Ivan Bunin considered the collection of short stories "Dark Alleys" to be his best book. Many critics agree with this opinion. One of the works in this collection of Bunin - "Beauty". An analysis and a summary of the short story are presented in the article.
"Dark alleys"
The writer began working on these stories in the late 30s. Today the collection is included in the school curriculum, recognized as one of the best books about love created by Russian prose writers. "Dark Alleys" consist of three parts. In rather difficult conditions, Bunin created his best works. "Beauty", which we will begin to analyze a little later, is included in the second part. Written in Paris during the German occupation.
Some stories from the collection "Dark Alleys" were filmed. Films based on the stories from this collection are “Two Voices”, “Grammar of Love”, “Indefinite Spring”, “Summer of Love” and others.
The content of the story "Beauty"
Analysis of Bunin's prose should always begin with a reading of the original source. Even if the content of a story is well known. The works of the last Russian classic are worth reading many times. The writer was very careful about the words. Sometimes, having already sent the manuscript to the publishing house, he repeatedly demanded to remove the comma, change this or that adjective for a synonym, remove any sentence. His prose is extremely poetic. And it seems that there is not a single extra word in it. Thus, before doing an analysis of "Beauty" Bunin, it is worth reading this short story once again. This will take no more than three minutes.
A middle-aged official, a widower, marries a young beauty. From his first marriage he has a son. But the official seems to forget about the boy’s existence. The thing is that the young wife shows neither attention nor affection for the stepson. He is being relocated to the living room. Then the stepmother orders the maid to lay the boy on the floor - so as not to spoil the velvet covers. That’s all the content of the story “Beauty” by Bunin.
Analysis of the work needs to be done in order to assess the skill of the author. Thanks to his amazing ability to choose the exact word, to convey the suffering of the boy, the egoism of the stepmother, the criminal indifference of the father, the writer succeeded. At the same time, Bunin almost did not use direct speech and did not express his opinion regarding the actions of the heroes.
Why exactly the "beauty"?
An analysis of Bunin's work should begin with an answer to this question. The writer called his story "Beauty." The main character is really good with you. However, in the plot it does not matter. This name is a kind of provocation. After all, the reader from the story of Bunin makes a completely different impression. Beauty causes unpleasant feelings.
Heroes of the story
A brief analysis of Bunin's “Beauty” should certainly include a characterization of the characters. What did the author say about his characters? The official’s second wife is a young domineering woman with a keen eye. She is small in stature, well-built, always well-dressed. The boy’s father is thin, tall, always quiet. The main character - the stepson of the beauty - was naturally alive, affectionate. However, in the presence of her stepmother, he was afraid to say a word. He seemed to be hiding, became non-existent in the house.
Ivan Bunin gives approximately such a characteristic of the heroes in the story Beauty. He does not call the main character cruel, and her young husband - spineless. He does not say anything about how the boy suffered from dislike and inattention. The writer uses various artistic means. And this sometimes creates far sharper images than the author’s comments. In the analysis of "Beauty" by Ivan Bunin, it is worth quoting a few quotes.
Calm hatred
The author used this oxymoron, describing the feelings of a woman in relation to her stepson. But can hatred be calm? Such a strange phrase allows the reader to understand the attitude of the main character to a seven-year-old boy. She pretends not to notice him. Immediately after the wedding, he sends him to a small room, which is located next to the dining room. The boy, living among people, having a father, is "all alone."
Mom's chest
That is what Bunin originally called his story. After the stepmother appeared in the house, little is said about the boy’s life. And the work itself is small. But in just a few sentences, the author created a touching image of a lonely boy. The official is afraid of his beautiful wife. In fear of her, he "pretends to have no son." And the boy begins to live completely independently, apart from other family members. Speaking of him, Bunin uses words such as "inaudible", "imperceptibly."
The official’s son humbly sits in a corner, draws, and whispers through the warehouses the same book that his mother bought him. He makes himself a bed, and in the morning he diligently removes it. He keeps all his "good" in a chest inherited from his mother. This chest is the only thing that connects the boy with the person who loved him. Perhaps this is a symbol of a past, happy life.
We do not know anything about the fate of the son of an official who, with his living father, became an orphan. But we can assume that the loneliness in which he found himself at an early age will leave severe trauma for the rest of his life.
Most of the stories from the collection "Dark Alleys" tells of love and passion. The author talks about feeling both selfless and selfish. "Beauty" is a short story about dislike and indifference.
The story consists of five paragraphs. There are only three actors in it. This depicts a deep tragedy and dumb, terrible cruelty of people who can destroy a person with indifference.