Julien Sorel (fr. Julien Sorel) - the hero of the novel by F. Stendahl "Red and Black" (1830). The subtitle of the novel is "Chronicle of the XIX century". The real prototypes are Antoine Berthe and Adrien Lafargue. Berthe is the son of a rural blacksmith, a pupil of a priest, a teacher in the family of the bourgeois Misha in the town of Brang, near Grenoble. Ms. Misu, Berté's mistress, upset his marriage to a young girl, after which he tried to shoot her and himself in the church during the service. Both survived, but Berthe was tried and sentenced to death, executed (1827). Lafargue is a cabinetmaker who killed his mistress out of jealousy, repented and asked for the death penalty (1829). The image of J.S. - a hero who commits a criminal offense motivated by love passion and at the same time a crime against religion (since the attempted murder took place in the church), repentant and executed - was used by Stendhal to analyze the paths of social development.

Literary type characteristic of the French literature of the XIX "Sw. - a young man from the bottom, making a career, relying only on his personal qualities, the hero of an educational novel on the topic of “loss of illusion”. Typologically Zh.S. are related to the images of romantic heroes - "higher personalities" who in pride despise the world around them. Common literary roots can be observed in the image of the individualist from The Confession by J.-J. Russo (1770), who declared the person (the noble soul) subtly sensitive and capable of introspection to be an “exceptional person” (1′homme different). In the image of J.S. Stendhal comprehended the experience of rationalistic philosophy of the 17th-18th centuries, showing that a place in society is obtained at the cost of moral losses. On the one hand, J.S. is a direct heir to the ideas of the Enlightenment and the Great French Revolution, three key figures of the beginning of the "bourgeois age" - Tartuffe, Napoleon and Rousseau; on the other hand, extrapolation of the moral throwings of the romantics - his talent, individual energy, and intellect are aimed at achieving social status. At the center of the image of Zh.S. is the idea of \u200b\u200b“alienation,” the opposition “against all,” with the final conclusion of his absolute incompatibility with any way of life. This is an unusual criminal who daily commits crimes to establish himself as a person, defending the "natural right" to equality, education, love, deciding to kill in order to justify himself in the eyes of a beloved woman who doubted his honesty and loyalty, a careerist, guided by the idea of \u200b\u200bhis chosenness ... The psychological drama of his soul and life is constant fluctuations between a noble sensitive nature and the Machiavellianism of his sophisticated intellect, between devilish logic and a kind, humane nature. The phenomenon of the personality of Zh.S., emancipated not only from centuries-old social foundations and religious dogmas, but also from all sorts of principles, caste or class, reveals the process of the emergence of individualistic ethics with its egoism and egocentrism, with its neglect of means in achieving the goals. Zh.S. fails to kill his noble soul to the end, he tries to live guided by his inner duty and the laws of honor, at the end of his odyssey, having come to the conclusion that the idea of \u200b\u200baffirming “nobility of spirit” through a career in society is erroneous, to the conclusion that earthly hell is more terrible than death ... He renounces the desire to stand "above all" in the name of an unbridled feeling of love as the only meaning of existence. The image of J.S. had a tremendous impact on the further understanding of the problem of "exceptional personality" in literature and philosophy. Immediately after the release of the novel, the critic named Zh.S. "Monster", guessing in it the type of future "plebeian with education." J.S. became the classic founder of all the lonely conquerors of the world: Martin Eden J. London, Clyde Griffith T. Dreiser. Nietzsche has some noteworthy references to the searches of the author J.S. "Missing features" of a new type of philosopher, who declared the supremacy of a "higher personality" of a "will to power". However, Zh.S. served as a prototype for heroes experiencing catharsis and repentance. In Russian literature, his heir is Raskolnikov F.M. Dostoevsky. In the words of Nicolo Chiaromonte (The Paradoxes of History, 1973), “Stendhal does not teach us the self-centeredness, which he proclaimed as his credo. He teaches us to give a merciless assessment of the delusions in which our feelings are guilty, and all the fables that the world around us is full of ”. The famous performer of the role of J.S. in the French adaptation of the novel was Gerard Philippe (1954).

Lit .: Fonvieille R. Le veritable Julien Sorel. Paris et Grenoble, 1971; Remizov B.G. Stendhal. L., 1978; Gorky A.M. Foreword // Vinogradov A.K. Three colors of time. M., 1979; Timasheva O.V. Stendhal. M., 1983; Andrie R. Stendhal, or Masquerade Ball. M., 1985; Esenbaeva P.M. Stendhal and Dostoevsky: Typology of the Novels Red and Black and Crime and Punishment. Tver, 1991.

The image of Julien Sorel in Stendhal's novel "Red and Black"

The protagonist of the novel "Red and Black" is a young, ambitious young man Julien Sorel. He is a simple son of a carpenter, living with brothers and a father. The main goal of a nineteen-year-old young man is the idea of \u200b\u200bclimbing the church career ladder and getting as far away from the everyday life of the world in which he grew up. Julien does not find understanding on the part of society. Stendhal notes that "all the household despised him, and he hated his brothers and father ..." Stendhal Selected works: In 3 volumes. T1: Red and black: Roman / Per. with fr. N. Chuiko. - M .: Literature, World of books, 2004. - P.20. The young man is endowed with a rare mind, is able to quote the Holy Scriptures in Latin from memory. The young man sees nothing wrong with his idea of \u200b\u200bbecoming a priest, for him this is the only way to escape from the gray, monotonous and gloomy everyday life of his existence.

The formation of his character was greatly influenced by two people: the regimental doctor, a participant in the Napoleonic campaigns and the local abbot Shelan. The first taught Julien history and Latin, and with his death bequeathed to the young man respect for Napoleon, the Cross of the Legion of Honor and books, as well as the concept of honor and nobility. The second instilled in Sorel a love for Scripture, for God, encouraged his aspirations for intellectual and spiritual growth.

It is these qualities that separate Julien from the deceitful, stingy people of the town of Verrière. He is talented and generously endowed with intelligence, but was born at the wrong time. An hour like him has passed. The young man admires Napoleon, and it is his era that is close to the young man.

Due to his incompatibility with time, the young man is forced to pretend. He pretends to achieve something in life, but it turns out to be not so easy. The era of the Restoration has come with its own rules, in which honor, nobility, courage and intelligence are worthless. These qualities were important in the era of Napoleon, then an ordinary person could achieve anything in the military sphere. Under the Bourbon rule, a dignified lineage was required to advance the career ladder. For the lower class, the way to the military is closed.

Realizing the political situation of the era, Sorel understands that the only way to achieve spiritual and class growth is to become a priest. Julien decides that even in a cassock he will be able to achieve a good position in the "high society".

The young man behaves unnaturally for himself: he pretends to be a believer, although he himself does not believe in God in the classical sense; he serves those whom he considers deservedly below himself; looks like a fool, but has a great mind. Julien does this, not forgetting who he really is and why he is striving for this or that thing.

“Julien occupies a central place among all heroes, the author not only reveals the foundations of his personality, but also shows the evolution of the hero under the influence of circumstances. He has many faces ”Reizov BG Stendhal: artistic creation. - L .: Hood. literature. Leningrad department, 1978.

The writer describes his hero with tenderness: “He was a short youth of eighteen or nineteen years of age, rather fragile in appearance, with irregular, but delicate features and a chiseled nose with a crooked nose. Big black eyes, which in moments of calm sparkled with thought and fire, now burned with the most fierce hatred. His dark brown hair grew so low it almost covered his forehead, which made his face look very angry when he was angry. Among the innumerable varieties of human faces, one can hardly find another such face that would be distinguished by such a striking originality. The slender and flexible body of the young man spoke more of dexterity than strength. From an early age, his unusually pensive appearance and extreme pallor made his father think that his son was not a lodger in this world, and if he survived, it would only be a burden for the family. ”Stendhal Selected Works: In 3 volumes. T1: Red and Black : Novel / Per. with fr. N. Chuiko. - M .: Literature, World of books, 2004. - P.28 ..

Again, for the first time, Stendhal analytically approaches the description of the feelings and emotions of his hero. This makes obvious a fact that was new for that era: it is the low social status that allows Julien to develop in himself a colossal will, hard work and pride. Unlike Lucien, he is not inclined to conformism and is not ready to sacrifice dignity in the name of achieving goals. However, Sorel's concepts of honor and dignity are also peculiar. For example, Julien is not ready to accept additional rewards from Madame de Renal, but easily seduces her in her interests.

Gradually, everyone in the house begins to respect this quiet, modest, intelligent young man who speaks excellent Latin. In this way, Stendhal almost for the first time illustrates the advantage of education over origin using Julien's example. Not practical, of course, but intellectual. It is not surprising that Louise and Matilda see him as a revolutionary, a certain new romantic Danton. Julien in spirit is really close to the revolutionary leader of the late 18th century.

Julien, the son of a carpenter, is able to tell his master the count: “No, sir, If you decide to drive me out, I will have to leave.

An obligation that only binds me, but does not oblige you to anything, is an unequal deal. I refuse". And the more intensive the development of the hero goes, the more he comprehends, the more negative his attitude towards the world around him becomes. In many ways, young Sorel is the embodiment of growing pride and contempt, the abyss of which sucks in his brilliant mind and brilliant dreams. And now he already hates all the inhabitants of the Verrier for their stinginess, meanness and greed.

Stendhal illustrates in every way the duality of his hero's nature. That is why, I suppose, in his love relationship with Louise there is not even a confrontation, but rather a complex of mercantile interests and sincere romantic feelings.

The contrast between real life and Sorel's voluminous fantasy world confronts him with the need to constantly wear a certain mask. He wears it at the curé, in the house of De Renal and in the mansion of De La Moley. That which is so easily given to Balzac's Lucien, torments and oppresses Sorel. “The eternal pretense eventually drove him to the point where he couldn't feel free even with Fouquet. Resting his head in his hands, Julien sat in this little cave, reveling in his dreams and a sense of freedom, and felt as happy as never before in his life. He did not notice how the last reflections of the sunset burned out one by one. Among the immense darkness that surrounded him, his soul, dying, contemplated the pictures that arose in his imagination, the pictures of his future life in Paris. First of all, he drew a beautiful woman, as beautiful and sublime as he had never met in the provinces. He is passionately in love with her, and he is loved ... If he was separated from her for a few moments, then only in order to cover himself with glory and become even more worthy of her love.

A young man who grew up in the dull reality of Parisian light, even if he had Julien's rich imagination, would involuntarily chuckle, catching himself on such nonsense; great deeds and hopes of becoming famous would instantly disappear from his imagination, supplanted by the well-known truth: "He who leaves his beauty - woe to that! - three times a day he is cheated" ...

Ultimately, Julien is not even able to explain to himself whether he is in love, say, with a young marquise, or the possession of her flatters his painful vanity. Confused in his own feelings and thoughts, in the finale of the novel he departs from deeply personal experiences and deep social pathos is heard in his speech:

“... This is my crime, gentlemen, and it will be punished with the greater severity that, in essence, I am judged by no means equal to me. I don’t see here on the jury a single rich peasant, but only one indignant bourgeois ... ”Stendhal Selected works: In 3 volumes T1: Red and Black: Roman / Per. with fr. N. Chuiko. - M .: Literature, World of books, 2004. - P.35 ..

He spends his last days with Louise de Renal. Sorel realizes that he loved only her and she is his happiness.

Thus, Julien Sorel is a young, educated, passionate man who entered the struggle with the society of the Reformation era. The struggle of inner virtues and natural nobility with the inexorable demands of the surrounding reality is both the main personal conflict of the hero, and the ideological opposition of the novel as a whole. A young man who wants to find his place in life and know himself.

Sorel assesses all his actions, thinks about what Napoleon would do in this situation. Julien does not forget that if he was born in the era of the emperor, his career would have developed completely differently. The hero compares the life of Napoleon to a hawk flying over him.

For Sorel, as well as for Stendhal, Napoleon became one of the most important mentors in their lives.

This comparison is not accidental. Frederic Stendhal is recognized as the best researcher of the Napoleonic era. He was one of the first to become interested in such a famous person. A person who cannot but focus on. Stendhal gave a realistic and detailed description of the mood of the era and the events taking place in it. His works such as "The Life of Napoleon" and "Memories of Napoleon" are called by historians of our time the best biographical and research materials devoted to Bonaparte.

Julien Sorel - the protagonist of the novel - a nineteen-year-old youth, generously endowed by nature with mental abilities and an ardent heart. By birth, he is the son of a plebeian. His father is a former peasant. By the beginning of the story, old man Sorel is the owner of the sawmill. He was a rude, cruel and pathologically greedy man.

Plebeian by birth, Julien Sorel is not at all like his father and older brothers. He gasps in the atmosphere of his father's house, where the head of the family gives his children slaps and slaps in the face.

Julien constantly felt the special dislike of his father, who sincerely wondered why people like his youngest son existed at all. He irritated old Sorel by his very appearance. In addition, Julien had another, the most disgusting, from the point of view of his father, vice: he possessed a fiery passion for reading. "There could be nothing more hateful for the old man Sorel," the writer notes, and adds: "He himself could not read."

Therefore, it is completely understandable why Julien is desperately trying to escape not only from the house of his hated father, but generally beyond the framework of his class, into a different environment, into a different life, which seems to him fabulously beautiful and which he has raved about since childhood.

So in the minds of young Julien a dream of happiness arises and the search for ways that will lead him to the pinnacle of fame and recognition begins. "From early childhood, after he once saw the dragoons from the 6th regiment in long white raincoats, with black-maned helmets on their heads ... Ju-Lien raved about military service." His dreams were warmed up by the memories of the old regimental doctor about the battles on the Lodi bridge, Arkolsk, near Rivoli. These stories, mainly about the Italian campaigns of 1796, he listened to, sinking with delight, in those rare days when a retired doctor "bought" him from Sorel's father. Napoleon becomes his idol. “For many years, it seems, there was not a single hour in Julien's life when he did not repeat to himself that Bonaparte, an unknown and poor lieutenant, became the ruler of the world with the help of his sword. This thought consoled him in misfortunes ... "

But one day everything suddenly and suddenly changed. He made his own discovery, over which he "pondered for several weeks." And the impetus for this discovery was the accidentally heard phrase: "See how it all turned upside down!" Observant Julien could not ignore the facts, which testified that something really "turned over". This "something" was the building of a magnificent church in the small Verrier and the fear of the judge, who was reputed to be an honest and glorious person, before a young thirty-year-old vicar. "The construction of the church and the sentences of the magistrate suddenly opened the eyes" to Julien. He stopped talking about Napoleon and "announced that he was going to become a priest." “When Bonaparte started talking about himself ... military prowess ... was indispensable, and it was in vogue. And now a priest at the age of forty receives a salary of one hundred thousand francs, that is, exactly three times more than the most famous generals of Napoleon, ”Julien thought. And these reflections led him to a certain conclusion: he clearly understood that his former ideal was outdated and remained somewhere out there, in the past, reality requires something else. Well, he is ready to change his ideal for future success.

Now, wherever Julien was, everyone saw him with the Latin Bible in his hands, which the curé had given him. He learned it by heart, astonishing his "new mentor." In addition to the New Testament, the young man learned by heart the book "On the Pope" by de Maistre, "equally not believing either one or the other." He successfully played a holy man and was ready to do anything "just to make his way." And his efforts were crowned with success - he was invited, under the patronage of the Abbot Chelan, as a teacher of children to the house of the Mayor of Verrier, M. de Renal.

In chapter V of the novel, with the symbolic title "The Deal", pay attention to a very important episode. On the way to the house of M. de Renal, having escaped the beating of his father, Julien enters the church and finds a piece of printed paper there. What he read on this piece of paper and the holy water he took for blood on the ground throw the young man into confusion: he is seized by a secret fear.

In the epic work there are episodes that literary scholars call key. In them, like in a drop of water, the whole work is reflected. In the novel "Red and Black" the episode in the church is the key one. Explaining the symbolism of this chapter, the author kind of pushes the reader, first, to search in the novel for an answer to the question: can Julien be able to reach a compromise between “black” and “red” by making a deal with his own conscience, betraying his own ideals deliberately stepping on the path of hypocrisy. Remember? “The paper was torn. On the other side, only the first two words of one line survived, namely: "The first step ..." ". The ellipsis, as it were, tells the reader that the first will be followed by the second and third steps. Where will they lead the young and vain plebeian? Material from the site

Secondly, this episode foreshadows a tragic denouement in the fate of the protagonist: “Finally, Julien felt ashamed of his secret fear. "Am I such a coward?" He said to himself. "To arms!" He goes into a new life, as for a battle, as for a mortal battle. Julien feels that he possesses all the necessary qualities to win this fight: he is daring, smart, purposeful. Indeed, already on the first pages of the novel we see that nature has endowed Julien with everything necessary for success. All, except one: he does not rule over time. France of the period of the Restoration does not need people like him. He was born late. The time of such has sunk into oblivion. He has only one thing to do: either completely change, adapt, or perish. But he still hopes to survive, and only survive, but also to conquer time. The deal was done, but will this ardent young man be able to comply with all the terms of this deal? Will he be able to conquer his nature? This is what the writer makes to think about, keeping the reader in constant emotional tension from the first to the last page of the novel.

The writing. Comparative characteristics of Julien Sorel and Gobsek (based on Stendhal's novel "Red and Black, and Balzac's novel" Gobsek ")

The realist trend in 19th century literature was headed by the French novelists Stendhal and Balzac. Relying largely on the experience of romantics who were deeply interested in history, the realist writers saw their task in portraying the social relations of our time, the way of life and customs of the 19th century. Stendhal in his novel "Red and Black" and Balzac in the novel "Gobsek" describe the pursuit of a goal on the example of two people - Julien Sorel and Gobseck.
Julien and Gobseck are united by origin and the same social status. His mother attached Gobsek as a cabin boy on the ship and at the age of ten he sailed to the Dutch possessions of the East Indies, where he wandered for twenty years. Julien was the son of a carpenter, and the whole family was busy making money for a living. However, the differences in the fate of the heroes coincide in their purposefulness. Gobsek, wanting to get rich, becomes a usurer. He was very fond of money, especially gold, believing that all the forces of mankind are concentrated in gold. Julien, due to the fact that he was physically weak, was mocked by his father and brothers. And therefore he finds friends only in books, communicates with them and becomes much smarter and taller than those people who despise him. Meanwhile, he dreams of breaking free into a world where he will be understood. But he saw the only opportunity to advance in society was to become a priest after graduating from a theological seminary. Both heroes also choose different means to advance towards the intended goal: for Gobsek it is working as a cabin boy on a ship and usury, and for Julien it is, first of all, love affairs.
When communicating with different people, the characters use their character in different ways. Gobsek was very secretive. No one guessed that he was a usurer and, for caution, always dressed poorly. Thanks to one more character trait - accuracy - in Gobsek's rooms everything was always neat, clean, tidy and everything was in its place. Walking in Paris on foot and hatred of his heirs testified to his greed and stinginess. In dealing with people, he was always even and did not raise his voice when talking. Gobsek never lied or betrayed secrets, but as soon as he realized that a person was not keeping his word, he cold-bloodedly "destroyed" him and twisted everything in his favor. In Julien's soul, as Stendhal shows, good and bad inclinations, careerism and revolutionary ideas, cold calculation and romantic sensitivity are fighting. Julien and Gobseck's views on life also converge in contempt for high society. But Gobsek, expressing contempt, left "in memory" the dirt on the carpet of the rich, and Julien kept this feeling in his soul.
In the end, both heroes die under different circumstances. If Gobsek dies rich, but spiritually poor, then Julien, shortly before his execution, already in prison, was able to fully understand his actions, soberly assess the society in which he lived and challenge him.

Literature:
Stendhal, "Red and Black". Chronicle of the 19th century. Moscow, "Fiction" 1979.

Leading character traits of Julien Sorel and the main stages of the formation of his personality

The protagonist of Stendhal's novel Red and Black is Julien Sorel, who, despite his low birth, made a brilliant career in a socially closed and even caste French society, having traveled in a short time from provincial Ver "r to Paris, from the sawmills of old Sorel to the guards regiment, from the social bottom to the upper strata of society. However, having achieved almost everything that was what he dreamed of with his violent imagination, he ended this path not with a triumph, but with a guillotine. What do we know about this extraordinary, contradictory and tragic personality?

Stendhal wrote that young men like Julien Sorel, if they are lucky enough to get a good education, are forced to work and overcome real poverty, and therefore retain the ability to strong feelings and amazing energy. However, this energy was not needed by the "yanky caste society, which was engaged in its own interests: either the restoration of the once extremely high social status of the nobles in society (this is another meaning of the concept of" the era of the Restoration "), or enrichment.

From the first acquaintance, the author emphasizes the contrast between physical weakness and Julien's inner strength: “He was a fragile, short youth of eighteen or nineteen years old, with irregular, but delicate features and an aquiline nose. Large black eyes, which in moments of calm sparkled with thought and fire, now burned with fierce hatred. His dark brown hair grew so low that it almost covered his forehead, and when he was angry, his face took on an unpleasant expression ... A lithe and slender figure testified rather to dexterity than strength. Ever since childhood, his extremely pale and pensive face aroused in his father a premonition that his son would not last long in this world, and if he survived, it would be a burden for the family. However, pallor and fragility, which are not associated with masculine strength, were only an external delusion. After all, under them were hidden passions and illusions of such strength and strength that someone would be very surprised if they could look into his soul: “Who would have thought that this young, almost girlish face, so pale and meek, concealed unshakable determination to endure any torment, just to make his way. "

Stendhal not only describes the appearance, but gives a psychological portrait of the hero, that is, illuminates his psychology, inner world. In this portrait, signs of romanticism are still noticeable, with his beloved lonely mournful hero, "an extra man." This happens, for example, in the description of the appearance of Tatyana Larina, the heroine of the novel in verse "Eugene Onegin" by A. Pushkin, written approximately simultaneously with the work of Stendhal: "Sadness, wild, movable, / like a shy chamois, / She grew up in her family, / as if completely in a stranger ”(translated by M. Rylsky). Didn't Julien feel that way too? With this feature, he also resembles "Byron" heroes or the same Pechorin. Perhaps Stendhal was experiencing this inertia of the romantic cultural tradition by calling himself a romantic.

The book has long been considered a symbol not only of knowledge, but also of a certain educational and social status of the one who reads it. Isn't that why even the presence of it in someone's hands is extremely annoying to people who are illiterate? At one time, the father of the Ukrainian couple Oleksu Rozuma, having seen a book in his hands, began to chase him with an ax, they say, do not be too literate. Oleksa then left home and after long wanderings and wanderings finally became (and not least thanks to a good education, reading the same books) the famous Count Razumovsky, the favorite of the Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. Stendhal in his novel "Red and Black" seems to have copied this episode of Ukrainian history "from nature." Julien's father, seeing his son with a book, knocked it out of his hands.

For the fact that Julien was too different from his physically strong and hardy brothers and was perceived by members of his family as a "white crow" or for some other reason, "all the household despised him, and he hated his brothers and father." The author constantly focuses on this: "All the beauty of the mountainous surroundings of Ver" єra was poisoned for Julien by the envy of the brothers and the presence of the ever-dissatisfied despot father. "

When Julien became the tutor of the children of Monsieur de Renal, the brothers ’attitude towards him worsened. Perhaps this was a manifestation of class hatred, a certain envy that he had reached a better position in society: “Julien, repeating prayers, walked alone in a grove. From afar he saw two of his brothers who were walking along the path towards him; he could not avoid meeting them. His beautiful black suit, Julien's extremely tidy appearance and his frank disdain for his brothers aroused such fierce hatred in them that they beat him half to death and thrown unconscious and bloodied. "

Another catalyst for his hatred for Julien was his love of reading, because the book "was for him the only teacher of life and an object of admiration, in it he found joy, natchnety, and consolation in moments of despondency." This could not be understood by his illiterate brothers and his father, who rudely called his younger son and got angry when he saw that Julien, instead of watching the sawmill, reads: “He shouted Julien several times, but in vain. The guy was so deep into the book that concentration, even more than the sound of a saw, prevented him from hearing the loud voice of his parents. Finally, in spite of his summers, the old man deftly jumped onto the deck of a saw-saw, and from there onto a beam. With a strong blow, he knocked the book out of Zhul'nov's hands, and it flew into the stream; from the second a crushing blow to the back of the head Julien lost his balance. "He nearly fell from a height of twelve or fifteen feet onto the arms of a machine that would crush him, but his father grabbed him with his left hand on the fly."

Note, however, that Julien's unique memory and love for books and reading, which annoyed his father and brothers so much, helped make Julien a dizzying career. Feeling that his life success will depend on the level of education, he did the almost impossible by first studying the Bible by heart, and not in French, but in Latin: “Besides a fiery soul, Julien had an amazing memory, which, however, often happens among fools. To capture the heart of the old abbot Shelan, on whom, as he knew well, his future depended, the young man learned the whole New Testament by heart ... ”And the young careerist was not mistaken, he thoroughly prepared for the exams that he had to pass.