Read an essay on the theme of the little man in the poem The Bronze Horseman, Pushkin to read for free. How does the historical past and the present correlate in the poem The Bronze Horseman (Pushkin A.

The poem "The Bronze Horseman" by A.S. Pushkin is one of the most perfect creations of the poet. In its style, it resembles "Eugene Onegin", and in content it is close at the same time to history and mythology. This work reflects the thoughts of A.S. Pushkin about Peter the Great and absorbed various opinions about the reformer.

The poem became the final work of those written during the Boldin autumn. At the end of 1833, The Bronze Horseman was completed.

At the time of Pushkin, there were two types of people - some idolized Peter the Great, while others attributed to him a relationship with Satan. On this basis, myths were born: in the first case, the reformer was called the Father of the Fatherland, they talked about an unprecedented mind, the creation of a city-paradise (Petersburg), in the second, they prophesied the collapse of the city on the Neva, accused Peter the Great of having connections with dark forces, called the Antichrist.

The essence of the poem

The poem begins with a description of St. Petersburg, A.S. Pushkin emphasizes the uniqueness of the place for construction. Eugene lives in the city - the most ordinary employee, poor, does not want to get rich, it is more important for him to remain an honest and happy family man. Financial well-being is required only for the need to provide for your beloved Parasha. The hero dreams of marriage and children, dreams of meeting old age hand in hand with his girlfriend. But his dreams were not destined to come true. The work describes the flood of 1824. A terrible time when people perished in layers of water, when the Neva raged and swallowed up the city with its waves. In such a flood, Parasha dies. Eugene, on the other hand, shows courage during a disaster, does not think about himself, tries to see the house of his beloved in the distance and runs to him. When the storm subsides, the hero hurries to the familiar gate: here is a willow, but there is no gate and no house either. This picture broke the young man, he is doomed to drag along the streets of the northern capital, leads the life of a wanderer and every day relives the events of that fateful night. In one of these blurs, he comes across the house where he used to live and sees a statue of Peter the Great on horseback - the Bronze Horseman. He hates the reformer because he built a city on the water that killed his beloved. But suddenly the rider comes to life and angrily rushes at the offender. Later, the tramp will die.

In the poem, the interests of the state and the common man collide. On the one hand, Petrograd was called the northern Rome, on the other hand, its foundation on the Neva was dangerous for the inhabitants, and the flood of 1824 confirms this. Yevgeny's vicious speeches against the reforming ruler are interpreted in different ways: the first is a rebellion against the autocracy; the second is the revolt of Christianity against paganism; the third is the pitiful murmur of a small man, whose opinion is not put on a par with the force necessary for changes on a national scale (that is, to achieve grandiose goals, you always have to sacrifice something, and the mechanism of collective will will not be stopped by the misfortune of one person).

Genre, meter and composition

The genre of "The Bronze Horseman" is a poem written, like "Eugene Onegin", in iambic tetrameter. The composition is quite strange. It has an exorbitantly large introduction, which in general can be considered as a separate independent work. Then 2 parts, which talk about the main character, the flood and the collision with the Bronze Horseman. There is no epilogue in the poem, more precisely, it is not singled out by the poet himself separately - the last 18 lines about the island on the seaside and the death of Eugene.

Despite the non-standard structure, the work is perceived as a whole. This effect is created by compositional parallelisms. Peter the Great lived 100 years earlier than the main character, but this does not interfere with creating a sense of the presence of a reforming ruler. His personality is expressed through the monument of the Bronze Horseman; but the person of Peter himself appears at the beginning of the poem, in the introduction, when it is about the military and economic significance of St. Petersburg. A.S. Pushkin also carries the idea of ​​the immortality of the reformer, because even after his death, innovations appeared and the old ones were valid for a long time, that is, he launched that heavy and clumsy machine of change in Russia.

So, the figure of the ruler appears throughout the poem, either as his own person, or in the form of a monument, he is revived by the confused mind of Eugene. The time interval of the narrative between the introduction and the first part is 100 years, but, despite such a sharp jump, the reader does not feel it, since A.S. Pushkin connected the events of 1824 with the so-called "culprit" of the flood, because it was Peter who built the city on the Neva. It is interesting to note that this book on the construction of composition is completely uncharacteristic of Pushkin's style, it is an experiment.

Characteristics of the main characters

  1. Eugene - we know little about him; lived in Kolomna, served there. He was poor, but had no ill taste for money. Despite the perfect commonness of the hero, and he would easily be lost among thousands of the same gray residents of St. Petersburg, he has a lofty and bright dream that fully meets the ideals of many people - marrying his beloved girl. He - as Pushkin himself liked to call his characters - "the hero of the French novel." But his dreams are not destined to come true, Parasha dies in the flood of 1824, and Eugene goes crazy. The poet painted for us a weak and insignificant young man, whose face is instantly lost against the background of the figure of Peter the Great, but even this layman has his own goal, which is commensurate with or even surpasses the personality of the Bronze Horseman in strength and nobility.
  2. Peter the Great - in the introduction, his figure is presented as a portrait of the Creator, Pushkin recognizes an incredible mind in the ruler, but emphasizes despotism. First, the poet shows that although the emperor is higher than Eugene, he is not higher than God and the elements that are not subject to him, but the power of Russia will pass through all adversity and remain unharmed and unshakable. The author has repeatedly noticed that the reformer was too autocratic, did not pay attention to the misfortunes of ordinary people who became victims of his global transformations. Probably, opinions on this topic will always differ: on the one hand, tyranny is a bad quality that a ruler should not have, but on the other hand, would such extensive changes be possible if Peter was softer? Everyone answers this question for himself.

Subject

The clash of power and the common man is the main theme of the poem "The Bronze Horseman". In this work, A.S. Pushkin reflects on the role of the individual in the fate of the whole state.

The Bronze Horseman personifies Peter the Great, whose reign was close to despotism and tyranny. His hand introduced reforms that completely changed the course of ordinary Russian life. But when a forest is cut down, chips will inevitably fly. Can a small man find his happiness when such a lumberjack does not take into account his interests? The poem answers no. A clash of interests between the authorities and the people in this case is inevitable, of course, the latter remain the losers. A.S. Pushkin reflects on the structure of the state in the time of Peter the Great and the fate of a single hero taken in it - Yevgeny, coming to the conclusion that the empire is cruel to people in any case, and whether its greatness is worth such sacrifices is an open question.

The creator also addresses the topic of the tragic loss of a loved one. Eugene cannot stand loneliness and grief of loss and does not find what to cling to in life if there is no love.

Issues

  • In the poem "The Bronze Horseman" A.S. Pushkin raises the problem of the individual and the state. Eugene is a native of the people. He is the most ordinary petty official, lives from hand to mouth. His soul is full of high feelings for Parasha, with whom he dreams of marrying. The monument of the Bronze Horseman becomes the face of the state. In oblivion of the mind, a young man comes across the house where he lived before the death of his beloved and before his madness. His gaze stumbles upon the monument, and his sick mind revives the statue. Here it is, the inevitable clash of the individual and the state. But the rider is viciously chasing Yevgeny, pursuing him. How dare the hero grumble at the emperor?! The reformer thought on a larger scale, considering plans for the future in a full-length dimension, as from a bird's eye view he looked at his creations, not peering at the people who were overwhelmed by his innovations. The people sometimes suffered from the decisions of Peter, just as now they sometimes suffer from the ruling hand. The monarch erected a beautiful city, which during the flood of 1824 became a cemetery for many residents. But he does not take into account the opinion of ordinary people, it seems that with his thoughts he went far ahead of his time, and even after a hundred years, not everyone was able to comprehend his plan. Thus, a person is not protected in any way from the arbitrariness of higher persons, his rights are rudely and with impunity trampled.
  • The problem of loneliness also bothered the author. The hero could not bear a day of life without the second half. Pushkin reflects on how vulnerable and vulnerable we are, how the mind is not strong and subject to suffering.
  • The problem of indifference. No one helped the townspeople to evacuate, no one corrected the consequences of the storm either, and officials did not even dream of compensation for the families of the dead and social support for the victims. The state apparatus showed a surprising indifference to the fate of its subjects.

State as the Bronze Horseman

For the first time, we encounter the image of Peter the Great in the poem "The Bronze Horseman" in the introduction. Here the ruler is depicted as the Creator, who conquered the elements and built a city on the water.

The emperor's reforms were disastrous for the common people, since they were guided only by the nobility. Yes, and she had a hard time: remember how Peter forcibly cut the beards of the boyars. But the main victim of the monarch's ambitions was the ordinary working people: it was they who paved the road to the northern capital for hundreds of lives. The city on the bones - that's it - the personification of the state machine. It was comfortable for Peter himself and his associates to live in innovations, because they saw only one side of the new affairs - progressive and beneficial, and the fact that the destructive effect and "side effects" of these changes fell on the shoulders of "little" people did not bother anyone. The elite looked at St. Petersburg drowning in the Neva from "high balconies" and did not feel all the sorrows of the water foundation of the city. Peter perfectly reflects in himself the peremptory absolutist state system - there will be reforms, but the people "will live somehow."

If at first we see the Creator, then closer to the middle of the poem, the poet propagates the idea that Peter the Great is not God and it is completely beyond his power to cope with the elements. At the end of the work, we see only a stone likeness of the former ruler, who was sensational in Russia. Years later, the Bronze Horseman has become only an occasion for unreasonable anxiety and fear, but this is only a fleeting feeling of a madman.

What is the meaning of the poem?

Pushkin created a multifaceted and ambiguous work, which must be evaluated in terms of ideological and thematic content. The meaning of the poem "The Bronze Horseman" lies in the confrontation between Eugene and the Bronze Horseman, the individual and the state, which criticism deciphers in different ways. So, the first meaning is the opposition of paganism and Christianity. Peter was often awarded the title of Antichrist, and Eugene opposes such thoughts. Another thought: the hero is a layman, and the reformer is a genius, they live in different worlds and do not understand each other. The author, however, admits that both types are needed for the harmonious existence of civilization. The third meaning is that the main character personified the rebellion against autocracy and despotism, which the poet propagated, because he belonged to the Decembrists. The same helplessness of the uprising he allegorically retold in a poem. And one more interpretation of the idea is a pitiful and doomed to failure attempt by a “little” person to change and turn the course of the state machine in the other direction.

In the lesson you will read excerpts from A. S. Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman"; note the artistic and thematic originality of the work, which was the result of the poet's reflections on the personality of Peter I, on the "Petersburg" period of Russian history.

Subject: From 19th century literature

Lesson: A.S. Pushkin "The Bronze Horseman"

As much as Peter I was a great reformer, a powerful statesman who moved Russia forward on a grand scale, so much Pushkin was Peter the Great of Russian literature.

The theme of Peter is a "cross-cutting" theme in Russian literature in general, in Pushkin's work in particular. The poet sees in Peter not just a historical figure, but also the personification of the transformative power of mankind, planting culture and civilization among unsociable and homeless spaces.

One of the most famous works of Pushkin, dedicated to Peter I, was poem "The Bronze Horseman"

The poem is unusual in that Peter I himself does not act in it, and its main character is a monument (Fig. 1). The Bronze Horseman is an image of Petersburg andsymbol of the northern capital.

Rice. 1. Bronze Horseman. Monument to Peter I in St. Petersburg. Sculptor E. Falcone ()

For 21 years there was a war that allowed Russia to return the lands seized in the 17th century along the shores of the Baltic Sea. Russia achieved victory, regained these conquered lands, but they were deserted, and the banks of the Neva were swampy, lifeless. The gloomy forest rustled in the fog, the dwellings of the northern inhabitants were rare and miserable. Peter I accepts to build a city. It was named St. Petersburg.

A.S. Pushkin in his work uses epic ways of depicting a historical figure. The image of the hero is given against the backdrop of a vast space that has to be transformed and conquered.

Rice. 2. St. Petersburg from a bird's eye view ()

On the shore of desert waves

He stood, full of great thoughts,

And looked into the distance. Wide before him

The river was rushing; poor boat

He strove for her alone.

Along mossy, swampy shores

Blackened huts here and there,

Shelter of a wretched Chukhonian;

And the forest, unknown to the rays

In the mist of the hidden sun

Noisy all around.

And he thought:

From here we will threaten the Swede,

Here the city will be founded

To the evil of an arrogant neighbor.

Nature here is destined for us

Cut a window to Europe

Stand with a firm foot by the sea.

Here on their new waves

All flags will visit us,

And let's hang out in the open.

Rice. 3. St. Isaac's Cathedral. St. Petersburg ()

A hundred years have passed, and the young city,

Midnight countries beauty and wonder,

From the darkness of the forests, from the swamp blat

Ascended magnificently, proudly;

Where before the Finnish fisherman,

The sad stepson of nature,

Alone by the low shores

Thrown into unknown waters

Your old net, now there

Along busy shores

The slender masses crowd

Palaces and towers; ships

Crowd from all corners of the earth

They strive for rich marinas;

The Neva is dressed in granite;

Bridges hung over the waters;

Rice. 4. Pevchesky bridge in St. Petersburg ()

Dark green gardens

The islands covered her

And in front of the younger capital

Faded old Moscow

As before a new queen

Porphyritic widow.

I love you, Peter's creation,

I love your strict, slender look,

Neva sovereign current,

Its coastal granite,

Your fences have a cast-iron pattern,

your thoughtful nights

Transparent dusk, moonless brilliance,

When I am in my room

I write, I read without a lamp,

And the sleeping masses are clear

Deserted streets, and light

Admiralty needle,

And, not letting the darkness of the night

To golden skies

Rice. 5. Neva in winter ()

One dawn to replace another

Hurry, giving the night half an hour.

I love your cruel winters

Still air and frost

Sledge running along the wide Neva,

Girlish faces brighter than roses

And shine, and noise, and the talk of balls,

And at the hour of the feast idle

The hiss of foamy glasses

And punch flame blue.

I love belligerent liveliness

Amusing Fields of Mars,

Infantry troops and horses

monotonous beauty,

In their harmoniously unsteady formation

Patchwork of these victorious banners,

The radiance of these copper caps,

On through those shot in battle.

I love, military capital,

Your stronghold smoke and thunder,

When the midnight queen

Gives a son to the royal house,

Or victory over the enemy

Russia triumphs again

Or breaking your blue ice

The Neva carries him to the seas

And, feeling spring days, rejoices.

Show off, city of Petrov, and stop

Unshakable as Russia,

May he make peace with you

And the defeated element;

Enmity and old captivity

Let Finnish waves forget

And vain malice will not be

Disturb Peter's eternal sleep!

Introduction written by Pushkin in the genre of Lomonosov's ode high style. In addition, the poem has the techniques of oratory, used paraphrase trope. A trope in which several concepts are used instead of one. Word "city" replaced by Pushkin "Shelter of a wretched Chukhonian", "Peter's creation", "the beauty and diva of midnight countries".

In a poem special sound organization of speech. These are imperative intonations, solemnity, use Old Slavonicisms"otsel", "dilapidated", "hail".

vocabulary work

midnight - midnight, northern.

Blat - swamps.

porphyritic - dressed in purple, the purple robe worn by monarchs on solemn occasions.

The introduction is intended to lead the reader to an understanding of the conflict, the main conflict of history and personality.

The plot of the poem "The Bronze Horseman" is three-dimensional.

The story about the flood forms the first semantic plan of the poem - historical. The documentary nature of the story is noted in the author's "Foreword" and in "Notes". The flood for Pushkin is not just a vivid historical fact. He looked at it as a kind of final "document" of the era. This is, as it were, the "last tale" in her Petersburg "chronicle", begun by Peter's decision to found a city on the Neva. The flood is the historical basis of the plot and the source of one of the conflicts of the poem - the conflict between the city and the elements.

The second semantic plan of the poem - conditionally literary, fictional - is given under the heading: "Petersburg Tale".

Rice. 6. Illustration for Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman" ()

Eugene is the central character of this story. The faces of the rest of the inhabitants of St. Petersburg are indistinguishable. This is the "people" crowding the streets, drowning during the flood (the first part), and the cold, indifferent people of St. Petersburg in the second part. The real background of the story about the fate of Eugene was Petersburg: Senate Square, the streets and the outskirts, where Parasha's "ramshackle house" stood. Pay attention to the fact that the action in the poem is transferred to the street: during the flood, Eugene found himself “on Petrova Square”, home, in his “desert corner”, he, distraught with grief, no longer returns, becoming an inhabitant of St. Petersburg streets.

The third semantic plane is legendary and mythological. It is given by the title of the poem - "The Bronze Horseman". This semantic plan interacts with the historical one in the introduction, sets off the plot narrative about the flood and the fate of Yevgeny, from time to time reminding of himself (primarily by the figure of the “idol on a bronze horse”), and dominates in the climax of the poem (the pursuit of Yevgeny by the Bronze Horseman). A mythological hero appears, a revived statue - the Bronze Horseman. In this episode, Petersburg seems to lose its real shape, turning into a conventional, mythological space.

Thus, conflict in the poem branched, has several sides. This is a conflict between a small man and power, nature and man, city and elements, personality and history, real and mythological.

Bibliography

  1. Korovina V.Ya. Didactic materials on literature. 7th grade. — 2008.
  2. Tishchenko O.A. Homework in literature for grade 7 (to the textbook by V.Ya. Korovina). — 2012.
  3. Kuteynikova N.E. Literature lessons in grade 7. — 2009.
  4. Korovina V.Ya. Literature textbook. 7th grade. Part 1. - 2012.
  5. Korovina V.Ya. Literature textbook. 7th grade. Part 2. - 2009.
  6. Ladygin M.B., Zaitseva O.N. Textbook-reader on literature. 7th grade. — 2012.
  7. Kurdyumova T.F. Textbook-reader on literature. 7th grade. Part 1. - 2011.
  8. Phonochrestomathy in literature for the 7th grade to the textbook by Korovina.
  • How did Pushkin display the theme of the “little man” in the poem “The Bronze Horseman”?
  • Find in the text of the poem the features of a high, solemn style.
  • One of the main issues in the work of A. S. Pushkin was the question of the relationship between the individual and the state, as well as the resulting problem of the “little man”. It is known that it was Pushkin who seriously developed this problem, which was later "picked up" by both N.V. Gogol and F.M. Dostoevsky.

    Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman" reveals an eternal conflict - a contradiction between the interests of the individual and the state. Pushkin believed that this conflict was inevitable, at least in Russia. It is impossible to govern the state and take into account the interests of every "little man". Moreover, Russia is a semi-Asian country, where despotism and tyranny reigned since ancient times, which was taken for granted by both the people and the rulers.

    The poem has a subtitle - "Petersburg Tale", after which follows a preface emphasizing the reality of everything described: "The incident described in this story is based on truth. The details of the flood are borrowed from contemporary magazines. The curious can deal with the news compiled by V. N. Berkh.

    In the introduction to the poem, a majestic image of Peter I is created, who glorified his name with many deeds. Without a doubt, Pushkin pays tribute to the power and talent of Peter. This tsar in many ways "made" Russia and contributed to its prosperity. On the poor and wild banks of a small river, Peter built a grandiose city, one of the most beautiful in the world. Petersburg has become a symbol of a new, enlightened and strong power:

    Now there, along the busy banks of the Hulk, slender crowds of Palaces and towers; ships Crowds from all over the world strive for rich marinas ... The poet loves St. Petersburg with all his heart. For him, this is the homeland, the capital, the personification of the country. He wishes this city eternal prosperity. But the following words of the lyrical hero are important and interesting: “May the defeated element make peace with you ...”

    The main part of the poem tells about life, modern Pushkin. Petersburg is still as beautiful as it was under Peter. But the poet also sees another image of the capital. This city marks a sharp border between the "powerful of this world" and ordinary residents. Petersburg is a city of contrasts, where “little people” live and suffer.

    The hero of the poem, Eugene, is a simple resident of the capital, one of many. His life is told in the first part of the work. Yevgeny's life is filled with pressing everyday worries: how to feed himself, where to get money. The hero wonders why one is given everything, and the other nothing. After all, these "others" do not shine at all with either intelligence or diligence, but for them "life is much easier." Here the theme of the “little man”, his insignificant position in society, begins to develop. He is forced to endure injustice and blows of fate only because he was born "small".

    Among other things, we learn that Eugene has plans for the future. He is going to marry just like him, a simple girl Parasha. Beloved Evgenia lives with her mother on the banks of the Neva in a small house. The hero dreams of starting a family, having children, he dreams that in old age his grandchildren will take care of them. But Eugene's dreams were not destined to come true. A terrible flood interfered with his plans. It destroyed almost the entire city, but it also destroyed the life of the hero, killed and destroyed his soul. The rising waters of the Neva destroyed Parasha's house, killed the girl herself and her mother. What was left for poor Eugene? It is interesting that the definition “poor” accompanies him throughout the poem. This epithet speaks of the author's attitude to his hero - an ordinary resident, a simple person, whom he sympathizes with all his heart.

    The second part of the poem depicts the aftermath of the flood. For Eugene they are scary. The hero loses everything: his beloved girl, shelter, hopes for happiness. The crazed Eugene considers the Bronze Horseman, the twin of Peter himself, to be the culprit of his tragedy. In his frustrated imagination, the Bronze Horseman is a “proud idol”, “by whose will the fateful city was founded here”, who “raised Russia with an iron bridle”.

    It was Peter, according to Eugene, who built this city on the banks of the river, in places that are regularly flooded. But the king did not think about it. He thought about the greatness of the whole country, about his greatness and power. Least of all, he was worried about the difficulties that ordinary residents of St. Petersburg might have. Only in delirium is a hero capable of protest. He threatens the monument: “You already!” But then it began to seem to the insane Yevgeny that the monument was pursuing him, running after him through the streets of the city. All the protest of the hero, his courage immediately disappeared. After that, he began to walk past the monument, not raising his eyes and embarrassedly crumpling his cap in his hands: he dared to rebel against the king! As a result, the hero dies. Of course, only in the head of a crazy hero could such visions arise. But in the poem they acquire a deep meaning, filled with bitter philosophical reflections of the poet. The flood is likened here to any transformations and reforms. They are similar to the elements, because, like her, they do not take into account the interests of ordinary people at all. No wonder St. Petersburg was built on the bones of its builders. Pushkin is full of sympathy for "little" people. He shows the reverse side of reforms, transformations, thinks about the price of the country's greatness. Symbolic in the poem is the image of the king, who resigned himself to the elements, reassuring himself that "The kings cannot control the elements of God." The conclusions of the poet are sad. The conflict between the individual and the state is inevitable, insoluble, and its outcome has long been known.

    The history of creation and analysis of the poem "The Bronze Horseman" by A.S. Pushkin


    History of creation The last poem written by Pushkin in Boldino in October 1833 is the artistic result of his reflections on the personality of Peter I, on the "Petersburg" period of Russian history. The main themes of the poem "The Bronze Horseman" The main themes of the poem: the theme of Peter, "the miraculous builder", and the theme of the "simple" ("little") man, the theme of the relationship between a simple man and power.


    The story about the flood forms the first semantic plan of the poem, the historical one, which is emphasized by the words "a hundred years have passed." The story about the city begins in 1803 (this year St. Petersburg turned a hundred years old). The flood is the historical basis of the plot and the source of one of the conflicts of the poem - the conflict between the city and the elements. Analysis of the poem "The Bronze Horseman"


    The second semantic plan of the poem is literary, fictional, given the subtitle: "Petersburg Tale". Eugene is the central character of this story. The faces of the rest of the inhabitants of St. Petersburg are indistinguishable. This is the "people" crowding the streets, drowning during the flood (the first part), and the cold, indifferent people of St. Petersburg in the second part. St. Petersburg became the real background of the story about the fate of Eugene: Senate Square, the streets and the outskirts, where the “ramshackle house” of his beloved Eugene stood. Analysis of the poem "The Bronze Horseman"


    The Bronze Horseman, awakened by the words of Eugene, breaking off his pedestal, ceases to be only an "idol on a bronze horse", that is, a monument to Peter. He becomes the mythological embodiment of the "terrible king". Having pushed the bronze Peter and the poor St. Petersburg official Yevgeny together in the poem, Pushkin emphasized that state power and man are separated by an abyss. Analysis of the poem "The Bronze Horseman" An important role is played by the third semantic plan, legendary and mythological. It is given by the title of the poem "The Bronze Horseman". This semantic plan interacts with the historical one in the introduction, sets off the plot narrative about the flood and the fate of Eugene, and dominates at the climax of the poem (the Bronze Horseman's pursuit of Eugene). A mythological hero appears, a revived statue of the Copper Horseman.


    Eugene is the antipode of the "idol on a bronze horse." He has something that the bronze Peter is deprived of: heart and soul. He is able to dream, grieve, "fear" for the fate of his beloved, to languish from torment. The deep meaning of the poem is that Eugene is compared not with Peter the man, but precisely with Peter's "idol", with a statue. Analysis of the poem "The Bronze Horseman"


    Eugene, who has gone mad, wanders around St. Petersburg, not noticing the humiliation and human malice, deafened by the "noise of inner anxiety." It is the “noise” in Yevgeny’s soul, which coincided with the noise of the natural elements (“It was gloomy: / It was raining, the wind howled sadly”) awakens the memory in the madman: “Yevgeny jumped up; remembered vividly / He is a past horror. It is the memory of the flood that he experienced brings him to the Senate Square, where he meets the "idol on a bronze horse" for the second time. This is the climax of the poem. Analysis of the poem "The Bronze Horseman"


    This climactic episode of the poem, which ended with the Bronze Horseman chasing the “poor madman”, is especially important for understanding the meaning of the whole work. Often in the words of Eugene, addressed to the bronze Peter (“Good, miraculous builder! / He whispered, trembling angrily, / Already to you! ..”), they see a rebellion, an uprising against the “ruler of half the world” In this case, the question inevitably arises: who the winner - statehood, embodied in the "proud idol", or humanity, embodied in Eugene? However, it is hardly possible to consider the words of Eugene a rebellion or an uprising. The words of the insane hero are caused by the memory awakened in him. Analysis of the poem "The Bronze Horseman"


    In the chase scene, the second reincarnation of the “idol on a bronze horse” takes place. He turns into the Bronze Horseman. A mechanical creature rides after Man, which has become a pure embodiment of power, punishing even for a timid threat and a reminder of retribution. Analysis of the poem "The Bronze Horseman"


    A senseless and fruitless pursuit, reminiscent of "running in place", has a deep philosophical meaning. The contradictions between man and power cannot be resolved or disappear: man and power are always tragically linked. Pushkin, recognizing the greatness of Peter, defends the right of every person to personal happiness. The clash of the "little man" - the poor official Yevgeny - with the unlimited power of the state ends with the defeat of Yevgeny. The author sympathizes with the hero, but understands that the rebellion of a loner against the lord of fate is insane and hopeless. Analysis of the poem "The Bronze Horseman"

    Little Man Theme

    A. S. Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman" was created in Boldin in 1833. It was not immediately allowed to print because of the issues raised in it of the superiority of power over an ordinary person. Therefore, the poem was published only after the death of the writer. From the very first lines, the reformer tsar Peter I appears before the reader, making the most important decision for all of Russia to build a majestic city on the banks of the Neva, which will later become the capital of the empire for many years. Subsequent chapters show the city in all its glory a hundred years later. Despite the fact that Peter I is no longer alive, he remained in the city in the form of a "brazen horseman" - a gigantic idol on a bronze horse with a look fixed on the future and with an outstretched hand.

    The protagonist of the poem is a "little man", a poor Petersburg official Evgeny, who lives in a dilapidated house and barely makes ends meet. He is very burdened by his position and is trying his best to fix it. Evgeny connects all his dreams and hopes with the poor girl Parasha, who lives with her mother on the other side of the Neva. However, fate was unfavorable to him and took away Parasha from him. During another natural disaster, the Neva overflowed its banks and flooded the nearest houses. Among the dead was Parasha. Eugene could not bear this grief and went crazy. Over time, he understood the cause of all his misfortunes and recognized in the bronze statue the culprit, by whose will the city was built here. One night during another storm, Eugene went to the giant to look into his eyes, but immediately regretted it. As it seemed to him, anger flashed in the eyes of the “brazen horseman”, and the heavy clatter of copper hooves pursued him all night. The next day, Eugene went to the statue, took off his cap in front of the formidable king, as if apologizing for his act. Soon he was found dead in a dilapidated house after another flood.

    Who, after all, is to blame for the misfortunes of the “little man”: the state or he himself because he was not interested in the greatness of history? The construction of St. Petersburg on the banks of the Neva was dictated by state interests. The author is aware of how much he had to pay for this slender appearance of the military capital. On the one hand, he understands and supports the ideas of Peter. On the other hand, he tries to show how these dreams affected ordinary people. Along with high humanity, there is also a harsh truth. In the poem "The Bronze Horseman", a simple person with his own private interests is opposed to the state. However, in fairness, the author shows that the neglect of the interests of the "little man" leads to natural disasters, in this case, to the revelry of the rebellious Neva.