The events of the story “The Night Before Christmas”, which belongs to the series “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”, are incredible, fantastic and similar to a fairy tale. The whole plot narrative is saturated with a folklore spirit, reminiscent of original ancient legends and fairy tales.
Outset-climax-denouement
The main action of the work “The Night Before Christmas”, whose heroes are mostly residents of Dikanka, revolves around the main character - the blacksmith Vakula, and the unchanging hero of popular beliefs - a devil. The plot of the original plot can be considered a conversation between the obstinate beauty Oksana and Vakula, who is in love with her unconscious. The girl promises to go down the aisle with the blacksmith only if he gets her the cherished little deer worn by the empress.
The culmination of the action is called the flight of a blacksmith riding a demon to Petersburg and back. And in the denouement, the protagonist not only gets the coveted shoes, but also reconciles with his beloved father, after which the happy couple is married.
Folk beliefs as a basis
Almost all readers who plunged into the exciting fairy-tale world of literature noted the unusual charm and poetry of texts by N.V. Gogol. A distinctive feature of the story "The Night Before Christmas", whose heroes are familiar to everyone since childhood, is the widespread use of oral folklore and folklore. This trend can be seen both in the plot twists and in the characters. It is from popular beliefs that Solokha and the devil appear. A demon who managed to steal a month, and a witch flying out of the chimney of a rural hut and amusing herself with the stars. You can also draw a parallel between folk legends and the magical flight of the blacksmith. In his work, the author plausibly reflects the spirit of the Ukrainian village, outback.
Solokha
The "Night before Christmas" in an amazing way combines the real with the fictional, fabulous. The characters of the story are unique and colorful. Among women, the mother of the protagonist, Vakula, is especially distinguished. Describing this image, we recall that Solokha is “a woman of Balzac age,” she is “no more than forty years old”.
It’s hard not to remember the charismatic Gogol heroine. Although, according to the author’s description, she’s neither bad nor pretty, a large number of representatives of a strong half of the village are her fans. Moreover, the woman is so smart, or rather, insidious that not one of the admirers could have imagined that he has a rival. The explanation for this dexterity is the fact that Solokha is a witch. And, as befits the representative of this "craft", she knows the art of seduction to perfection, however, as well as the skills of flying on a broomstick. This character cannot be called a model of virtue, but he captivates the reader no less than the beautiful Oksana, clerk Osip Nikiforovich or Sverbyguz.
Outlandish name
Many admirers of the story are concerned about the question of why Vakula's mother's name is so unusual - Solokha. This name is strange even for a witch, perhaps Gogol specially invented it for his heroine? It turns out that no. Such a name existed in ancient times. His echoes are preserved in modern surnames like Soloshin, Solokhov or Soloshenko. Most likely, this name is derived from some other Christian.
As for the origin of the name, there are several different versions. Perhaps Solokha is a derivative of Sophia, which means "wise, wisdom." And if you consider that the witch means "knowing", possessing secret knowledge, wisdom, then the name of the heroine is the most suitable and symbolic for the sorceress. According to another version, this is a derivative of Solomonides - a female variation of the name Solomon, which is uniquely associated with the image of the legendary king, known to the whole world for his infinite wisdom.
The combination of the real with the fabulous
The traditional characteristic of Solokha is mostly negative. She is distinguished by cunning, hypocrisy, willingness to commit vile deeds in order to satisfy her own interests. The woman welcomed only wealthy boyfriends, while giving preference to the richest among them - the Cossack Chub, as she dreamed of taking over his household, fantasizing about how he would live when he became a full-fledged mistress.
The author deliberately portrayed this character in the close interweaving of science fiction and reality: she is both a clever rural woman, and a flaming witch flirting with the devil and clerk. All rural women secretly envy her. Solokha does not frighten or repel the reader; she cannot be called a negative character. In the image of this heroine is seen a crafty mockery created by a great writer. In it, this burly and attractive woman, Gogol wanted to show the reader various human vices: treason, self-interest, greed, constant deception.
Charmed world
In the story “The Night Before Christmas”, a special world appears before the reader with its laws and rules, traditions. Real situations so organically merge into fantastic, fabulous that it begins to seem: it should be so. Both worlds in a work, interwoven, merge into a single whole. And the creation of a fabulous atmosphere is facilitated by sketches of the surrounding reality. Many natural phenomena come to life in an enchanted world: "the stars glanced", "a month majestically rose to heaven." In the work “The Night Before Christmas” Gogol’s mastery was fully manifested.