In 1830, A. S. Pushkin finished writing a series of short stories “Tales of the late Ivan Petrovich Belkin”. “Snowstorm” is one of five works from this popular collection of the great master. At the center of the story is the fate of the girl, the daughter of the landowners, who is trying to overcome all the vicissitudes of fate in the name of her love. A summary of the story can be read below.
A. S. Pushkin "Snowstorm". Introduction
It happened in 1811. In the village of Nenaradovo lived a landowner Gavrila Gavrilovich with his wife and daughter. Their family was exemplary, the neighbors loved to visit them. Near the beautiful Marya Gavrilovna, who was eighteen years old, enviable grooms curled. But the girl, who adored French love affairs, refused to everyone. There was a good reason for this. The fact is that Masha was secretly in love with poor ensign Vladimir Nikolayevich. For the latter, this was not a mystery; her sympathy was mutual. Young lovers secretly met in the grove, then near the old chapel. They had to hide because of the dissatisfaction of the girl’s parents with her daughter’s choice. The friendly and hospitable landowners refused Vladimir Nikolayevich a warm welcome in his house. Secret dates could not last long, and the couple decided to get married without their blessing. Then, some time after the wedding, the young men proposed to rush to their feet and pray for forgiveness. In the meantime, it was agreed that Marya Gavrilovna would be sick in the evening and would retire to her chambers. After the lights go out in the house, three horses with a chariot will be waiting for her. On it, she was supposed to go to the village of Zhadrino, located nearby. There, in the old church, the young are married with three witnesses. So begins Pushkin’s novel “Snowstorm”. Next, completely unexpected events will occur. Throughout the story, the author keeps the reader in suspense.
A. S. Pushkin "Snowstorm". Development of events
Events began to unfold as intended. As soon as dinner was served, Masha said she was sick and left for her room. Parents did not notice anything unusual in the behavior of their daughter. Time passed, it got dark outside the window. A real snowstorm broke out on the street. The wind swept the road, and it was no longer possible to discern what was ahead, further than a meter. It was at this time that Mary, accompanied by her serf girl, left her father's house, got into the top three and went to Zhadrino. And Vladimir Nikolaevich, meanwhile, was also planning on the road. He decided to ride alone in a cart in one horse, without taking the guides with him. As soon as the hero was on a snow-marked road, he realized what a stupid thing he had done, because nothing was visible ahead. Hoping for God's mercy, the ensign decided to move on. He soon got lost. The road was finally lost, the horse was drowning in the snow. Suddenly he saw a light and rode into his light. It turned out that Vladimir went to an unfamiliar village, and the village of Zhadrino, where his bride was supposed to wait, is on the sidelines. Getting there at the appointed hour was no longer possible. When the ensign arrived in this village, the church was already closed, there were no people anywhere. Turning around, he drove home.
A. S. Pushkin "Snowstorm". Denouement
The day after this event, the parents found Masha in the morning in bed sick. The girl started a fever. In delirium, she called Vladimir Nikolaevich and tried to tell about the details of this terrible night. Caused by caring parents, the doctor said the cause of the illness was psychological, probably
unhappy love. Then the girl’s mother relented, deciding that, apparently, the fate of her daughter was a poor army ensign. She sent an invitation to Vladimir Nikolaevich to visit their home. But, unexpectedly, he refused, asking him not to disturb him anymore. Two weeks after these events, Masha recovered and did not seem to recall her failed bridegroom. Soon Vladimir Nikolaevich was sent to the army. Masha found his last name in the list of wounded near Borodin. He died in a Moscow hospital. This was not the only loss in the life of a poor girl. Her father, Gavrila Gavrilovich, died some time later, leaving his daughter in good condition. Grooms circled around Masha, but she refused to all. Only one of the young people did the girl relate especially to the hussar colonel Burmin. It would seem that nothing could interfere with the happiness of these two people. However, there was a wall between them, a certain lack of understanding that prevented their rapprochement. Everything was resolved after a frank conversation between Masha and Burmin.
The colonel told the girl that he could not marry her, since he was married to another. A few years ago, he was brought into a snowstorm in a village where he decided to take refuge in a church. There was a light on, people flickered. As soon as the young man entered, they rushed to him with the words: “Finally you have come!”. In the corner sat a pale young lady. She was placed with him in front of the altar, the priest performed a wedding ceremony. When the bride turned to him to kiss, she cried out and fainted. The colonel hastily left the church. Several years passed, and he still does not know who his married wife is and where she is. Hearing this story, Maria Gavrilovna cried out: “And you did not recognize me?” Burmin fell at her feet. This episode ended his story "Blizzard" Pushkin.
An excerpt from Zhukovsky’s ballad “Svetlana” in the epigraph of the work suggests that these two creations of great authors are very similar. They traced a certain general mystical mood. All events in them are not random, but predetermined by fate.