About Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, we can say that he is the “mind, honor and conscience” of his era, the great thinker of Russian classics. The problems of the society he shows are very relevant for us today. Of course, he is the same person with vices and passions and as ambivalent as his heroes, whom he always describes with great love and understanding, but he is constantly fighting and, above all, with himself.
Is this about the novel "Teenager"? The summary of this work will not give a complete picture, but it will shed light on many aspects of the lives of people who, like many, many years ago, are ready to sacrifice everything for the money: honor, name and status.
Pure Psychology and Realism
The novel “Teenager” is not simple in the plot, the brief content of which indicates that, having not understood his inner problems, a person often goes mad or commits suicide. From nobility to meanness, he always has one step left. In an instant, he can execute or pardon, denigrate or justify, and sometimes not immediately understand where the truth is and where the lie is.
Critics very often accused Dostoyevsky of describing his state of mind of his characters and the difficult moments in which his characters found himself too realistic. From the ill-wishers, the writer openly received hints that he himself could have been an accomplice in some not-so-personal situations, and maybe even criminal events.
Already a very difficult person was F. M. Dostoevsky. The “teenager” (a brief summary of the work will be considered a bit later) fully demonstrates this statement of fact.
Arkady
In the work, which will be discussed further, the main character is a slightly naive, conceited, vulnerable, intelligent and impetuous teenager. Dostoyevsky’s content of the chapters of the novel is not in vain that saturates with a certain deep philosophy of fascinating ideas from various people. Each person lives his own ideal - political, religious, love, economic, etc. It all depends on his culture, moral and spiritual development. The protagonist also adheres to one idea - by all means get rich. But more on that later.
Dostoevsky, “Teenager”: summary
The very first thing that catches your eye when analyzing the work is the eternal problem of “fathers and children”, because two heroes are highlighted - twenty-year-old young man Arkady Dolgoruky, who bore the name of his formal father, Makar Ivanov Dolgoruky, the Versilovs' yard family , and the father of Arkady - nobleman Andrei Petrovich Versilov. The mother of the young man, Sofya Andreevna, is also a yard, later bought from Dolgoruky Versilov, who lived with him and gave birth to two more children - Lisa and a boy who died early in an illness. From these events, she got very old, and sorrow was always visible on her face.
Arkady Makarovich was a “baystryuk” - a very nice teenager with a clean outlook on life. A brief summary of him tells us that he, having graduated from the Moscow gymnasium, did not want to study further. Before high school, he studied at a French boarding house in Tushar and there he suffered many humiliations and bullying from his peers precisely because of his illegitimate birth, and then because of the surname Dolgoruky. In society, when he introduced himself, he was always asked again: "Prince?" It just infuriated him. Because of this, the guy grew up very impressionable. Now his dream was to get rich, like Rothschild. This would give him power over other people and a free, secluded life. As already clear, this is what Dostoevsky is focusing on. "Teenager", a brief summary and analysis of which will be considered as events unfold, as a work is difficult enough to understand. Nonetheless…
Character
Once Arkady appeared on the threshold of the house of the legitimate son Versilov, but only in order to receive the money sent from his father. His brother did not accept him, but only handed him the money through the servant. Arkady was annoyed. His pride in such cases was very easy to catch, however, kind and enthusiastic by nature, he quickly calmed down and immediately turned to love and adoration when he was treated politely and in a good way.
With his brother, he will then establish a relationship. He always had some problems in communicating with people, it often seemed to him that they were laughing at and playing at him. And he, like any young man, was proud and proud and demanded a proper attitude.
Petersburg
And finally, he came home to his parents in St. Petersburg. His father invited him because he had found a job for him. Versilov Sr. preached all kinds of ideas of "world citizenship", Russian culture and "the reconciliation of ideas." For Arkady Makarovich, he was the only authority and the main ideological inspirer, for whom he was ready to shoot a duel.
However, despite all this, he goes to St. Petersburg with some caution, as bad rumors are circulating about his father, and he wants to find out if this is really so.
Fatal letter
However, only a little later will Dostoevsky reveal all the secrets of the novel “Teenager” to us. The summary notes that Arkady immediately arranged as a secretary to his father’s friend, Prince Nikolai Ivanovich Sokolsky. Having served with him a little, he leaves, since his daughter Katerina Nikolaevna Akhmakova accused him of espionage - he simply could not bear such an insult.
A little earlier, two documents fell into his hands, one of them is a document which indicated that the elder Versilov had won the lawsuit with Sokolsky, but he could be reviewed at any moment, and the decision could be exactly the opposite.
The second document was handed over to him by Kraf, who soon shot himself. The paper was a letter in which it was said that the daughter of Prince Sokolsky considers his father moron, who, due to his old age, is already unable to make independent decisions, and therefore he needs custody. Such a letter, if it fell into the hands of the old prince, would cause a huge scandal and could set the father against his daughter.
"Teenager": a summary in parts
At the same time, the younger Versilov constantly collects all kinds of information about his father and, as a result, understands that his good-natured parent is not really who he claims to be. Gossip was poured into the fire around a crazy woman who committed suicide. Then there was a child whom another person allegedly gave birth to from him. Then a secret relationship arose with Katerina Ivanovna Akhmakova. With the thought that his father was a lascivious man, a scoundrel and a bastard, Arkady Makarovich wanted to leave him. But then some lying moments became clear, and then the father and son showed indulgence to each other. Moreover - even became close to each other.
Once, Katerina Nikolaevna invited Arkady to aunt Tatyana Pavlovna Prutkova for a meeting. He meets her all alone and is immediately inspired by this meeting. It seems to him that he was assigned a love date. He assumed that this lady was insidious because of a compromising letter, but she disarmed him with her innocence and cordiality. Dolgoruky was completely mesmerized by her, but she pushed him away, although she did not try to extinguish the flaming passion in him.
Carefree
Meanwhile, the summary of Dostoevsky’s novel “The Teenager” is increasingly confusing the plot with its riddles and secrets.
While living in St. Petersburg, Arkady was addicted to play roulette and began to lose a lot, while he borrowed money from the son of old man Sokolsky Sergey, who got confused in life. Even in the service, he was engaged in scams, for which his colleague was unfairly slandered. Then he met with Lisa, the sister of Arkady, but at the same time secretly and passionately loved Akhmakova, whom he wanted to marry.
Arkady found out about everything and immediately decided to put an end to all his debts, giving him everything he occupied. Poor Lisa, however, soon became pregnant. The prince’s nervous system could not stand it, the disease overcame him, he was sent to prison for old affairs, and he died there. Liza had a miscarriage at four months old, she lay sick for six months, but then recovered.
And then Arkady finds out that his half-sister Anna Andreevna was going to marry the old Prince Sokolsky (in this case, she is looking for profit, and therefore she really wants to receive a letter discrediting the daughter of the prince). After all, then she will be able to “warm her hands” on the inheritance well, leaving the daughter of her chosen one without an inheritance.
Makar Ivanov Dolgoruky
Dostoevsky's "Teenager" (a brief summary of the chapters) literally saturates with new and new people - swindlers and blackmailers. Almost everyone is connected to the search for a letter from Ekaterina Akhmakova, except for one - Makar Ivanov Dolgoruky, that yard man who is recorded as Arkady's father. He once appears in the house of Versilov. He was a very pleasant person, and he was appreciated as a wise and interesting storyteller of instructive conversations and a God-fearing person who collected alms for the construction of the temple. He came to them completely ill and exhausted, and soon died. In the short time that he was in their house, Arkady became very attached to him. He considered him better and cleaner than everyone else. It was this simple man who shed the life-giving light of spirituality and love into his soul.
Mysterious escape
At the same time, Versilov’s father realizes that the formal husband of his humble wife Sophia, with whom he lived for many years, has died, and now she is free. However, he runs away to his longtime beloved widow Katerina Akhmakova and asks for her hand. He literally goes crazy with love for her, but receives a refusal.
Arkady, having heard unpleasant things from his fellow swindler Lambert about Katerina Akhmakova, wants to avenge her father and, finally, give her a letter, but on the condition that she will become his wife (so Lambert thought of him). In addition, he certainly wants his father to secretly observe this picture, so that his vision of her ideal image of a woman collapses in an instant, because a lot of her inheritance is at stake.
On this, the whole main intrigue was built by Dostoevsky. The “Teenager,” a brief summary of which will be continued, is a novel with an unpredictable denouement. However, prepare for the most important thing.
Theft
Once Arkady once again came to Lambert to discuss his plan, but he, having given him a drink, steals a letter from him, sewn in the floor of his frock coat, and runs to the older Versilov.
At the same time, the youngest, sobering up from champagne, goes to Tatyana Pavlovna and says that she wants to give the letter to Katerina Ivanovna herself and put an end to this matter. However, everything collapsed when he found out that he no longer had a letter. The fact that Akhmakova has already left for a meeting with them, Lambert and Versilov find out and immediately enter the game. While Arkady and Tatyana Pavlovna left the house, Lambert is trying to blackmail Katerina Ivanovna, but she categorically refuses to fulfill his conditions. Meanwhile, in another room Versilov observes this whole picture. He does not need money, he just wants to see how a woman will behave in this very sensitive and dangerous situation and to what critical point of baseness Katerina can get for money. However, the lady literally spits in the face of Lambert, who sharply grabs the revolver and tries to shoot her. Here the heart of Andrei Petrovich could not stand it, and he rushed at Lambert. A shot rang out ... Lambert lies on the floor like a dead man.
Denouement
How famously twisted the plot F. M. Dostoevsky! The “teenager,” whose summary is near the end, is nearing completion.
Then Arkady rushes in and sees that his father is turning a revolver and wants to shoot Akhmakova, who fainted in horror and then herself. But Arkady was able to prevent all this by appearing on the threshold with Tatyana Pavlovna in time, however, his father manages to shoot his shoulder. Lambert is alive, he gets up and runs away.
How a magnificent detective finishes his novel F. M. Dostoevsky. The “teenager,” whose brief summary keeps the reader in suspense to the very end, says that after all these terrible scenes, the letter was returned to Akhmakova, her wedding with Boring was upset because he found out about her some secret meetings with Arkady. The elder Versilov returned to his family, and this story with a shot shoulder turned into ridiculous rumors that almost came to naught. The whole family healed calmly and happily. Akhmakova began to live in Paris and sometimes corresponded with Arkasha.
In the novel "Teenager", a brief summary of the chapters well tracks the nature and behavior of the protagonist, who during this time managed to grow up and go to university. He considered all the events that happened to be a very good experience and an effective lesson in the re-education of his personality.