The story "Olesya" (Kuprin) is based on the autobiographical memoirs of the author of 1897, when he lived in Polesie. At that time, disappointed in his reporter career, Kuprin left Kiev. Here he was engaged in the management of an estate located in the Rivne district, carried away by the Church Slavonic language. However, Kuprin's greatest passion was hunting. Among the vast swamps and forests, he spent whole days with peasant hunters.
The received impressions from meetings and conversations, local legends and “stories” gave rich food to the writer's mind and heart, prompted the specifics and form of his early stories - a description of the “local” history, a travel essay.
Love in the works of Kuprin
Alexander Ivanovich was always interested in the topic of love, believing that it contained the most exciting mystery of man. He believed that individuality is not expressed in colors, not in voice, not in creativity, not in gait, but in love.
“He and she in Kuprin’s novel“ Olesya ”are the most important theme of the work. Love as the highest measure of a person’s personality, ennobling and elevating him above life circumstances, was revealed with great mastery in this story. In it, Alexander Ivanovich poetizes the nobility of the soul, the ability to enjoy beauty and the harmony of nature. The landscapes of Polesie lovingly and generously described in the story give a major, bright tone to the story of the fate of Ivan Timofeevich and Olesya, the main characters.
The image of Olesya
The content of Kuprin’s novel “Olesya” is based on the story of a bright feeling for a young girl’s budding writer. The heroine from the very first phrase about "hungry finches" attracts readers. She was struck by Ivan Timofeevich with original beauty. The girl was a brunette, about twenty to twenty-five years old, tall and slender. Ivan Timofeevich brought pure curiosity with her and her grandmother Manuilikha. The village treated these two women awkwardly, having driven them to live in a dense forest, since Manuiliha was considered a witch. The main character, accustomed to treating people with caution, did not immediately open to the writer. Her fate is determined by exclusivity, loneliness.
The narration is conducted on behalf of Ivan Timofeevich, an urban intellectual. All other heroes (unsociable peasants, Yarmol, the narrator himself, Manuilikh) are connected with the environment, are constrained by its laws and way of life, therefore they are very far from harmony. And only Olesya, brought up by nature itself, her mighty power, managed to preserve her innate human qualities and talents. The author idealizes her image, but real abilities are embodied in Olesya’s feelings, behaviors, thoughts, so the story is psychologically true. For the first time, Alexander Ivanovich in the character of Olesya merged together selflessness and pride, the refinement of experiences and the effectiveness of actions. Her gifted soul amazes with the flight of feelings, devotion to her lover, attitude to nature, people.
Did Ivan Timofeevich Love Olesya
The heroine fell in love with the writer, a "kind, but only weak" person. Her fate was a foregone conclusion. Superstitious and suspicious Olesya believes what the cards told her. She knew in advance how the relationship between them would end. Mutual love did not work out. Ivan Timofeevich was only attracted to Olesya, which he mistook for love. This interest arose because of the originality and immediacy of the main character. The opinion of society for a weak-willed hero meant a lot. Life outside of him, he did not think.
He and she in the story Kuprin "Olesya"
In Oles, the image of mother nature was embodied. She treats finches, hares, starlings with care and love, pities her grandmother, the thief Trofim, forgives even the brutalized mob that beat her. Olesya is a serious, deep, whole nature. It has a lot of immediacy and sincerity. The hero of Kuprin, under the influence of this forest girl, experiences, albeit temporarily, a special enlightened state of mind. Kuprin (the story "Olesya") analyzes the characters' characters by contrasting, based on contrast. These are very different people belonging to different sectors of society: the hero is a writer, an educated person who came to Polesie to "observe mores." Olesya is an illiterate girl who grew up in a forest. She was aware of all the shortcomings of Ivan Timofeevich and understood that their love would not be happy, but, despite this, she loved the hero with all her heart. For his sake, she went to church, which was a difficult test for the girl, because she had to overcome her fear not only of the villagers, but also of God. Ivan Timofeevich, despite the fact that he loved Olesya (as it seemed to him), was at the same time afraid of his feelings. This fear in the end prevented Ivan Timofeevich from marrying her. As can be seen from a comparison of the images of the two heroes, he and she in the story by Kuprin "Olesya" are completely different people.
Dream of a beautiful man
The story "Olesya" (Kuprin) is the embodiment of the dream of a wonderful person, a healthy and free life in harmony with nature. It is no coincidence that the development of love took place against its background. The main idea of the work: only far from the indifferent city, from civilization can you meet a person who has retained the ability to love faithfully, disinterestedly. Only in harmony with nature can we achieve nobility and moral purity.
The true meaning of love
He and she in Kuprin’s novel “Olesya” are completely different people, therefore they are not destined to be together. What is the meaning of this love, for which Olesya, knowing that their relationship is doomed, still didn’t push the hero away from the very beginning?
Alexander Ivanovich sees the true meaning of love in the desire to give his beloved the fullness of feelings. A person is imperfect, but the great power of this feeling can, at least for a while, restore to him the naturalness and severity of sensations that people like Oles managed to preserve. This heroine is able to bring harmony into such conflicting relationships as those described by Kuprin (the story "Olesya"). An analysis of this work allows us to conclude that her love is contempt for human suffering and even death. It is unfortunate that only a select few are capable of such a feeling. Love in Kuprin’s novel “Olesya” is a special gift, as rare as the magical abilities possessed by the main character. This is something mysterious, mysterious, inexplicable.