- Essays
- On literature
- Goncharov
- The image and characterization of Mikhei Tarantyev in Oblomov’s novel
One of the negative secondary characters in the work “Oblomov” is Mikhei Tarantiev. He first appears in Oblomov's house at the very beginning of the novel. Almost nothing is known about his background. The reader only knows that the village of Tarantiev (Shumilovka) was located not far from Oblomovka, and he and Ilya Ilyich were old friends. He appears to be about 40 years old, stocky, tall and with a large red face. He is not ashamed of his shabby clothes and even wears them with “cynical dignity.” The author presents Mikhei Andreevich as a rude and unpleasant person.
This is the image of an uneducated, loud, rude official who takes pleasure in criticizing and calling people names. A person who, in the event of the first danger, will cower into a ball and hope to avoid deserved punishment. All this was invented far before Goncharov, but became widespread after him. He is the same “coming Ham” who has become a symbol of all of Russia.
However, Tarantiev has another interesting side. According to the author's idea, he is a theorist, a master of words. Mikhei Tarantiev could come up with an ingenious work plan that could be executed very easily and smoothly. But he never got around to it. Such a character can be characterized not just as a rude ignoramus, but as a kind of “unnecessary person” who does not have enough strength to lift a finger to realize his own ideas.
Next to such a character there should always be a practitioner who will carry out what the theorist has planned. Tarantiev found such a companion in Ivan Matveevich Mukhoyarov, who is ready to “get his hands dirty” for an extra penny in his pocket.
At first Oblomov trusts Tarantiev. He doesn’t care about his friend’s rudeness and the fact that he takes things and money from him without returning them. He believes that Mikhei Andreevich will help him with his estate and apartment. However, not without the help of Stolz, he begins to understand the situation in which he finds himself. Tarantiev treats Andrey poorly. And the point is not at all about the Russian’s dislike for the German, as he himself says about it. Mikhei Adreevich is rather afraid that the smart Stolz will expose his deception or take Ilya Ilyich to Oblomovka, thereby preventing the adventurous business he has begun from being completed. Tarantiev’s main goal is to take possession of Oblomov’s village and get as much money as possible from it.
However, as expected, all of Mikhei Andreevich’s machinations are revealed by Stoltz, after which the petty official does not appear in the novel. His further fate is known only from the words of Zakhar, who said that Tarantyev tried to kick the old servant at every meeting. He took revenge for the attitude towards him when he came to Oblomov to borrow money or have lunch. Zakhar always defended the master’s property, not hesitating to express his disdain for this fallen man.
Composition by Mikhei Tarantiev
One of the negative secondary characters in the work “Oblomov” is Tarantiev. He was far from perfect and also had criminal tendencies. Like most officials of that time, he did not do his job at all. He was very lazy and did not want to bother with office papers. For 25 years of service, he remained an ordinary clerk in the office, without rising or moving up one step in his career.
Despite his lack of education, Tarantiev was a very intelligent person. He was well versed in legal issues and could give practical advice on life issues. Mikhei Tarantyev was a swindler, he often fooled people, borrowed money and did not give it back, and always ate at the expense of others. A man with no moral principles was ready to deceive at every turn. Tarantiev was never embarrassed by his sloppy clothes; it even seemed that in this way he showed his contempt for people.
Oblomov was his good friend and fellow countryman, he treated him well and was ready to help him. Oblomov saw Tarantiev’s reluctance to move on. Mikhei Tarantyev was very rude, often spoke insultingly, all this complemented his very angry appearance. Of course, such bad behavior and appearance could not inspire confidence in the people he deceived. But that was the essence of this character.
Goncharov introduced the image of Mikhei Andreevich Tarantiev for a more colorful description of the life of the main character in the work “Oblomov”. He wanted to show that the lives of Oblomov and Mikhei Tarantiev have some similarities in life goals, but at the same time they have great differences. Tarantiev wanted to ingratiate himself with the main character and take away all his acquired property. He does everything to make Oblomov believe that he wants to help him run the household. Stolz stands in his way, who ultimately exposes Tarantiev. By the end of the work, the main character of the work, Oblomov, who treated Mikhei Andreevich quite well, nevertheless realized his true essence. He, having exposed the machinations carried out by Tarantiev, kicked him out of his house. After this, Oblomov stops all communication with him.
Other works: ← The image and characterization of Zakhar the servant in the novel by Oblomov↑ GoncharovThe image and characterization of Stolz in the novel by Oblomov →
Mikhei Tarantiev
Tarantyev Mikhei Andreevich is Oblomov’s fellow countryman. Where he came from and how he gained the trust of Ilya Ilyich is unknown. T. appears on the very first pages of the novel - “a man of about forty, belonging to a large breed, tall, bulky in the shoulders and throughout the body, with large facial features, a large head, a strong, short neck, large protruding eyes, thick lips . A quick glance at this man gave rise to the idea of something rude and unkempt.” This type of bribe-taking official, a brute, ready to scold everyone in the world every minute, but at the last minute cowardly hiding from well-deserved reprisals, was not discovered in literature by Goncharov. It became widespread precisely after Goncharov, in the works of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, A. V. Sukhovo-Kobylin. T. is that “coming Ham” who gradually reigned throughout Russia and who grew into a formidable symbol in the image of Sukhovo-Kobylin’s Rasplyuev. But T. has one more interesting feature. “The fact is that Tarantiev was a master only of talking; in words he decided everything clearly and easily, especially with regard to others; but as soon as it was necessary to move a finger, to get under way - in a word, to apply the theory he had created to the case and give it a practical move... he was a completely different person: here he was missing... "This trait, as is known, characterizes not only rude and uncouth characters of the named writers, but to some extent “superfluous people”. Like T., they also remained “theoreticians for life,” applying their abstract philosophy to places and places out of place. Such a theorist needs a number of practices that could bring his plans to life. T. finds himself a “godfather”, Ivan Matveevich Mukhoyarov, a morally unscrupulous man, ready for any meanness, who does not disdain anything in his thirst for accumulation.
At first, Oblomov believes that T. is able to help him with worries about the estate and in changing his apartment. Gradually, not without the influence of Olga Ilyinskaya and Andrei Stolts, Ilya Ilyich begins to understand what quagmire T. is trying to drag him into, slowly forcing Oblomov to sink to the very bottom of life. T.’s attitude towards Stolz is not so much the contempt of a Russian for a German, with whom T. rather hides behind him, but rather the fear of exposing the grandiose frauds that T. hopes to carry through to the end. It is important for him, with the help of trusted persons, to get his hands on Oblomovka, receiving interest from Ilya Ilyich’s income, and to confuse him himself properly by obtaining evidence of Oblomov’s connection with Pshenitsyna. T. hates Stolz, calling him a “sleazy beast.” Out of fear that Stolz will nevertheless take Oblomov abroad or to Oblomovka, T., with the assistance of Mukhoyarov, is in a hurry to force Ilya Ilyich to sign a predatory contract for an apartment on the Vyborg side. This contract deprives Oblomov of the possibility of any action. Following this, T. persuades Mukhoyarov, “before there are no more boobies in Rus',” to marry Oblomov to a new manager of the estate, Isai Fomich Zatertoy, who is very successful in bribes and forgeries. T.’s next step is to put into practice (with the help of the same Mukhoyarov) the idea of Oblomov’s “debt”. As if offended by his sister’s honor, Mukhoyarov should accuse Ilya Ilyich of laying claim to the widow Pshenitsyna and sign a document for compensation for moral damage in the amount of ten thousand rubles. The paper is then rewritten in the name of Mukhoyarov, and the godfathers receive money from Oblomov.
After Stolz exposes these frauds, T. disappears from the pages of the novel. Only at the very end is he mentioned by Zakhar, who, when meeting Stolz near the cemetery on the Vyborg side, tells how much he had to endure after the death of Ilya Ilyich from Mukhoyarov and T., who wanted to exterminate him from the world. “Mikhei Andreich Tarantyev kept striving to kick you from behind as soon as you passed by: life was gone!” In this way, T. took revenge on Zakhar for the neglect shown by the servant in those times when T. came to Oblomov for lunch and asked for a shirt, a vest, or a tailcoat - naturally, without return. Every time Zakhar stood up to defend his master’s goods, growling like a dog at the uninvited guest and not hiding his feelings for the low man. Oblomov
This is how the Main Character appears to the reader at the very beginning of the novel: “He was a man about thirty-two or three years old, of average height, pleasant appearance, with dark gray eyes, but with the absence of any definite idea, any concentration in his facial features... His movements even when he was alarmed, he was also restrained by gentleness and laziness, not without a kind of grace. All anxiety was resolved with a sigh and died away in apathy or dormancy. Ilya Ilyich’s lying down was not... a necessity... it was his normal state.” Oblomov's home costume - an oriental robe, as well as the life of Ilya Ilyich, described in detail by the author, complement the image of the hero and help to better understand his character. “On the walls, near the paintings, cobwebs, saturated with dust, were molded in the form of festoons; mirrors, instead of reflecting objects, could rather serve as tablets for writing down some notes on them in the dust for memory.”
A far from impartial character appears before us; it seems that laziness, passivity, and indifference are deeply rooted in him. But at the same time, against the background of his “friends”, deceitful, selfish, boastful people who paid him a visit at the very beginning of the novel, the reader becomes acquainted with Oblomov’s positive qualities: purity of thoughts, honesty, kindness, cordiality.
To more fully reveal Oblomov’s character, Goncharov contrasts him with other heroes of the novel, Andrei Stoltz and Olga Ilyinskaya.
Stolz is certainly the antipode of Oblomov. Every trait of his character is a sharp protest against the qualities of Ilya Ilyich. Stolz loves life - Oblomov often falls into apathy; Stolz has a thirst for activity - for Oblomov, the best activity is relaxing on the couch. The origins of this opposition are in the education of heroes. The author makes you involuntarily compare the childhood of little Andrei with the childhood of Ilyusha. Unlike Stolz, who grew up under the tutelage of his father, independent, persistent in achieving his goals, and thrifty, the main character grew up as a child, accustomed to having all his desires satisfied not as a result of his own efforts, but from the hard work of others. The village where Oblomov was brought up was, according to Dobrolyubov, the soil on which Oblomovism grew. Such an upbringing developed apathetic immobility in Ilya Ilyich and plunged him into the pitiful state of a moral slave. This is one of Oblomov’s tragedies touched upon in the novel - the young and active Ilyusha was infected from childhood with an “incurable disease”, Oblomovism - laziness generated by fear of change and fear of the future. Stolz, in whom the author has infused the power capable of reviving the Oblomovs and destroying Oblomovism, considers it his duty to change his friend’s way of life.
Andrei tries to “walk” Ilya Ilyich with people, goes with him to dinner parties, at one of which he introduces him to Olga Ilyinskaya. She “in the strict sense was not a beauty... But if she were turned into a statue, she would be a statue of grace and harmony,” “in a rare girl you will find such simplicity and natural freedom of look, word, action... no lies, no tinsel, no intent !” Olga in the novel is the embodiment of grace, concentration, and lightness. Oblomov is immediately captivated by the girl’s amazing voice, listening to her magnificent “Casta diva”. At Stoltz’s request, Olga draws up a plan for how she will use Oblomov’s love to “remake” him into an active, active person. Olga understands that in her relationship with Oblomov she plays the main role, “the role of a guiding star.” She transformed along with Oblomov’s changes, because these changes are the work of her hands. “And she will do all this miracle... She even shuddered with proud, joyful trepidation; I considered this a lesson ordained from above.” During the process of her experiment, Olga falls in love with Oblomov, which leads her entire plan to a dead end and leads to tragedy in their future relationship.
Oblomov and Olga expect the impossible from each other. It comes from him - activity, will, energy. In her mind, he should become like Stolz, but at the same time retain the best that is in his soul. He is from her - reckless, selfless love. But Olga loves the Oblomov whom she created in her imagination, whom she sincerely wanted to create in life. “I thought that I would revive you, that you could still live for me, but you died a very long time ago,” Olga pronounces with difficulty and asks a bitter question: “Who cursed you, Ilya? What did you do? What ruined you? There is no name for this evil...” “Yes,” answers Ilya. - Oblomovism! The tragedy of Olga and Oblomov becomes the final verdict on the terrible phenomenon that Goncharov portrayed in his novel. The main thing, in my opinion, is another tragedy of Oblomov - humility, unwillingness to overcome such an illness as Oblomovism. Over the course of the novel, Oblomov set himself many tasks that seemed to be of primary importance to him: to carry out reforms on the estate, get married, travel around the world, and, finally, find himself a new apartment in St. Petersburg to replace the one from which he was being evicted . But a terrible “illness” does not allow him to get down to business, it “knocked him down on the spot.” But Oblomov, in turn, does not try to get rid of her, but only tries in vain to shift his problems onto the shoulders of another, as he was taught in childhood. The tragedy of Ilya Ilyich is that even such high and noble feelings as love and friendship cannot make him wake up from his eternal sleep.
Olga Ilyinskaya
Olga Sergeevna Ilyinskaya – Oblomov’s beloved, Stolz’s wife, bright and strong character. “Olga in the strict sense was not a beauty... But if she were turned into a statue, she would be a statue of grace and harmony,” “In a rare girl you will find such simplicity and natural freedom of look, word, action... no lies, no tinsel, no intent !” The author emphasizes the rapid spiritual development of her heroine: she “as if she was following the course of life by leaps and bounds.”
Stolz introduces O. and Oblomov. Ilya Ilyich is immediately captivated by the girl’s amazing voice. Listening to her magnificent “Casta diva”, Oblomov falls more and more in love with O.
The heroine is self-confident, her mind requires constant work. Having fallen in love with Oblomov, she certainly wants to change him, raise him to her ideal, re-educate him. O. draws up a plan to “remake” Oblomov into an active, active person. “And she will do all this miracle... She even shuddered with proud, joyful trepidation; I considered this a lesson ordained from above.” O. understands that in her relationship with Oblomov she plays the main role, “the role of a guiding star.” She transformed along with Oblomov’s changes, because these changes are the work of her hands. But the heroine’s mind and soul required further development, and Ilya Ilyich changed very slowly, reluctantly and lazily. O.’s feeling is more reminiscent of the experience of re-educating Oblomov than of sincere first love. She does not inform Oblomov that all the affairs of her estate have been settled only in order to “see to the end how love will make a revolution in his lazy soul...” But, realizing that her life ideals will never converge with Oblomov’s ideals, O. breaks up relationship with him: “...you are ready to coo under the roof all your life...but I’m not like that: this is not enough for me, I need something else, but I don’t know what!” O. needs to feel that her chosen one is higher than her. But even Stolz, whom she will marry, does not succeed. “The deep abyss of her soul” does not give O. peace. She is doomed to always strive for development and a richer, spiritually rich life.
