Following the abolition of serfdom in 1861, people of a previously unprecedented formation began to emerge in Russian society. To Moscow, St. Petersburg and other big cities from different parts of Russia to get good education, children of officials, priests, minor nobles and industrialists came. They were the ones who treated such people. It was they who, with pleasure and joy, absorbed not only knowledge, but also culture within the university walls, introducing, in turn, into the life of the democratic customs of their small provincial towns and obvious dissatisfaction with the ancient noble system.

They were destined to give birth new era development of Russian society. This phenomenon was reflected in Russian literature of the 60s of the 19th century; it was at this time that Turgenev and Chernyshevsky wrote novels about “new people.” The heroes of these works were commoner revolutionaries who considered the main goal of their lives to be the struggle for the happy life of all people in the future. In the subtitle of the novel "What to do?" We read by N. G. Chernyshevsky: “From stories about new people.”

Chernyshevsky “knows not only how new people think and reason, but also how they feel, how they love and respect each other, how they arrange their family and daily life and how ardently they strive for that time and for that order of things in which it would be possible to love all people and trustingly extend a hand to everyone.”

The main characters of the novel - Lopukhov, Kirsanov and Vera Pavlovna - are representatives of a new type of people. They do not seem to do anything that would exceed ordinary human capabilities. This normal people, and the author himself recognizes them as such people; This circumstance is extremely important; it gives the entire novel a particularly deep meaning.

By nominating Lopukhov, Kirsanov and Vera Pavlovna as the main characters, the author thereby shows readers: this is how ordinary people can be, this is how they should be, if, of course, they want their life to be full of happiness and pleasure. Wanting to prove to readers that they are truly ordinary people, the author brings onto the stage the titanic figure of Rakhmetov, whom he himself recognizes as extraordinary and calls “special.” Rakhmetov does not participate in the action of the novel, because people like him are only then and there in their sphere and in their place, when and where they can be historical figures. Neither science nor family happiness satisfy them.

They love all people, suffer from every injustice that occurs, experience in their own souls the great grief of millions and give everything they can give to heal this grief. Chernyshevsky’s attempt to introduce a special person to readers can be called quite successful. Before him, Turgenev took on this matter, but, unfortunately, completely unsuccessfully.

The heroes of the novel are people who come from different walks of life, mostly students who study natural sciences and “early they got used to making their way with their chest.”

In Chernyshevsky’s novel, a whole group of like-minded people appears before us. The basis of their activity is propaganda; Kirsanov’s student circle is one of the most effective. Young revolutionaries are brought up here, the personality of a “special person”, a professional revolutionary, is formed here. To become a special person, you must first of all have enormous power the will to give up all pleasures for the sake of one’s business and drown out all the slightest desires.

Work in the name of the revolution becomes the only, completely absorbing task. In the formation of Rakhmetov’s beliefs, the conversation with Kirsanov was decisive, during which “he sends a curse to what must die, etc.” After him, Rakhmetov’s transformation into a “special person” began. The power of influence of this circle on young people is evidenced by the fact that the “new people” have followers (Rakhmetov scholarship recipients).

Chernyshevsky also gave the image of a “new woman” in his novel. Vera Pavlovna, whom Lopukhov “brought” out of the “basement of bourgeois life,” is a comprehensively developed person, she strives for perfection: she decides to become a doctor in order to bring even greater benefit to people. Having escaped from her parents' house, Vera Pavlovna frees other women. She creates a workshop where she helps poor girls find their place in life.

All the activities of Lopukhov, Kirsanov, Vera Pavlovna are inspired by faith in the onset of a bright future. They are no longer alone, although their circle of like-minded people is still small. But it was people like Kirsanov, Lopukhov, Vera Pavlovna and others who were needed in Russia at that time. Their images served as an example for shaping the worldview of the revolutionary generation. The author realized that the people described in his novel were his dream. But this dream at the same time turned out to be a prophecy. “Years will pass,” says the author of the novel about the type of new person, “and he will be reborn in more numerous people.”

The writer himself wrote well about the “new people” and their significance in the life of the rest of humanity in his own work: “They are few, but with them the life of all blossoms; without them it would stall, it would turn sour; they are few, but they give all people to breathe, without them people would suffocate. This is the color. the best people, these are the engines of the engines, they are the salt of the earth.”

Life is unthinkable without such people, because it must always change, being modified over time. Nowadays there is also a field of activity for new people making radical changes in life. Chernyshevsky's novel "What to do?" invaluable and topical in this regard for the current reader, helping to intensify the rise in the human soul, the desire to fight for the social good. The problem of the work will be eternally modern and necessary for the formation of society.

N. G. Chernyshevsky wrote his novel “What is to be done?” while imprisoned in Peter and Paul Fortress. In this novel, he wrote about “new people” who had just appeared in the country.

In the novel “What is to be done?”, in all its figurative system Chernyshevsky tried to present in living heroes, in life situations, those standards that, as he believed, should be the main measure of public morality. In their statement, Chernyshevsky saw the high purpose of art.

Heroes "What to do?" - “special people”, “new people”: Lopukhov, Kirsanov, Vera Pavlovna. Their so-called reasonable egoism is the result of a conscious sense of purpose, the conviction that an individual can only feel good in a rationally structured society, among people who also feel good. These rules, as we know, were adhered to by Chernyshevsky himself in life, and they are followed by the “new people” - the heroes of his novel.

“New people” do not sin and do not repent. They always think and therefore only make errors in calculations, and then correct these errors and avoid them in subsequent calculations. Among the “new people”, goodness and truth, honesty and knowledge, character and intelligence turn out to be identical concepts; The smarter a person is, the more honest he is, because he makes fewer mistakes. “New people” never demand anything from others; they themselves need complete freedom of feelings, thoughts and actions, and therefore they deeply respect this freedom in others. They accept from each other what is given - I don’t say voluntarily, this is not enough, but with joy, with complete and living pleasure.

Lopukhov, Kirsanov and Vera Pavlovna, who appear in the novel “What to do?” the main representatives of the new type of people, do not do anything that would exceed ordinary human capabilities. They are ordinary people, and the author himself recognizes them as such people; This circumstance is extremely important, and it gives the entire novel a particularly deep meaning. Describing Lopukhov, Kirsanov and Vera Pavlovna, the author states: this is how ordinary people can be, and this is how they should be if they want to find a lot of happiness and pleasure in life. Wishing

To prove to readers that they are truly ordinary people, the author brings onto the stage the titanic figure of Rakhmetov, whom he himself recognizes as extraordinary and calls him “special.” Rakhmetov does not participate in the action of the novel, and he has nothing to do in it. People like him are necessary only then and there, when and where they can be historical figures. Neither science nor family happiness satisfies them. They love all people, suffer from every injustice that occurs, experience in their own souls the great grief of millions and give everything they can give to heal this grief. Chernyshevsky's attempt to introduce a special person to readers can be called successful. Before him, Turgenev took on this matter, but completely unsuccessfully.

Chernyshevsky’s “new people” are the children of city officials and townspeople. They work, study natural sciences, and began to make their way in life early. Therefore, they understand working people and take the path of transforming life. They are engaged in work that is necessary for the people, abandoning all the benefits that private practice could give them. Before us is a whole group of like-minded people. The basis of their activities is propaganda. Kirsanov’s student circle is one of the most effective. Here young revolutionaries are brought up, here the personality of a “special person”, a professional revolutionary, is formed.

Chernyshevsky also touches on the problem of women's emancipation. Having escaped from her parents' house, Vera Pavlovna frees other women. She creates a workshop where she helps poor girls find their place in life. Chernyshevsky thus wants to show what needs to be transferred from the future to the present. These include new labor relations, fair wages, and the combination of mental and physical work.

Thus, Russian literature, like a mirror, reflected the emergence of “new people”, new trends in the development of society. At the same time literary heroes became models for worship and imitation. And the social literary utopia “What is to be done?” in the part that talks about the fair organization of labor and remuneration for labor, it became a guiding star for several generations of Russian revolutionaries.

"New People" in the novel by N.G. Chernyshevsky "What to do?" (2)

I wanted to portray ordinary, decent people of the new generation.

The revolutionary-democrat Chernyshevsky, a follower of Belinsky, is close and dear to all honest people of the earth with his faith in a better future for working humanity, with his historical optimism. Chernyshevsky’s novel “What to do?” was a political testament addressed to revolutionary youth. The strength of the novel lies in the fact that it convinces of the truth, beauty and greatness of the new, advanced in life. It answers the most important question of the era: what should people do who do not want to live in the old way, who strive to bring a beautiful tomorrow closer to their Motherland and all humanity. Chernyshevsky's heroes are progressive people of Russia. They are convinced socialists, the ultimate goal of their activities is a people's revolution. They embody the character traits of the revolutionaries emerging in Russia with their unyielding will to fight, high moral nobility, and boundless devotion to the people and the Motherland. In the heroes of the novel - best features Chernyshevsky himself and his friends.

Lopukhov and Kirsanov are typical commoner democrats, who through their labor created the opportunity for themselves to receive an education. They are atheists and materialists in their worldview. Chernyshevsky’s “new people” not only destroy old world, but they themselves are building a new society. They recognize art, the aesthetic impact of the beauty of nature on a person, firmly believe in friendship and show a comradely attitude towards women. They give their whole lives to the people, work for their benefit, sparing no effort, and find great satisfaction in this. Chernyshevsky's heroes are even ready for people to condemn their behavior if this is necessary for the common good.

Chernyshevsky's heroes passionately defend their right to self-respect. This is their “benefit”, their “selfishness”. Like real revolutionaries, Lopukhov and Kirsanov want happiness, equality, brotherhood for all peoples. So Lopukhov, having arrived in America, is actively involved in the struggle for the liberation of blacks.

Chernyshevsky gave in his novel the image of a “new woman,” Vera Pavlovna, whom Lopukhov saved from the “basement of bourgeois life.” Vera Pavlovna is a harmoniously developed person. She actively helps her comrades in all their endeavors. What is especially remarkable about her is her desire to improve - she decides to become a doctor in order to bring even greater benefit to people.

We see that all the activities of Lopukhov, Kirsanov, Vera Pavlovna are inspired by faith in the advent of a bright future. They are no longer alone, although their circle of like-minded people is still small. But it was precisely people like Kirsanov, Lopukhov, Vera Pavlovna and others that Russia needed at that time. Their images served as an example for shaping the worldview of the revolutionary generation.

Chernyshevsky realized that the people depicted in the novel were his dream. But this dream at the same time turned out to be a prophecy. “Years will pass,” says the author of the novel about the type of new person, “and he will be reborn in more numerous people.”

Chernyshevsky's work was continued by other people. They were ahead of him in many ways, but they proceeded from the foundations that he laid while living and working in feudal Russia.

References

To prepare this work, materials from the site http://ilib.ru/ were used

Chernyshevsky’s famous novel “What is to be done?” was consciously oriented towards the tradition of world utopian literature. The author consistently sets out his point of view on the socialist ideal. The utopia created by the author acts as a model. It is as if we have already completed an experiment that gives positive results. Among the famous utopian works, the novel stands out in that the author paints not only a picture of a bright future, but also ways to approach it. People who have achieved the ideal are also depicted. The very subtitle of the novel, “From Stories about New People,” indicates their exceptional role.

Chernyshevsky constantly emphasizes the typology of “new people” and talks about the whole group. “These people among others are as if among the Chinese there are several Europeans whom the Chinese cannot distinguish one from another.” Each hero has common traits for the group - courage, ability to get down to business, honesty.

It is extremely important for a writer to show the development of “new people”, their difference from the general mass. The only character whose past is examined in careful detail is Verochka. What allows her to free herself from the environment of “vulgar people”? According to Chernyshevsky, labor and education. “We are poor, but we are working people, we have healthy hands. If we study, knowledge will free us; if we work, labor will enrich us.” Vera is fluent in French and German languages, which gives her unlimited opportunities for self-education.

Heroes such as Kirsanov, Lopukhov and Mertsalov enter the novel as already established people. It is characteristic that doctors appear in the novel while writing a dissertation. Thus, work and education merge into one. In addition, the author makes it clear that if both Lopukhov and Kirsanov come from poor and humble families, then they probably have poverty and labor behind them, without which education is impossible. This early exposure hardly gives the "new person" an advantage over other people.

The marriage of Vera Pavlovna is not an epilogue, but only the beginning of the novel. And this is very important. It is emphasized that in addition to the family, Verochka is capable of creating a broader association of people. An old one appears here utopian idea communes - phalanstery.

Work gives “new people”, first of all, personal independence, but in addition, it is also active help to other people. The author condemns any deviation from selfless service to work. Suffice it to remember the moment when Verochka is about to go after Lopukhov, leaving the workshop. Once upon a time, labor was necessary for “new people” to receive an education, but now the heroes are trying to educate people in the process of labor. Connected with this is another important philosophical idea of ​​the author in depicting the “new people” - their educational activities.

We know Lopukhov as an active promoter of new ideas among young people and a public figure. Students call him "one of the best heads in St. Petersburg." Lopukhov himself considered work in the office at the plant to be very important. “The conversation (with the students) had a practical, useful goal - to promote the development of mental life, nobility and energy in my young friends,” Lopukhov writes to his wife. Naturally, such a person could not limit himself to learning to read and write. The author himself hints at revolutionary work at the factory among the workers.

The mention of Sunday workers' schools meant a lot to the readers of that time. The fact is that by a special government decree in the summer of 1862 they were closed. The government was afraid of the revolutionary work that was carried out in these schools for adults, workers, revolutionary democrats. The original intention was to direct the work in these schools in a religious spirit. It was prescribed to study in them the Law of God, reading, writing and the beginnings of arithmetic. Each school had to have a priest to monitor the good intentions of the teachers.

It was precisely such a priest in the “Lyceum of all kinds of knowledge” of Vera Pavlovna that Mertsalov should have been, who, however, was preparing to read the forbidden Russian and general history. The literacy that Lopukhov and other “new people” were going to teach to the worker listeners was also unique. There are examples when progressively minded students explained in class the meaning of the words “liberal,” “revolution,” and “despotism.” The educational activities of the “new people” are a real approach to the future.

It is necessary to say something about the relationship between “new” and “vulgar” people. In Marya Alekveevna and Polozov, the author sees not only, in Dobrolyubov’s words, “tyrants,” but also practically gifted, active people who, under other circumstances, are capable of benefiting society. Therefore, you can find features of their similarities with children. Lopukhov very quickly gains confidence in Rozalskaya; she respects his business qualities (primarily his intention to marry a rich bride). However, the complete opposite of the aspirations, interests and views of the “new” and “vulgar” people is clearly visible. And the theory of rational egoism gives the “new people” an undeniable advantage.

The novel often talks about selfishness as an internal motivator of human actions. The author considers the most primitive thing to be the selfishness of Marya Alekseevna, who does no good to anyone without monetary payment. The selfishness of wealthy people is much more terrible. He grows on “fantastic” soil - on the desire for excess and idleness. An example of such egoism is Soloviev, who plays out his love for Katya Polozova because of her inheritance.

The selfishness of the “new people” is also based on the calculation and benefit of one person. “Everyone thinks most of all about himself,” says Lopukhov to Vera Pavlovna. But this is a fundamentally new moral code. The gist of it is this. that the happiness of one person is inseparable from the happiness of other people. The benefit and happiness of a “reasonable egoist” depends on the state of his loved ones and society as a whole. Lopukhov frees Verochka from a forced marriage, and when he is convinced that she loves Kirsanov, he leaves the stage. Kirsanov helps Katya Polozova, Vera organizes a workshop. For heroes, following the theory of reasonable egoism means taking into account the interests of another person with every action. For the hero, the mind comes first; the person is forced to constantly turn to introspection and give an objective assessment of his feelings and position.

As you can see, the “reasonable egoism” of Chernyshevsky’s heroes has nothing to do with selfishness or self-interest. Why is this still a theory of “egoism”? The Latin root of this word “ego” - “I” indicates that Chernyshevsky puts a person at the center of his theory. In this case, the theory of rational egoism becomes the development of the anthropological principle that Chernyshevsky put at the basis of his philosophical idea.

In one of the conversations with Vera Pavlovna, the author says: “...I feel joy and happiness” - which means “I want all people to be happy” - humanly speaking, Verochka, these two thoughts are one and the same." Thus, Chernyshevsky states that the creation of favorable conditions for the life of an individual is inseparable from improving the existence of all people. This reflects the undoubted revolutionary nature of Chernyshevsky’s views.

The moral principles of the “new people” are revealed in their attitude to the problem of love and marriage. For them, man and his freedom are the main value in life. Love and humane friendship form the basis of the relationship between L. Pokhov and Vera Pavlovna. Even a declaration of love occurs during a discussion of Verochka’s position in her mother’s family and the search for a path to liberation. Thus, the feeling of love only adapts to the situation that has arisen. It should be noted that such a statement entered into controversy with many works of the XIX century.

The problem of women's emancipation is also being solved by the “new people” in a unique way. Although only church marriage is recognized, a woman must remain financially and spiritually independent of her husband even in marriage.

Chernyshevsky wrote his novel “What is to be done?” at a rather difficult time. This was 1863, when any wrong word could lead to conviction and a long prison sentence. So, first of all, it is worth noting the skill of the writer. He designed the work in such a way that it passed muster, but every reader could see the author's true message.

One of the main features of the novel is critical realism and revolutionary romanticism.

They connected and presented completely new style. Chernyshevsky showed a real picture of the world. He predicted a revolution. However, the novel does not consist of one socialist idea, although the latter occupies a central place in it. In addition to utopian dreams of the future, the novel also contains a rather serious analysis of the present.

The novel is mostly dedicated to “new people”. Because the author cares about them. On opposite side“old people” are standing there. Throughout all the pages, the writer pits them against each other, compares their goals, vision, life positions. There are also the author’s conclusions. But the important thing is that we ourselves can draw our own conclusions.

What main conflict? Young people are always ready to change something, but old people do not want to leave their homes. It is difficult to overestimate the relevance of the topic here.

In analyzing these two groups of people, we will begin with the question of happiness. The generation of fathers cares only about themselves. They don't tend to worry about others. Other people's defeats do not affect their hearts. The happiness of the new generation lies in something completely different. They understand the essence of society, they understand how important it is to be together and help others. This is their strength. The previous regulations do not allow them to open up normally.

Chernyshevsky completely agrees with the new people.

Chernyshevsky never defended egoism in its literal sense.

The “reasonable egoism” of Chernyshevsky’s heroes has nothing to do with selfishness, self-interest, or individualism. Its goal is the benefit of the entire society. Vivid examples of people who move according to this principle include the Mertsalovs, Kirsanovs, Lopukhovs, etc.

But what I like most is that they do not lose their uniqueness. They are bright personalities, despite the fact that they are driven by ideas for the benefit of society. They work to overcome their shortcomings. And the more difficult this work is, the happier they are later. “Reasonable selfishness” is also self-care, but it does not harm anyone, but only helps people become better.

The women's issue cannot be overlooked. Its essence here is in understanding the role of women in society and family. Chernyshevsky emphasizes the strength of a woman, her intelligence. She can be successful not only in the family, but also at work.

She now has the right to individuality, education, dreams and success. Chernyshevsky reconsiders the place of women both in society and in the family.

"What to do?" - this is an eternal question for many people. Chernyshevsky gave us not just artistic history with meaning. This is a serious philosophical, psychological and social work. It opens inner world people. I think that not every great psychologist or philosopher could show the realities of our days so clearly and truthfully.

Updated: 2017-01-16

Attention!
If you notice an error or typo, highlight the text and click Ctrl+Enter.
By doing so, you will provide invaluable benefit to the project and other readers.

Thank you for your attention.

.