Nikolenka Irteniev is the main character of the story “Childhood”, written by the brilliant writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. The work takes readers back to distant childhood, and also reveals the spiritual and moral world of the child.
What is the characteristic of Nikolenka Irtenyev? How did the author treat him? Did he idealize his hero? And what did he want to convey to the hearts of readers by choosing the image of a child as key and central in his work?
Let's briefly analyze the realistic, life story that L.N. Tolstoy wrote, “Childhood,” and try to find answers to the above questions.
The image and characteristics of Nikolenka Irtenyev in the stories “Childhood”, “Adolescence” and “Youth”
The trilogy “Childhood”, “Adolescence”, “Youth” is autobiographical. In it, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy talks about himself and his childhood experiences. Childhood years are the most important in the life of every person. We all come from childhood. During these years, knowledge, way of thinking, complexes are laid and developed, which will then influence the entire subsequent existence of a person, on the way of his thoughts. Analyzing the characterization of Nikolenka Irtenyev in these three works, Lev Nikolaevich, having already become an adult, analyzes his own feelings, thoughts, and actions. And this helps him understand himself better.
Childhood
The main character of the trilogy, Nikolai Petrovich Irtenyev, or Nikolenka, as his family called him, is the prototype of Lev Nikolaevich himself. The story begins when Nikolenka was 11 years old. He grew up as a smart and calm child, moderately playful. He has a vulnerable and sensitive soul, open to love. He loves his mother, old woman Natalya Savishna, tutor and mentor Karl Ivanovich. He manages to fall in love with Seryozha Ivin, and at the holiday dedicated to the name day, he falls in love with Sonechka.
Like all teenagers, he is overly suspicious, he worries about what people will think of him, worries about failures, and, on the contrary, sincerely rejoices at his successes.
Boyhood
In the next story we see a change in the image of Nikolenka Irtenyev compared to “Childhood”. The hero's growth begins with the death of his mother. They say that in children who have lost their parents early, or have experienced other great grief, even their gaze changes and becomes adult. Nikolenka himself felt a change in his worldview after a conversation with Katenka, who grew up with his sister Lyubochka. Katenka was the daughter of the governess Mimi. For the first time, she made Nikolenka think about the social and financial inequality of people. Katenka already understood that they lived in the Irtenevs’ house thanks to the mercy of Mother Nikolenka. Mother is gone. Apparently, Mimi shared her experiences and concerns about their future with her daughter.
Nikolenka Irteniev strives to imitate Volodya, he realized that this was not right, but he could not yet choose his path. One day he spied Volodya flirting with the maid Masha, and he also wanted to flirt with her. Only childish shyness stopped him from this act. Nikolenka was confident in his ugliness and was a little jealous of his brother, who is a year and a half older than him.
When the boys grew up, at the insistence of their grandmother, Karl Ivanovich, whom Nikolenka had become accustomed to over the years of childhood and loved as his own, despite the fact that he could punish for misdeeds and pranks, they fired him and hired a French tutor - a young educated man who, it seemed Nikolai, took pleasure in humiliating him. Nikolai hated the tutor.
During his adolescence, Nikolai began to think about the meaning of life and the role of man in this world, about God and the other life, and agreed with the idealists on issues of the subjectivity of existence. Dreams appeared of his own greatness, that he would become a discoverer of new philosophical truths.
As I grew older, studying became easier, and classes began to bring some pleasure. Nikolai became close to one of Volodya’s brother’s comrades, Dmitry Nekhlyudov, who had a certain influence on his worldview.
Meaning of the name
The title of the story “Childhood” speaks for itself. It immediately tells us that we will be talking about a story from the life of a little man. The author describes the children's worldview and puts a literal and open message into the meaning of the title. The title indicates that the story is dedicated to childhood, the time of the first steps in life and worldview.
It is important to note that we are not talking about Nikolenka, but about childhood in general. The author wants to show a generalized childhood story, demonstrating not so much his path as the conditions and circumstances in which a person of his time and position is formed. It is noteworthy that M. Gorky also wrote a trilogy with the same names, but showed the life and customs of a simple city boy, and not a noble offspring. Both authors focused on how the early period of a person’s life influences his development. That's why the story by L.N. Tolstoy is called “Childhood”.
Youth
Lev Nikolaevich considers the age of 16 to be the beginning of his hero’s youth. In the year described, Nikolai is preparing to enter university. But he does it reluctantly. He is not very inspired by his upcoming studies. He devotes a lot of time to introspection and dreams. Excessive self-criticism about one's own appearance makes a young man suffer. It seems to him that he looks more like a peasant than a noble man.
The quarrel with a certain Kolpikov, the humiliation he experienced, haunted Nikolai for a long time. When he thought about this event, he was still very upset many years later.
Nikolai entered the university, and thereby rose in his own eyes and in the eyes of those around him. He began to think about love and decided that he was already in love. However, Sonechka, for whom he had tender feelings in childhood, outgrew her childhood charm and became less attractive. The feeling he felt with Sonechka can be called inspired love. Everyone around him was in love, and in order for him to feel completely grown up, he also had to fall in love with someone.
False shyness and suspiciousness prevented Nikolai from getting along with his university friends. He remained alone for a long time. Because of this same shyness, he did not dance, going to the ball for the only time all winter. Even before entering the university, Nikolai dreamed of social entertainment, but even those that he got into during his studies did not bring him pleasure.
He failed the first math exam at the end of the course miserably. He took his failure hard. This event greatly influenced his future life. He promised himself that he would never again waste time, using it to benefit his cause.
Knowing the life and work of the writer, Count Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, we can come to the conclusion that the rules of life that Nikolenka Irtenev wrote a second time, he still followed for the rest of his life.
Lev Nikolaevich wrote the trilogy from 1952 to 1957. During this period, he served in the active army, took part in the defense of Sevastopol, wrote “Sevastopol Stories” and the story “The Morning of the Landowner.”
Source
Character history
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy is the creator of the story “Childhood”. The main character in it is Nikolenka Irtenev. The author introduces readers to the boy's early years, revealing the character's personality and worldview and assessing his actions. It is not without reason that the writer created such a touching image. The character's characteristics coincided with his personal character and biography.
Nikolenka Irtenyev is among the curious young heroes such as Ilyusha Snegirev, Kolya Krasotkin and Alyosha Peshkov.
History of creation
Tolstoy, like many writers, kept a diary. In it, the Count wrote down thoughts, dreams, and moral lessons that life taught him. The writer was not always the same as readers remember. He acquired the image of a venerable old man preaching life in the world and love of God after many years of reflection and creativity. The story “Childhood,” published in 1852, became Tolstoy’s first work.
Nikolenka, more precisely, Nikolai Petrovich Irtenyev, becomes the main character of the story and the trilogy to which it gave rise. The works “Childhood”, “Adolescence”, “Youth” describe the life of the hero. The character is autobiographical, and with his help Tolstoy answers questions that he repeatedly asked himself.
Illustration for Tolstoy’s story “Childhood”
Nikolenka is a representative of an aristocratic family. The child is 10 years old. He is a count, and his upbringing corresponds to the highest standards of secular society. The boy is looking for peace of mind and the meaning of life, developing as a person. His inner world is rich. He changed after the terrible event that befell the boy's family.
The story "Childhood"
The author introduces the main character in the very first lines of the story. The reader sees a sleeping boy, for whom his mentor tirelessly watches. The boy grows up in comfortable conditions. Despite the spoilage and quirks typical of a barchuk, he shows kindness of heart and tender feelings towards others. The story introduces the audience to the first years of Nikolenka’s life.
Nikolenka Irtenev
We get the opportunity to form an idea of the conditions in which a new generation of landowners and representatives of secular society was raised. The immorality and hypocrisy propagated in society are obvious in the example of a particular family.
Nikolenka Irtenev is not at all handsome. He has a large nose and plump lips, small eyes, and cowlicks sticking out at the back of his head. Appearance is important for a child, so he worries about shortcomings and often prays to God to send him beauty. Unpleasant traits are also noted by the adults around the child, even the closest person, the mother. She also talks about the boy’s spiritual beauty.
Nikolenka is distinguished by a quarrelsome character and a flaring feeling of envy, but the boy is gentle and affectionate with his loved ones, conscientious and kind to others. Positive traits favor the hero. He is always ashamed of his misdeeds and wrong thoughts. Remorse and remorse that overtake a child become a punishment for him. And I want to believe that the boy will try to behave better. He is not faced with a choice of profession, but the boy makes the life choice that is available to the hero every day, relying on his own feelings.
Karl Ivanovich
The contradictory personality of the main character is manifested in his actions and relationships with other characters in the story. The child studied at home. Nikolenka’s mentor Karl Ivanovich, a German who came to try his luck in Russia, evokes sympathy and pity in the boy.
Nikolenka wants to sacrifice for the sake of her beloved teacher, and he tries in every possible way to show his love. Sometimes he has breakdowns, and at such moments he gets angry and scolds at his older friend and teacher, is insolent and curses the German for a bad grade, a difficult exam or a reprimand. The boy is quickly overwhelmed by remorse, and he tries to obey.
Nikolenka’s character is also manifested in her friendship with Ilenka Grap, a sickly and modest peer from a failed family. Ilenka tolerated communication with the Irtenyevs, counting on subsequent patronage, and the master's children mocked the quiet boy and sometimes even beat him. He was brought to tears. This sin will torment Nikolenka’s soul for many years. He believed that he should have stood up for Ilenka, but he never did this, egged on by the older guys.
Natalya Savishna
The main character, although distinguished by noble spiritual qualities, cannot hide his arrogance and arrogance. The boy understands perfectly well what status is expected for him, and what position Karl Ivanovich and Natalya Savishna occupy. This could not be avoided, because from a young age the child heard that he was the master’s son. He realized that he was better than others due to his origin, and therefore worthy of respect. A sense of superiority in those years was instilled in children from an early age, so Nikolenka cannot be blamed for the formation of such a consciousness.
The main characters of the story “Childhood”
Tolstoy, using the example of Nikolenka Irtenyev, showed the formation of the inner world of a person, described events that leave a mark on the soul and shape views on life. Through the hero, he describes his own experiences and the path to the person he became at the time of writing the work.
Hero's lordship
However, in Nikolenka’s attitude towards the people below him there was always a note of arrogance and swagger. He considered himself much higher than Karl Ivanovich and Natalya Savishna, servants attached to him with all their souls. He treated his poor peers with contempt and arrogance, considering himself better and smarter.
Where did such a sense of arrogance and superiority come from in this nice, sweet child? The characterization of Nikolenka from the story “Childhood” fully reveals to us the causes and consequences of his actions and judgments.
A little boy was brought up in the house of a rich, arrogant landowner. From infancy he was taught that he was a master’s son, worthy of honor and reverence. With his mother's milk, Nikolenka absorbed a sense of superiority and a desire to live in luxury and contentment, among serving, servile people.
Many noble children were raised this way. And this was a common occurrence at that time.
Quotes
“I continued to cry, and the thought that my tears proved my sensitivity gave me pleasure and joy. »
". I imagined that there was no happiness on earth for a person with such a wide nose, thick lips and small gray eyes as me. »
". You used to remember about Karl Ivanovich and his bitter fate - the only person I knew who was unhappy - and you would feel so sorry, you would love him so much that tears would flow from your eyes, and you would think: “God grant him happiness, give me the opportunity to help him.” , ease his grief; I’m ready to sacrifice everything for him.”
Source
Relation to maman
The image of the mother is the brightest, most beautiful image in the story, while in the work there is no specific description of the appearance or detailed characteristics of the woman.
Nikolenka’s mother is the most beloved creature on earth. He does not hesitate to show tenderness and affection to her, he loves to often spend time with her and communicate. Most likely, it is thanks to the early influence of his mother that the boy grows up to be such a kind and sympathetic child, capable of compassion and feeling of guilt. Therefore, the characterization of Nikolenka from the story “Childhood” would be incomplete and one-sided if it were not for the description of his relationship with his mother.
The death of the person he loved most left an indelible wound in the boy's heart. He cried and suffered a lot, experiencing the bitter loss in his own way. He did not understand how a blooming and cheerful mother could turn into a yellow, withered creature with closed eyes and an unrecognizable face.
And at the same time, the boy describes all his sensations and feelings with boundless sincerity and directness. He calls the moment of self-forgetfulness spent near the coffin of his beloved parent the truest manifestation of grief. In other cases, when Nikolenka cried and sobbed for his mother, he did it out of a sense of pride, pretentiousness and selfishness, honestly admitting this to himself and experiencing deep shame and contempt for himself.
History of creation
Tolstoy had a diary where he shared his dreams, thoughts, and moral actions that he had to perform throughout his life. Readers remember the unusual image of Lev Nikolaevich, but he was not always like this.
Having gone through a long creative path, he appeared before those around him as a venerable old man, preaching boundless love for God, life in peace and harmony.
The work “Childhood” is the first story of the trilogy, which appeared in 1852. The main character here is Nikolai Petrovich Irtenev.
Nikolenka is presented autobiographically, it is through him that the author tries to answer questions that have interested him for many years . A 10-year-old boy comes from an aristocratic family. As a count, he received a good upbringing and fully complies with the standards required by the secular society of that time.
The growing boy is described in search of life meaning and peace of mind, while at the same time his formation as a person occurs. The characterization of Nikolenka Irtenyev well describes his rich inner world, which has changed dramatically over time. The narration in “Childhood” is told in the first person. In this way, the writer demonstrates the importance of the events being discussed that took place in his life.
Option 2
Leo Tolstoy’s story “Childhood” is the first part of the trilogy “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth”, in which the writer depicted the formation of a person’s personality, his internal development.
This work is largely autobiographical. In the image of Nikolai Irtenyev, Tolstoy reproduced his own childhood impressions and events, preserved in memory due to the author’s observation and insight.
The narration in the work is told in the first person by Nikolai Petrovich Irtenev.
In the first part of the trilogy, Nikolai appears before the reader as a ten-year-old boy living with his parents on a family estate in the village.
Describing Nikolenka as a child who is not very attractive in appearance, with a large nose and lips, small eyes, Tolstoy at the same time reveals his kind, sensitive soul. Despite the fact that the boy is upset by his external shortcomings, he does not feel envy or anger towards beautiful people. On the contrary, he admires those in whose features he sees beauty.
Nikolenka’s upbringing is entrusted to the nanny Natalya Savishna, as well as the tutor Karl Ivanovich, whom the boy sincerely loves. Nikolai's hot temper sometimes makes him be rude and insolent to the teacher, but his good heart prevails and the repentant child tries to make amends to his beloved mentor.
The main character loves his parents very much, especially his mother, whose love he associates with love for the Almighty. The boy is not shy about showing his feelings towards his mother, spending a lot of time with her.
Great importance in the story is given to Kolenka’s relationship with the people around him. Thanks to her sociability, Nikolenka easily meets new children.
Spending a lot of time with the neighboring children, he enjoys communicating with them, telling them various stories. Kolya has particular sympathy for Ilenka Grap, who is constantly bullied by older children.
Nikolai differs in many ways from the children around him. Unlike his peers, he is often carried away into his own inner world, analyzing the actions of the people around him, as well as his own thoughts and feelings. By carefully observing what is happening, he easily recognizes deception. The work of thought prevents him from being as cheerful as other children. Constant control of his actions and words deprives him of the spontaneity characteristic of his peers.
Nikolenka Irtenyev’s childhood ends with a move to the city and the death of her mother. The loss of his closest and dearest person left an indelible mark on the boy’s soul. Living in his fictional world, where all misunderstandings and grievances are compensated by exploits and heroic deeds, the boy realizes that life is not always cloudless, as he previously thought.
Describing the childhood of Nikolai Irtenyev, Tolstoy tried to convey to the reader the importance of childhood in the formation of a child’s personality, which forever remains in his mind and soul.
Getting to know the childhood years
The first lines of “Childhood” provide an opportunity to get to know Nikolenka. This is a sleeping boy, under the constant supervision of a mentor. Comfortable conditions for development have been created for him. The young aristocrat is spoiled and whimsical, but at the same time he shows tender feelings towards those around him, because he has a kind heart. The narrative in the work begins with the first years of Nikolai’s life.
The story makes it possible to clearly imagine the conditions in which the generation of new landowners—the future secular elite—grew up and developed.
Irtenyev was not distinguished by external attractiveness; he could not be called handsome. The hero had:
For a child, his appearance with visible flaws is of great importance. He mentally asks God to give him beauty. Adults, including his mother, repeatedly pointed out his unattractive appearance to him. She focuses the reader's attention on the spiritual beauty of her son.
Appearance of the main character
The portrait of Nikolenka from the story “Childhood” presents us with a rather ugly boy of ten years old with a large nose, large lips and small eyes, with curls constantly sticking out on the top of his head.
The boy is very worried about his external shortcomings. Because of this, he is sometimes overcome by sadness and despair. He even asks God for external beauty and is ready to give all that is most valuable just to have an ideal appearance.
And although sometimes it may seem that the main character deliberately describes himself as such a little freak, his elders repeatedly talk about his ugly appearance. This is noted even by the one who loves Nikolenka more than anyone in the world - his mother. On the other hand, she more than once emphasized the spiritual attractiveness of her youngest son.
Special Features
The boy is distinguished by envy and a quarrelsome character. At the same time, he shows tenderness to close relatives, treats others kindly and conscientiously. Positive character traits cause sympathy for the hero. He often feels ashamed from wrong thoughts and misdeeds. The manifestation of remorse, which periodically overtakes the boy, becomes a real punishment.
The author encourages the reader to believe in the protagonist's correction . Nikolai does not rack his brains over choosing a profession, but he must decide on his position in life, taking into account the feelings that he has in different situations.
The inconsistency of personality is clearly felt, expressed in actions and relationships with other characters in the work. Nikolenka was trained at home under the supervision of mentor Karl Ivanovich. This German, who arrived in Russia in search of a new life, evokes pity and compassion in the protagonist. Nevertheless, the boy shows his love for his faithful companion in his own way, sacrificing a lot for him.
During emotional outbursts and nervous outbursts, Nikolai often lashes out at the teacher, venting abuse and anger at him. Having received a bad grade or failed to cope with a difficult exam, he begins to be insolent to Karl Ivanovich. But the boy moves away very quickly and repents of what he has done.
Relationship with a mentor
How do Nikolenka’s conflicting feelings manifest themselves?
For example, in his relationship with the children's teacher, a German by birth, Karl Ivanovich. Life did not work out for this poor man in his distant homeland, and he came to Russia in search of happiness. The German did not find wealth and prosperity, but, being kind and warm-hearted by nature, he became very attached to his students and, in the simplicity of his soul, gave them all of himself.
Nikolenka loves her poor mentor very much and feels sorry for him. For example, he dreams of growing up and helping his teacher, easing his grief and even sacrificing a lot for him.
His sincere love for Karl Ivanovich is also manifested in practice: Nikolenka often approaches his mentor, gently takes his hand and affectionately calls him a “dear” teacher.
However, multiple drastic changes occur in the boy’s soul. He can scold and be angry with the disadvantaged teacher, answer him rudely and impudently, and wish for everything bad. And all this just because of a strict suggestion, a short remark or a bad grade!
Of course, later, having analyzed his wrong behavior, little Irtenyev begins to feel remorse and try to make amends.
Relationships with other characters
Tolstoy successfully describes how Nikolenka Irtenyev, the hero of the trilogy, communicates with his sickly peer Ilenka Grap, who came from a poor family. This character endured the frequent antics of a wealthy aristocrat, hoping for his patronage in adulthood. But in response, he was subjected to bullying and humiliation by the noble heirs, who brought him to tears and even beat him. of this behavior ; he regretted that he did not stand up for Ilenka .
In different periods of life, the hero shows spiritual nobility, but it gives way to arrogance and arrogance. He is well aware of his high status in society, mocking the position of Natalya Savishna and Karl Ivanovich. The reason for this behavior was his upbringing, because from early childhood Nikolenka was told that he was the master’s son. This is how he imagined himself.
He was convinced that he was worthy of universal respect because of his origins, which his peers could only dream of. This is not at all surprising, because in those days a sense of superiority was cultivated from an early age. One can hardly blame Nikolai for the fact that his consciousness was formed under the influence of circumstances.
Mother's death
Sometimes trouble appears on your doorstep at the most unexpected moment. The turning point in Kolya's life was the premature death of his mother . From that moment on, his life changes dramatically:
Nikolenka’s mother was distinguished by her kindness and responsiveness, and sought to pass on these qualities to her son. The grief that occurred caused the deepest mental trauma, but Nikolai did not outwardly show any signs of his suffering, he tried to seem selfish and narcissistic.
The genius of the pen Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy tried to show the inner world of Nikolenka’s subtle and vulnerable nature. He was amazingly able to convey events that radically changed his outlook on life and shaped the character of the hero. Drawing a parallel between Irtenyev and himself, the writer tried to show the complex path of the personality he became as he grew older.
Characteristics of Nikolenka Irtenyev in the story “Youth”: image, description of character and appearance
| Nikolenka Irtenev. Artist K. A. Klementyeva |
The autobiographical story “Youth” is the third part of the famous trilogy “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth" by Leo Tolstoy.
In the story “Youth”, readers will learn about how the main character, Nikolenka Irtenyev, spends the years of her youth, what she feels and thinks during this period of her life.
This article presents a quotation image and characterization of Nikolenka Irtenyev in Tolstoy’s story “Youth”: a description of the character and appearance of the hero.
Conflicting feelings
What is Nikolenka like in the story “Childhood”?
This is an ordinary boy, a little envious, a little absurd, but very kind, gentle and conscientious.
Most likely, Irtenyev’s conscientiousness is his inner core, which attracts us to the main character.
He may commit ugly acts, may have bad judgment, may think and feel things that are reprehensible, but he will always, always (!) feel shame and regret, remorse and some remorse after this. After this, I want to believe and hope that Nikolenka will change, improve and become better.
