Ivan Flyagin: image and characteristics of the hero of the story “The Enchanted Wanderer”

Portrait: description of appearance, characteristics of speech and manners

When the reader meets the main character of the story, he is 53 years old. Ivan Severyanich Flyagin resembles a simple-minded and kind Russian hero, “grandfather Ilya Muromets in the beautiful painting by Vereshchagin and in the poem of Count A.K. Tolstoy.” He is huge, his face is dark, with a thick gray mustache curled upward like a hussar. The hair is wavy, thick, with graying, which gives it a leaden color. He is dressed in a novice cassock and a tall black cap.

Flyagin behaves with other people boldly, self-confidently, but without swagger, speaks in a pleasant bass voice, leisurely, softly. His speech is simple, smooth, he speaks interestingly and intelligibly, he is not offended by the objections of his listeners, but explains his point of view.

Hero's appearance

The author pays a lot of attention to describing the character’s appearance: “a man of enormous stature, with a dark, open face and thick, wavy, lead-colored hair...”. Flyagin resembles a Russian hero: he has a strong figure, big strong hands, a kind face, and a special appearance. The author himself draws a parallel with the hero of Russian epics: “he was a hero in the full sense of the word, and, moreover, a typical, simple-minded, kind Russian hero, reminiscent of grandfather Ilya Muromets...”.

Despite his age (Ivan Severyanovich is about 50 years old), captivity, and the troubles that befell the hero, he looks strong, healthy, and cheerful. The hero plans to take part in the war for the faith, he is full of strength and wants to lay down his life for the Russian people, if necessary. This is another feature that unites the image of Flyagin with the epic characters.

Life path

Ivan Flyagin was nicknamed “Golovan” because he was born with a very large head. He was a “prayerful son” - his mother begged him from God and died during childbirth. His father, Severyan Ivanovich, was a coachman, a serf of Count K., so the boy loved and understood horses from childhood. At the age of 11, he became a postilion (riding a horse in front of horses harnessed to a carriage). On the way, he accidentally became the culprit in the death of the monk. In a dream, Ivan saw this monk, and he predicted that he would have many trials, and when he completely died, he would become a monk, since he was the “promised son” (his mother promised that he would serve God). Then wanderings and trials began in Flyagin’s life:

At the instigation of the gypsy, he stole a couple of horses from the master and ran away from home.
In a fair duel, which the Tatars staged, he flogged his opponent to death and fled from arrest to the steppe. There he spent 10 years in captivity among these Tatars. When he healed his crippled legs, he managed to escape to his homeland. There the count ordered him to be flogged for escaping, then released him on quitrent.
When Flyagin served as a koneser (horse handler) for the prince, in a gypsy camp he threw all the money to the gypsy Grusha, as he was fascinated by her beauty, singing and dancing. The prince forgave him for throwing all the government money at Grusha, since he himself fell in love with her and bought her from the gypsies for 50 thousand rubles, mortgaging the estate.
Flyagin killed Grusha - she asked to stab her in the heart, because she did not want to live because of the prince’s marriage to a rich bride. Flyagin pushed her off the cliff, and Grusha drowned.
Then he served for 15 years in the Caucasus. Once, in order to build a bridge, he swam across a river under bullets, for which he was awarded an order and received the rank of officer.
He served as an actor, playing the role of a demon at performances.
He went to a monastery and became a coachman there. One night he mistook a cow for a demon and killed it. For this, the abbot ordered him to be put in a cellar for several months. There Flyagin began to prophesy about an imminent war. The doctor, who was invited by the abbot to find out if Flyagin was in his right mind, advised him to be sent somewhere “to go for a run.” Flyagin decided to go to Solovki on a pilgrimage.

The main character of the story “The Enchanted Wanderer,” having made many mistakes along his life’s path, comprehended his actions and embarked on the path of repentance. He feels like a “wanderer” doing the will of God. The hero is fascinated by life, and at the end of it he became fascinated by the idea of self-sacrifice in the name of saving Russia from the troubles that threaten it.

Fate and self-discovery

The life of Ivan Flyagin is a kaleidoscope of amazing events: tragic, mystical, happy. Luck loves him, someone from above protects and warns Ivan from troubles and misfortunes. During his service in the Caucasus, he has the reputation of being “unkillable”: bullets bypass our hero. Ivan performs the most dangerous tasks and saves the lives of many people. For his services, he receives an officer rank and a high award.

During his life, Ivan Severyanovich changed many professions: he happened to be a nanny, a groom, a military man, and a monk. He spent 10 years in captivity of the Tatars, they did not let Ivan go because of his talent to understand horses. There, he started a family and children, but his homeland passionately attracted the hero. Longing for his native land, daily prayers, hope of returning - all this brought the miracle closer. One day, foreigners came to the Tatars with fireworks, the spectacle frightened the locals so much that Ivan managed to deceive them and escape.

Life did not spare Ivan, he did not meet the woman he loved, did not start a family. Gypsy Grusha, the woman he loved, preferred death at his hand to life without the one who abandoned her.

Work and activities

Flyagin was a coneser, that is, a specialist in the selection and riding of horses. Ivan knew how to tame unbroken horses, as he was a great expert on them. In addition to the main lesson, he had to master others:

from the age of 11 he was a postilion (he rode a horse in front of a team of horses pulling a carriage with gentlemen);
was a nanny, took good care of his little pupil;
healed people and cattle when he was in captivity in the steppe;
served as a soldier in the Caucasus;
worked in the address desk;
was an artist in a booth;
Now he serves as a coachman in the monastery, is a novice and his name is now Father Ishmael.

Ivan's life path

We first meet the hero on a ship sailing along Lake Ladoga to Valaam. Talking with fellow travelers, he tells the story of his difficult life. The brief but frank confession of this handsome monk captivates the listeners.

By origin, the hero belonged to the serf rank, his mother died early, and his father served as a coachman at the stable, where the boy was assigned. Once he saved the count's family from death, risking his life. Having miraculously survived, the boy asks for a harmonica as a reward.

Once, for fun, Ivan whipped a monk who was dozing off in a cart so that he wouldn’t block the road, and he fell asleep under the wheels and died. This monk appeared to him in a dream and announced to Ivan that for his mother he was not only a long-awaited and prayed-for son, but also promised to God, therefore he needed to go to a monastery.

All his life this prophecy haunted him in unexpected situations. More than once he looked into the eyes of death, but neither earth nor water took him.

For mocking a cat that ate his pigeons, he was given a severe punishment: to crush stones for garden paths. Unable to bear the bullying and hardships, he decides to commit suicide. But a gypsy saves his life by persuading him to steal horses and leave with him to live a free life. And Ivan decided to do this, it was so painful for him. The gypsy deceived and cheated, and Ivan, having straightened out false documents for his pectoral cross, goes into the service of a nanny for a master whose wife has abandoned him.

There the hero became attached to the girl, fed her goat's milk, and, on the doctor's advice, began to carry her to the shore of the estuary and bury her sore legs in the sand. The inconsolable mother found the child, and, telling Ivan her story, began to beg him to give her her daughter. But Ivan was relentless, reproaching her for violating her Christian duty. When her partner offers the hero a thousand rubles, he, saying that he never sold himself, spits on the money with disgust, throws it at the soldier’s feet and fights with him. But, seeing the owner running with a pistol, he himself gives up the child and runs away with the one he had just beaten.

Left without documents and money, he again finds himself in trouble. At the horse auction he sees how the Tatars fight for horses, hitting each other with whips, and he also wants to try his hand. In a duel for a horse that was his for only a minute, he survived, but his opponent dies. The Tatars hide him and take him away with them, saving him from the police. So Flyagin is captured by the Gentiles, but a plan to escape is brewing in his mind and one day he manages to carry out his plans.

Returning to his homeland, he helps men buy horses at fairs. And then, thanks to rumor, the prince takes him into his service. Life has come calm and well-fed, only sometimes out of melancholy he breaks into sprees. And in the last exit, fate brings him together with the gypsy Grushenka, who conquered him, and Flyagin, as if spellbound, threw all the money he had at her feet. The prince, having learned about Pear, being carried away by her beauty and singing, brings her to the estate.

Ivan sincerely became attached to this extraordinary girl and looked after her. But when the impoverished prince decided to leave his annoying beloved for the sake of a profitable marriage, Ivan, pitying Grusha, distraught with grief and jealousy, who begged to be saved from her shameful fate, pushes her off a cliff into the river.

Tormented by what he had done, seeking his own destruction, he leaves instead of another recruit to fight in the Caucasus, where he stayed for more than fifteen years. For faithful service and courage he was awarded the Cross of St. George and awarded the rank of officer. Having received a letter of recommendation from the colonel, he gets a job in the capital as a clerk at the address desk, but the work is not for him: boring, without money. But they no longer hire him as a coachman; his noble position does not allow his riders to scold or hit him. He settled down in a booth, where they did not disdain his nobility, to play a demon. But he didn’t stay there either; he got into a fight, protecting the young actress from harassment.

Again, left without shelter and food, he decided to go to the monastery. Having taken the name Ishmael, he fulfilled his obedience in the monastery stable, which he was very pleased with, because he did not need to attend all the services in the church. But his believing soul toils that it is not for him to serve in the temple, he cannot even light a candle properly, he will drop the entire candlestick. And he also killed a cow, accidentally mistaking him for a demon.

More than once he accepted punishment for his negligence. And he began to prophesy war in order to stand up for the fatherland with faith. Tired of this wonderful monk, the abbot sends him on a pilgrimage to Solovki. On his way to a pilgrimage, the enchanted wanderer meets his grateful listeners, to whom he told about the stages of his life’s journey.

Character traits

The image of Ivan Flyagin absorbed many character traits of the Russian people. The story “The Enchanted Wanderer” shows the “story of the growth of the soul” of the main character. At the beginning of his life, he sometimes showed cruelty and committed rash acts, but gradually came to the path of repentance. Despite the seemingly simplicity and unpretentiousness, the image of Ivan Flyagin is complex and ambiguous. For example, he has spiritual deafness towards his unbaptized children, who were born while he was in captivity, but he fell in love with his little pupil when he served as a nanny.

Ivan Flyagin has the following character traits:

Love of horses, pigeons, understanding of nature, knowledge of medicinal plants.
The ability to adapt to any life situations and conditions, endurance, resourcefulness, ingenuity (he spent 10 years in captivity among the Asians, but still outwitted them and escaped).
Compassion, kindness (he took pity on the wife of the master for whom he served as a nanny, and gave her her daughter; he sympathized with Grusha, who suffered because the prince had stopped loving her; he took pity on the missionaries who suffered martyrdom in the steppe).
Integrity (he did not agree to give the master’s wife her daughter for 1000 rubles, but gave it only when he felt sorry for this unfortunate woman).
Conscientiousness (he was ashamed that he was rude to the officer to whom the master’s wife had left, and fought with him; he is ashamed that he treated the defender of the Fatherland in such a way).
Naivety, simplicity, gullibility (the story of the “magnetizer” who brought him to the gypsy camp).
Patience, humility (having returned from captivity, he humbly accepts punishment for escaping from his master by stealing two horses from him).
Caring, responsibility towards the child he was nursing.
Courage, courage, endurance (tamed the strongest horses, saved his masters when the brake in the harness burst, and the horses carried the carriage to the abyss; withstood the pain when competing with an Asian; swam across the river under the bullets of Caucasians).
Understanding of beauty, the ability to love, loyalty (he was fascinated by the beauty of the gypsy Grusha, her songs and dances; when she fell in love with the prince, and he stopped loving her, Ivan pitied her, loved her like a brother).
Flyagin's spiritual strength was manifested in the fact that he realized his sinfulness (he admitted to the colonel that he was a great sinner, since he killed Grusha, became the culprit in the death of the monk, and lives under someone else's name).
Patriotism. He loves his homeland, missed it in captivity, feels responsible for the fate of Russia and the Russian people. “I really want to die for the people,” says Flyagin, believing that the Motherland is threatened by an invasion of enemies.
Deep, true faith in God. In captivity, it was this faith that sustained his spirit.

The meaning of Ivan Flyagin’s “enchantment” in Leskov’s “The Enchanted Wanderer”

The favorite genres in Leskov's narrative art were the story and the short story. He took them to a new level, becoming, if not their discoverer, then the one who revealed their hidden abilities.

The focus of his works are large characters, unique personalities, as if symbolizing the leading manifestations of the national spirit. One of them is Ivan Severyanovich Flyagin.

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From the very first acquaintance with him, we notice his extraordinary similarity with the hero Ilya Muromets.

He is similar to him not only in physical strength, but also in the trials that befell him. But, despite all the difficulties of a long life, Ivan Flyagin is a “charmed” person.

His “charm” lies in the fact that Flyagin is passionate about life. Life for him is adventures, feats, struggles, in which one cannot deviate from the decency of actions. But one cannot say how perfectly the wanderer understood the beauty of nature, horses, and women. He tells his listening companions about this with such warmth and love that you even wonder if this is the reason for his “fascination.”

And that this is very similar to the truth, because it’s not in vain that Leskov is trying to find words in the hero’s vocabulary that indicate his organic betrothal to the beauty of the world: “And I feel that my soul rushed to her, to this horse, with my native passion.” And in the same way his heart trembles when he sees Pear and hears the singing of a gypsy: “So, dear sirs, I was overcome with something I don’t know, but only as if it was related to me...” At such moments, when the epithet “enchanted”, enriched with poetic content, acquires ambiguity, we cannot understand why Ivan Flyagin is fascinated.

Maybe his fascination lies in everything that happened in his life: travels, as a result of which he met people from the most diverse national-ethnographic environment, love, work and, of course, his foreseen destiny - a monastery.

In my opinion, this gives the hero special significance and symbolism; he is considered the personification of the Russian people. In its evolution, Leskov's hope for the renewing historical mission of the masses shines through.

The definition of “word artist,” repeatedly correlated with different writers, can without any doubt describe the nature of Leskov’s storytelling talent. Leskov's heroes shout about their uniqueness with every word they utter or simply by appearing on the pages of the work. Their whole nature and characters are revealed thanks to Leskov’s talent: he shows the era, time, situation through the prism of his heroes - through their actions, phrases, environment.

Quote from Flyagin

THE IMAGE OF IVAN FLYAGIN IN THE STORY “THE CHARMED WANDERER” In the story “The Enchanted Wanderer,” Leskov creates a completely special, incomparable with any of the heroes of Russian literature, image of a person who is so organically fused with the changing elements of life that he is not afraid to get lost in it. This is Ivan Severyanich Flyagin, the “enchanted wanderer”; he is “fascinated” by the fairy tale of life, its magic, so for him there are no boundaries in it. This world, which the hero perceives as a miracle, is endless, just as his journey in it is endless. He has no specific goal for the journey, because life is inexhaustible. Each new refuge of Flyagin is another discovery of life, and not just a change in one activity or another. The broad soul of the wanderer gets along with absolutely everyone - be it wild Kyrgyz or strict Orthodox monks; he is so flexible that he agrees to live according to the laws of those who accepted him: according to Tatar custom, he fights to the death with Savarikei, according to Muslim custom, has several wives, takes for granted the cruel “operation” that the Tatars performed on him ; In the monastery, he not only does not complain about the fact that, as punishment, he was locked up in a dark cellar for the whole summer, but he even knows how to find joy in it: “Here you can hear the church bells, and your comrades have visited.” But despite such an accommodating nature, he does not stay anywhere for long. It may seem that Ivan is frivolous, fickle, unfaithful to himself and others, so he wanders around the world and cannot find refuge for himself. But that's not true. He proved his devotion and fidelity more than once - both when he saved the family of Count K. from imminent death, and in his relations with the prince and Grusha - and such a frequent change of habitat and the constant motive for Flyagin’s flight are explained not by dissatisfaction with life, but by , on the contrary, with thirst to drink it to the last drop. He is so open to life that it carries him, and he follows its flow with wise humility. But this is not a consequence of mental weakness and passivity, but a complete acceptance of one’s fate. Often Flyagin is not aware of his actions, intuitively relying on the wisdom of life, trusting it in everything. And the higher power, before which he is open and honest, rewards him for this and protects him. Ivan is invulnerable to death, for which he is always prepared. Miraculously, he escapes death, keeping his horses on the edge of the abyss; the gypsy takes him out of the noose; he gains the upper hand in a duel with a Tatar; escapes from captivity; escapes bullets during the war. Flyagin says about himself that he “perished all his life, but could not perish,” and explains this by saying that he is a “great sinner” whom “neither earth nor water wants to accept.” On his conscience is the death of a monk, a Tatar and a gypsy woman, Grusha, without a twinge of conscience he abandons his children from Tatar wives, he is “tempted by demons.” But none of his “sinful” actions were generated by hatred, lies, or thirst for personal gain. The monk’s death is the result of an accident, Ivan pinned Savarikey to death in a fair fight, and in the story with Grusha, he acted following the dictates of his conscience, fully aware that he was committing murder... Realizing the inevitability of the gypsy’s death, he takes the sin upon himself, hoping in future to beg God's forgiveness. “You will live, you will pray to God for my soul and for yours, don’t destroy me so that I can raise my hand against myself,” the unfortunate Grusha begs him. Ivan has his own religion, his own morality, but in life he is always honest with himself and with others. Narrating about his life, Flyagin does not hide anything, for his soul is open both to God and to random fellow travelers. Flyagin is naive and simple, like a baby, but when he fights injustice and evil, he can be decisive and even cruel. For torturing the bird, he punishes the master's cat and cuts off its tail, for which he himself suffers severe punishment. He “really wants to die for the people,” and he goes to war in place of the young man, with whom his parents are unable to part. Flyagin is an unusually gifted person; nothing is impossible for him. The secret of his strength, invulnerability and amazing gift - to always feel joy - lies in the fact that he always acts as circumstances require. He is in harmony with the world when the world is harmonious, and he is ready to fight evil when it stands in his way.