The tale "The Night Before Christmas" was written by Nikolai Gogol at an early stage of his work. The writer created this work “in one breath”. The author had plenty of material for writing this story, since he devoted a lot of time to the study of folklore and mores that prevailed in the Ukrainian village. But most of all, the tale "The Night Before Christmas" strikes with an abundance of colorful vibrant images.
History of creation
This work was written in 1831. The author was then only twenty-two years old, and the decision to devote his life to literary work at that time had not yet been finalized. But the success gained by the fairy tale “The Night Before Christmas” and other romantic works published in the thirties inspired Gogol to continue his writing activities.
The work opened to the Russian readers the beauty and originality of the Ukrainian region. The tale "The Night Before Christmas" was written not only on the basis of theoretical knowledge of Ukrainian folklore. The writer himself witnessed a vivid celebration of Christmas in Ukraine.
Gogol was a man of deep faith, and therefore the main idea of ​​the story, which brought him fame, was the idea that a person is always able to find strength in order to overcome evil. The devil from the tale "The Night Before Christmas" is the personification of this evil.
Evil spirits
The representative of evil spirits is depicted in Gogol's work as a cunning, insidious prankster. His many attempts to stir up the good Christian souls do not always succeed. But the devil from the tale "The Night Before Christmas" is a character that is still extremely stubborn. Despite all the failures, he does not stop committing his unsightly insidious actions.
Remarkably characterizes the image of the devil his meeting with Solokha. Here he is depicted as a character, although negative, but rather passionate, and not even without some charm. But, despite the diabolical stubbornness and inhuman cunning, nothing comes of the Gogolol’s trait. Good conquers evil. The enemy of the human race is fooled by an ordinary mortal.
The image of Vakula
Nikolai Gogol, like many other Russian writers, strove to create the perfect image. And in his early works, he wanted to portray a man who would become the embodiment of the best national qualities. Such a hero was Vakula from the tale "The Night Before Christmas." This hero is endowed with spiritual strength and beauty. He is courageous, smart. In addition, the blacksmith is full of energy and young enthusiasm.
The main characteristic of the blacksmith Vakula is loyalty to his duty and the desire to keep his promise at all costs.
The heroes of the tale "The Night Before Christmas" are prototypes of Ukrainian villagers endowed with fabulous and romantic features by the author. Vakula wholeheartedly loves the beautiful but absurd Oksana. He is ready to do anything to get her location. And he decides on a dangerous adventure to get his beloved girl cuttings, the likes of which only one queen wears.
The plot of Gogol’s novel contains characteristic features of such a literary trend as romanticism. The hero sets a goal, withstands all kinds of tests, overcomes a long dangerous path, but nevertheless he obtains the treasured cherubichki. It should be noted that, even being in the palace of the queen, a simple blacksmith does not lose his temper and retains a sense of self-esteem. The splendor and wealth of the capital do not appeal to him. Vakula thinks only about one thing - about her small modest house and about her beloved girl, who will soon become his wife.
The main female image
Oksana from the fairy tale “The Night Before Christmas” is a windy and narcissistic girl. At least, this is how it appears in the eyes of the reader at the beginning of the work. She is beautiful, besides she is the daughter of a wealthy Cossack.
Excessive attention from young people somewhat spoiled her, made her capricious and even cruel. But all these negative traits instantly dissipate immediately after the blacksmith's departure. After some deliberation, Oksana realized the cruelty of her act. Having made a promise to marry a blacksmith in exchange for royal little cherviliks, she condemned him to death. In any case, she was deeply confident in this during the absence of the young man in love, and therefore was tormented by torment of conscience. But when Vakula nevertheless returned, Oksana realized that she really did not need any wealth. The capricious Cossack daughter finally fell in love with a simple blacksmith.
Solokha
Vakula's mother is a cunning, hypocritical, and self-serving woman. Solokha is a half- fairytale character. In the afternoon, she is a lively village woman. And at night it turns into a witch, driving around in a broomstick. Solokha is a bright and charming woman, which allows her to have a "cordial" relationship with both the clerk and the devil himself.
Feature of the genre
There are other bright characters in the story: clerk, head, godfather. The traditions of the folk tale, in which the motive of test and travel is often present, had a great influence on the plot. In this romantic tale, you can also find symbols that are of mythological origin. For example, dumplings, which Patsyuk eats with an enviable appetite, are associated with the magical power of the moon.
Using the heroes of the novel “The Night Before Christmas” as an example, the author not only portrayed human vices, but also expressed the idea that all bad things are discovered sooner or later in a person, and bad deeds never go unpunished.