsky at a difficult moment for him associated with the death of his father, Kutuzov finds the right words: "... remember that I bear your loss with all my heart and that I am not your brightest, not a prince, but I am your father."
LN Tolstoy "War and Peace". The writer gave one of the main characters of his work, Andrei Bolkonsky, not only external nobility, but also internal, which he did not immediately discover in himself. Andrei Bolkonsky had to go through a lot, rethink a lot before he could forgive his enemy, the dying Anatoly Kuragin, an intriguer and traitor, for whom he had only hated before.
This example illustrates the ability of a noble person to achieve true spiritual heights.
A.I. Solzhenitsyn "Matryonin's yard". The problem of true and false beauty is also heard in the work of writers of modern literature: Solzhenitsyn, Astafiev, Rasputin, Shukshin. The main character of Solzhenitsyn's story "Matryonin Dvor" is endowed with a discreet appearance. Only one detail is repeated - Matryona's "radiant smile". It is important for the author to depict the inner light streaming from her eyes and emphasize the idea: “All people always have good faces, who are at odds with their conscience.” Only the death of the hostess made the narrator understand her spiritual essence. Therefore, the motive of repentance sounds so strongly in the story.
A. Platonov "Yushka". Internal culture is a true value. This is the main idea of A. Platonov's story "Yushka". The protagonist is a simple, harmless person who will not respond to rudeness with rudeness, who has not become coarse in the callous world, but who opposes his kindness. All his life, Yushka was beaten, insulted and offended. But he never showed malice towards people, the old man saw in bullying a strange and incomprehensible form of self-love. He lived with love for nature, people, and especially love for Dasha, for an orphan whom he raised, learned in Moscow, denying himself almost everything: he never drank tea, did not eat sugar, saved a lot. Having become a doctor, the girl came to the town to Yushka to cure him of consumption, a disease that had tormented him for a long time. But, unfortunately, it was already too late. Yushka is dead. And only after death did people understand what kind of person the old man was and they became impoverished.
V. Astafiev "A photograph in which I am not." The story describes the people of a simple village. They do not live well, their life is very simple. But the main thing is that they, living in difficult conditions, have retained their spiritual warmth and give it to others. Villagers, in the image of the author, are illiterate, their speech is simple, they always speak with soul. Isn't that the beauty of man? This story is very modern in our time, as we lack the beauty of the soul. Here it is, beauty: in a village where neighbors help each other, instruct the young and inexperienced, do not spare treats for guests, provide support, do not betray friends. Village women help the teacher and his wife, bring refreshments, take care of the child, instruct the young teacher. An example of respect, help and mutual assistance. It's very rare these days when neighbors help each other. Without any payment, felt boots are hemmed to a school teacher. He is respected and loved already because he greets everyone and never refuses anything. The village lives like one big family, friendly and strong. Let quarrels sometimes happen in it, but with the power of good, helping and forgiving, you can overcome all adversity. A kind, open person, everyone always likes him, he brings light with him to the society in which he has fallen. There are a lot of beautiful outwardly people, but some of them may turn out to be with a cold soul, which very often repels and offends others. But a truly beautiful person is one who is beautiful in soul, beautiful in his actions, in the words with which he expresses his thoughts, with his smile. Beauty lies in the heart!
