Cheat sheet: Arguments for an essay. The problem of hypocrisy: arguments from literature and reflections on its causes

The influence of hypocrisy on personality

The problem of hypocrisy is one of the main ones in A.P. Chekhov’s story “Chameleon”
. Even from the title it is clear that we are talking about a person who can adapt to any situation, pushing his own beliefs into the background. One day, Ochumelov, the main character of the story and a police supervisor, had to deal with a case in which Mr. Khryukin was bitten on the finger by a dog. As soon as Ochumelov found out that the dog belonged to General Zhigalov, the hero was no longer in such a hurry to blame his favorite. Fearing for his career, Ochumelov began accusing Khryukin of lying, allegedly he picked his own finger, and even invented the dog. In front of the general, the hero served him in every possible way and flattered him. Thus, hypocrisy is the enemy of truth and justice, which is all the more dangerous the less often people condemn it.
The problem of hypocrisy can be seen in several of Mayakovsky's poems
, including
"Hange"
. In this work, the image of a hypocrite or a suck-up named citizen Vasyutkin appears. The poet uses the grotesque, saying that the hero’s tongue has grown “about thirty meters.” So he emphasizes how many lies this helpful and pleasant citizen tells. Vasyutkin presents himself as a Christian, but this faith is feigned. He shows nothing but indifference to those people who entrusted him with their problems, takes bribes, steals and lies. This characterizes Vasyutkin as a two-faced character. In addition, if he looks down on ordinary people, then he constantly tries to please those higher in rank, changing roles to please them. Thus, a hypocritical position depersonalizes a person and makes him more vicious, because it helpfully covers up his shortcomings.
In F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment,”
Luzhin is the main hypocrite and scoundrel. First, he proposes to Duna, but not out of love for her, but so that she will be grateful and obliged to him all her life. Then Luzhin frames Sonya by planting money on her and accusing her of theft. The naive girl thought that the hero did it from the bottom of his heart, but then she realized what a hypocrite he was. Moreover, all the people around me understood this. Having been deprived of their loyalty and respect, Luzhin received a chance from fate to understand what such an “invaluable” quality had done to him? Who has he turned into and where is he going? However, it is unlikely that a “reasonable egoist” will use it; due to constant pretense, his personality has lost the ability to critically evaluate himself.

Who are the hypocrites?

Let's leave aside those who pretend unconsciously, out of uncertainty, and consider who hypocritical people are in the generally accepted sense. These are deceivers who preach high morality and spirituality, but do not follow their own principles. Or two-faced people, lavishing compliments and exuding kindness to the public, but angry and sarcastic inside.

✔️ What does a hypocrite mean - a person living in constant pretense. He shows himself to be something he is not. He publicly criticizes those who do not meet his requirements. In the opinion of such a person, those around him are obliged to lead a highly moral lifestyle, but the hypocrite himself does not have to follow his own rules.

✔️ Who is a hypocrite in everyday life? For example, these are familiar grandmothers on a bench, discussing their neighbors and in vain scolding young people for short skirts and provocative behavior. At the same time, the “guardians of morality” themselves, just a few decades ago, led a completely non-monastic lifestyle. They proclaim values that they themselves have not followed. Or they are not followed by their younger relatives. A hypocritical granny will never condemn her granddaughter, but at the same time she will blame a neighbor girl of the same age for all possible sins.

Consequences of Hypocrisy

The consequences of hypocrisy are clearly seen in Jack London's novel Martin Eden
. The author tells the story of a young man who decided to write, literally did not sleep at night and worked hard to win the favor of his beloved Ruth. The girl was higher in status, and her relatives did not approve of the alliance with Eden. When Ruth decided to break up with the hero, his affairs suddenly went uphill. The desired calling now began to seem disgusting to Eden, because he saw the hypocrisy of those around him. He understood that publications and friends began to show interest in him only because of his success. As a result, Eden decides to sail away on a ship and live out his last days on a separate island. Deceitful and fake people disappointed him. For them, the consequence of their hypocritical behavior was the disappearance of a useful member of society who could make them better. Thus, humanity has repeatedly pushed away the prophets, who found peace only in the deserts, far from the vulgarity and flattery of the unreasonable crowd.
An excellent example of hypocrisy and its negative consequences is the Famus society from A. S. Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit”
. The main character arrives at Famusov's house and begins to share his progressive ideas. Chatsky did not immediately understand what kind of society he ended up in. It was a deceitful high society, saturated with falsehood, where marriages were made for the sake of money, and not genuine love, where friendships were made with the highest rank only for the sake of his favor. After several conflicts and insults, the hero realized that he could no longer endure such an environment. He felt that there was no point in sharing his opinion with such people, because he could not expect sincerity from them. In the finale, Chatsky utters his famous phrase “Carriage for me, carriage!” and leaves Famusov’s house forever. The consequence of lies and pretense is not only the loss of a progressive and useful citizen in the person of Alexander, but also the catastrophe that broke out that evening: Sophia saw Molchalin’s betrayal, and the guests found out about their affair. However, even in this trouble, the owner of the house was only worried about the opinion of Princess Marya Aleksevna. What happened taught them nothing.
The lyrical hero of M. Yu. Lermontov’s poem “The Poet”
feels unnecessary and lonely because of the hypocrisy of those around him. A poet, like a precious dagger, must be loved. But society is not capable of appreciating such unique things. The hero’s entourage “hides their wrinkles under blush”, they are “amused by sparkles and deceptions”, they are bored by the “proud” language of the poet. Such a description indicates that the hypocritical crowd needs simple flattery, the fun of balls, and not art at all. Therefore, the lyrical hero feels that he is being laughed at and despised.

Here we have selected for you popular problems regarding lying from texts for preparing for the Unified State Exam in the Russian language. The arguments revealing them are selected from Russian literature. You can download all this in table format at the end of the article or read them directly on this page with convenient navigation on problematic issues.

One of the central themes in Gorky’s play “At the Depths”
is the problem of “white lies.” Thus, Luke and Satin represent two opposing points of view: to tell the truth, despite mental torment, or to lie, but with intent, implying compassion for “your neighbor.” The preacher consoled the inhabitants of the shelter and gave them hope, even if it was not supported by real reasons. But the sharper spoke out against such false healing; he told the truth head-on, without thinking about how his interlocutor would accept it. In his opinion, a real person must live with open eyes, without illusions. Since Luke capitulated with his philosophy and left those who believed him to their fate, we conclude that the author is on the side of Satin, that is, a lie cannot be justified by good.
Sometimes in life there are situations that require lying to save yourself or a loved one. A.S.
Pushkin in the novel “The Captain's Daughter” contrasts ordinary deception with the “white lie” that helped Masha Grineva escape from Emelyan Pugachev. If not for the cunning move of Pyotr Grinev, the innocent girl could have been executed. Each of us must distinguish between cases when to bend our hearts means saving a person from terrible misfortune. Then we can go against the truth. But in other situations, when personal gain is involved, this trick is immoral and borders on a moral crime.
Comedy A.S.
Griboyedov's "Woe from Wit" also contains the theme of pretense and deception. The main character assumes the presence of lies, but only in cases where it is necessary to save true love. So, for example, Sophia deceives Famusov in order to secretly meet with his secretary. Her intentions are pure, but with this crookedness the girl approaches the hypocritical way of life of that society, whose morals are far from ideal. Her feeling turns out to be an exposed illusion, her knight turns out to be an ordinary swindler, and her lie turns out to be the first step into the secular world of falsehood and deception. So even a “white lie” does not lead to good, because a person cannot always figure out what is good.

False values

False values are a boat without a life preserver. Victims of circumstances suffer because they did not realize their own mistake in time. Sofia Pavlovna is the main character of the comedy by A.S.
Griboedov’s “Woe from Wit” is a “hostage” of his own beliefs. So, Sophia’s ideal is the modest Molchalin, while Chatsky, who loves her all his life, is a person “not her type.” The collapse of her hopes for a future together with her father’s secretary collapses after she learns that Molchalin’s feelings are not reciprocated. This becomes a real tragedy, which Sophia cannot cope with due to her shock. Alas, her values turned out to be extracts from vulgar novels, and not real truths that guide a person.
Often, false values can play a cruel joke on the entire society. For example, in N. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General”
people are accustomed to building their own future on greed, hypocrisy and self-interest. They were engaged in embezzlement for many years. Their desire to appear before the auditor in the role of respectable managers is an opportunity to save their place, but, having given their savings to the impostor, they found themselves captive to their own values. Because of them, they found themselves in a comical situation, which turned out to be a complete failure for them.
A.S. Pushkin in the novel “The Captain's Daughter”
contrasts morality and ethics with false values. For example, Pyotr Grinev did not tarnish his honor even when he was threatened with execution. The same cannot be said about Shvabrin, who went over his head for personal wealth - this suggests that false values kill in a person everything that connects him with people. Alexey followed the path of selfishness and reached the collapse of his desires and hopes, because society turned its back on him.

How to expose a hypocrite?

A person who lies but knows the truth is by default in tension, trying to adhere to the legend. In this state, he can easily be driven to slips of the tongue that reveal insincerity. Psychologists advise using the following techniques for this:

Increase the voltage. Ask to retell a story you doubt about backwards, ask about the smallest details, or start questioning while the other person is concentrating on something else (for example, driving a car). The brain, already stressed by lies, will not cope with the additional load and will produce contradictory information.
Talk the liar out. Create a relaxed atmosphere, start a conversation on abstract topics, make sure that the mask of the hypocrite falls off, and then take on the questions of interest. It's hard to lie in a relaxed state.

The Problem of Hypocrisy

The same person can contain both virtue and commercialism, but what exactly prevails in him? F. Dostoevsky tried to answer this question in the novel Crime and Punishment
, where Pyotr Luzhin simply plays the role of a “decent person,” when in fact he is “low and disgusting.” His desire to woo Duna is explained not by “love”, but by the desire to have a pliable wife who will revere his every word. However, he strenuously pretends that this is not so. The hypocrisy and meanness in his behavior, fortunately, were noticed before Dunya's fatal mistake, so Peter was expelled in disgrace.
In A. Chekhov's story “Tears of a Crocodile”
we can see both hypocrisy and duplicity. The main character, Polycarp Judas, “suffers” from the injustice of the lives of poor people, while he himself rips them off to the last thread. “Crocodile tears” is a common expression that signifies the grief of an insincere person such as Judah. His behavior cannot be justified in any way.
An outwardly wealthy person from a material point of view may not be the same “wealthy” in his soul. speaks about this in the novel “War and Peace
,” where Prince Vasily does everything based on his own benefit. Even coming to Anna Pavlovna did not mean “secular politeness”, but the possibility of settling their children. He deceives Pierre, almost robs him, miraculously not having time to intercept the will of the old count. But in words the hero is always exquisitely courteous and kind, he has a high position and a good reputation.

Remorse of a deceiver

The problem of remorse because of a lie told is clearly visible
. ” The main character, the boy Vitya, must collect a basket of berries to get the coveted gingerbread, but the guys persuade him to collect grass and put berries on top. The boy is tormented by his conscience for a long time, and he decides to confess to a deliberate lie - this suggests that Vitya is capable of admitting his own mistake, and this is an undoubted step towards the “highest moral ideal.”
A similar example can be seen on the pages of V. Bykov’s story “Sotnikov”.
Throughout the story, the author introduces us to several characters, and one of them recalls the incident with his father’s Mauser, from which he fired. Having admitted the mistake, he still feels remorse for the lie, which was that his mother pushed him to the “truth”, and not his desire.

Consequences of lying

A similar example can be found on the pages of the novel by M.Yu.
Lermontov's "Hero of Our Time" , where Grushnitsky's slander against Princess Mary for the sake of revenge on Pechorin dissolves in justice. Deciding to switch the duelist's weapon, the dishonest man becomes exposed. Gregory realized that his friend wanted to win the battle by deception. Then the inactive weapon goes to the deceiver himself. Grushnitsky dies, and Pechorin draws disappointing conclusions.
In A. Ostrovsky’s play “The Dowry,”
the main character wants to deceive herself by marrying an unloved person. She becomes his bride, mechanically preparing for an unwanted wedding. However, at the engagement dinner, she is again overcome by an attraction to Paratov, who invites Larisa to the Swallow. She abandons her obligations and sets sail to her death. The next morning, the insulted groom killed her, and she could only thank him for this, because she was disgraced and abandoned to the mercy of fate. Alas, it is impossible to build happiness on lies.

Sofya Famusova, who grew up in an atmosphere of lies and deception, carefully hides her feelings from her father, realizing that he will not allow the development of relations with Molchalin. He does everything in defiance of his father. Molchalin, on the contrary, is faithful to his moral (or immoral) credo, builds his life as his father bequeathed: to please all people without exception. Griboyedov gives the reader the opportunity to reflect on the future of both heroes.

A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter"

The upbringing of Petrusha Grinev remains beyond the pages of the text, but the main thing that the young nobleman learned from communication with his father (a strict and demanding man) is the need to be true to his word, take care of honor, and observe the laws of morality. He does this in all life situations. Even when his father forbids him to marry his beloved Masha Mironova, he accepts his will as a mandatory requirement.

N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls"

From Chichikov’s childhood memories, the image of a gloomy, unkind, cruel father and his instructions about the need to take care and save a penny, the only idol in Pavel Ivanovich’s life, emerges. Chichikov builds his life according to his father’s behests and succeeds in many ways.

A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm"

The relationship between mother and children in the Kabanov family is based on fear and hypocrisy. Varvara is accustomed to lying and is trying to teach Katerina this. But the brother’s wife had different relationships in the family; she does not accept her mother-in-law’s hypocrisy and fights her with her own means. The ending of such an upbringing is predictable: Varvara runs away from home, Katerina dies voluntarily, Tikhon rebels against his mother.

I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons"

The “children” in the novel - Bazarov and Arkady Kirsanov - at the beginning of the story act as a united front against the “fathers” in the person of Uncle Arkady - Pavel Petrovich. Nikolai Petrovich does not resist the bold and daring statements of his son and his friend. And he acts wisely and far-sightedly. Gradually, many discrepancies in his friend’s behavior are revealed to Arkady, and he returns to the bosom of the family. And Bazarov, who so easily criticizes the “romanticism” of the Kirsanovs, is absolutely sensitive to such behavior of his father, because he loves his parents and takes care of them.

L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace"

The novel presents several families, in each of which relationships are built on certain principles. In the Kuragin family, this is the principle of profit and gain. Both the father and his children agree to any relationship, as long as it is profitable, that’s how marriages are concluded. The Drubetsky family is guided by the same principle: humiliation and servility are their tools in achieving their goals. The Rostovs live as they breathe: they enjoy friends, holidays, hunting - everything that decorates our lives. Father and mother try to be honest in everything with their children and each other. Benefits are not important to them. Practically ruining her family and herself, Natasha demands that carts be given to the wounded; this is the only thing a true patriot and merciful person can do. And the mother agrees with her daughter. The relationship between father and daughter Bolkonsky is similar. And although it seems that the father is too strict and intolerant towards his daughter, in fact, he understands too well the difficulties of his daughter’s upcoming life. Therefore, Princess Marya herself refuses Anatoly Kuragin, realizing how right her father is.

F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment"

Rodion Raskolnikov, explaining the reason for the murder of the old pawnbroker, says that he wanted to help his mother. In fact, he is very kind to his mother, trying to break out of the vicious circle of poverty. With trepidation and excitement, he remembers his father, from whom he was left with a watch (pawned to an old woman pawnbroker). The mother does not fully believe in the crime of her beloved Rodya.

A.P. Chekhov "The Cherry Orchard"

In the play, daughter Anya, a seventeen-year-old girl, goes after her prodigal mother, lost somewhere in Paris, in order to return her to the bosom of the family to solve problems with the estate. Ranevskaya behaves naively and stupidly. Only Varya, the adopted daughter of the same Ranevskaya, is endowed with common sense. When Lyubov Andreevna gives a gold piece to a passing beggar, Varya cannot stand it and says that there is nothing in the house, and the lady is throwing away such money. Having lost everything, Ranevskaya leaves for Paris and takes away her aunt’s money, leaving her daughters to their fate. The girl Anya is going to the capital, and it is not clear how her life will turn out, where she will get money for living. Varya goes to work as a housekeeper. Fathers and sons change places here.

M.A. Sholokhov "Quiet Don"

In the Melekhov family, everything rests on the power of the father. And when Panteley Prokofievich finds out about Grigory’s relationship with Aksinya, he decides to marry his son to Natalya. Gregory submits to his father's will. But, realizing that he does not love his wife, he gives up everything and goes with Aksinya to work as workers. He agrees to shame in the name of love. But time destroys everything in the world, and the Melekhovs’ house, the foundations of Cossack life, collapses. And soon no one obeys the laws of life, everyone lives as they want. Daria advances on her father-in-law with an obscene proposal, and Dunyashka puts her mother in a hopeless position and literally forces her to give her blessing for marriage to Mishka Koshev.

How and in what ways does hypocrisy manifest itself?

Professional activity. A hypocritical attitude towards people sooner or later is revealed and such a person is no longer trusted.
Relationship. It is difficult for a hypocritical person to build close relationships, since sincerity is the basis of any serious relationship.
Personal growth. It is extremely difficult for a hypocritical person to grow internally, because he cannot be honest with others.
Psychological health. A hypocritical person has to constantly hide his true feelings and intentions, this has a negative impact on the psyche.
Creation. A hypocritical person hides his true feelings, but in creativity the ability to be sincere is one of the important qualities.