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- Oblomov's childhood in the novel Oblomov
The main character grew up in the ancestral estate Oblomovka, a magnificent and quiet area. The entire surrounding world then seemed to live according to plan, and society believed in folk tales and evil brownies.
The boy was alone and a revered Child. Daily meals were an important event in the Oblomov family. After eating, the whole house fell asleep. Including the nanny, who was supposed to protect Ilyusha, involuntarily closing her eyes. At such moments the child was completely independent.
The child loved to run away from home, stroll through the gallery, run through the grove and part of the ravine. The kid was afraid to go down there, since the ravine was considered an unsafe place. The mother protected her son too much and did not allow him to get out into the yard and walk in the sun. This is how Ilya got accustomed to a measured existence in Oblomovka. He watched the elders, their idle affairs and useless conversations, remembered and studied.
At the age of 12, the boy was sent to Stoltz for training, in the village of Verkhlevo. Not a single person out of the seven Oblomovs realized the importance of knowledge; they always expected only a diploma. The father and mother felt sorry for their son and tried to keep him at home with all their might.
In addition to laziness, weak-willedness and absolute disagreement with public life, Oblomov is characterized by excessive daydreaming. The character lived most of the time in dreams about a probable promising future, inventing a lot of alternatives for a prosperous existence in Oblomovka. Frankly experiencing any of his own dreams, Ilya did not realize that all these were just illusions, beautiful fables, similar to the stories of the nanny told in early childhood.
Ilyich's only friend was the son of his teacher. From an early age, Andryusha was purposeful and firm, he was the opposite of Oblomov. Stolz sought to motivate his comrade to move, forcing him to study. However, Ilya liked the rules of his home more. The comrades had different views on life, but they still retained warm feelings.
The secret of Ilya’s character and habits is hidden at his early age. The boy’s desires and impulses could not find their place. This led him to become lazy and fearful.
Guardianship of relatives
Ilya Ilyich Oblomov spent a carefree childhood in the village of Oblomovka. On the family estate he lived not only with his mother and father. In addition to the servants, many relatives lived there.
“He’s cute and plump. Such round cheeks.”
He was the only child in the family. The household fed the boy with all kinds of sweets.
“The entire retinue of the house picked up Ilyushka in their arms and began showering him with praise and affection. He barely had time to wipe away the marks of uninvited kisses.”
Before the youngest Oblomov had time to wake up, the nanny rushed towards him to help him get up and get dressed. Next, my mother hurried from the next room to her beloved son. The woman showered the boy with tenderness and excessive care.
“She examined him with a greedy gaze, checked whether his eyes were cloudy, wondered if anything hurt.”
The boy understood that all his whims were instantly fulfilled. He turned into the same lazy person, indifferent to all manifestations of life, like those around him. If he tried to do something on his own, his loved ones suppressed all his aspirations.
“As soon as Ilya wants something, he blinks and three or four lackeys rush to fulfill his wishes.”
It was turned into an exotic plant, growing slowly in a greenhouse.
“All manifestations of activity and strength turned inward and withered away.”
Sometimes the boy had an irresistible desire to run away from home, to lose the care of each member of the household. As soon as he went down the stairs or ran out into the yard, several people were already hurrying after him, shouting and prohibiting him.
Playfulness and curiosity
Little Ilya grew up as an active child. When he saw that the adults were busy, he instantly tried to hide from their care.
“He so passionately wanted to run up to the gallery surrounding the house to look at the river from above.”
They caught up with him, and he again tried to escape to the dovecote, into the ravine, or into the birch forest, where goblins and werewolves could be found. That's what the nanny said. It happened that she spent the whole day in turmoil and running after her pupil.
Oblomov grew up inquisitive.
“He becomes quiet, sits next to the nanny, looks at everything so intently. Observes all the phenomena taking place in front of him.”
He asks her why there is light and darkness, notices that a shadow is formed from a horse harnessed to the reins on the ground, compares the sizes, realizing that the barrel is many times larger than the footman carrying it on a cart.
Going out for a walk outside the yard, while the governess is hiding in the cold, the baby closely watches the beetles, catches dragonflies, and places them on a straw. He will jump into a ditch, start peeling the roots, and eat them instead of sweet apples.
“Not a single detail, not a single feature escapes the child’s attention. The picture of home life is etched into the soul, saturating the child’s mind with examples, unconsciously imposing the program of the child’s fate on the life around him.”
The habits of parents and loved ones who shaped the character of little Ilya.
The Oblomov estate believed that craft does not ennoble a person at all.
“Ilya’s relatives endured labor as a punishment imposed on our forefathers, but they could not love.”
The boy's father preferred only to observe the servants and relatives, ask them about their activities, and give instructions. Mother could talk for hours with the footmen, the residents of the house. She loved to be in the garden and watch the fruits grow.
“The main concern of the family was the kitchen and dinner.”
Everyone got together and heatedly discussed cooking. This was followed by rest. “Silence reigns in the house. It’s time for afternoon nap.” A similar state took possession of everyone. Sniffling and snoring could be heard from all corners of the house.
“Ilyusha watched everything.
It’s rare that someone will raise their head, look senselessly, turn over on the other side in surprise, spit out of sleep, chew their lips, and fall asleep again.” At this time, the adults did not care at all that little Ilya could be left completely unattended.
His relatives were always in a carefree mood; they did not strive to improve their lives, but rejoiced at what was sent to them. Their life flowed like a quiet river. If something went wrong in the house or collapsed, it was rarely repaired. It was easier for people to talk about christenings, weddings, and the beliefs associated with them. They discussed all kinds of recipes, went to visit, played cards. This lifestyle of loved ones left an indelible mark on the formation of the character and habits of young Oblomov. Gradually, as the boy grew older, general laziness took possession of him.
Oblomov's childhood in the novel by I.A. Goncharov "Oblomov"
Dear readers of our online magazine, we offer you an essay on the topic “Oblomov’s childhood in the novel by I.A. Goncharov “Oblomov”, in which we will talk about the childhood years of the main character and determine their role in the formation and development of his character.
Childhood is the most beautiful, bright, unforgettable time in any person’s life. This time is filled with the joy of first discoveries, getting to know the world around us, and painted with the delicate colors of universal love. Childhood plays a huge role in life, since it is in childhood that the foundation of personality is laid, basic moral values are instilled and formed. To explain the character and actions of the heroes, many talk about their childhood years.
In the novel “Oblomov,” the main character is Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, a young thirty-three-year-old gentleman. Several years ago he moved to St. Petersburg to get a job and make a brilliant career, but he lasted only three years in the department and then retired. Since then, Ilya Ilyich’s favorite pastime was lying on a wide sofa and doing nothing. The young man was not attracted to social events, meetings with friends, or chatting with girls. The more the reader learns about the main character, the more he wonders why Ilya Ilyich became such an apathetic, lazy person. How did it happen that he became one with his sofa, and his robe turned into his second skin?
The answer to these questions is given by Oblomov’s dream, in which we first see him as a seven-year-old boy, rosy-cheeked, joyful, pampered and beloved by everyone who surrounded him: parents, nannies, mothers, serfs. The boy lived on his parents’ estate – Oblomovka, a quiet, cozy, heavenly place, located far from the noisy city and big roads. He was the only son in the family, so everyone loved him, spoiled him, and took care of him. In the morning, the nanny pulled stockings onto the little boy’s feet, the mother kissed her son, looked to see if his eyes were cloudy, asked the nanny how her Ilyusha slept, and behind the mother, the entire retinue of the house showered him with affection and praise.
The boy was a very playful, inquisitive child. He was interested in watching everything happening around him. Every morning, as if for the first time, he ran around his parents’ house, examining the neglected garden; the gate, over which the wooden roof with green moss growing on it had long since collapsed; rickety porch, various outbuildings. Little Oblomov wanted to visit the hanging gallery, and climb the steep steps to the hay loft, to the dovecote, but all his intentions were immediately stopped by the nanny. He often asked questions about various natural phenomena, and adults answered him according to their ideas about them. Before going to bed, he listened to tales about milk rivers and jelly banks, about Militrisa Kirbityevna and good fellows, about that side where they do nothing all day long, but just have fun and walk. A lively, rich imagination painted amazing pictures and was inhabited by strange fairy-tale ghosts. The world around the estate was depicted as scary and frightening, and only in Oblomovka did one live calmly and happily, which is why the already adult Ilya Ilyich dreams of returning to where he was carefree and loved.
All day long, the inquisitive Ilyusha watches what is happening around him. He sees that life in Oblomovka flows according to its own rules, an atmosphere of calm and regularity reigns here. No one is in a hurry, no one cares about anything except meals, no one confuses their mind with vague moral questions, therefore everyone has a healthy and flourishing appearance and forty-year-old men look like youths. Labor was treated as a heavy punishment, and if there was an opportunity, they got rid of this “punishment”, believing that this was how it should be. Not even the smallest detail escapes Ilyusha’s inquisitive gaze; the boy vigilantly observes what the adults are doing, remembers everything and is already “unconsciously drawing a program for his life.” He sees that his father, Ilya Ivanovich, mostly only thinks over plans and does not implement them, which is why the gallery has not been repaired for decades, the porch is wobbly, and the doors are creaking. Day after day, the elder Oblomov walked from corner to corner, smoking a pipe and blowing his nose, and mother moved from tea to coffee, from coffee to tea. Adults in Oblomovka obey the cult of food and sleep. After lunch, everything falls into sleep and silence, only Ilyusha is awake, but maybe then his childish mind already decided that this is how he should live in the world, and gradually the boy adopts family values.
Then Ilya Ilyich sees himself in a dream as a thirteen or fourteen-year-old teenager, and he is already studying in the private boarding house of the German Ivan Bogdanovich Stolz. Oblomov’s parents understood that their son must study, because titles and ranks in the modern world for them are obtained only through knowledge, and the old businessmen, who were accustomed to achieving various privileges in other ways, had a very difficult time. The Oblomovs understood the external benefits of knowledge, dreamed of a brilliant future for their child, but they did not even have a vague idea about the internal need for learning. Ilya Ivanovich occasionally picked up a book, no matter what, to read, but he did not see much need for reading, considered it a luxury, and looked at books as things for entertainment. Ilya Ilyich went to the boarding house with reluctance, and already on Monday, when the time came to leave, he was attacked by terrible melancholy. However, he often missed school for entire weeks, which he was incredibly happy about. Parents were looking for reasons to keep their beloved son at home: sometimes it was the holidays, sometimes it was cold, sometimes it was hot, or even Ilyusha looked unhealthy. The boy grew up and had already become a teenager, but Zakhar put on stockings for him, then pulled on his jacket, combed his hair, and reminded him of the need to wash. Everything the boy needed was immediately fulfilled by the serfs. Sometimes Oblomov had a desire to redo everything himself, but over time he realized that it is much better if someone else fulfills your wishes, so he learned to give instructions himself.
In the novel, the description of Oblomov’s childhood is the key that allows us to better understand both the character of the hero and his psychology. Using the example of the main character, the writer showed that excessive care and all kinds of indulgence can destroy a lively mind, bright talent and turn an inquisitive child into a completely amorphous creature. Therefore, Andrei Stolts is thousands of times right when he said about his friend Oblomov: “It started with the inability to put on stockings, it ended with the inability to live.”
Education
Parents believed that learning to read and write was a very exhausting and unnecessary activity. They wanted their son to receive his diploma as quickly as possible, without putting much effort into it. At the age of thirteen, “the father and mother sat the spoiled boy down with books.” It cost them tears, whims and cries. He was sent to the village of Verkhlevo, to a boarding school.
The son did not have any particular zeal for learning. When he came home, he tried to use any excuse to stay on the estate as long as possible.
“He came to his mother sad. She knew why. I secretly sighed about being separated from him for a whole week.”
His parents encouraged his every request. They were looking for an excuse for their weak-willed behavior. The reasons why the boy remained on the estate were varied. The problem for them could be heat or cold, parent's Saturday, a holiday, or the upcoming preparation of pancakes. Mother and father did not think about the negative features of such upbringing. The adult Ilya Oblomov will have to face the consequences of excessive parental love more than once.
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The period of childhood and the events that happened to us during this period of development significantly influence the formation of a person’s personality. The life of literary characters, in particular, Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, is no exception.
Oblomov's native village
Ilya Ilyich Oblomov spent his entire childhood in his native village - Oblomovka. The beauty of this village was that it was located far from all populated areas, and, most importantly, very far from large cities. Such solitude contributed to the fact that all the residents of Oblomovka lived as if in conservation - they rarely went anywhere and almost no one ever came to them.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with the characterization of Andrei Stolts in Ivan Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov”
In the old days, Oblomovka could well be called a promising village - canvases were made in Oblomovka, delicious beer was brewed. However, after Ilya Ilyich became the owner of everything, it all fell into disrepair, and over time, Oblomovka became a backward village, from which people periodically fled, since the living conditions there were terrible. The reason for this decline was the laziness of its owners and the reluctance to make even minimal changes in the life of the village: “Old Oblomov, as he accepted the estate from his father, passed it on to his son.”
However, in Oblomov’s memories, his native village remained a paradise on earth - after he left for the city, he never came to his native village again.
In Oblomov’s memoirs, the village remained as if frozen outside of time. “Silence and undisturbed calm reign in the morals of the people in that region. No robberies, no murders, no terrible accidents happened there; neither strong passions nor daring undertakings excited them.”
Oblomov's parents
The childhood memories of any person are inextricably linked with the images of parents or educators. Ilya Ivanovich Oblomov was the father of the main character of the novel. He was a good person in himself - kind and sincere, but absolutely lazy and inactive. Ilya Ivanovich did not like to do anything - his whole life was actually devoted to contemplating reality.
They postponed all necessary matters until the very last moment, as a result, soon all the buildings on the estate began to collapse and looked more like ruins. The manor house, which was significantly distorted, did not escape the same fate, but no one was in a hurry to correct it. Ilya Ivanovich did not modernize his economy; he had no idea about factories and their devices. Ilya Ilyich’s father loved to sleep for a long time, and then look out the window for a long time, even if absolutely nothing happened outside the window.
Ilya Ivanovich did not strive for anything, he was not interested in earning money and increasing his income, he also did not strive for personal development - from time to time his father could be found reading a book, but this was done for show or out of boredom - Ilya Ivanovich had everything - the same as reading, sometimes he didn’t even really delve into the text.
The name of Oblomov’s mother is unknown - she died much earlier than her father. Despite the fact that Oblomov actually knew his mother less than his father, he still loved her dearly.
Oblomov's mother was a match for her husband - she also lazily created the appearance of housekeeping and indulged in this work only in cases of extreme necessity.
Oblomov's education
Since Ilya Ilyich was the only child in the family, he was not deprived of attention. The boy's parents spoiled him from childhood - they overprotected him.
He had many servants assigned to him - so many that little Oblomov did not need any action - everything that was necessary was brought to him, served and even dressed: “If Ilya Ilyich wants anything, he only has to blink - there are already three “Four servants rush to fulfill his wish.”
As a result, Ilya Ilyich did not even dress himself - without the help of his servant Zakhar, he was absolutely helpless.
As a child, Ilya was not allowed to play with the boys; he was prohibited from all active and outdoor games. At first, Ilya Ilyich ran away from home without permission to fool around and run around to his heart's content, but then they began to watch him more intensely, and escapes became at first difficult, and then completely impossible, so soon his natural curiosity and activity, which is inherent in all children, faded away, its place was taken by laziness and apathy.
Oblomov’s parents tried to protect him from any difficulties and troubles - they wanted the child’s life to be easy and carefree. They completely managed to accomplish this, but this state of affairs became disastrous for Oblomov. The childhood period quickly passed, and Ilya Ilyich did not acquire even basic skills that would allow him to adapt to real life.
Oblomov's education
The issue of education is also inextricably linked with childhood. It is during this period that children acquire basic skills and knowledge about the world around them, which allows them to further deepen their knowledge in a particular industry and become a successful specialist in their field.
Oblomov’s parents, who looked after him so closely all the time, did not attach importance to education - they considered it more of a torment than a useful activity.
Oblomov was sent to study only because receiving at least a basic education was a necessary requirement in their society.
They also did not care about the quality of their son’s knowledge - the main thing was to get a certificate. For the softened Ilya Ilyich, studying at a boarding school and then at a university was hard labor, it was “a punishment sent by heaven for our sins,” which, however, was periodically alleviated by the parents themselves, leaving their son at home at a time when the learning process was in full swing.
Answer from Liliya Aminova[guru] The main character of I. A. Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” spends most of his life on the sofa. He is not tired or sick; lying down is his normal state. Oblomov sees no reason to get up, business or social life does not attract him, he feels sorry for his acquaintances, caught up in the daily bustle. Oblomov is smart, kind, noble, but there is a dark side in his soul, which the hero himself calls “Oblomovism.” This concept includes invincible laziness, apathy, lack of will, gluttony, empty daydreaming, and spoiling. Goncharov sees the origins of “Oblomovism” in the upbringing of a hero. The writer introduces a separate chapter in which he talks about Oblomov’s childhood. Goncharov uses the technique of sleep: Oblomov, who has dozed off, seems to be returning to childhood. Let's try to analyze this chapter and find out how Oblomov's character was formed. Goncharov paints a detailed landscape of the “wonderful land” in which the main character grew up. The author lovingly describes deep Russia. There is “nothing grandiose” here; all elements of the landscape have soft and calm outlines. Nature seems to subdue its elemental power in the “blessed corner,” the climate is even, the change of seasons occurs “correctly and calmly.” Against the backdrop of idyllic nature, there is no place for human vanity and passions: “Everything there promises a calm, long-term life until the hair turns yellow and an imperceptible death like sleep.” Goncharov depicts the measured life of the landowner's estate in which Oblomov grew up. The hero's childhood passed during the times of serfdom, but the author deliberately avoids any mention of the horrors of serfdom. In Oblomovka, everyone: both landowners and peasants live in contentment and peace. Time seems to have stood still here. They even rarely die in Oblomovka: “In the last five years, out of several hundred souls, not one has died...” The most common “crime” is the theft of peas, carrots and turnips from vegetable gardens. The inhabitants of Oblomovka know each other and are afraid of strangers. There is a commotion in the manor house when one of the men suddenly brings a letter from the city. Only on the fourth day they open it with fear and are relieved to learn that a landowner they know asks to send him a recipe for brewing beer. Oblomovites believe in omens and often expect trouble after a bad sign. The main concern of the inhabitants of Oblomovka is food. No one suffers from hunger, but people think about food all the time. Rural abundance forces the landowners to make a “difficult” choice of food every day: “The whole house discussed dinner... Everyone offered their dish...” After dinner, a general sleep reigned in the estate, “a true semblance of death.” It is in such a “sleepy state” that Oblomov grows up. Is it any wonder that he turned into a useless couch potato? Oblomov's childhood passed in an atmosphere of carelessness and idleness. Parents and numerous nannies looked after and pampered the child beyond all measure. Adults were only worried about making sure the child was healthy and well-fed. It never occurred to them that Oblomov would grow up unadapted to life. The centuries-old landowner way of life did not require practical skills from the master: after all, everything was always done for him. Oblomov began to live a contemplative life early. He saw that idleness is a common state of adults, and he himself got used to doing nothing. Natural childish liveliness found an outlet in the play of imagination. Oblomov “passionately delved into” his nanny’s fairy tales, and then gave free rein to his own fantasies. All this led to the fact that the adult Oblomov turned into a dreamer: “his fairy tale is mixed with life, and he sometimes unconsciously feels sad, why is a fairy tale not life, and why is life not a fairy tale.” From early childhood, Goncharov moves on to Oblomov’s school years and notes that, perhaps, “Ilyusha would have had time to learn something well if Oblomovka had been five hundred versts from Verkhlev.” But the boarding school where Oblomov studied was located next to his parents’ village, and Ilyusha was constantly taken home so that the child would not be overworked. In addition, the son of a German teacher, Andrei Stolts, often performed tasks for Oblomov and continued to help his school friend in adulthood
Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is the main character of the novel “Oblomov,” an apathetic and lazy man of over thirty years old, who spends all his time lying on the couch and making unrealistic plans for his future. Spending his days in idleness, the hero never begins to do anything, since he is incapable
Exercise your willpower and begin to implement your own plans. The author reveals the reasons for the hopeless laziness and passivity of the hero in the chapter “Oblomov’s Dream,” where, through the memories of a child, the reader gets acquainted with Oblomov’s childhood in the novel “Oblomov.”
Little Ilya appears as a very lively and inquisitive child. He is fascinated by the picturesque landscapes of Oblomovka, he is interested in watching animals and communicating with peers. The boy wanted to run, jump, climb the hanging gallery, where only “people” could be, he wanted to learn as much as possible about the world around him,
And he strove in every possible way for this knowledge. However, excessive parental care, constant control and guardianship became an insurmountable wall between an active child and an interesting, fascinating world. The hero gradually got used to the prohibitions and adopted outdated family values: the cult of food and idleness, fear of work and lack of understanding of the importance of learning, gradually plunging into the swamp of “Oblomovism.”
Over several generations of landowners, the Oblomov family developed its own special way of life, which determined the life of not only the noble family, but also the entire village, predetermining the course of life even for peasants and servants. In Oblomovka, time flowed slowly, no one was watching him, no one was in a hurry, and the village seemed to be separated from the outside world: even when they received a letter from a neighboring estate, they did not want to read it for several days, because they were afraid of bad news that would have disturbed the peaceful calm of “Oblomov’s” life. The general picture was complemented by the mild climate of the area: there were no severe frosts or heat, there were no high mountains or wayward sea.
All this could not but affect Oblomov’s still very young, unformed personality, fenced off from all sorts of trials and stress: as soon as Ilya tried to commit a prank or go for a walk in forbidden places, a nanny appeared, who either carefully looked after him or took him back to chambers All this instilled in the hero complete lack of will and subordination to someone else’s, more competent and important opinion, therefore, already in adulthood, Oblomov could only do something under pressure, not wanting to study at the university, work, or go out into the world until he won't be forced.
The absence of stress, situations when you need to defend your opinion, excessive and constant care, total control and many prohibitions, in fact, broke Oblomov’s natural personality - he became the ideal of his parents, but ceased to be himself. Moreover, all this was reinforced by the opinion of work as a duty that cannot bring pleasure, but is a kind of punishment. That is why, already in adulthood, Ilya Ilyich avoids any activity in every possible way, waiting for Zakhar to come and do everything for him - no matter how bad it is, but the hero himself will not need to get out of bed, breaking away from his illusions.
Like a child, or What is the charm of Oblomov’s image?
There is a saying that laziness is a Russian national trait. It’s hard to say whether it’s a myth or truth; there are different opinions on this matter. But it is interesting that if we take Russian proverbs, then in addition to praising work a la “patience and labor will grind everything,” our people also came up with the opposite ones, justifying laziness, like “Work is not a wolf, it will not run into the forest.” All of them are filled with an ironic attitude towards hard work: “work loves a fool”, “even if you don’t eat for three days, you still can’t get off the stove”, “laziness saves your clothes”, “from work you won’t be rich, but you’ll be hunchbacked”, “if only we could plow so as not to get calluses.”
Probably, in our mentality there is still some love for idleness, contemplation, as well as the perception of work as a heavy burden. Among our “popular” characters are Emelya and Oblomov. We’ll talk about the latter in more detail today.
There is a lot of criticism towards the hero - we remember it from school. But is it justified? To convict or justify Oblomov, you need to understand the reasons for his inaction.
Of course, his upbringing influenced him in many ways. Labor was unknown to the Oblomov nobles and was perceived as a kind of heavenly punishment. Peace and idleness reigned everywhere. His mother reluctantly let him go to study, always finding some excuse, feeling sorry for her son.
Oblomov is dreamy, immersed in his inner world and lives several lives in it. It turns out that he is running away from a reality that does not suit him: “Life in his eyes was divided into two halves: one consisted of work and boredom - these were synonyms for him; the other is from peace and peaceful fun.” He yearns for a lost paradise, for universal love and joy, so his dreams are a way to touch that reality.
It’s amazing that in doing nothing Oblomov even finds his own human dignity: “He is not some petty executor of someone else’s, ready-made thought; he himself is the creator and executor of his ideas.” Oblomov really believes that he really works while lying on the sofa, because he “... thinks until he gets tired and decides: “enough has been done today for the common good.” It is obvious that the author does not condemn the hero; rather, he sympathizes with him. He writes about his hero with warm irony and love, which is involuntarily transmitted to the reader.
There is a point of view that I. A. Goncharov in his novel wanted to show two paths of development: Russian (which he embodied in Oblomov) and European (introduced in his friend Stolz). The writer dreamed of a synthesis of these two principles, but came to the conclusion that this was impossible. In fact, the big question is which of the two heroes has more meaningful activities. Stolz is always on the move and working, but he does not know his ultimate goal, and Oblomov, despite his inaction, still understands what he is striving for - that same lost paradise. “Look where the center around which all this revolves: it’s not there, there’s nothing deep that touches the living,” he confesses to his best friend. “Where is the man here? Where is his integrity? Where did he disappear, how did he exchange for all sorts of little things?” - Ilya Ilyich often asks, worrying about people’s destinies.
The novel, in fact, is dedicated to how different people wanted to get Oblomov off the couch. But they ultimately failed. I mean, of course, not in the literal sense, but about the fact that the hero never became active and hardworking. The force of inertia and apathy turned out to be too strong. It’s not easy to say that laziness is a lack of motivation and understanding of why you need to work. A person lives in accordance with his ideals, and if Oblomov’s ideal is quite abstract, then it is not clear to him how to achieve it. And, perhaps, the publicist Alexander Tkachenko was right when he wrote that if a hero dreams of heaven, then his path should be to work on himself and transform his soul. But, alas, Ilya Ilyich ruined himself. Stolz aptly noted when he told a friend that he “began with the inability to put on stockings and ended with the inability to live.”
The hero himself sometimes had a conscience awakening: “... he painfully felt that some good, bright beginning was buried in him, as in a grave, perhaps now dead, or it lay like gold in the depths of a mountain, and would have long ago It’s time for this gold to be a walking coin.” The description is very reminiscent of the Gospel parable of the talents, in which a careless slave buried a silver coin in the ground. But this did not happen for long.
Even strong love could not bring him out of his apathy. And Olga herself did not love Oblomov: “Life is a duty, an obligation, therefore, love is also a duty: it’s as if God sent her to me... and told me to love her.” Love cannot be a duty! Olga is proud and therefore suffers, but not from strong feelings. She wanted to radically change Ilya Ilyich, and only in this way was she ready to love him. What is her one phrase worth: “Will you be for me what I need?” But he did not live up to her expectations. This is a completely logical result: Oblomov’s already established personality could not have changed so fundamentally that he would turn from a couch potato into an active figure.
Oblomov is very pure and chaste, because he is afraid of passions and an explosion of feelings, they destroy him. The hero is closer to the calm, quiet feeling of a woman towards him, akin to a mother’s. Olga could not give him this, it does not correspond to her character. Ilya Ilyich turned out to be very insightful, sensitively sensed the peculiarity of the situation in which he found himself, warned Olga in advance that he was “not the hero of her novel” - and he turned out to be right.
I remember that when I read the novel at school, I was surprised at how Oblomov was stalling until the wedding, and was perplexed that he and Olga could not be together. But, re-reading it later, I realized: their union is impossible. Of course, opposites attract, but not those who have nothing in common!
It is interesting that we learn about the fact of the marriage of Oblomov and Agafya later from the hero’s dialogue with Stolz. Their relationship and wedding are outside the scope of the story. In Agafya he found what he was looking for in love: peace and contemplation. But this feeling and life with her did not give him internal development, and he slowly faded away.
What invariably attracts the reader to the hero? Stolz very accurately expressed the essence of Oblomov: he loves in him “that which is dearer than any mind: an honest, faithful heart! This is his natural gold, he carried it through life unharmed.” A friend notes that Oblomov never deceived, he does not like falsehood and lies: “This is a crystal, transparent soul, such people are few, they are rare, these are pearls in the crowd!.. I knew many people with high qualities, but I never met the heart cleaner, lighter and simpler, I loved many, but no one as firmly and ardently as Oblomov. Once you know him, you can’t stop loving him.”
Yes, indeed, Oblomov is pure in soul, like a child. But the wonderful “childish” qualities of his character also have a downside: infantilism, flight from responsibility, fear of change, fear of other people’s opinions. Therefore, Oblomovism still needs to be outgrown in order to become a mature, self-sufficient person.
Why read "Oblomov"? To get away from the bustle that is everywhere: both inside us and outside. In order to learn slowness and contemplation. Even the active Stolz loved to relax with a friend, to find peace from his affairs while visiting him. And it won’t hurt each of us to have some piece of Oblomov in our souls.
The material uses footage from the film “A Few Days in the Life of I. I. Oblomov” (1979, directed by Nikita Mikhalkov).
