In the story “Taras Bulba”, created by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, we meet the three main characters: Taras Bulba, Ostap and Andriy.
It is the latter that is the most ambiguous, complex, and contradictory. What is his inner world like? What kind of personality is this? How is his relationship with other characters in this work? Let's try to answer these questions by tracing the short life path of this character, and also find the relationship between his actions and character with the realities of time. The characterization of Andriy from the story “Taras Bulba” is brought to your attention.
Appearance Andria
First, let's look at the appearance of this character. Its description appears several times in the text of the work. The author notes that he was “good-looking”, had “big eyes”, this hero had a “courageous face”, which reflected strength and charm.
The characteristics of Andriy from the story “Taras Bulba” are revealed in his appearance. Gogol describes his hero this way: he is a young man with a healthy, strong face, already covered with fluff of hair, with a black mustache shading his whiteness. And after participating in battles, he notes that the youthful softness disappeared from his face, it has now become strong and formidable. This is the appearance of Andriy from Taras Bulba.
Nikolai Vasilyevich conveys the portrait of this hero through the opinions of other characters in the work about him: thus, according to the Polish woman he met in the besieged city, he was a strong and handsome young man, courageous, who denounced the “cheeky freedom” of his movements even in immobility, his gaze he was firm and clear, his “velvet eyebrow” arched “in a bold arch,” and his “tanned cheeks” sparkled with fire, his black mustache was shiny “like silk.” This is how Andriy’s appearance from “Taras Bulba” is complemented by a woman’s perception of him.
The title character, looking at his dead son, notes that he was black-browed, “tall in figure,” with a face “like that of a nobleman,” and his hand was strong in battle.
Popular writings
- Khlestov's essay in the comedy Woe from Wit (characterization and image)
The work “Woe from Wit” was written by A. S. Griboyedov. The prototype of his Anfisa Nilovna Khlestova was the Moscow lady Natalya Dmitrievna Ofrosimova, and L.N. took her as a prototype. Tolstoy in his novel "War and Peace". - The main meaning of the novel Fathers and Sons
It often happens that the meaning inherent in the work is reflected in its title. A striking example of such an author’s move was the novel Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev. Just two words, but what a meaning and what a problem! - An essay on the topic Sonya In the bad society of Korolenko,
Sonya in the work was the main character who is at the center of events. Sonya was four years old, she was a little girl. She also grew up in a wealthy family
Hero's childhood
This youngest son of the battle-hardened Taras Bulba, a Cossack colonel, an Orthodox Christian revered by the Cossacks, spent his childhood in a modest house among meadows and trees, where, together with his older brother, he was surrounded by the love and boundless care of his mother. The boys rarely saw their father, but they respected and feared him very much. Ostap and Andriy (“Taras Bulba”) from the age of 12 studied at Bursa (Kyiv Academy), a prestigious educational institution at that time, but distinguished by harsh customs and morals (half-starved life, beatings, etc.).
Appearance. Upbringing. Studies
Andriy is the youngest son of the main character of the story, Cossack Colonel Taras Bulba. This young man is a little over 20 years old, he is stately, tall, with black eyebrows. His facial features are more delicate and beautiful than those of his brother Ostap. During the month of his first military campaign, his facial features, in which “there was some kind of youthful softness, now became formidable and strong.” In Chapter 6, Gogol describes Andriy’s appearance, noting that on his fresh, beautiful face, seething with health and youth, his eyes sparkled with clear firmness, and his velvet eyebrows arched.
The boy was raised at home until he was 12 years old, in the wild, then his father sent him to study at the Kyiv Academy, where he studied with his older brother Ostap. Andriy studied without stress, willingly. He had an inventive mind, so he was often the leader of the students in their tricks and almost always dodged punishment.
Studying at Bursa
It is in the bursa that the formation and development of the hero’s character takes place. The characterization of Andriy from the story “Taras Bulba” during training is as follows. The boy easily and willingly assimilates knowledge, has leadership abilities, is often the leader of a “dangerous enterprise,” has an inventive mind, is resourceful and cunning (knows how to evade punishment). Like all young people of that time, he longed for exploits and, moreover, for love, the need for which vividly flared up in him when the young man turned eighteen.
Need for love
It is this trait, the need for female friendship, that is distinctive for this character. The image of Andriy from Taras Bulba is revealed precisely in love. His attitude towards women is very different from what was generally accepted among the Cossacks of that time. He approaches representatives of the opposite sex as goddesses, they are the object of his worship and admiration. The remark of Gogol, who wrote that only “women adorers” could not find anything in the Zaporozhye Sich, predetermines the life path of this man.
Time itself, its realities, force the young man to be secretive, since in that age it was dishonest and shameful for a Cossack to think about love and a woman without first having tasted battle. Only by becoming a hero and warrior can you achieve the favor and attention of a beautiful lady. For Andriy, a feat is not the end, it is just a means to achieve the main goal, which is love.
The image of Andriy in the story “Taras Bulba” (N.V. Gogol)
The image of Andriy in the story “Taras Bulba” (N.V. Gogol) is very complex and contradictory. At first glance, it may seem that Andriy is a frivolous, irresponsible son who easily decided to betray for the sake of a woman. But in fact, Gogol did not try to make him a scoundrel and a traitor. Andriy, first of all, is a thinker and analyzer, and at the same time ardent and passionate, who knows how to appreciate beauty.
Andriy is a brave, courageous, courageous Cossack. He fought with dignity, so the old father could only be proud of his son. The youngest son of the protagonist was distinguished by his lively mind and ingenuity. He finds it easy and with pleasure to study at the seminary, and here Gogol emphasizes the lightness of Andriy’s character, because a person with a difficult character would not be able to take up his studies without stress.
Gogol gives a detailed description of his appearance: “This child was more than twenty years old and a fathom tall,” “... a velvet eyebrow arched with a bold arch, tanned cheeks shone with all the brightness of virgin fire, and a young black mustache shone like silk.” It is clear that a very handsome, stately young man appears before the reader. But the author emphasizes not only the beauty of the face with these words. In addition to the fact that Andriy is a gallant and brave Cossack, his heart subtly feels life, his feelings are richer and more complex than those of his brother Ostap. Andriy loved long, leisurely walks “somewhere in a secluded corner of Kyiv,” contemplating the beauty of flowering trees. The hero also knew how to admire music; it fascinated him, forced him to listen with his mouth slightly open. And of course, only a truly kind and pure soul is capable of compassion. Andriy, fearless and tough in battle, gives a piece of bread to a dying man without the slightest hesitation. And it is precisely the ability to sympathize that makes him doubt the justice of the laws of the Zaporozhye Sich when he sees the execution of a murderer. And if for Ostap, as for most Cossacks, such a question does not arise, since for them the laws of the Motherland are undeniable, then Andriy does not agree with this. He is trying to answer for himself, what would people do in another country? Being a patriot, he cannot accept the cruelty of the morals of his fellow countrymen.
Both Ostap and Andriy bravely fight the Poles, however, even in battle, the passionate nature of the younger brother manifests itself. He plunges headlong into battle. Without cold calculations, Andriy enjoys the battle, rushes into the thick of it, forgets about everything in the world as selflessly as he loves, and the ringing of weapons and the shine of sabers sound like music to him.
Andriy is not like his father, for whom women are a necessity in everyday life. Andriy respects them, he does not hesitate to love and be with affectionate and gentle people: “He carefully hid from his comrades these movements of a passionate youthful soul, because in that age it was shameful and dishonorable for a Cossack to think about a woman and love without having tasted battle.” This wonderful feeling of love, which Andriy was capable of, destroyed him. Even before leaving Kyiv, Andriy fell in love with a Polish girl. And this feeling was so strong that it overshadowed everything. For the sake of love, the hero renounces both his Fatherland, his brother and father, and his comrades: “What is my father, comrades and fatherland to me!” “Who said that my homeland is Ukraine? Who gave it to me in my homeland? The Fatherland is what our soul seeks, what is dearer to it than anything else. My homeland is you!” “And I will sell, give away, and destroy everything that I have for such a fatherland!” By his action, Andriy signed his own death warrant at the hands of his father. He understood perfectly well what his action threatened him with, and yet he put everything on the scale. But even in the last minute of his life, Andriy remembers his beloved, dying with her name on his lips. He chose between his homeland and love, and was faithful to his choice to the end.
Of course, Andriy committed a crime against honor, and against family, and against the Fatherland. But Gogol describes the full depth of Andriy’s feelings precisely so that the reader understands: this is not a negative hero, because it was not for the sake of his own benefit that he went over to the side of the enemy. His feelings are as noble as the Cossacks’ love for their homeland, so one cannot help but respect him, but Andriy lived at a time when patriotism and loyalty to his people were valued above all other feelings. Therefore, against the backdrop of the unconditional patriotism of his people, Andriy seems to be breaking away from the idea of the work, trying to fight with popular beliefs. And there is a certain courage in this, too, because, as we know, Andriy was not just an amorous and flighty Cossack. But he knew how to feel deeply and strongly, surrendering entirely to the feeling.
Daydreaming
This hero of the work was full of dreaminess, contemplation and romantic ideas. The characterization of Andriy from the story “Taras Bulba” is supplemented by the following detail. He loved to wander alone in secluded corners of Kyiv. The romantic and lyrical image of this character is revealed by Gogol with the help of a description of nature (starry sky, cherry orchards, etc.). At the same time, however, Andriy is a man, first of all, of action, and therefore his inner world uncontrollably yearned for freedom, demanding embodiment in reality.
Desired meeting
A chance meeting with a girl, the daughter of a Kovno voivode, gave rise to the realization of a feat in the name of the lady (more precisely, a daring penetration through the chimney into her bedroom). A brave, crazy, but, alas, rash act, since the hero did not know what to do next. He did not dare to “move his hand” from timidity and stood with his eyes downcast. This episode clearly characterizes the personality of this character: he is shy and modest, but at the same time decisive and daring, inspired and impetuous, but never thinks about the consequences and does not foresee them.
Life among the Cossacks
Having found himself in the Sich at the behest of his father, Andriy (“Taras Bulba”) plunged into a riotous life with all his fiery nature (he shot accurately and smartly, became in good standing with the Cossacks, swam across the Dnieper against the current). The opportunity to participate in hostilities delighted this hero, and he immersed himself in the music of swords and bullets. Gogol writes that this hero did not know what it meant to calculate, deceive, or measure in advance the strengths of others and his own. He saw only “rapture” and “mad bliss” in battle. The image of Andriy from Taras Bulba is thus supplemented with new features. Even Taras himself was amazed at his son, who with his onslaught produced miracles that even battle-hardened warriors admired.
Image of Andria
Andriy is the youngest son of Taras Bulba, an exemplary example of a real Zaporozhye Cossack, but also the most frivolous member of the family, which ultimately ruined him. You can feel both sympathy and compassion for Andriy, and hatred. But everyone can decide for themselves.
Andriy is a handsome and elegant Cossack who attracts women with his appearance and charm. Gogol himself admired his appearance. The Cossack had curls dark as night and eyebrows of the same shade. Pale and noble skin emphasized high birth. He was tall and had a strong build, just like a Zaporozhye Cossack. And the older he became, the more he began to attract people of the opposite sex.
Causes of death of Andria
What ultimately led this brilliant young man to betrayal and premature and inglorious death?
Among the main reasons are the following: the passionate and impressionable nature of the hero, his fragile personality, a character that has not yet been formed, some gaps in his upbringing, his unconscious desire to get out of the power of an oppressive parent, youthful maximalism and selfishness, all-consuming passion, as well as a fatal coincidence of circumstances (a girl suffering from hunger in a besieged city, majestic organ music, townspeople dying of exhaustion, a meeting with her beloved, a Polish woman’s declaration of love). This is the main characteristic of Andriy (the story “Taras Bulba”) and the reasons for his tragic death.
Realizing that the passion for the girl is mutual, that his desired, secret dream has finally been achieved, the hero forgets about everything and renounces his homeland, his comrades, his father, without thinking at all. He says to the girl: “You are my homeland!” “And the Cossack disappeared!” - writes Nikolai Vasilievich.
The transition of this hero to the side of the enemy, a spontaneous and rash act, is nevertheless understandable and explainable. After all, love and murder are two incompatible things, like “genius and villainy.” And Andriy (“Taras Bulba”) killed his comrades without any regret.
His image is woven from contradictions, as in any person there is a devil and God at the same time, and the fate of each of us depends on what choice is made.
