Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov created his work in 1859, just two years before the abolition of serfdom. One of the main ones is the image of Zakhar in the novel "Oblomov". Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov devoted a separate essay to this type, entitled “Servants of the Old Century,” in which the author recalls the representatives of this estate, whom he knew, people of the old school, who were hard to live in with changing living conditions.
Literary pedigree Zahara
Zakhar had his own literary family tree. She comes from the Pushkin servant Savelich from the work "The Captain's Daughter". Despite the difference in the characters of these two persons (corrupted by the life of St. Petersburg and the laziness of their master Savelich and the eternal uncle, for whom Oblomov always remains an unreasonable small child, Zakhar), they are brought together by an obsession with fidelity not only to their lords, but also to the entire landlord family .
Portrait of Zakhar
The image of Zakhar in the novel "Oblomov" characterizes his portrait. Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov so describes this servant. This is an elderly man, "in a gray frock coat" and the same color vest with copper buttons, with a bare skull, "like logs", and with thick and wide fair-haired whiskers with gray hair, each of which would be enough "for three beards." The portrait of Zakhar depicting an absurd and ridiculous appearance is complemented by the author and a special voice: the hero either wheezes or grumbles like a dog, but does not speak. The voice given by God, according to Zakhar, he “lost on the hunt” when he went there with the old master and when it was as if a strong wind blew into his throat.
Servant Zahar: Characteristic
Indifference to dirt, dust and litter distinguishes this person from other characters-servants depicted in Russian literature by various authors. The servant Zakhar has his own philosophy on this subject, which does not allow him to fight bugs and cockroaches, since they were invented by the Lord. When Ilya Ilyich gives an example to him the family of a tuner, who lives opposite, he answers with arguments in which his extraordinary observation is felt. Zakhar says that the Germans do not have dirt because these heroes of Oblomov are starving, and the frock coat from their father’s shoulders passes to their son, so the family does not have a worn dress in the closets, like in the house of Ilya Ilyich.
This servant, for all his outward looseness, nevertheless, is quite assembled. So, the eternal habit of old-school servants does not allow him to squander the lordly good - when a crook Tarantyev, countryman Ilya Ilyich, asks him to borrow a coat for a while, Oblomov’s servant Zakhar immediately refuses: he won’t receive anything else until he returns the vest and shirt. Ilya Ilyich is lost in front of his perseverance.
Fidelity to Ilya Ilyich Oblomov
The image of Zakhar in the novel "Oblomov" cannot be imagined without mentioning the most important feature of this hero - loyalty to Ilya Ilyich. Fidelity to this gentleman of this servant, following the long-forgotten all the foundations of his native Oblomovka, is especially vividly depicted in the episode when Ilya Ilyich instructs Zakhar in the most effective and familiar way - calling him "miserable words," in particular a "poisonous person." The servant in a minute of irritation allowed himself to compare Ilya Ilyich with others who move easily from one apartment to another and go abroad. This inspires Oblomov to a proud and formidable rebuke that it is impossible to compare him with someone else. Such an answer hurts Zakhar more than all curses: he feels that he has crossed a certain forbidden border when he likened other people his master.
Seal of two eras, reflected in the image of Zakhar
This servant is not without its flaws, as well as other heroes of Oblomov. Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov defines his hero with the term “knight with fear and reproach,” which belonged to two eras at the same time, which left their characters on this character. Devotion to Oblomovka, who knew no bounds, passed from one inheritance to him, and from another, later, depravity of morals and refinement. Zakhar loves to gossip with other servants in the courtyard, while often embellishing his master or exposing him as one he had never been, does not refuse to drink with friends. Do not mind this servant sometimes and pocket money - copper, medium-sized, but always takes the change left over from purchases. All the objects that Zakhar touches breaks and fights - so, by the beginning of the story, very few whole things remained in Oblomov’s house, whether it be a cup or a chair. This servant serves food to the master, as a rule, dropping either a fork or a loaf ...
Another trait that Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov points out is characteristic of a mixture of two different eras: Zakhar was ready to die instead of his master, regarding this as his natural and inevitable duty, but when he needed to sit all night without closing his eyes at his bedside, if the health and even the life of Ilya Ilyich depended on this, then this hero would certainly fall asleep in the work of Oblomov. The connection problems of the two eras are thus also raised in this novel.
Inseparable bond with Debris
Over time, the indissoluble connection between Oblomov and his servant is more clearly manifested - as the last two inhabitants and representatives of Oblomovka, which is just a beautiful dream, each of them keeps in his own soul the holy "legends of antiquity" that shaped their relationships, characters, lives, conflicts . The problems raised in Oblomov’s work are largely due to the fact that two worlds are opposed - the sleepy world of their native Oblomovka and prosaic objective reality. Even when Zakhar in the middle of the novel unexpectedly marries Anisie’s cook, much more neat, skillful and agile than he, this servant tries to keep her out of Oblomov as much as he can, carrying out his usual duties without which he cannot imagine his life.
Connection with Oblomov
The existence of Zakhar actually ends with the death of the owner, after which his life turns into a bitter and unnecessary stagnation. Soon after the death of Ilya Ilyich, the wife of Zakhar, Anisia, died, and Agafya Matveevna Pshenitsyna, the wife of Oblomov, was unable to keep Zakhar in the house with a stern "brother". She only occasionally feeds him and gives some warm clothes for the winter.
The image of Zakhar in the novel "Oblomov" is fully revealed in the final scene of the work. In the final, Andrei Shtolts, a friend of Ilya Ilyich, meets Zakhar, an almost blind, impoverished old man begging for alms near the church. But the offer of this hero to leave the village does not seduce him: he cannot leave the grave of Ilya Ilyich unattended, because only near her he finds peace.