Gogol the night before Christmas figure. The image of the forelock in Gogol's story The Night Before Christmas, essay characteristics

Oksana is the main character of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s story “The Night Before Christmas”. Oksana is the most beautiful girl not only in Dikanka, where boys run after her in crowds, but also in the nearby villages. The girl perfectly understands her beauty and origin - her father is a rich Cossack, so she uses her beauty to increase her self-esteem, but she herself does not feel anything for any boy, but is only amused by their attention.

Oksana loves to look in the mirror and admire herself: her snub nose, black eyes, beautiful eyebrows and tight braid. With each such process, she kept dreaming about how a good hubby would admire her as much as she did.

The girl was endowed with a very complex character: she loved only herself, treated others selfishly, seemed very arrogant, proud and unapproachable. All the boys who looked after her, one way or another, stopped doing this, because they did not achieve any reciprocity, Oksanka only stroked her pride thanks to them.

The blacksmith Vakula, to whom the girl initially did not give any attention, could not help but fall in love with Oksana and treated him as coldly as she did with the other guys, even grinning at times. Only Vakula did not give up, he did not stop loving and caring for Oksana, he walked towards his goal, towards his love. In her capriciousness before Christmas, Oksanka tells Vakula to bring her the slippers that the queen wears. Of course, this was nonsense that no one would take seriously. But not Vakula, he loved the girl so much that he decided to go for the slippers.

At the end of the story, we see Oksana in completely different tones: instead of pride and arrogance, embarrassment and sincere joy awaken in her for the fact that Vakula returned safe and sound, and with little shoes to boot. Of course, after such a feat, the girl agrees to marry Vakula, and she herself understands that she loves him, because after his disappearance she was very worried and worried, which means that she does not care what will happen to him. blacksmith.

Different conclusions can be drawn from this story, but I realized for myself that even behind the mask of a capricious and spoiled young lady, there can be hidden the sweet face of a modest and well-mannered girl who, like any other young beauty, wants love.

Option 2

Oksana is one of the centers of the story, around which events develop and revolve. After all, if this capricious beauty had not wanted to show everyone her power over the blacksmith Vakula, the holiday would have passed without particularly stormy events. Indeed, the daughter of the rich Cossack Chuba was amazingly beautiful. Her fresh, expressive face with clearly defined eyebrows and shiny black eyes, full lips, rosy cheeks... She's good! But how spoiled and arrogant she is: “if she walked around not in a blanket and a spare tire, but in some kind of hood, she would have scattered all her girls.” All she had to worry about was looking in the mirror and trying on new clothes... A rich Cossack loved his daughter, who grew up without a mother, and spoiled her with outfits and jewelry. The guys followed her in droves, but they couldn’t stand the beauty’s whims and looked for girls who were more merciful and accommodating.

And now Oksana is spinning in front of the mirror, admiring herself, and cannot take her eyes off. And then Vakula came. He confesses his love, and Oksana mocks him, saying that she has more fun with her friends. Then the girlfriends came running. In front of them, Oksana mockingly said to Vakula: “If you bring the slippers that the queen wears... I’ll marry you right now!” The distressed Vakula said goodbye to the guys, telling everyone that he would never see them again in this world, advised the flighty beauty to look for another groom and left. With the help of Patsyuk, a local healer and sorcerer, Vakula managed to catch the devil and force him to go to the royal palace.

Somewhat later, rumors spread throughout the village that the blacksmith had either hanged himself or drowned himself out of grief. By nightfall the whole village was discussing the news. All night the beauty could not sleep, she turned from side to side. And it’s not that she grieved for the blacksmith, but felt sorry for her poor self. Where will she find another devoted groom who would tolerate her whims and fulfill any desires? Moreover, he was strong, handsome and had considerable artistic abilities. She thought all night, scolding herself for her coldness. And I realized that I fell in love. And when the blacksmith did not appear in the village in the morning, she could not even pray in church, but only grieved and cried. And all the villagers noticed that the church service was going wrong - as if something was missing... And the singers sing awkwardly, but it was better with the blacksmith. Everyone was wondering: where did Vakula go?

When the blacksmith came after mass to ask Chub for permission to marry his daughter, Oksana was not herself with joy. And it was not the slippers that she needed, but the blacksmith himself. She looked at him with love and “never before has she been so wonderfully beautiful.” From under the mask of a narcissistic, indifferent beauty, an ordinary, kind and affectionate girl finally appeared.

Essay about Oksana

“The Night Before Christmas” is a real Christmas fairy tale, kind and cheerful, based on Ukrainian folklore. The story describes a festive night in a small farm, with all the folk customs and traditions.

The respected wealthy Cossack Chub lives in the farmstead. He has an only daughter, Oksana, a young girl of seventeen years old. She is very attractive, and her beauty is talked about far beyond the borders of her native village. All these stories about her appearance led to Oksana turning into a narcissistic, selfish and arrogant proud woman.

She constantly spins in front of the mirror, admiring her beauty. The girl is sure that her future husband should consider her choice an honor, and will simply be obliged to pamper her in every possible way, indulge her whims, and constantly admire her beauty. The capricious girl believes that in her native Dikanka there is no boy worthy of her favor.

The blacksmith Vakula, the son of the local witch Solokha, is in love with Oksana. He has long dreamed of his capricious daughter Chub becoming his wife. For the sake of this narcissistic beauty, the blacksmith is ready to go to hell. But the unapproachable proud woman only mocks him and only allows him to admire her beauty from afar. Mocking the blacksmith in the presence of her girlfriends, Oksana invites him to get her slippers worthy of a queen. The girl promises to marry Vakula if he fulfills her crazy wish. The blacksmith's pride awakens, and he is ready to throw the obstinate girl out of his head, but then the devil falls into his hands, and a real opportunity arises to fulfill the stupid request of the whimsical beauty. Riding the line, Vakula goes straight to the queen's palace. Meanwhile, rumors are spreading in the village that the blacksmith has committed suicide.

Having learned about this, Oksana suddenly realizes that Vakula is the only guy who truly loved her and was ready to do anything for her, even endure her whims. The girl feels sorry for the blacksmith, she is very worried and regrets what happened, and understands that she also loves him. When Vakula returns safe and sound, happy Oksana, out of embarrassment, turns into a real beauty, a simple girl in love. Having finally understood and appreciated real human feelings, Oksana forgot her arrogance and arrogance, married Vakula, and turned out to be a good wife and caring mother.

Introduction. General description of the story, main idea.

“The Night Before Christmas” is Gogol’s outstanding story, it has been filmed many times and is sincerely loved by domestic readers. Part of the cycle of stories “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”. Incredible fantastic events and lively language of description make the story bright and eye-catching. It is literally filled with folklore, folk tales and legends.

The ideological meaning of the work can be most fully understood by analyzing Gogol's views. At that time, he thought more and more about the greatness of democracy over the blind patriarchal way of contemporary Russia. It was fueled by progressive trends in the field of literature and science. The life of the landowners, their slow-wittedness and adherence to old ideals irritated Gogol, and he over and over again ridiculed their pitiful way of life and primitive thinking.

It is very important that in “The Night Before Christmas” good triumphs over evil, and light prevails over darkness. Vakula is brave and generous, he is not a coward and does not fold his hands in the face of difficulties. It was precisely this way, similar to the brave epic heroes, that Gogol wanted to see his contemporaries. However, the reality differed sharply from his idealized ideas.

The author tries to prove, using the example of Vakula, that only by doing good deeds and leading a righteous lifestyle can you become a happy person. The power of money and the violation of religious values will lead a person to the very bottom, making him an immoral, rotting person, doomed to a joyless existence.

The entire description is permeated with the author's deep humor. Just remember with what mocking irony he describes the empress’s court circle. Gogol portrays the inhabitants of the St. Petersburg Palace as ingratiating and servile people, looking into the mouths of their superiors.

History of creation

The book “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” was published in 1831, at the same time “The Night Before Christmas” was written. Gogol’s stories in the cycle were born quickly and easily. It is not known for certain when Gogol began working on the story, and when the idea of creating it first came to him. There is evidence that he put his first words on paper a year before the book was published. Chronologically, the events described in the story fall on a period of approximately 50 years earlier than real time, namely the reign of Catherine II and the last deputation of the Cossacks.

Analysis of the work

Main plot. Features of the compositional structure.

(Illustration by Alexander Pavlovich Bubnov for N.V. Gogol “The Night Before Christmas”)

The plot is tied to the adventures of the main character - the blacksmith Vakula and his love for the eccentric beauty Oksana. The conversation between the young people serves as the beginning of the story; the first beauty immediately promises Vakula marriage in exchange for the royal shoes. The girl is not at all going to fulfill her word; she laughs at the young man, realizing that he will not be able to fulfill her instructions. But, according to the peculiarities of the construction of the fairy tale genre, Vakula manages to fulfill the beauty’s desire, and the devil helps him in this. Vakula's flight to St. Petersburg to receive the Empress is the climax of the story. The denouement is the wedding of the young people and the reconciliation of Vakula with the father of the bride, with whom they had a broken relationship.

In terms of genre, the story gravitates more towards the fairy-tale type of composition. According to the laws of a fairy tale, we can see a happy ending at the end of the story. In addition, many heroes originate precisely from the origins of ancient Russian legends; we observe the magic and power of dark forces over the world of ordinary people.

Images of the main characters

Blacksmith Vakula

The main characters are real characters, village residents. Blacksmith Vakula is a real Ukrainian man, hot-tempered, but at the same time extremely decent and honest. He is a hard worker, a good son to his parents and will certainly make an excellent husband and father. He is simple from the point of view of mental organization, does not have his head in the clouds and has an open, rather kind disposition. He achieves everything thanks to his strength of character and unbending spirit.

Black-eyed Oksana is the main beauty and an enviable bride. She is proud and arrogant, due to her youth she has a hot temperament, is frivolous and flighty. Oksana is constantly surrounded by male attention, loved by her father, tries to dress in the most elegant dresses and endlessly admires her own reflection in the mirror. When she found out that the boys had declared her the first beauty, she began to behave appropriately, constantly annoying everyone with her whims. But young suitors are only amused by this behavior, and they continue to run after the girl in a crowd.

In addition to the main characters of the story, many equally striking secondary characters are described. Vakula’s mother, the witch Solokha, who also appeared in “Sorochinskaya Fair”, is a widow. Attractive in appearance, a flirtatious lady, playing tricks with the devil. Despite the fact that she personifies a dark force, her image is described very attractively and does not repel the reader at all. Just like Oksana, Solokha has a lot of admirers, including the ironically depicted sexton.

Conclusion

Immediately after its publication, the story was recognized as unusually poetic and exciting. Gogol so skillfully conveys all the flavor of the Ukrainian village that the reader seems to be able to stay there himself and immerse himself in this magical world while reading the book. Gogol draws all his ideas from folk legends: the devil who stole the month, the witch flying on a broom, and so on. With his characteristic artistic style, he reworks images in his own poetic way, making them unique and bright. Real events are intertwined with fairy tales so closely that the thin line between them is completely lost - this is another feature of Gogol’s literary genius, which permeates all of his work and gives it its characteristic features.

Gogol's work, his stories and novels filled with the deepest meaning are considered exemplary not only in domestic but also in world literature. He so captured the minds and souls of his readers, managed to find such deep strings of the human soul that his work is deservedly considered ascetic.

The work “The Night Before Christmas” is largely based on the writer’s favorite Ukrainian folklore; in this story, the daily life of the people of Ukraine, their customs, beliefs, and traditions dedicated to the Christmas holiday are clearly visible.

The main character of the story, the young, sincere and cheerful blacksmith Vakula, has long dreamed of marrying the daughter of Oksana, a respected peasant in the village Chuba. As the guy himself says, this girl is the whole world for him, she is both his mother and his father, and absolutely everything that he values in the world.

Oksana is still very young, she has not yet turned seventeen years old, but both in her native village and beyond everyone does not stop talking about her extraordinary beauty, which inevitably develops in the girl such qualities as extreme selfishness, narcissism, arrogance in relation to to others.

The author mentions that local young people are trying in every possible way to court her, but the overly proud and inaccessible beauty sharply pushes everyone away, not seeing in these young men anyone who would truly be worthy of her.

Chub's daughter often stands in front of the mirror for hours, admiring her own attractiveness and looking at herself. The girl has no doubt at all that, having gotten married, she will do her future husband great honor and he will subsequently begin to pamper her in every way and admire her appearance from the bottom of his heart.

For a long time, arrogant Oksana simply does not notice the loving eyes of the blacksmith Vakula, constantly fixed on her. The girl perceives the guy’s offer to become his wife with open ridicule; she is not going to agree at all, absolutely not considering an ordinary village youth to be a suitable match for herself.

Wanting to play a joke on the guy, Oksana demands to deliver to her those booties that the Empress herself wears, only in this case she will immediately marry Vakula. It doesn’t even occur to the girl that the groom she rejected will decide to at least try to fulfill her condition; she almost immediately forgets about her words.

The blacksmith himself, having heard Oksana’s order, concludes that the spoiled beauty does not love him at all, but only mocks him and his feelings for her without hesitation. Vakula is already ready to abandon his daughter Chub, convincing himself that there are many other pretty and kind-hearted girls in the village, while Oksana only loves to dress up and will never be able to become a good housewife. However, the young man is unable to forget this girl; her cheerful laughter constantly rings in his ears.

At the same time, Oksana, having heard that Vakula is supposedly no longer alive, unexpectedly cannot sleep throughout the night, and by the morning she realizes that she is truly in love with this young man, although she had previously demonstrated to him your contempt. After all, despite all her selfishness and pride, Oksana remains an ordinary rural girl of this time, who imagines herself in the future as a wife and mother, conscientiously doing household chores.

The next day, standing in the church, she experiences a wide range of feelings, including sadness, anxiety, and hope that the blacksmith is actually alive. When Vakula approaches her again, Oksana lowers her eyes in embarrassment, and everyone admits that the recognized village beauty has never been so pretty before.

The girl is firmly convinced that she has finally met her destiny and true love, and readers of many generations do not remain indifferent to her beauty and charm, which is especially evident in the final scenes of the story.

Analysis of the work

gives the blacksmith a promise to marry him if he brings her slippers - the same ones that the empress herself wears. The climax of the story, undoubtedly, is Vakula’s wonderful flight on the line to St. Petersburg and back. As a result, he gets his beloved shoes. At the end, Vakula makes peace with Oksana’s father, with whom he was at odds, and marries the beauty.

Almost all readers who have ever plunged into the fairy-tale world of “Evenings on a Farm” have noted the extraordinary poetry and charm of N.V. Gogol’s texts. Where does a writer get such color, such skill? A distinctive feature of the story, as indeed of all the stories in the cycle, is the widespread use of folklore. This is manifested, first of all, in the events and images of the work themselves. From popular ideas, Gogol draws images of the devil who plans to steal the month, a witch flying through a chimney, depicts their flight, and the witch’s pampering with the stars. Researchers of Gogol’s work also draw parallels between Vakula’s magical flight and folk legends. In the story, Gogol reproduces the spirit of the Ukrainian hinterland, gives, in the words of A. S. Pushkin, “a living description of a singing and dancing tribe, a fresh picture of Little Russian nature, this gaiety, simple-minded and at the same time crafty.”

N.V. Gogol has the amazing ability to combine the real with the fabulous and fictional. A special world appears before us with its own rules and laws, with its own traditions: boys and girls, according to the old cheerful custom, go caroling on the night before Christmas, they sing carol songs, wish the owner and mistress health and wealth, respected and revered Cossacks go to see each other visiting a friend. And the fairy-tale world flows so organically into this very real world that it seems as if it should be so. These two worlds in the story merge into a single indissoluble whole. And now it seems that there is nothing more ordinary than a witch flying into a chimney, a moon dancing in the hands of the devil, and even the devil himself... The image of the demon in the story is endowed with very specific features, both external and internal. The author explains to us his actions, tells us about his thoughts, in addition, he endows him with a special charm, which, contrary to folk traditions, does not evoke feelings of disgust or fear in us.

Natural sketches help create a fabulous atmosphere. Many natural phenomena come to life in this enchanted world. “The stars looked out. The month majestically rose into the sky to shine on good people and the whole world.”

The heroes of the story are the most ordinary people whom you, it would seem, can meet as soon as you turn the corner. V. G. Belinsky considered this property “the first sign of a truly artistic work.” It’s as if you’ve known all the characters in “The Night Before Christmas” for a long time. But these people are described with such warmth and love by the author that you involuntarily fall in love with them. However, this does not mean at all that a gallery of ideal people passes before us. No. Gogol endows his heroes with ordinary qualities. Here is the beautiful Oksana. Well, why not ideal? Meanwhile, she is arrogant, capricious, capricious, and proud. Respected by everyone, the revered Chub - they go to Solokha.

And Vakula himself is often unrestrained. So, for example, he is ready to “break off the sides of the first person he comes across out of frustration” after a conversation with the capricious Oksana.

It's all about the poetic style with which the inhabitants of Dikanka are told.

The language of Gogol's works requires special attention. It is with the help of a colorful language, rich in lyricism, that the writer paints pictures of Ukrainian life in his works. And how much delight, how much rapture there is in his story, how much love and tenderness!

A distinctive feature of the story is the presence of life-giving and cheerful laughter. And indeed, there are so many scenes that are comical in nature in “Night...”! Isn’t it funny that the respectable village resident, the revered rich merchant Chub, crawls out of the bag on the night before Christmas in front of all the honest people! The head that also ended up in the bag is worthy of a smile. Well, how can you not laugh heartily at that strange dialogue between them: “And let me ask you, what do you lubricate your boots with, lard or tar? - Tar is better! - said the head.” It would seem that the entire narrative is imbued with humor: a description of the eccentricities of the witch, the devil, the bickering of women arguing tooth and nail about how the blacksmith died, drowned or hanged himself. Here, Gogol’s laughter is still far from the invariable formula that is used to call his artistic method - “laughter through tears.” This will come to him later. In the meantime, we laugh until we cry at the simple-minded heroes of his “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka.”

The story “The Night Before Christmas” has one feature that distinguishes it from other stories in the cycle. There is a very definite historical background here. There are real historical figures in the text: Prince Potemkin, Catherine II, Fonvizin, he is guessed, but not named directly. All this allows us to talk about the approximate time frame of the work. This is the second half of the 18th century.

Plan

1. Exposition. The appearance of the devil and the witch. The devil steals the month.

2. Conversation between the blacksmith Vakula and the beautiful Oksana. Oksana asks for the slippers that the queen herself wears. For this she promises to marry Vakula.

3. Vakula goes for advice to Patsyuk, a Cossack.

4. Vakula subjugates the devil and flies to St. Petersburg.

5. Vakula with the Empress.

6. Return of the blacksmith and a happy explanation with Oksana.

Glossary:

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The story “The Night Before Christmas” also belongs to the cycle “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”. The events in the story are unusual, fantastic, like a fairy tale. The narrative is thoroughly imbued with the spirit of folklore, fairy tales and legends. The main action is centered around a resident of Dikanka - the blacksmith Vakula, “a strong man and a fellow anywhere,” and the hero of all Russian beliefs - the demon. The plot of the story can be considered a conversation between Oksana, the first beauty of the village, and Vakula, who is madly in love with her. Oksana makes a promise to the blacksmith to marry him if he brings her slippers - the same ones that the Empress herself wears. The climax of the story, undoubtedly, is Vakula’s wonderful flight across the line to St. Petersburg and back. As a result, he gets his beloved shoes. At the end, Vakula makes peace with Oksana’s father, with whom he was at odds, and marries the beauty.

Almost all readers who have ever plunged into the fairy-tale world of “Evenings on a Farm” have noted the extraordinary poetry and charm of N.V. Gogol’s texts. Where does a writer get such color, such skill? A distinctive feature of the story, as, indeed, of all the stories in the cycle, is the widespread use of folklore. This is manifested, first of all, in the events and images of the work themselves. From popular ideas, Gogol draws images of the devil who plans to steal the month, witch-we, flying out through the pipe, depicts their flight, the witch’s pampering with the stars. Researchers of Gogol’s work also draw parallels between Vakula’s magical flight and folk legends. In the story, Gogol reproduces the spirit of the Ukrainian hinterland, gives, in the words of A. S. Pushkin, “a living description of a singing and dancing tribe, a fresh picture of Little Russian nature, this gaiety, simple-minded and at the same time crafty.”

N.V. Gogol has an amazing ability to combine the real with the fabulous, fictional. A special world appears before us with its own rules and laws, with its own traditions: boys and girls, according to the old cheerful custom, go caroling on the night before Christmas, they sing carol songs, wish the owner and mistress health and wealth, respected and revered Cossacks go visit each other. And the fairy-tale world flows so organically into this very real world that it seems as if it should be so. These two worlds in the story merge into a single indissoluble whole. And now it seems that there is nothing more ordinary than a witch flying into a chimney, a moon dancing in the hands of the devil, and even the devil himself... The image of the demon in the story is endowed with very specific features, both external and internal. The author explains to us his actions, tells us about his thoughts, in addition, he endows him with a special charm, which, contrary to folk traditions, does not evoke in us feelings of disgust or fear.

Natural sketches help create a fabulous atmosphere. Many natural phenomena come to life in this enchanted world. “Look at the stars. The month majestically rose into the sky to shine on good people and the whole world.”

It's all about the poetic style with which the inhabitants of Dikanka are told.

A distinctive feature of the story is the presence of life-giving and cheerful laughter. And indeed, there are so many scenes that are comic in nature in “Night...”! Isn’t it funny that the respectable resident of the village, the well-respected rich merchant Chub, crawls out of the bag on the night before Christmas in front of all the honest people! The head that also ended up in the bag is worthy of a smile. Well, how can you not laugh heartily at that strange dialogue between them: “And let me ask you, what do you lubricate your boots with, lard or tar? - Tar is better! - said the head. It would seem that the entire narrative is imbued with humor: a description of the miracles of the witch, the devil, the bickering of women arguing tooth and nail about how the blacksmith died, drowned or hanged himself. Here, Gogol’s laughter is still far from the invariable formula that people are used to calling his artistic method - “laughter through tears.” This will come to him later. In the meantime, we laugh until we cry at the simple-minded heroes of his “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka.”

Plan

Exposition. The appearance of the devil and the witch. The devil steals the month.
Conversation between the blacksmith Vakula and the beautiful Oksana. Oksana asks for slippers, like the tsarina herself wears. For this she promises to marry Vakula.
Vakula goes for advice to Patsyuk, a Cossack.
Vakula subdues the devil and flies to St. Petersburg.
Vakula with the Empress.
The return of the blacksmith and a happy explanation with Oksana.

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