Lesson summary "I. S. Turgenev. Poems in prose: "Russian language", "Twins", "Two rich men"." “Two Rich Men”, analysis of Turgenev’s work Features of a peasant family

Most of Turgenev's latest works are some notes, thoughts and observations from the writer's own life, which he combined into one cycle. The collection of these small works itself, or rather its name, changed several times. At first Turgenev decided to call it “Posthumous”. Later he changed his mind and changed the name to Senilia. In Latin it means "Old Man". But even this name did not fully suit the creator. The final version of the name of the collection is “Poems in Prose”, in fact, everyone knows it by that name.

Oddly enough, such a seemingly simple title for the collection turned out to be a very successful decision. The collection contains many short stories, and each of them reflects on the prose of life. It is presented in brief but understandable lyrical prose. Of course, the miniatures do not have any rhyme, but despite this they are all very poetic. One of the most amazing works in this collection is “Two Rich Men.”

The story consists of several lines, but Turgenev put several strong images into them, and as a result, the work makes the reader think about his life. The short story was written in 1878, but it only saw the light of day after the collection appeared.

"Two Rich Men"

When in my presence they praise the rich Rothschild, who devotes thousands of his enormous income to raising children, treating the sick, and caring for the elderly - I praise and am touched.
But, while praising and being touched, I cannot help but remember one wretched peasant family who accepted an orphan niece into their ruined little house.
“We’ll take Katka,” the woman said, “our last pennies will go to her, there won’t be enough salt to get salt for the stew...
“And we have it... and not salted,” answered the man, her husband.
Rothschild is nowhere near this guy!

Analysis of the story “Two Rich Men”

As mentioned, the story was written in 1878, in the summer. It consists of several parts, has a beginning and an ending. The first line talks about Rothschild, a rich man who does charity work. Thus, it is said that despite his enormous wealth, a person still does not forget about ordinary people in need and tries to help them somehow. Then there is a comparison between the rich Rothschild and the poor peasant family, who cannot invest their savings to help those in need, since they themselves are in dire need.

Indeed, the generosity of a rich and wealthy person makes one wonder and admire him. Not all wealthy people want to help and help those who need it, but Rothschild is not like that, he shares funds “for raising children, for treating the sick, for caring for the elderly.” Good deeds, as they tend to do, evoke a purely positive reaction.

Turgenev immediately adds several more characters to the story. A “poor peasant family” accepts an orphan into their already “ruined little house.” The conversation between husband and wife is very interesting and ambiguous. He is full of nobility and spiritual generosity. Although these people are not as rich as Rothschild, they have kind and generous souls. A poor married couple takes in a girl who has lost her parents, and the generosity of their souls is admired no less than the generosity of a millionaire.

The answer to the question why this is so is very simple. It is enough to just think about how a billionaire is hurting himself by giving his money to the poor, and everything immediately becomes extremely clear and understandable. He gives away what he himself does not need. Rothschild probably doesn’t feel any changes in his own life because of this, everything remains the same for him. The peasant family, on the contrary, gives everything they have in order to change the orphan’s life for the better, to become her family. They can't even afford salt for their stew, but they don't give up on the girl. And if a woman still allows herself doubts, then they are immediately shattered by the words of her husband: “And we have her... and unsalted.” It is necessary to note an interesting nuance that the author emphasizes two things: firstly, neither the woman nor the man decides for themselves, they both say “we,” remaining together in joy and sorrow. A difficult time awaits them, but they are ready to go through it together, to fight it. Secondly, Turgenev calls a woman a “woman,” emphasizing her social status (an ordinary peasant woman), and a man not only a peasant, but also a husband, a person who has the final, decisive word in resolving the most serious issues.

The writer maintains suspense. He shows the reader that these are not all of the woman’s arguments that she can give by placing an ellipsis after her words. It is quite possible that this is not the first time they have had this conversation. Although, if this were so, then we could put an ellipsis at the beginning of her words. Perhaps both understand perfectly well that there is nowhere to put the girl, and they are not going to drive her out of the house - they are not animals, after all. The married couple understands that they are taking on a heavy burden, but this does not bother them at all, they are ready to put up with everything.

Conclusion

Taking on a child is not an easy task, and not every person will decide to take such a serious step in their life. Even that very rich man for some reason does not want to do this, although he could easily afford to take such a step, but no. He would rather give the money, and then maybe it will help someone. The main thing for him is to be a generous person for the people around him, so that everyone will talk about how kind and warm-hearted he is, although in reality he may not be. The poor married couple understands perfectly well that they will have to sacrifice a lot, but give the child warm clothes, a roof over their head and food, and most importantly, replace their blood parents, become a real family.

Of course, there is no room for details in five sentences. Turgenev does not tell them to the reader. We have to figure everything out on our own, but for the most part everything is clear. The peasant family itself is not rich. We don't know if the couple has their own children, but we can assume that they do. That is why the wife grumbles so good-naturedly. It should also be noted that the writer does not name the names of the peasants. On the one hand, one might think that this is a generalization, but on the other hand, in this way he ideally emphasizes the social status of the family and showed that such families are the majority in Rus'. Here the contrast becomes even more pronounced - Rothschild, a man with plenty of means to live, has good intentions, but the nameless people, the peasants, have a huge soul.

Nameless peasants, whose deeds and exploits are not publicly trumpeted in newspapers, nor are huge crowds of people talking about them, have true wealth, a broad soul, which they will share with the girl. This once again emphasizes that the charity of the rich is not comparable to the nobility of the soul of ordinary people.

Parallels can be drawn with our time. We often hear on TV and read that some famous person spends his savings on charity, but only a few of them are able to take everything into their own hands and do something worthwhile. The majority only creates the illusion of help, just like Rothschild in the miniature “Two Rich Men”.
As a result of the miniature, the writer adds: “Rothschild is far from being like this guy!” Of course, at the very beginning he says that he admires man’s generosity, but such generosity is nothing compared to what ordinary peasants give. Not everyone and not everyone can give everything they have.

Although the writer himself was from a family of nobles, he had a true, open soul, as evidenced by many of his works, including those collected in the collection “Poems in Prose.”

Slatykov-Shchedrin once said about Turgenev’s stories that after reading them, the soul is literally cleansed. As soon as you finish reading the last line, you immediately breathe easier, believe in it and feel warm. The same statement of the writer can be called true for the miniature, consisting of only five sentences “Two Rich Men”.

The last works of Ivan Turgenev were published in 1882. These were short notes, thoughts and observations from the writer’s notebooks. The name of the cycle has changed several times. Initially, the author called the collection “Posthumous,” then wrote Senilia in Latin, which means “Old Man’s.” But the final version, under which the collection was published, was called “Poems in Prose.”

Perhaps this is the best solution. In short texts, the prose of life is comprehended, and then presented in a brief lyrical form. Miniatures

The collections do not rhyme, but their language is very poetic. One of the most capacious works of the cycle is “Two Rich Men”. Just a few lines were enough for Turgenev to create a series of images and make the reader think.

Such good deeds evoke praise and tenderness from the writer. But then Turgenev remembers the “poor peasant family.” who takes an orphan into her “ruined little house.” A short conversation between husband and wife is full of nobility and generosity of spirit.

How does a billionaire harm himself by giving money to the poor? It is unlikely that he feels any changes in his luxurious life. But a peasant family, having sheltered an orphan, will not even be able to buy salt for the stew. Is it just about the food? Raising a child is not an easy job. It is necessary not only to dress, put on shoes and feed, but also to give the girl a piece of her soul, to replace her parents.

Turgenev does not provide details about the peasant family. The reader does not know whether they have children of their own. Most likely there is. That’s why the woman grumbles good-naturedly. The author also does not name the names of the characters. On the one hand, this approach creates a generalization, on the other hand, it emphasizes the simple social status of the family.

It is characteristic that both say “we”. realizing oneself as one whole. This is the quiet daily feat, the true spiritual wealth of a simple peasant, about whom newspapers do not ring a bell all over the world.

Saltykov-Shchedrin said about Turgenev’s works that after reading them one can easily breathe, believe, and feel warmth. This fully applies to the five-sentence miniature “Two Rich Men.”

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Perhaps this is the best solution. In short texts, the prose of life is comprehended, and then presented in a brief lyrical form. The miniatures in the collection do not rhyme, but their language is very poetic. One of the most capacious works of the cycle - "Two Rich Men". Just a few lines were enough for Turgenev to create a series of images and make the reader think.

The work, written in July 1878, consists of two parts, has a beginning and an ending. It compares the charity of Rothschild and a poor peasant family. The writer notes that the generosity of one of the richest people on the planet deserves admiration, since not all wealthy people give away part of their income “for raising children, for treating the sick, for caring for the elderly”. Such good deeds evoke praise and tenderness from the writer. But then Turgenev remembers "poor peasant family", which takes into its "ruined little house" orphan. A short conversation between husband and wife is full of nobility and generosity of spirit.

It is typical that both say "We", realizing oneself as a single whole. This is the quiet daily feat, the true spiritual wealth of a simple peasant, about whom newspapers do not ring a bell all over the world.

Saltykov-Shchedrin said about Turgenev’s works that after reading them one can easily breathe, believe, and feel warmth. This fully applies to the five-sentence miniature “Two Rich Men.”

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Acquaintance with famous prose poems begins at school. Teenagers will learn the specifics of an unusual genre, in which prose form of presentation and genuine lyricism are intertwined, with which every line breathes. Let us analyze “Two Rich Men” by Turgenev, one of the small works of this genre.

A discussion about a short work should begin with a presentation of its plot, which is based on the technique of comparison:

In the first lines, the author describes the good deeds of the millionaire Rothschild, who really tried to help those in need, allocating substantial sums from his own pocket to charity.
Next, the writer, in the simplest words, describes an incident from the life of a peasant, a very poor man who is ready to take in an orphan girl, realizing that his own life will become even more difficult.
Finally, a short, but succinct and expressive conclusion - “Rothschild is far from being up to this guy.”

When analyzing “Two Rich Men” by Turgenev, it is necessary to emphasize the idea of comparison: the millionaire, of course, is generous and noble, but he gives from the surplus. And the unfortunate peasant, himself extremely poor, is ready to endure even greater poverty in order to help a disadvantaged girl, poorer than him.

Images

The next stage of the analysis of Turgenev’s “Two Rich Men” is the description of the heroes. There are two types of characters:

Direct characters: the peasant himself and his wife.
Persons mentioned: Rothschild and the girl Katka.

Moreover, the first category of heroes does not have names, and the second is more specific, both a real-life millionaire and an unfortunate orphan. Why does the author use this technique? When analyzing Turgenev's poem “Two Rich Men,” one should find the answer to this question. For the author, the noble peasant soul is of great value, so the event described could have happened in any corner of the vast homeland, in many families in need. The classic sincerely admires the nature of the Russian person, ready for self-sacrifice.

Features of a peasant family

Let us continue the analysis of Turgenev’s “Two Rich Men” with a description of the appearance of a peasant family that he masterfully paints for his readers

First of all, these are very poor people who, apparently, have children of their own.
Turgenev does not say the age of his characters, nor does he try to describe their appearance, since this data is not required to convey his key idea.
It should be noted that in the speech of both the man and his wife there is no selfish “I”; both say “we,” which emphasizes their desire to make a joint decision.
The reader understands that the husband has the final say, so the unfortunate orphan will find a new home and hope for a happy, albeit very poor, life.

When analyzing the poem “Two Rich Men” by Turgenev, it is important to show that the author depicted a collective image of a Russian peasant family, the best people of his time, ready to help those in need, even depriving themselves of the most necessary things (in the village environment, the absence of salt in the house was considered a sign of extreme poverty).

Techniques

The text is small in volume, so it does not contain an abundance of artistic and expressive means. However, the entire narrative rests on the comparison of the millionaire benefactor Rothschild and the nameless peasant. This is very important to emphasize when analyzing Turgenev’s “Two Rich Men”:

Everyone knows the rich man; with his good deeds (their value is not diminished by the author), he undoubtedly helped people, but he also earned fame for himself.
And the unfortunate poor peasant with his action only created difficulties for himself; no one knows his name, and few people could be interested in the modest sacrifice of a forced man.

Therefore, the main technique, the comparison of a rich man and a poor peasant, helps Turgenev convey the main idea - the greater value of that act for which there is no reward, the man’s deed is completely selfless, no one will thank him except the saved girl.

Meaning of the name

When analyzing Turgenev’s prose “Two Rich Men,” the title of the work should be explained. Why are two rich men mentioned?

With regards to Rothschild, everything is clear; he is a rich man, a philanthropist, who directed part of his income to help children and the needy.
The second rich man is a peasant who has the most valuable thing, according to the author - a rich, kind heart, capable of sacrifice and empathy.

And the value of the spiritual component is much more important than material wealth. Turgenev is trying to convey this idea to his readers.

Speech originality

The next stage of analysis of Turgenev’s poem “Two Rich Men” is the study of its speech characteristics. The writer is known for often using dialect vocabulary in his prose texts to give the story credibility. Therefore, even in a small work, in the remarks of the peasants, one can find such words and expressions that are clearly uncharacteristic of the educated Turgenev:

Pennies, get salt, stew, Katka's appeal - these words and phrases help the author create the image of a simple village woman, a real woman who is economical and practical. Her arguments against accepting an orphan into the family are quite logical, because the spouses are in poverty. When analyzing Turgenev's “Two Rich Men,” it is important to emphasize that the wife is not a negative character; rather, she is an ordinary woman who is forced by extreme poverty to be somewhat stingy.
And we her... and not salty - this is the only phrase that the man uttered in the entire story, but it is very significant. He himself has no doubt that he is making the right decision. This man managed to maintain his kind, generous heart, despite living in very difficult conditions.

Concluding the analysis of Turgenev’s poem “Two Rich Men,” it should be noted that the author, of course, is glad that there are philanthropists like Rothschild in the world who help the poor. But their achievements lose their significance when compared with the actions of ordinary peasants who deny themselves even food in order to help even poorer people. And the writer sincerely admires such “men and women”, of whom there are so many in his homeland.