Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol is a famous writer whose work is very ambiguous. Prone to mysticism, the author is able to bring some zest to his works, which is remembered and leaves no one indifferent. Whatever work you take, you everywhere feel unsaid, unfinished, mysterious. Between the lines you can always read something that conveys the depth of soul of the maestro.
For example, a work that is thoroughly saturated with fatalism, fear of uncharted and otherworldly forces is “Portrait” (Gogol). A summary of it can convey only the main points of the plot. But only the full version can immerse you in the world of illusion, in the world of a beautiful syllable and convey the mood that Nikolai Vasilievich wanted to convey.
“Portrait” (Gogol). Summary
The work begins with a description of the difficult fate of a young and talented artist. He has absolutely no money to pay for housing, no funds for food and even candles. So he stays without work all evenings, envious of those who have orders and popularity. However, with the last money he buys a portrait of an Asian with unusually lively eyes. And then because of him, he almost goes crazy. Chartkov sees these eyes everywhere: they seem to him in reality, they dream of him every night, they look right into his soul. But a bill in a thousand pieces of gold suddenly falls out of the picture. On this, the artist’s life seems to be getting better.
The story “Portrait” (Gogol), the brief content of which can interest the reader and prompt him to read the full version, tells about the future fate of Chartkov. He is a sought-after artist, but eventually becomes greedy, and his talent degrades. Out of envy, the hero begins to buy ingenious works of other painters, which he spends his entire fortune on. However, the canvases are brutally destroyed as a result, and the character dies, deliriously recalling all the same eyes of an Asian.
The work “Portrait” (Gogol), the short content of which is difficult to describe in a few sentences, continues to explain this entire mysterious story. After Chartkov’s death, a portrait of a Chinese man with expertly painted eyes falls at a St. Petersburg auction. There he is found by a man whose father painted a picture. It turns out that it shows a moneylender who borrowed money to everyone . However, these funds did not bring luck to anyone - everyone who took money from an Asian from Kolomna died a terrible death, went crazy.
We continue the summary. Gogol called the portrait an image of the spirit of darkness, and his artist painted it with a loan shark. But in the process, the author is overcome by a painful feeling, and he does not want to continue to write. The Chinese asks to finish the portrait in order to remain “alive” even after death, but he dies without having seen this work. The author wants to burn it, but gives it at the request of a friend. Further, the portrait begins to negatively affect each of its owners. Therefore, the narrator is looking for a picture to stop the flow of evil, but it mysteriously disappears.
“Portrait” (Gogol). Story analysis
This story is a deep philosophical work that touches on the theme of the influence of otherworldly forces on human destinies. It’s not only a person who is in control of fate, but also other circumstances, other people, and even mysticism. Believe it or not - it is up to each reader to decide. Reading the work, I just want to enjoy the interesting plot and the singing language of its creator.