The story of I.S. Turgenev "Biryuk" is included in the collection of short stories "Notes of a Hunter". It is generally accepted that the time of its creation is approximate - 1848-50s, since the writer began work on the stories in the 1840s, and published a complete collection in 1852.

The collection is united by the presence of one "off-screen" protagonist-narrator. This is a certain Pyotr Petrovich, a nobleman, who in some stories is a silent witness to events, in others he is a full-fledged participant. Biryuk is one of those stories where events take place around Pyotr Petrovich and with his participation.

Story analysis

plot, composition

Unlike most writers of that time, who depict peasants as a faceless gray mass, the author in each essay notes some special feature of peasant life, therefore all the works combined in the collection gave a vivid and multifaceted picture of the peasant world.

A genre work stands on the border of a story and an essay (the title “note” emphasizes the essay character of the work). The plot is another episode from the life of Pyotr Petrovich. The events described in Biryuk are described by Pyotr Petrovich in the form of a monologue. An avid hunter, he once got lost in the forest, in the evening twilight fell into a downpour. The forester he met, a figure known in the village for his gloominess and unsociableness, invites Pyotr Petrovich home to wait out the bad weather. The rain subsided, and in the silence the forester heard the sound of an ax - someone was stealing the forest he was guarding. Pyotr Petrovich wanted to go with the forester "for detention", to see how he works. Together they caught the "thief", who turned out to be a beggar little man, disheveled, in rags. It was evident that the peasant began to steal the forest not from a good life, and the narrator began to ask Biryuk to let the thief go. For a long time Pyotr Petrovich had to persuade the principled forester, intervening in a scuffle between Biryuk and the detainee. Unexpectedly, the forester released the caught, taking pity on him.

Heroes and problems of the story

The protagonist of the work is Biryuk, a serf forester, zealously and fundamentally guarding the manor's forest. His name is Foma Kuzmich, but people in the village are hostile to him, for his harsh unsociable character they give him a nickname.

It is no coincidence that the nature of the forester is drawn from the words of a nobleman witness - Pyotr Petrovich still understands Biryuk better than the villagers, for him his character is quite understandable and understandable. It is also understandable why the villagers are hostile towards Biryuk, and why no one is to blame for this enmity. The forester mercilessly catches the "thieves", claiming that in the village there is a "thief on the thief", and they all climb into the forest from hopelessness, from incredible poverty. The villagers still ascribe to Biryuk some kind of imaginary "power" and threaten to take it away, completely forgetting that he is just an honest performer of work, and "does not eat the master's bread for nothing."

Biryuk himself is as poor as the peasants he catches - his dwelling is miserable and dull, filled with desolation and disorder. Instead of a bed - a bunch of rags, the dim light of a torch, the absence of food, except for bread. There is no hostess - she ran away with a visiting tradesman, leaving her husband and two children (one of them is quite a baby and, apparently, sick - he breathes “noisily and soon” in his cradle, a girl of 12 years old is taking care of her baby).

Biryuk himself is a real Russian hero, with powerful muscles and a hat of dark curls. He is a correct, principled, honest and lonely person - this is repeatedly emphasized by his nickname. Loneliness in life, loneliness in one's convictions, loneliness on duty and being forced to live in the forest, loneliness among people - Biryuk causes sympathy and respect.

A man caught by a thief causes exceptional pity, because, in contrast to Biryuk, he is petty, miserable, justifying his theft with hunger, the need to feed a large family. The men are ready to blame anyone for their poverty - from the master to the same Biryuk. The forester, in a fit of evil sincerity, calls him a murderer, a bloodsucker and a beast, and rushes at him.

It would seem that two socially equal people - both poor, both serfs, both with the duties of a family man - to feed the children, but the peasant goes to theft, and the forester does not, and therefore one can not believe in the description given by fellow villagers to the forester. "Beast", "murderer", "bloodsucker" he can be called only by the one to whom he did not allow to steal.

The title of the story contains the nickname of the protagonist, which indicates not at all the nature of the forester, but the circumstances in which he lives hopelessly; to his place, which was assigned to him by people. Serfs do not live richly, and honest serfs in the service of the master are also forced to be alone, because they are not understood by their own brethren.

Biryuk releases the peasant out of compassion - feeling has taken precedence over reason and principles. Pyotr Petrovich offers to reimburse the cost of the tree felled by the peasant, since the foresters, who did not keep track of the theft, had to pay for the damage from their own pockets. Despite the fine that threatens him, Biryuk performs a human act and it is clear that he feels relieved.

Biryuk, like the rest of the stories in the Hunter's Notes, is a collection of images of peasants, each of whom is famous for some side of his character, his deeds or talents. The horrific plight of these talented and strong people, which prevents them from opening up, taking care of at least something other than finding food and pushing them to crime - this is the main problem of the story, voiced by the author.

The main character of the work, included in the collection of stories "Notes of a Hunter", is the serf forester Foma Kuzmich, popularly nicknamed Biryuk.

The writer presents Biryuk in the image of a tall, broad-shouldered man with a thick beard, lush eyebrows and small brown eyes, reminiscent of a Russian fairy-tale hero who lives in a poor forest lodge with two children left to be raised with his father by an unlucky mother.

By nature, Foma Kuzmich is distinguished by strength, honesty, dexterity, severity, justice, but he has a tough and unsociable character, for which he received the nickname of the biryuk among the locals.

Biryuk sacredly observes his own principles of good and evil, which are subject to a clear service to official duties, respect for other people's property, although in his own family he has utter poverty, lack of elementary home furniture and utensils, poor food and children left without maternal affection and care .

Indicative of this is the example of a peasant caught by Biryuk in the forest, who decided on a stormy night to cut firewood without proper permission in order to feed his large family. The forester's sense of duty prevails, he is very tough on theft, not allowing himself to commit unseemly acts even out of hopelessness, but at the same time, compassion, pity and generosity for a poor, wretched little man who decided on a bad deed because of hungry children wins in the soul of Biryuk, the need to properly carry out official duties.

Narrating the episode that happened on a rainy night with Biryuk, the writer reveals the character of Foma Kuzmich as a whole and strong nature, adhering to firm principles in life, but forced to deviate from them in order to manifest true human qualities.

The entire cycle of stories "Notes of a Hunter", including the work in question, is devoted by the writer to describing the difficult life of Russian serfs, each of which is a strong, powerful characteristic image that carries the manifestation of true human qualities, such as love, patriotism, justice, mutual assistance, kindness and sincerity.

Composition about Biryuk

Turgenev is one of those poets for whom love for Russia is almost in the first place. This can be seen in the path of all his work. Very prominent among the works of Turgenev is the work "Biryuk". This work was not a manifestation of love for the native land and not political issues, but exclusively moral values.

The main character is Biryuk, he is also a forester. Turgenev in the story tries to show that his life is not sweet and there are enough problems for his soul. The main character broke up with his wife, or rather, she left him, and two children remained to live with their father. If you imagine Biryuk, then one gets the impression of a person eternally sad, gloomy. But how can you rejoice when family life is over. In addition, the place of residence was an old hut. When the author describes the state of the dwelling, it becomes gloomy, poverty is all around. Even when a guest came to him at night, he didn’t particularly want to be in such a terrible hut.

The people who met Thomas were afraid of him, and this is understandable. He is a tall and strong man, his face is stern, even angry. A beard grew on his face. But, as you know, external signs are only the first impression of a person, because, in fact, he is a kind and sympathetic person. Fellow villagers said about Biryuk that he was an honest man and did not like deceit. He was an incorruptible forester, he did not need benefits, he just went about his business and lived honestly.

Once Thomas caught a thief at night and the question arose before him, what to do with him? The first thing that was on the mind of the forester was the punishment for the thief. Biryuk took the ropes and tied the criminal, then led him into the hut. The thief was a little dumbfounded by the living conditions of the forester. But you can't deceive your heart and soul. Although Thomas looked stern, kindness won out in this situation. The forester decides that the criminal needs to be released, although doubts about this do not let him go. It was difficult for Biryuk to understand that theft is not such a terrible crime. In his mind, every crime should be punished.

Turgenev throughout the story tries to present Foma as a simple peasant from Russia. He is honest and just lives and does what he is supposed to do. He is not looking for illegal ways to earn money. Turgenev describes Foma in such a way that you really understand that life can throw trouble. He is burdened by his existence in poverty and not joy. Nevertheless, the hero accepts what is and continues to live proudly and fight with problems.

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Composition

I. S. Turgenev was one of the foremost people of his time. He realized that in order to win the right to be called a folk writer, talent alone is not enough, you need "sympathy for the people, a kindred disposition" and "the ability to penetrate the essence of your people, their language and way of life." The collection of short stories "Notes of a Hunter" describes the peasant world in a very vivid and multifaceted way.

In all the stories there is one and the same hero - the nobleman Pyotr Petrovich. He loves hunting very much, travels a lot and talks about the cases that happened to him. We also meet Pyotr Petrovich in "Biryuk", which describes his acquaintance with a mysterious and gloomy forester, nicknamed Biryuk, "whom all the surrounding peasants were afraid of like fire." The meeting takes place in the forest during a thunderstorm, and the forester invites the master to his house to hide from the weather. Pyotr Petrovich accepts the invitation and finds himself in an old hut "from one room, smoky, low and empty." He notices the minutiae of the gloomy existence of the forester's family. His wife "ran away with a passer-by." And Foma Kuzmich was left alone with two small children. The eldest daughter Ulita, herself still a child, nurses the baby, cradling him in the cradle. Poverty and family grief have already left their mark on the girl. She has a downcast "sad face", timid movements. The description of the hut makes a depressing impression. Everything here breathes sadness and wretchedness: “a tattered sheepskin coat hung on the wall”, “a torch burned on the table, sadly flashing and dying out”, “a pile of rags lay in the corner”, “the bitter smell of cooled smoke” hovered everywhere and made it difficult to breathe. The heart in Pyotr Petrovich’s chest “wounded: it’s not fun to enter a peasant’s hut at night.” When the rain passed, the forester heard the sound of an ax and decided to catch the intruder. Barin went with him.

The thief turned out to be "a wet man, in rags, with a long disheveled beard," who, apparently, did not go to steal from a good life. He has a "drunk, wrinkled face, hanging yellow eyebrows, restless eyes, thin limbs." He begs Biryuk to let him go with the horse, justifying himself that “the children are squeaking from hunger.” The tragedy of a hungry peasant life, a difficult life, appears before us in the image of this miserable, desperate man who exclaims: “Knock down - one end; that from hunger, that so - everything is one.

The realism of the depiction of everyday pictures of the life of peasants in the story of I. S. Turgenev is impressive to the core. And along with this, we face the social problems of that time: the poverty of the peasants, hunger, cold, forcing people to steal.

Other writings on this work

One of the types of a "good" man is bred in the story "Biryuk". He lives in a poor hut with two children - his wife ran away with some tradesman. He serves as a forester and they say about him that “he won’t let a bundle of firewood be dragged away ... and nothing can take him: neither wine, nor money - he doesn’t go for any bait.” He is sullen and silent; to the author’s questions, he sternly answers: “I do my job - I don’t have to eat the master’s bread for nothing.” Despite this external severity, he is a very compassionate and kind person at heart. Usually, having caught a peasant in the forest, he only tempts him, and then, taking pity, lets him go in peace. The author of the story becomes a witness to the following scene: Biryuk releases the peasant he caught in the forest, realizing that only extreme need made this poor man decide to steal. At the same time, he does not at all show off his noble deeds - he is rather embarrassed that an outsider witnessed this scene. He is one of those people who at first glance do not stand out, but are able to suddenly do something out of the ordinary, after which they again become the same ordinary people.

His majestic posture - tall stature, powerful shoulders, a stern and courageous face, wide eyebrows and small brown eyes that looked boldly - everything about him revealed an extraordinary person. Biryuk performed his duty as a forester so conscientiously that everyone said about him: “He won’t let a bundle of brushwood be dragged away ... And nothing can take it: neither wine nor money; will not take any bait." Stern in appearance, Biryuk had a tender, kind heart. In the forest he catches a peasant who has cut down a tree, so he intimidates that he will threaten not to give the horse back, and the matter usually ends with taking pity on the thief and letting him go. Biryuk loves to do a good deed, he also loves to fulfill his duties conscientiously, but he will not shout about it at all crossroads, and will not show off this.

Severe honesty does not stem from Biryuk from any speculative principles: he is a simple peasant. But his deeply direct nature made him understand how to fulfill the duty he had taken upon himself. “I’m doing my job,” he says gloomily, “you don’t have to eat the master’s bread for nothing ...”. Biryuk is a good man, though rude in appearance. He lives alone in the forest, in a hut "smoky, low and empty, without curtains and partitions", with two children, abandoned by his wife, who ran away with a passer-by tradesman; it must have been family grief that made him sullen. He is a forester, and they say about him that “he won’t let a bunch of brushwood be dragged away ... and you can’t take him with anything: neither wine, nor money, nor any bait.” The author had a chance to witness how this incorruptible honest man let go of a thief he had caught in the forest, a peasant who cut down a tree - he let go because he felt with his honest and generous heart the hopeless grief of a poor man who, out of desperation, decided on a dangerous business. The author beautifully depicts in this scene the whole horror of poverty, to which the peasant sometimes comes.

In 1847-1852, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev created several stories that were combined into a collection called Notes of a Hunter.

Writers of the previous era rarely wrote about the peasants, and if they did, they portrayed them as a common gray mass. Despite this, Turgenev undertook to note the features of peasant life, thanks to which the collection "Notes of a Hunter" presented a vivid and multifaceted composition of the life of peasants. The stories immediately attracted readers and allowed them to win special fame.

Features of the stories "Notes of a hunter"

Each story features one main character, whose name is Peter Petrovich. He is a nobleman from the village of Spassky and is actively engaged in hunting and hiking. Ivan Turgenev tells about various stories that happened during hunting trips. The protagonist acquired such valuable character traits as observation and attention, thanks to which the narrator better understands various life situations and successfully conveys them to the reader.

"Biryuk" is a story included in the collection "Notes of a Hunter". The work was written in 1848 and corresponds to the general literary composition. The main character again finds himself in an interesting story, about which he narrates in the form of a monologue.

The plot of the story "Biryuk"

One evening, Pyotr Petrovich was returning from a hunt and got caught in a downpour. Further trip was impossible: bad weather had to wait out. Fortunately, Peter saw the forester, who invited the master to his house. An important conversation took place in Biryuk's hut. As it turned out, the forester was nicknamed Biryuk because he has a gloomy and unsociable character. Despite such harsh character traits, Biryuk decided to tell many interesting facts about his life.

After the downpour ended, the hospitable owner of the forest hut heard the sound of an ax and decided to catch the intruder. Petr Petrovich supported the idea, so the two of them went in search of the intruder. The thief turned out to be a beggar man, dressed in rags and with a disheveled beard. Most likely, the violation was due to a difficult life situation. Pyotr Petrovich took pity on the beggar and asked Biryuk for an important favor, or rather, to let the poor peasant go. However, the forester did not agree and led the peasant into his hut. The violator was released only after repeated requests for mercy from the master.

Biryuk as a person

Biryuk is an interesting and whole person, but, unfortunately, tragic. The main tragedy lies in the presence of special views on life, which sometimes have to be sacrificed. The story noted that many peasants in the middle of the 19th century considered stealing a common thing. This was precisely the main tragedy of Biryuk.

It is important to note that the outlook of the peasants was explained by serious social problems:

Insecurity of the peasant people;

Lack of good education;

Immorality of behavior due to insufficient education.

The forester Biryuk was different from ordinary peasants. He is ready to live as a beggar even if such a situation turns out to be difficult. Any life circumstances could not induce to theft.

It is important to note that Biryuk's impoverished position was confirmed by the description of his house in the forest:

One room;

Smoky;

Low and empty hut;

Lack of decks and partitions.

One can understand how difficult Biryuk's life is. It can be assumed that if the poor would sacrifice his principles, he, being in the forest lands, could build a beautiful hut for himself.

Biryuk understands that if every peasant steals, the general situation will only worsen. The forester is confident that he is right, so it is difficult for him to deviate from the existing principles. Despite such character traits and the desire to walk firmly through life, sometimes you have to face trials. The situation described in the story clearly demonstrates the struggle of a feeling of pity and compassion with clear principles, a desire to improve the world. The essay shows how difficult it is to vacillate between feelings and existing principles, not knowing what to choose.

"Biryuk" is a fascinating story that reveals the characters of each participant in the story. Ivan Turgenev understood the peculiarities of peasant life in the 19th century, therefore he successfully reflected them in his works. The logic of life is a worthy foundation, without which it is impossible to change the realities.

"Biryuk" is a story that reflected the unfair situation of many serfs. Each reader has the right to independently place accents on the feelings that arise when comparing heroes from the same peasant environment, but differing in life principles and traits of their characters.

The plot of the story is based on a direct conflict between the forester Biryuk, who is considered lonely and gloomy, and a poor peasant. Biryuk honestly fulfills his duties and tries to protect the forest. The peasant got into a difficult life situation, so he steals firewood. The hunter-master, Pyotr Petrovich, stopped in a forest hut due to a sudden downpour, so he becomes an accidental witness to a conflict situation. He sees how, during bad weather, Biryuk decides to go into the forest and tries to catch the unfortunate thief.

Biryuk lives in poverty and raises children by himself. His wife went to a passing tradesman, leaving her family behind. Despite such life circumstances, theft still remains the last thing, so Biryuk tries to identify violators and punish them ... But you need to understand how fair this behavior is. Growing children are starving and eating bad bread... Biryuk shows distrust and sullenness, speaks little and behaves insincerely. Biryuk, of course, invites the hunter to his place and is ready to take him home, but still shows a merciless judicial attitude towards the beggar.

Biryuk is ready to justify his actions with the following moment: he is a forced laborer, so he can be charged ... At the same time, during the plaintive explanations of the poor peasant, the forester is silent. Such moments reflect a serious internal struggle. The forester wants to justify the unfortunate thief, realizing that in bad weather he steals wood from the master to fire the stove and cook food for a hungry family, but still leaves the offender locked up. The attitude changes only after the unfortunate man at the very end of the story calls Biryuk a "beast", "a cursed murderer." The violator is ready to accept any punishment, because even death does not frighten him. However, accusing the forester of inhumanity immediately leads to another effect, because Biryuk lets him go. Unexpectedly, a serious internal conflict was resolved:

Cruelty and duty of service;

Clear life principles;

Sincere sympathy and understanding of the misfortune of an outsider.

At the same time, the master, Pyotr Petrovich, contributed to the successful solution of the current situation, as he immediately imbued with the explanations of the unfortunate thief.

The situation is better revealed thanks to the detailed descriptions of the landscape. Throughout the story, a thunderstorm rages, personifying Biryuk's state of mind. In addition, many serfs consider the forester to be a manifestation of a thunderstorm. But still, Biryuk is freed from a sense of duty, as he performs a human act and goes towards an unfortunate person. According to the law that was in force at that sinister time, the forester. who did not catch the thief had to repay the entire cost of illegally felled trees. If this could not be done, there was a risk of a lawsuit with a further exile to Siberia, but the fear of punishment loses ... Biryuk still releases the thief and gives him his horse.

The meaning of the story "Biryuk"

Biryuk is a special hero in the story of Ivan Turgenev, because he has unique life principles and is sometimes ready to give them up. Mental struggle allows you to understand how difficult it is sometimes to make the right decision. A detailed description of bad weather and thunderstorms contributes to a better understanding of the life principles and feelings, emotions of the forester. It is important to understand that a person who is in need and cannot find the right path is forced to venture into hopelessness. The wavering between feelings and principles is the best reflection of humanity.

The story has numerous artistic merits, which are confirmed by critics:

Real and picturesque descriptions of nature;

Special style of narration;

Unusual heroes.

"Biryuk" is a worthy representative of the legendary collection "Notes of a Hunter", which made it possible to strengthen the position of Ivan Turgenev in Russian literature.

One of the types of a "good" man is bred in the story "Biryuk". He lives in a poor hut with two children - his wife ran away with some tradesman. He serves as a forester and they say about him that “he won’t let a bundle of firewood be dragged away ... and nothing can take him: neither wine, nor money - he doesn’t go for any bait.” He is sullen and silent; to the author’s questions, he sternly answers: “I do my job - I don’t have to eat the master’s bread for nothing.” Despite this external severity, he is a very compassionate and kind person at heart. Usually, having caught a peasant in the forest, he only tempts him, and then, taking pity, lets him go in peace. The author of the story becomes a witness to the following scene: Biryuk releases the peasant he caught in the forest, realizing that only extreme need made this poor man decide to steal. At the same time, he does not at all show off his noble deeds - he is rather embarrassed that an outsider witnessed this scene. He is one of those people who at first glance do not stand out, but are able to suddenly do something out of the ordinary, after which they again become the same ordinary people.

His majestic posture - tall stature, powerful shoulders, a stern and courageous face, wide eyebrows and small brown eyes that looked boldly - everything about him revealed an extraordinary person. Biryuk performed his duty as a forester so conscientiously that everyone said about him: “He won’t let a bundle of brushwood be dragged away ... And nothing can take it: neither wine nor money; will not take any bait." Stern in appearance, Biryuk had a tender, kind heart. In the forest he catches a peasant who has cut down a tree, so he intimidates that he will threaten not to give the horse back, and the matter usually ends with taking pity on the thief and letting him go. Biryuk loves to do a good deed, he also loves to fulfill his duties conscientiously, but he will not shout about it at all crossroads, and will not show off this.

Severe honesty does not stem from Biryuk from any speculative principles: he is a simple peasant. But his deeply direct nature made him understand how to fulfill the duty he had taken upon himself. “I’m doing my job,” he says gloomily, “you don’t have to eat the master’s bread for nothing ...”. Biryuk is a good man, though rude in appearance. He lives alone in the forest, in a hut "smoky, low and empty, without curtains and partitions", with two children, abandoned by his wife, who ran away with a passer-by tradesman; it must have been family grief that made him sullen. He is a forester, and they say about him that “he won’t let a bunch of brushwood be dragged away ... and you can’t take him with anything: neither wine, nor money, nor any bait.” The author had a chance to witness how this incorruptible honest man let go of a thief he had caught in the forest, a peasant who cut down a tree - he let go because he felt with his honest and generous heart the hopeless grief of a poor man who, out of desperation, decided on a dangerous business. The author beautifully depicts in this scene the whole horror of poverty, to which the peasant sometimes comes.

"Notes of a Hunter" appeared in print as separate stories and essays at the turn of the 40s and 50s of the 19th century. The impetus for starting work on the cycle was a request addressed to Turgenev in the fall of 1846 to provide material for the first issue of the updated Sovremennik magazine.

So the first essay "Khor and Kalinich" appeared. I.S. Turgenev wrote almost all subsequent stories and essays of the Hunter’s Notes abroad: he left in 1847 and stayed there for three and a half years.

Let's remember what a story is.

A story is a small epic work that tells about one or more events in a person's life.

Prove that "Biryuk" is a story.

This is a small piece. Here we are talking about Biryuk, about his life, meeting with a peasant. There are few actors in the work ...

The story "Biryuk" was created in 1847, and was published in 1848.

Creating this work, as well as the entire cycle of "Notes of a Hunter", Turgenev relied on his own impressions of the life of peasants in the Oryol province. One of the former serfs of I.S. Turgenev, and later a village teacher A.I. Zamyatin, recalled: “My grandmother and mother told me that almost all the faces mentioned in the Hunter’s Notes were not invented, but written off from living people, even their real names: there was Ermolai ... there was Biryuk, who was killed in the forest by his own peasants ... "

Guys, how many stories did the writer include in the "Hunter's Notes" cycle? (Children remember that there are 25 of them.)

- "Notes of a hunter" is a kind of chronicle of a Russian serf village. The stories are close in subject matter and ideological content. They expose the ugly phenomena of serfdom.

Creating a picture of Russian reality, Turgenev in his "Notes of a Hunter" applied a peculiar technique: he brought into action a storyteller-hunter. Why do you think?

Thanks to this, the reader can, together with the hunter, an observant, intelligent and knowledgeable person, walk through the native fields of the writer, visit villages and villages with him. He appreciates beauty and truth. His presence does not constrain anyone and often goes unnoticed. The image of a hunter helps us to understand reality more deeply, to understand what is happening, to evaluate what he saw, to understand the soul of the people. Pictures of nature prepare the reader's acquaintance with the main character of the story - Biryuk.

Biryuk appears unexpectedly, the author immediately notes his tall figure and sonorous voice. Despite the fact that the first appearance of Biryuk is accompanied by a certain romantic halo (white lightning lit up the forester from head to toe”, “I raised my head and in the light of lightning I saw a small hut ...”). In the life of the hero that we learn about, there is nothing
romantic, on the contrary, it is ordinary and even tragic.

Find a description of the forester's hut.

“The forester's hut consisted of one room, smoky, low and empty, without beds and partitions. A tattered sheepskin coat hung on the wall. A single-barreled gun lay on the bench, a pile of rags lay in the corner; two large pots stood near the stove. The torch burned on the table, sadly flashing and dying out. In the very middle of the hut hung a cradle, tied to the end of a long pole. The girl put out the lantern, sat down on a tiny bench, and began to rock the cradle with her right hand, and straighten the torch with her left. I looked around - my heart ached: it’s not fun to enter a peasant’s hut at night.

What does this description tell you? (The description of the situation in the hut, “smoky, low and empty,” speaks of poverty. But amid this poverty, the life of the hero’s young children glimmers. The bleak picture causes Biryuk’s sincere sympathy from readers.)

What does Biryuk look like? What does the writer emphasize in his portrait? (High stature, powerful muscles, a black curly beard, a stern manly face, wide eyebrows and small brown eyes.)

Let us turn to the portrait of Biryuk. “I looked at him. Rarely have I seen such a young man. He was tall, broad-shouldered and well built. His mighty muscles protruded from under his wet zamashka shirt. A black curly beard half covered his stern and courageous face; small brown eyes boldly looked out from under wide fused eyebrows ... "

How did this portrait express the narrator's attitude towards Biryuk? (It can be seen that he likes Biryuk with his build, strength, handsome, courageous face, bold look, strong character, as evidenced by unibrows. He calls him a fine fellow.)

How do men talk about it? Children give examples from the text: “he won’t let the bundle of brushwood be dragged away”, “... it will come like snow on his head”, he is strong .. and dexterous like a demon ... And nothing can take him: neither wine nor money; does not take any bait."

Why is the hero called Biryuk? Why does he act like this with men? His name is Biryuk because he is lonely and gloomy.
- Turgenev emphasizes that the forester is formidable and adamant, not because he is a stranger to his brother - a peasant, he is a man of duty and considers himself obliged to protect the economy entrusted to him: “I do my job ... I don’t have to eat the master’s bread for nothing.”

He was entrusted with the protection of the forest, and he guards the forest of the owner, like a soldier on duty.

Find and read the description of Biryuk's collision with the peasant. What is the reason for the conflict between the peasant and Biryuk? Against what background are events unfolding? How do the peasant and Biryuk change in the climactic scene? What feelings do the forester evoke in the author and in us, the readers?

The picture of a thunderstorm prepares the central episode of the story: a clash between Biryuk and a thief he has caught. We read the description of Biryuk's collision with the peasants and find out the reasons for the conflict between the peasant and Biryuk.

What characters are in conflict? Between Biryuk and the peasant who stole the forest.

Children must understand that the scene of the struggle - first physical, then moral - not only reveals the views, feelings, aspirations of the characters, but also deepens their images. Author
emphasizes that physically the peasant clearly loses to Biryuk during their fight in the forest, but in the future, by strength of character, inner dignity, they become
equal to each other. Turgenev, creating the image of a peasant, captured the features of an impoverished peasant, exhausted by a half-starved existence.

Let's read the description of the peasant: “By the light of the lantern, I could see his drunken, wrinkled face, hanging yellow eyebrows, restless eyes ...” But it is precisely such a peasant who turns from plea to threats.

Reading by roles of a conversation between a peasant and Biryuk.

How does Turgenev show that the external appearance and internal state of the peasant is changing? Let's go back to the text.

At first, the peasant is silent, then “in a deaf and broken voice”, referring to the forester by name and patronymic - Foma Kuzmich, asks to be released, but when the bowl of his patience is overflowing, “the peasant suddenly straightened up. His eyes lit up, and a blush appeared on his face. The man's voice became "fierce". The speech became different: instead of abrupt phrases: “Let go ... clerk ... ruined, how ... let go!” - sounded clear and formidable words: “What about me? Everything is one - to disappear; Where can I go without a horse? Knock - one end; that from hunger, that so - everything is one. Get lost everything."

The story "Biryuk" is one of the few stories in the "Notes of a Hunter" that touches upon the issue of peasant protest. But due to censorship restrictions, Turgenev could not directly portray the protest of the peasants against serfdom. Therefore, the anger of a desperate peasant is directed not at the landowner for whom he works, but at his servant-serf, guarding the owner's good. However, this anger, which has become an expression of protest, does not lose strength and meaning from this.

For the peasant, the personification of the power of serfdom is not the landowner, but Biryuk, endowed by the landowner with the right to protect the forest from robbery. The image of Biryuk in the climactic scene deepens psychologically, he appears before us as a tragic image: in his soul there is a struggle between feelings and principles. An honest man, for all his rightness, he also feels the rightness of a peasant whom poverty has brought to the manor's forest: “Honestly, from hunger ... the children squeak, you know. Cool, just the way it is."

In 1847-1852, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev created several stories that were combined into a collection called Notes of a Hunter.

Writers of the previous era rarely wrote about the peasants, and if they did, they portrayed them as a common gray mass. Despite this, Turgenev undertook to note the features of peasant life, thanks to which the collection "Notes of a Hunter" presented a vivid and multifaceted composition of the life of peasants. The stories immediately attracted readers and allowed them to win special fame.

Features of the stories "Notes of a hunter"

Each story features one main character, whose name is Peter Petrovich. He is a nobleman from the village of Spassky and is actively engaged in hunting and hiking. Ivan Turgenev tells about various stories that happened during hunting trips. The protagonist acquired such valuable character traits as observation and attention, thanks to which the narrator better understands various life situations and successfully conveys them to the reader.

"Biryuk" is a story included in the collection "Notes of a Hunter". The work was written in 1848 and corresponds to the general literary composition. The main character again finds himself in an interesting story, about which he narrates in the form of a monologue.

The plot of the story "Biryuk"

One evening, Pyotr Petrovich was returning from a hunt and got caught in a downpour. Further trip was impossible: bad weather had to wait out. Fortunately, Peter saw the forester, who invited the master to his house. An important conversation took place in Biryuk's hut. As it turned out, the forester was nicknamed Biryuk because he has a gloomy and unsociable character. Despite such harsh character traits, Biryuk decided to tell many interesting facts about his life.

After the downpour ended, the hospitable owner of the forest hut heard the sound of an ax and decided to catch the intruder. Petr Petrovich supported the idea, so the two of them went in search of the intruder. The thief turned out to be a beggar man, dressed in rags and with a disheveled beard. Most likely, the violation was due to a difficult life situation. Pyotr Petrovich took pity on the beggar and asked Biryuk for an important favor, or rather, to let the poor peasant go. However, the forester did not agree and led the peasant into his hut. The violator was released only after repeated requests for mercy from the master.

Biryuk as a person

Biryuk is an interesting and whole person, but, unfortunately, tragic. The main tragedy lies in the presence of special views on life, which sometimes have to be sacrificed. The story noted that many peasants in the middle of the 19th century considered stealing a common thing. This was precisely the main tragedy of Biryuk.

It is important to note that the outlook of the peasants was explained by serious social problems:

Insecurity of the peasant people;

Lack of good education;

Immorality of behavior due to insufficient education.

The forester Biryuk was different from ordinary peasants. He is ready to live as a beggar even if such a situation turns out to be difficult. Any life circumstances could not induce to theft.

It is important to note that Biryuk's impoverished position was confirmed by the description of his house in the forest:

One room;

Smoky;

Low and empty hut;

Lack of decks and partitions.

One can understand how difficult Biryuk's life is. It can be assumed that if the poor would sacrifice his principles, he, being in the forest lands, could build a beautiful hut for himself.

Biryuk understands that if every peasant steals, the general situation will only worsen. The forester is confident that he is right, so it is difficult for him to deviate from the existing principles. Despite such character traits and the desire to walk firmly through life, sometimes you have to face trials. The situation described in the story clearly demonstrates the struggle of a feeling of pity and compassion with clear principles, a desire to improve the world. The essay shows how difficult it is to vacillate between feelings and existing principles, not knowing what to choose.

"Biryuk" is a fascinating story that reveals the characters of each participant in the story. Ivan Turgenev understood the peculiarities of peasant life in the 19th century, therefore he successfully reflected them in his works. The logic of life is a worthy foundation, without which it is impossible to change the realities.

"Biryuk" is a story that reflected the unfair situation of many serfs. Each reader has the right to independently place accents on the feelings that arise when comparing heroes from the same peasant environment, but differing in life principles and traits of their characters.

The plot of the story is based on a direct conflict between the forester Biryuk, who is considered lonely and gloomy, and a poor peasant. Biryuk honestly fulfills his duties and tries to protect the forest. The peasant got into a difficult life situation, so he steals firewood. The hunter-master, Pyotr Petrovich, stopped in a forest hut due to a sudden downpour, so he becomes an accidental witness to a conflict situation. He sees how, during bad weather, Biryuk decides to go into the forest and tries to catch the unfortunate thief.

Biryuk lives in poverty and raises children by himself. His wife went to a passing tradesman, leaving her family behind. Despite such life circumstances, theft still remains the last thing, so Biryuk tries to identify violators and punish them ... But you need to understand how fair this behavior is. Growing children are starving and eating bad bread... Biryuk shows distrust and sullenness, speaks little and behaves insincerely. Biryuk, of course, invites the hunter to his place and is ready to take him home, but still shows a merciless judicial attitude towards the beggar.

Biryuk is ready to justify his actions with the following moment: he is a forced laborer, so he can be charged ... At the same time, during the plaintive explanations of the poor peasant, the forester is silent. Such moments reflect a serious internal struggle. The forester wants to justify the unfortunate thief, realizing that in bad weather he steals wood from the master to fire the stove and cook food for a hungry family, but still leaves the offender locked up. The attitude changes only after the unfortunate man at the very end of the story calls Biryuk a "beast", "a cursed murderer." The violator is ready to accept any punishment, because even death does not frighten him. However, accusing the forester of inhumanity immediately leads to another effect, because Biryuk lets him go. Unexpectedly, a serious internal conflict was resolved:

Cruelty and duty of service;

Clear life principles;

Sincere sympathy and understanding of the misfortune of an outsider.

At the same time, the master, Pyotr Petrovich, contributed to the successful solution of the current situation, as he immediately imbued with the explanations of the unfortunate thief.

The situation is better revealed thanks to the detailed descriptions of the landscape. Throughout the story, a thunderstorm rages, personifying Biryuk's state of mind. In addition, many serfs consider the forester to be a manifestation of a thunderstorm. But still, Biryuk is freed from a sense of duty, as he performs a human act and goes towards an unfortunate person. According to the law that was in force at that sinister time, the forester. who did not catch the thief had to repay the entire cost of illegally felled trees. If this could not be done, there was a risk of a lawsuit with a further exile to Siberia, but the fear of punishment loses ... Biryuk still releases the thief and gives him his horse.

The meaning of the story "Biryuk"

Biryuk is a special hero in the story of Ivan Turgenev, because he has unique life principles and is sometimes ready to give them up. Mental struggle allows you to understand how difficult it is sometimes to make the right decision. A detailed description of bad weather and thunderstorms contributes to a better understanding of the life principles and feelings, emotions of the forester. It is important to understand that a person who is in need and cannot find the right path is forced to venture into hopelessness. The wavering between feelings and principles is the best reflection of humanity.

The story has numerous artistic merits, which are confirmed by critics:

Real and picturesque descriptions of nature;

Special style of narration;

Unusual heroes.

"Biryuk" is a worthy representative of the legendary collection "Notes of a Hunter", which made it possible to strengthen the position of Ivan Turgenev in Russian literature.

Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev

"Biryuk"

Summary

I was driving alone from hunting in the evening, in a cross-country droshky. On the way I was caught by a strong thunderstorm. Somehow I buried myself under a wide bush and patiently waited for the end of the bad weather. Suddenly, with a flash of lightning, I saw a tall figure on the road. It was the local forester. He took me to his house - a small hut in the middle of a vast yard, surrounded by wattle. The hut consisted of one room. In the very middle hung a cradle with a baby, which was rocked by a barefoot girl of 12 years old. I realized that the hostess was not in the hut. Poverty loomed from all angles.

Finally I was able to see the forester. He was tall, broad-shouldered and well-built, his stern and courageous face was overgrown with a beard, small brown eyes boldly looked out from under wide eyebrows. The forester introduced himself as Thomas, nicknamed Biryuk. From Yermolai I often heard stories about Biryuk, whom all the surrounding peasants were afraid of. Even bundles of brushwood could not be taken out of his forest - he was strong and dexterous, like a demon. It was impossible to bribe him, and it was not easy to get out of the world.

I asked if he had a mistress. Biryuk replied with a cruel smile that his wife had abandoned her children and fled with a passer-by tradesman. He could not treat me: there was nothing in the house but bread. Meanwhile the storm had ended and we went out into the yard. Biryuk said that he heard the sound of an ax; I didn't hear anything. The forester took his gun, and we went to the place where the wood was cut down. At the end of the journey, Biryuk was ahead of me. I heard the sounds of a struggle and a plaintive cry. I quickened my pace and soon saw a felled tree, near which the forester was tying the hands of a thief - a wet peasant in rags with a long disheveled beard. I said that I would pay for the tree and asked to let the unfortunate man go. Biryuk was silent.

It rained again. With difficulty we reached the forester's hut. I made a promise to myself to free the poor man at any cost. By the light of the lantern, I could see his tired, wrinkled face and thin body. Soon the peasant began to ask Foma to let him go, but the forester did not agree. Suddenly the peasant straightened up, a blush appeared on his face, and he began to scold Biryuk, calling him a beast.

Biryuk grabbed the peasant, freed his hands with one movement and ordered him to get the hell out of there. I was surprised and realized that in fact Biryuk is a nice fellow. Half an hour later he said goodbye to me at the edge of the forest. retold Yulia Peskovaya

First person story. The hunter was returning home from hunting. There were still eight versts to go to the house. Clouds were rising from behind the forest, and a thunderstorm was approaching. The heat and stuffiness left, and they were replaced by a damp coolness. Accelerating, the hunter drove into the forest. The wind howled loudly, and the drops hit the leaves. Having sheltered under a bush, the hunter was going to wait out the inclement weather there. With another flash of lightning, a tall figure appeared in the distance. It was a local forester. He offered to hide from the storm in his hut. The hunter agreed and they went. He lived in a one-room hut, standing in the middle of a wide courtyard. In the middle of the hut hung a cradle with a child, rocked by a barefoot girl, who looked no more than twelve.

The atmosphere was poor and it was clear from everything that the hostess was not here. The forester was a tall, broad-shouldered brown-eyed man. He called himself Thomas, nicknamed Biryuk. Yermolai said that everyone was afraid of Biryuk, he did not allow even a little brushwood to be taken out of the forest. He was strict and incorruptible. When asked where his wife was, he replied that she had run away with the tradesman, leaving him with the children. The only edible thing in the house was bread, so the guest had nothing to offer. After a thunderstorm, the hunter and the forester went out into the yard. Biryuk heard the sound of an ax and went for a gun. They walked towards the place where the sounds were coming from. Biryuk overtook the hunter and accelerated, then there were sounds of a struggle and a plaintive squeal. Having reached the place where the tree was cut down, the hunter saw a lying tree and a thief tied up by a forester nearby. He was bearded and dressed in rags, it was clear from everything that this man was poor. The hunter asked to be released and promised to pay for the damage. The forester didn't answer. The rain started up with renewed vigor, and the travelers returned home.

The peasant asked the forester to release him, but he was adamant. Suddenly he got angry and started yelling at Biryuk, calling him a beast. Suddenly, the forester abruptly untied the hands of the thief and drove him away. The hunter was surprised. Half an hour later they said goodbye at the edge of the forest.

Compositions

Main characters

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The work was done by a student of 7 "B" class Alexander Balashov

The main character of the story I.S. Turgenev "Biryuk" is the forester Foma. Thomas is a very interesting and unusual person. With what admiration and pride the author describes his hero: “He was tall, broad-shouldered and well-built. His mighty muscles bulged out from under the wet sash of his shirt. Biryuk had a "masculine face" and "small brown eyes" that "looked boldly from under wide unibrows."

The author is struck by the wretchedness of the forester’s hut, which consisted of “one room, smoky, low and empty, without curtains ...”, everything here speaks of a beggarly existence - and “a torn sheepskin coat on the wall”, and “a pile of rags in the corner; two large pots that stood near the stove ... ". Turgenev himself sums up the description: “I looked around - my heart ached in me: it’s not fun to enter a peasant’s hut at night.”

The forester's wife ran away with a passing tradesman and abandoned her two children; maybe that's why the forester was so stern and silent. Biryuk, that is, a gloomy and lonely man, Foma was nicknamed by the surrounding peasants, who were afraid of him like fire. They said that he was “strong and dexterous like a demon…”, “he won’t let a bunch of brushwood be dragged away” from the forest, “at whatever time… he will come like snow on his head” and do not expect mercy. Biryuk is “a master of his craft”, whom you can’t take with anything, “neither wine nor money.” However, for all his sorrows and troubles, Biryuk retained kindness and mercy in his heart. He secretly sympathized with his “wards”, but work is work, and the demand for stolen goods will first of all be from himself. But this does not prevent him from doing good deeds, releasing the most desperate without punishment, but only pretty scaring.

The tragedy of Biryuk was based on the understanding that it is not at all from a good life that peasants go to steal wood. Often a feeling of pity and compassion prevails over his integrity. So, in the story, Biryuk caught a peasant cutting down a forest. He was dressed in torn rags, all wet, with a disheveled beard. The man asked to be released, or at least to give the horse back, because the children were at home, they had nothing to feed them. To all persuasions, the forester kept repeating one thing: "Don't go stealing." In the end, Foma Kuzmich grabbed the thief by the scruff of the neck and pushed him out the door, saying: "Go to hell with your horse." With these rude words, he seems to cover up his generous act. Thus the forester constantly oscillates between principles and a sense of compassion. The author wants to show that this gloomy, unsociable person actually has a kind, generous heart.

Describing the forced people, destitute and oppressed, Turgenev especially emphasizes that even in such conditions he was able to preserve his living soul, the ability to empathize and respond with his whole being to kindness and affection. Even this life does not kill humanity in people - that's what is most important.

This story is included in Turgenev's cycle of works "Notes of a Hunter". In order to better reveal the topic “Characteristics of a biryuk”, you need to know the plot well, and it is tied to the fact that a hunter, lost in the forest, is suddenly overtaken by a thunderstorm. To wait out the bad weather, he hid under a large bush. But then the local forester Foma Kuzmich picked him up and took him to his home. There, the hunter saw the wretched refuge of his savior, and at the same time he had two children: a 12-year-old girl and a baby in a cradle. There was no wife in the house, she ran away from him with another, leaving him children.

Turgenev, "Biryuk": characteristics of the biryuk

This gloomy forester people called the biryuk. He had a broad figure and a face that betrayed no emotion. When the rain stopped, they went outside. And then the sound of an ax was heard, the forester immediately realized where it was coming from, and soon dragged a wet peasant who begged for mercy. The hunter immediately took pity on the poor peasant and was ready to pay for him, but the stern biryuk himself let him go.

As you can see, the characterization of a biryuk is not easy, Turgenev shows a hero, although a beggar, but who knows his duty well, whom “neither wine nor money” can be taken in any way. He understands a peasant thief who is trying to somehow get out of "starvation". And here the hero's conflict between a sense of duty and compassion for a poor person is shown, and yet he decided in favor of compassion. Foma Kuzmich is a solid and strong personality, but tragic, because he has his own views on life, but sometimes he, a principled person, has to give them up.

Characteristics of a biryuk

The author points out that in the middle of the 19th century, the majority of the peasant people treated theft as something natural and ordinary. Of course, serious social problems led to this phenomenon: lack of education, poverty and immorality.

But it is the biryuk that is unlike most of these people, although he is the same beggar as everyone else. His hut consisted of one little room, low and empty. But still he does not steal, although if he did, he could afford a better house.

Duty and Compassion

The characteristic of the biryuk says that he himself does not steal, and does not give to others, because he understands perfectly well that if everyone does this, it will only get worse.

He is confident in this and therefore firm in his decision. But, as the essay describes, his principles sometimes compete with feelings of pity and compassion, and he will have this hesitation all his life. After all, he understands the one who, out of his hopelessness, goes to steal.

Characteristics of the hero

Biryuk is a whole person, but tragic. His tragedy lies in the fact that he has his own views on life, but sometimes he has to give them up. The work shows that most peasants of the middle of the 19th century treated theft as something ordinary: “Knitted brushwood will not be allowed to be dragged out of the forest,” the peasant said, as if he had every right to steal brushwood from the forest. Of course, some social problems played a major role in the formation of such a worldview: the insecurity of the peasants, lack of education and immorality. Biryuk is not like them. He himself lives in deep poverty: “Biryuk’s hut consisted of one room, smoky, low and empty, without shelves and partitions,” but he does not steal (if he stole the forest, he could afford a white hut) and tries to wean him from this others: "But you still don't go to steal." He is clearly aware that if everyone steals, it will only get worse. Confident in his rightness, he firmly strides towards his own goal.

However, his confidence is sometimes undermined. For example, in the case described in the essay, when human feelings of pity and compassion compete in it with life principles. After all, if a person really needs and he has no other way, he often goes to theft out of hopelessness. Foma Kuzmich (the forester) had the hardest lot of fluctuating between feelings and principles all his life.

The essay "Biryuk" has many artistic merit. These are picturesque pictures of nature, and an inimitable style of narration, and the originality of heroes, and much, much more. Ivan Sergeevich's contribution to Russian literature is invaluable. His collection "Notes of a Hunter" is among the masterpieces of Russian literature. And the problems raised in the work are relevant to this day.

The work was done by a student of 7 "B" class Alexander Balashov

The main character of the story I.S. Turgenev "Biryuk" is the forester Foma. Thomas is a very interesting and unusual person. With what admiration and pride the author describes his hero: “He was tall, broad-shouldered and well-built. His mighty muscles bulged out from under the wet sash of his shirt. Biryuk had a "masculine face" and "small brown eyes" that "looked boldly from under wide unibrows."

The author is struck by the wretchedness of the forester’s hut, which consisted of “one room, smoky, low and empty, without curtains ...”, everything here speaks of a beggarly existence - and “a torn sheepskin coat on the wall”, and “a pile of rags in the corner; two large pots that stood near the stove ... ". Turgenev himself sums up the description: “I looked around - my heart ached in me: it’s not fun to enter a peasant’s hut at night.”

The forester's wife ran away with a passing tradesman and abandoned her two children; maybe that's why the forester was so stern and silent. Biryuk, that is, a gloomy and lonely man, Foma was nicknamed by the surrounding peasants, who were afraid of him like fire. They said that he was “strong and dexterous like a demon…”, “he won’t let a bunch of brushwood be dragged away” from the forest, “at whatever time… he will come like snow on his head” and do not expect mercy. Biryuk is “a master of his craft”, whom you can’t take with anything, “neither wine nor money.” However, for all his sorrows and troubles, Biryuk retained kindness and mercy in his heart. He secretly sympathized with his “wards”, but work is work, and the demand for stolen goods will first of all be from himself. But this does not prevent him from doing good deeds, releasing the most desperate without punishment, but only pretty scaring.

The tragedy of Biryuk was based on the understanding that it is not at all from a good life that peasants go to steal wood. Often a feeling of pity and compassion prevails over his integrity. So, in the story, Biryuk caught a peasant cutting down a forest. He was dressed in torn rags, all wet, with a disheveled beard. The man asked to be released, or at least to give the horse back, because the children were at home, they had nothing to feed them. To all persuasions, the forester kept repeating one thing: "Don't go stealing." In the end, Foma Kuzmich grabbed the thief by the scruff of the neck and pushed him out the door, saying: "Go to hell with your horse." With these rude words, he seems to cover up his generous act. Thus the forester constantly oscillates between principles and a sense of compassion. The author wants to show that this gloomy, unsociable person actually has a kind, generous heart.

Describing the forced people, destitute and oppressed, Turgenev especially emphasizes that even in such conditions he was able to preserve his living soul, the ability to empathize and respond with his whole being to kindness and affection. Even this life does not kill humanity in people - that's what is most important.

In 1847-1852, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev created several stories that were combined into a collection called Notes of a Hunter.

Writers of the previous era rarely wrote about the peasants, and if they did, they portrayed them as a common gray mass. Despite this, Turgenev undertook to note the features of peasant life, thanks to which the collection "Notes of a Hunter" presented a vivid and multifaceted composition of the life of peasants. The stories immediately attracted readers and allowed them to win special fame.

Features of the stories "Notes of a hunter"

Each story features one main character, whose name is Peter Petrovich. He is a nobleman from the village of Spassky and is actively engaged in hunting and hiking. Ivan Turgenev tells about various stories that happened during hunting trips. The protagonist acquired such valuable character traits as observation and attention, thanks to which the narrator better understands various life situations and successfully conveys them to the reader.

"Biryuk" is a story included in the collection "Notes of a Hunter". The work was written in 1848 and corresponds to the general literary composition. The main character again finds himself in an interesting story, about which he narrates in the form of a monologue.

The plot of the story "Biryuk"

One evening, Pyotr Petrovich was returning from a hunt and got caught in a downpour. Further trip was impossible: bad weather had to wait out. Fortunately, Peter saw the forester, who invited the master to his house. An important conversation took place in Biryuk's hut. As it turned out, the forester was nicknamed Biryuk because he has a gloomy and unsociable character. Despite such harsh character traits, Biryuk decided to tell many interesting facts about his life.

After the downpour ended, the hospitable owner of the forest hut heard the sound of an ax and decided to catch the intruder. Petr Petrovich supported the idea, so the two of them went in search of the intruder. The thief turned out to be a beggar man, dressed in rags and with a disheveled beard. Most likely, the violation was due to a difficult life situation. Pyotr Petrovich took pity on the beggar and asked Biryuk for an important favor, or rather, to let the poor peasant go. However, the forester did not agree and led the peasant into his hut. The violator was released only after repeated requests for mercy from the master.

Biryuk as a person

Biryuk is an interesting and whole person, but, unfortunately, tragic. The main tragedy lies in the presence of special views on life, which sometimes have to be sacrificed. The story noted that many peasants in the middle of the 19th century considered stealing a common thing. This was precisely the main tragedy of Biryuk.

It is important to note that the outlook of the peasants was explained by serious social problems:

Insecurity of the peasant people;

Lack of good education;

Immorality of behavior due to insufficient education.

The forester Biryuk was different from ordinary peasants. He is ready to live as a beggar even if such a situation turns out to be difficult. Any life circumstances could not induce to theft.

It is important to note that Biryuk's impoverished position was confirmed by the description of his house in the forest:

One room;

Smoky;

Low and empty hut;

Lack of decks and partitions.

One can understand how difficult Biryuk's life is. It can be assumed that if the poor would sacrifice his principles, he, being in the forest lands, could build a beautiful hut for himself.

Biryuk understands that if every peasant steals, the general situation will only worsen. The forester is confident that he is right, so it is difficult for him to deviate from the existing principles. Despite such character traits and the desire to walk firmly through life, sometimes you have to face trials. The situation described in the story clearly demonstrates the struggle of a feeling of pity and compassion with clear principles, a desire to improve the world. The essay shows how difficult it is to vacillate between feelings and existing principles, not knowing what to choose.

"Biryuk" is a fascinating story that reveals the characters of each participant in the story. Ivan Turgenev understood the peculiarities of peasant life in the 19th century, therefore he successfully reflected them in his works. The logic of life is a worthy foundation, without which it is impossible to change the realities.

"Biryuk" is a story that reflected the unfair situation of many serfs. Each reader has the right to independently place accents on the feelings that arise when comparing heroes from the same peasant environment, but differing in life principles and traits of their characters.

The plot of the story is based on a direct conflict between the forester Biryuk, who is considered lonely and gloomy, and a poor peasant. Biryuk honestly fulfills his duties and tries to protect the forest. The peasant got into a difficult life situation, so he steals firewood. The hunter-master, Pyotr Petrovich, stopped in a forest hut due to a sudden downpour, so he becomes an accidental witness to a conflict situation. He sees how, during bad weather, Biryuk decides to go into the forest and tries to catch the unfortunate thief.

Biryuk lives in poverty and raises children by himself. His wife went to a passing tradesman, leaving her family behind. Despite such life circumstances, theft still remains the last thing, so Biryuk tries to identify violators and punish them ... But you need to understand how fair this behavior is. Growing children are starving and eating bad bread... Biryuk shows distrust and sullenness, speaks little and behaves insincerely. Biryuk, of course, invites the hunter to his place and is ready to take him home, but still shows a merciless judicial attitude towards the beggar.

Biryuk is ready to justify his actions with the following moment: he is a forced laborer, so he can be charged ... At the same time, during the plaintive explanations of the poor peasant, the forester is silent. Such moments reflect a serious internal struggle. The forester wants to justify the unfortunate thief, realizing that in bad weather he steals wood from the master to fire the stove and cook food for a hungry family, but still leaves the offender locked up. The attitude changes only after the unfortunate man at the very end of the story calls Biryuk a "beast", "a cursed murderer." The violator is ready to accept any punishment, because even death does not frighten him. However, accusing the forester of inhumanity immediately leads to another effect, because Biryuk lets him go. Unexpectedly, a serious internal conflict was resolved:

Cruelty and duty of service;

Clear life principles;

Sincere sympathy and understanding of the misfortune of an outsider.

At the same time, the master, Pyotr Petrovich, contributed to the successful solution of the current situation, as he immediately imbued with the explanations of the unfortunate thief.

The situation is better revealed thanks to the detailed descriptions of the landscape. Throughout the story, a thunderstorm rages, personifying Biryuk's state of mind. In addition, many serfs consider the forester to be a manifestation of a thunderstorm. But still, Biryuk is freed from a sense of duty, as he performs a human act and goes towards an unfortunate person. According to the law that was in force at that sinister time, the forester. who did not catch the thief had to repay the entire cost of illegally felled trees. If this could not be done, there was a risk of a lawsuit with a further exile to Siberia, but the fear of punishment loses ... Biryuk still releases the thief and gives him his horse.

The meaning of the story "Biryuk"

Biryuk is a special hero in the story of Ivan Turgenev, because he has unique life principles and is sometimes ready to give them up. Mental struggle allows you to understand how difficult it is sometimes to make the right decision. A detailed description of bad weather and thunderstorms contributes to a better understanding of the life principles and feelings, emotions of the forester. It is important to understand that a person who is in need and cannot find the right path is forced to venture into hopelessness. The wavering between feelings and principles is the best reflection of humanity.

The story has numerous artistic merits, which are confirmed by critics:

Real and picturesque descriptions of nature;

Special style of narration;

Unusual heroes.

"Biryuk" is a worthy representative of the legendary collection "Notes of a Hunter", which made it possible to strengthen the position of Ivan Turgenev in Russian literature.

Composition

I. S. Turgenev was one of the foremost people of his time. He realized that in order to win the right to be called a folk writer, talent alone is not enough, you need "sympathy for the people, a kindred disposition" and "the ability to penetrate the essence of your people, their language and way of life." The collection of short stories "Notes of a Hunter" describes the peasant world in a very vivid and multifaceted way.

In all the stories there is one and the same hero - the nobleman Pyotr Petrovich. He loves hunting very much, travels a lot and talks about the cases that happened to him. We also meet Pyotr Petrovich in "Biryuk", which describes his acquaintance with a mysterious and gloomy forester, nicknamed Biryuk, "whom all the surrounding peasants were afraid of like fire." The meeting takes place in the forest during a thunderstorm, and the forester invites the master to his house to hide from the weather. Pyotr Petrovich accepts the invitation and finds himself in an old hut "from one room, smoky, low and empty." He notices the minutiae of the gloomy existence of the forester's family. His wife "ran away with a passer-by." And Foma Kuzmich was left alone with two small children. The eldest daughter Ulita, herself still a child, nurses the baby, cradling him in the cradle. Poverty and family grief have already left their mark on the girl. She has a downcast "sad face", timid movements. The description of the hut makes a depressing impression. Everything here breathes sadness and wretchedness: “a tattered sheepskin coat hung on the wall”, “a torch burned on the table, sadly flashing and dying out”, “a pile of rags lay in the corner”, “the bitter smell of cooled smoke” hovered everywhere and made it difficult to breathe. The heart in Pyotr Petrovich’s chest “wounded: it’s not fun to enter a peasant’s hut at night.” When the rain passed, the forester heard the sound of an ax and decided to catch the intruder. Barin went with him.

The thief turned out to be "a wet man, in rags, with a long disheveled beard," who, apparently, did not go to steal from a good life. He has a "drunk, wrinkled face, hanging yellow eyebrows, restless eyes, thin limbs." He begs Biryuk to let him go with the horse, justifying himself that “the children are squeaking from hunger.” The tragedy of a hungry peasant life, a difficult life, appears before us in the image of this miserable, desperate man who exclaims: “Knock down - one end; that from hunger, that so - everything is one.

The realism of the depiction of everyday pictures of the life of peasants in the story of I. S. Turgenev is impressive to the core. And along with this, we face the social problems of that time: the poverty of the peasants, hunger, cold, forcing people to steal.

Other writings on this work

Composition

I. S. Turgenev was one of the foremost people of his time. He realized that in order to win the right to be called a folk writer, talent alone is not enough, you need "sympathy for the people, a kindred disposition" and "the ability to penetrate the essence of your people, their language and way of life." The collection of short stories "Notes of a Hunter" describes the peasant world in a very vivid and multifaceted way.

In all the stories there is one and the same hero - the nobleman Pyotr Petrovich. He loves hunting very much, travels a lot and talks about the cases that happened to him. We also meet Pyotr Petrovich in "Biryuk", which describes his acquaintance with a mysterious and gloomy forester, nicknamed Biryuk, "whom all the surrounding peasants were afraid of like fire." The meeting takes place in the forest during a thunderstorm, and the forester invites the master to his house to hide from the weather. Pyotr Petrovich accepts the invitation and finds himself in an old hut "from one room, smoky, low and empty." He notices the minutiae of the gloomy existence of the forester's family. His wife "ran away with a passer-by." And Foma Kuzmich was left alone with two small children. The eldest daughter Ulita, herself still a child, nurses the baby, cradling him in the cradle. Poverty and family grief have already left their mark on the girl. She has a downcast "sad face", timid movements. The description of the hut makes a depressing impression. Everything here breathes sadness and wretchedness: “a tattered sheepskin coat hung on the wall”, “a torch burned on the table, sadly flashing and dying out”, “a pile of rags lay in the corner”, “the bitter smell of cooled smoke” hovered everywhere and made it difficult to breathe. The heart in Pyotr Petrovich’s chest “wounded: it’s not fun to enter a peasant’s hut at night.” When the rain passed, the forester heard the sound of an ax and decided to catch the intruder. Barin went with him.

The thief turned out to be "a wet man, in rags, with a long disheveled beard," who, apparently, did not go to steal from a good life. He has a "drunk, wrinkled face, hanging yellow eyebrows, restless eyes, thin limbs." He begs Biryuk to let him go with the horse, justifying himself that “the children are squeaking from hunger.” The tragedy of a hungry peasant life, a difficult life, appears before us in the image of this miserable, desperate man who exclaims: “Knock down - one end; that from hunger, that so - everything is one.

The realism of the depiction of everyday pictures of the life of peasants in the story of I. S. Turgenev is impressive to the core. And along with this, we face the social problems of that time: the poverty of the peasants, hunger, cold, forcing people to steal.

Other writings on this work

One of the types of a "good" man is bred in the story "Biryuk". He lives in a poor hut with two children - his wife ran away with some tradesman. He serves as a forester and they say about him that “he won’t let a bundle of firewood be dragged away ... and nothing can take him: neither wine, nor money - he doesn’t go for any bait.” He is sullen and silent; to the author’s questions, he sternly answers: “I do my job - I don’t have to eat the master’s bread for nothing.” Despite this external severity, he is a very compassionate and kind person at heart. Usually, having caught a peasant in the forest, he only tempts him, and then, taking pity, lets him go in peace. The author of the story becomes a witness to the following scene: Biryuk releases the peasant he caught in the forest, realizing that only extreme need made this poor man decide to steal. At the same time, he does not at all show off his noble deeds - he is rather embarrassed that an outsider witnessed this scene. He is one of those people who at first glance do not stand out, but are able to suddenly do something out of the ordinary, after which they again become the same ordinary people.

His majestic posture - tall stature, powerful shoulders, a stern and courageous face, wide eyebrows and small brown eyes that looked boldly - everything about him revealed an extraordinary person. Biryuk performed his duty as a forester so conscientiously that everyone said about him: “He won’t let a bundle of brushwood be dragged away ... And nothing can take it: neither wine nor money; will not take any bait." Stern in appearance, Biryuk had a tender, kind heart. In the forest he catches a peasant who has cut down a tree, so he intimidates that he will threaten not to give the horse back, and the matter usually ends with taking pity on the thief and letting him go. Biryuk loves to do a good deed, he also loves to fulfill his duties conscientiously, but he will not shout about it at all crossroads, and will not show off this.

Severe honesty does not stem from Biryuk from any speculative principles: he is a simple peasant. But his deeply direct nature made him understand how to fulfill the duty he had taken upon himself. “I’m doing my job,” he says gloomily, “you don’t have to eat the master’s bread for nothing ...”. Biryuk is a good man, though rude in appearance. He lives alone in the forest, in a hut "smoky, low and empty, without curtains and partitions", with two children, abandoned by his wife, who ran away with a passer-by tradesman; it must have been family grief that made him sullen. He is a forester, and they say about him that “he won’t let a bunch of brushwood be dragged away ... and you can’t take him with anything: neither wine, nor money, nor any bait.” The author had a chance to witness how this incorruptible honest man let go of a thief he had caught in the forest, a peasant who cut down a tree - he let go because he felt with his honest and generous heart the hopeless grief of a poor man who, out of desperation, decided on a dangerous business. The author beautifully depicts in this scene the whole horror of poverty, to which the peasant sometimes comes.

This story is included in Turgenev's cycle of works "Notes of a Hunter". In order to better reveal the topic “Characteristics of a biryuk”, you need to know the plot well, and it is tied to the fact that a hunter, lost in the forest, is suddenly overtaken by a thunderstorm. To wait out the bad weather, he hid under a large bush. But then the local forester Foma Kuzmich picked him up and took him to his home. There, the hunter saw the wretched refuge of his savior, and at the same time he had two children: a 12-year-old girl and a baby in a cradle. There was no wife in the house, she ran away from him with another, leaving him children.

Turgenev, "Biryuk": characteristics of the biryuk

This gloomy forester people called the biryuk. He had a broad figure and a face that betrayed no emotion. When the rain stopped, they went outside. And then the sound of an ax was heard, the forester immediately realized where it was coming from, and soon dragged a wet peasant who begged for mercy. The hunter immediately took pity on the poor peasant and was ready to pay for him, but the stern biryuk himself let him go.

As you can see, the characterization of a biryuk is not easy, Turgenev shows a hero, although a beggar, but who knows his duty well, whom “neither wine nor money” can be taken in any way. He understands a peasant thief who is trying to somehow get out of "starvation". And here the hero's conflict between a sense of duty and compassion for a poor person is shown, and yet he decided in favor of compassion. Foma Kuzmich is a solid and strong personality, but tragic, because he has his own views on life, but sometimes he, a principled person, has to give them up.

Characteristics of a biryuk

The author points out that in the middle of the 19th century, the majority of the peasant people treated theft as something natural and ordinary. Of course, serious social problems led to this phenomenon: lack of education, poverty and immorality.

But it is the biryuk that is unlike most of these people, although he is the same beggar as everyone else. His hut consisted of one little room, low and empty. But still he does not steal, although if he did, he could afford a better house.

Duty and Compassion

The characteristic of the biryuk says that he himself does not steal, and does not give to others, because he understands perfectly well that if everyone does this, it will only get worse.

He is confident in this and therefore firm in his decision. But, as the essay describes, his principles sometimes compete with feelings of pity and compassion, and he will have this hesitation all his life. After all, he understands the one who, out of his hopelessness, goes to steal.

"Notes of a Hunter" appeared in print as separate stories and essays at the turn of the 40s and 50s of the 19th century. The impetus for starting work on the cycle was a request addressed to Turgenev in the fall of 1846 to provide material for the first issue of the updated Sovremennik magazine.

So the first essay "Khor and Kalinich" appeared. I.S. Turgenev wrote almost all subsequent stories and essays of the Hunter’s Notes abroad: he left in 1847 and stayed there for three and a half years.

Let's remember what a story is.

A story is a small epic work that tells about one or more events in a person's life.

Prove that "Biryuk" is a story.

This is a small piece. Here we are talking about Biryuk, about his life, meeting with a peasant. There are few actors in the work ...

The story "Biryuk" was created in 1847, and was published in 1848.

Creating this work, as well as the entire cycle of "Notes of a Hunter", Turgenev relied on his own impressions of the life of peasants in the Oryol province. One of the former serfs of I.S. Turgenev, and later a village teacher A.I. Zamyatin, recalled: “My grandmother and mother told me that almost all the faces mentioned in the Hunter’s Notes were not invented, but written off from living people, even their real names: there was Ermolai ... there was Biryuk, who was killed in the forest by his own peasants ... "

Guys, how many stories did the writer include in the "Hunter's Notes" cycle? (Children remember that there are 25 of them.)

- "Notes of a hunter" is a kind of chronicle of a Russian serf village. The stories are close in subject matter and ideological content. They expose the ugly phenomena of serfdom.

Creating a picture of Russian reality, Turgenev in his "Notes of a Hunter" applied a peculiar technique: he brought into action a storyteller-hunter. Why do you think?

Thanks to this, the reader can, together with the hunter, an observant, intelligent and knowledgeable person, walk through the native fields of the writer, visit villages and villages with him. He appreciates beauty and truth. His presence does not constrain anyone and often goes unnoticed. The image of a hunter helps us to understand reality more deeply, to understand what is happening, to evaluate what he saw, to understand the soul of the people. Pictures of nature prepare the reader's acquaintance with the main character of the story - Biryuk.

Biryuk appears unexpectedly, the author immediately notes his tall figure and sonorous voice. Despite the fact that the first appearance of Biryuk is accompanied by a certain romantic halo (white lightning lit up the forester from head to toe”, “I raised my head and in the light of lightning I saw a small hut ...”). In the life of the hero that we learn about, there is nothing
romantic, on the contrary, it is ordinary and even tragic.

Find a description of the forester's hut.

“The forester's hut consisted of one room, smoky, low and empty, without beds and partitions. A tattered sheepskin coat hung on the wall. A single-barreled gun lay on the bench, a pile of rags lay in the corner; two large pots stood near the stove. The torch burned on the table, sadly flashing and dying out. In the very middle of the hut hung a cradle, tied to the end of a long pole. The girl put out the lantern, sat down on a tiny bench, and began to rock the cradle with her right hand, and straighten the torch with her left. I looked around - my heart ached: it’s not fun to enter a peasant’s hut at night.

What does this description tell you? (The description of the situation in the hut, “smoky, low and empty,” speaks of poverty. But amid this poverty, the life of the hero’s young children glimmers. The bleak picture causes Biryuk’s sincere sympathy from readers.)

What does Biryuk look like? What does the writer emphasize in his portrait? (High stature, powerful muscles, a black curly beard, a stern manly face, wide eyebrows and small brown eyes.)

Let us turn to the portrait of Biryuk. “I looked at him. Rarely have I seen such a young man. He was tall, broad-shouldered and well built. His mighty muscles protruded from under his wet zamashka shirt. A black curly beard half covered his stern and courageous face; small brown eyes boldly looked out from under wide fused eyebrows ... "

How did this portrait express the narrator's attitude towards Biryuk? (It can be seen that he likes Biryuk with his build, strength, handsome, courageous face, bold look, strong character, as evidenced by unibrows. He calls him a fine fellow.)

How do men talk about it? Children give examples from the text: “he won’t let the bundle of brushwood be dragged away”, “... it will come like snow on his head”, he is strong .. and dexterous like a demon ... And nothing can take him: neither wine nor money; does not take any bait."

Why is the hero called Biryuk? Why does he act like this with men? His name is Biryuk because he is lonely and gloomy.
- Turgenev emphasizes that the forester is formidable and adamant, not because he is a stranger to his brother - a peasant, he is a man of duty and considers himself obliged to protect the economy entrusted to him: “I do my job ... I don’t have to eat the master’s bread for nothing.”

He was entrusted with the protection of the forest, and he guards the forest of the owner, like a soldier on duty.

Find and read the description of Biryuk's collision with the peasant. What is the reason for the conflict between the peasant and Biryuk? Against what background are events unfolding? How do the peasant and Biryuk change in the climactic scene? What feelings do the forester evoke in the author and in us, the readers?

The picture of a thunderstorm prepares the central episode of the story: a clash between Biryuk and a thief he has caught. We read the description of Biryuk's collision with the peasants and find out the reasons for the conflict between the peasant and Biryuk.

What characters are in conflict? Between Biryuk and the peasant who stole the forest.

Children must understand that the scene of the struggle - first physical, then moral - not only reveals the views, feelings, aspirations of the characters, but also deepens their images. Author
emphasizes that physically the peasant clearly loses to Biryuk during their fight in the forest, but in the future, by strength of character, inner dignity, they become
equal to each other. Turgenev, creating the image of a peasant, captured the features of an impoverished peasant, exhausted by a half-starved existence.

Let's read the description of the peasant: “By the light of the lantern, I could see his drunken, wrinkled face, hanging yellow eyebrows, restless eyes ...” But it is precisely such a peasant who turns from plea to threats.

Reading by roles of a conversation between a peasant and Biryuk.

How does Turgenev show that the external appearance and internal state of the peasant is changing? Let's go back to the text.

At first, the peasant is silent, then “in a deaf and broken voice”, referring to the forester by name and patronymic - Foma Kuzmich, asks to be released, but when the bowl of his patience is overflowing, “the peasant suddenly straightened up. His eyes lit up, and a blush appeared on his face. The man's voice became "fierce". The speech became different: instead of abrupt phrases: “Let go ... clerk ... ruined, how ... let go!” - sounded clear and formidable words: “What about me? Everything is one - to disappear; Where can I go without a horse? Knock - one end; that from hunger, that so - everything is one. Get lost everything."

The story "Biryuk" is one of the few stories in the "Notes of a Hunter" that touches upon the issue of peasant protest. But due to censorship restrictions, Turgenev could not directly portray the protest of the peasants against serfdom. Therefore, the anger of a desperate peasant is directed not at the landowner for whom he works, but at his servant-serf, guarding the owner's good. However, this anger, which has become an expression of protest, does not lose strength and meaning from this.

For the peasant, the personification of the power of serfdom is not the landowner, but Biryuk, endowed by the landowner with the right to protect the forest from robbery. The image of Biryuk in the climactic scene deepens psychologically, he appears before us as a tragic image: in his soul there is a struggle between feelings and principles. An honest man, for all his rightness, he also feels the rightness of a peasant whom poverty has brought to the manor's forest: “Honestly, from hunger ... the children squeak, you know. Cool, just the way it is."