Alexander Kuprin wrote the novel "Garnet Bracelet" in 1910. The story of unrequited love set forth in this literary work is based on real events. Kuprin gave her the features of romanticism, filling it with mysticism and mysterious symbols. The image of the princess occupies a central place in this work, therefore, the characterization of Vera Nikolaevna Sheina should be considered in more detail.
Summary
Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, a young married woman, celebrates a birthday. On this day, she receives a garnet bracelet from a secret admirer as a gift. Remaining a stranger to her, he writes letters to her for eight years, telling about his love for her.
In the evening, Vera Nikolaevna spoke about the gift to her husband. The next day, the husband and her brother Nikolai found a secret admirer. It turned out to be a young official Zheltkov. He confesses to the prince that he saw Vera two years before marriage and has not been able to forget her since. Nikolay persuades him not to write to his sister, launching threats. Zheltkov asks permission to call Vera Nikolaevna. In a conversation with him, she informs him that if he had not been there, she would have lived a calmer life. In response, Zheltkov asked her to listen to Beethoven's second sonata.
After a conversation with his lover, Zheltkov locked himself in his room and shot himself.
The princess learned about the death of her fan from the newspapers. With the permission of her husband, she went to Zheltkov’s apartment. Upon returning home, she listens to Beethoven's sonata and cries, realizing that true love has passed by her.
Portrait of the main character
Princess Vera Nikolaevna is a young beautiful woman. Her father is a Tatar prince, her mother is a British of extraordinary beauty. The eldest daughter Vera grew up very similar to her mother. She had pale skin, dark hair, a face with delicate features, high growth, a slender, flexible figure. Faith dresses in the manner characteristic of aristocrats. Before her marriage, she was educated in St. Petersburg, at the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens.
She does not conduct friendly conversations with anyone, she demonstrates her independent disposition. The princess speaks in an imperious tone. Outwardly, she always looks arrogant and condescending. With all kindly, regally calm and cold. Nothing touches the heroine deeply. All the emotions and feelings of Vera Nikolaevna are at rest. It seems that the fire of life has gone out in her. Already at the beginning of the work, when the author describes the fading autumn landscape, the reader subconsciously draws a parallel with the fading mental state of the heroine. Her whole life is measured and predictable. It is based on familiar activities and responsibilities.
Anna and Nikolai
Vera has a younger sister, Anna. This is its complete opposite. Anna is not as beautiful as her older sister. She is married to a man whom she does not love. But feelings and emotions are alive in her, she is able to perceive life vibrant.
Princess Nikolay's brother is a stiff and serious young man. He works as a deputy prosecutor, has good connections. With people, he is courteous, dry and polite.
Princess Hobbies
Vera Nikolaevna loves music. Beethoven's sonatas are especially close to her. She often goes to concerts.
The princess is quite reckless. Her passion was playing poker with her sister Anna in the afternoon.
Vera does not like to read newspapers. She doesn’t like the style of writing newspaper notes, and she also dislikes the ink that can get her hands dirty.
Attitude of Vera Nikolaevna to children
Despite years of marriage, the heroine does not have her own children. She is very worried about this. However, the princess transfers the unspent maternal feelings to her nephews - the children of her younger sister Anna. She gladly helps her sister raise and educate them.
Princess family difficulties
The Sheikh family holds a high position in society. However, their well-being leaves much to be desired: they are on the verge of ruin. After all, the estate and inheritance passed to the prince in a state of decline. Nevertheless, the spouses are forced to observe all external decencies, which confirmed their status and corresponded to their position: to hold receptions, do charity work, keep horses, dress expensively, in fashion, while being on the verge of bankruptcy. The princess is trying her best to help her husband prevent complete ruin. She, as much as possible, saves on households and deny herself a lot. However, her husband does not talk about this, not wanting to upset him. Giving a brief description of Vera Nikolaevna Sheina, we can talk about her as a sensitive person, always striving to come to the rescue, compassionate to her relatives.
Unexpected gift
The denouement of this dramatic story began with a gift. The birthday girl receives a package from a secret admirer. A garnet bracelet was put into it for Vera Nikolaevna. She received messages from this admirer for eight years. The gift was received for the first time. The heroine is in turmoil. She is annoyed by these signs of attention and the importunity of the fan. A gift made by an unfamiliar man puts the princess in an awkward position in front of her husband. This contradicts her notions of the honor and dignity of a married woman. The princess considers her fan crazy and obsessed. She wants only one thing from him - to stop the persecution and leave her alone. Therefore, Vera Nikolaevna returns a garnet bracelet to her fan through her husband and brother.
The ratio of relatives to the fan of the princess
Close Vera Nikolaevna is a secret admirer of the princess frivolously. Her husband, Prince Shein, for the sake of entertainment, invents a story for guests about Princess Vera and the telegraph operator. It really amuses them.
When meeting with Zheltkov, Prince Shein and Nikolai return a garnet bracelet, which, as it turned out, was a family heirloom of the Zheltkov family and inherited from his grandmother. When an embarrassed young man spoke about his long-standing love for the princess, about his vain hopes and an unattainable dream, Vera's husband even felt sorry for him.
Brother Nicholas, learning about the persecution of his sister, becomes furious and demands that Zheltkov stop this madness.
Secret admirer
Zheltkov is a pale young man of thirty to thirty-five. This is a petty official, not rich. He does not have his own housing, so he lives with the mistress in a poor house, renting a room from her. He is pleasant in communication, tactful and unusually modest. At first, Zheltkov hoped that his lover would answer his letters. However, over time, the hero realized that he would never receive an answer, and ceased to hope for reciprocity. He began to write less often, reminding himself of Vera Nikolaevna only on holidays and the days of her birth. The princess does not even suspect that he is constantly next to her, chasing her. Things that belonged to his beloved and accidentally happened to be with him, he stores and protects as a relic. However, he does not consider his state of mind to be manic, explaining his actions with a strong feeling for her.
Yolk - a person with a fine mental organization. The indifference of his beloved is intolerable to him. But the hero is ready for anything for her, he loves her with true, selfless love. That is why he ends his life with suicide: after all, she asked to leave her alone, and this was possible for him only in the event of her death. Her answer in their only fatal conversation, which became the last, kills him.
Love in the life of a heroine
In the characterization of Vera Nikolaevna, a special, determining role is played by relations with her husband. The princess herself believes that her marriage has developed quite successfully. She has known him since childhood, but she never felt true love for him. She was unfamiliar with love affairs and passion. The Sheins are married with warm friendships, mutual respect and habit.
For Vera Nikolaevna, love is an abstract concept. Having no love in her life, the princess does not see it in her surroundings either. The younger sister Anna does not love her husband at all, she just endures him. Brother Nikolai is not married at all and does not plan to get married in the near future. Ludmila's sister is a widow. An old friend of the Shein family, General Anosov, in a conversation about love, only confirms the fact of her absence among them.
The habitual peace of the heroine is violated only by Yolks. Only after the signs of his attention shown to him, does the soul of Vera seem to open up to something new, unknown. With the development of events, the internal tension of the heroine grows. The culmination of their failed relationship can be considered the scene of the princess's farewell to the deceased Zheltkov. It was then that she realized what a deep, real feeling was very close. The feeling that every woman dreams of. Faith was afraid to be happy, so love and happiness passed by her.
The music of Beethoven's second sonata, which she listens to at the end of the piece, has become yet another revelation for the heroine. She sounded to her like a declaration of love by Zheltkov. And, after listening to her, she talks about his forgiveness and calms down.
The main character in the film adaptation
The first film adaptation of this amazing story took place in 1915. This silent black and white film lasted four hours. It consisted of four acts. The role of Vera Nikolaevna Sheina was performed by actress Olga Preobrazhenskaya. This film has not survived to our time.
In 1964, the film "Garnet Bracelet" was released.
This melodrama was directed by director Abram Rome. The role of Vera Sheina was played by Ariadna Shengelaya, and the role of Kuprin himself was played by Grigory Gai.