Oblomovism is a state of mind characterized by personal stagnation and apathy. This word comes from the name of the protagonist of the famous novel by Goncharov. Throughout almost the entire story, Ilya Oblomov is in a similar state. And, despite the efforts of a friend, his life ends tragically.

Roman Goncharova

This work is significant in literature. The novel is devoted to a state characteristic of Russian society, which at first glance may seem nothing more than an extreme degree of laziness. However, the meaning of the word "Oblomovism" is deeper.

Critics called the work the pinnacle of creativity I. A. Goncharov. In the novel, the problematic is clearly expressed. The writer achieved clarity of style and completeness of composition in it. Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is one of the brightest characters in Russian literature of the nineteenth century.

The image of the main character

Ilya Oblomov comes from a family of landowners. His way of life became a distorted reflection of Domostroev's norms. Oblomov's childhood and youth were spent on the estate, where life was extremely monotonous. But the hero has absorbed the values ​​of his parents, if you can, of course, call this a way of life, in which special attention is paid to sleep and long meals. And yet, the personality of Ilya Ilyich was formed precisely in such an atmosphere, which predetermined his fate.

The author characterizes his hero as an apathetic, withdrawn and dreamy man of thirty-two years old. Ilya Oblomov has a pleasant appearance, dark gray eyes, in which there is no idea whatsoever. His face is devoid of concentration. The characterization of Ilya Oblomov was given by Goncharov at the beginning of the novel. But in the course of the narrative, the hero discovers other features: he is kind, honest, unselfish. But the main feature of this character, unique in literature, is the traditional Russian daydreaming.

Dreams

Ilya Ilyich Oblomov loves to dream above all else. His idea of ​​happiness has a somewhat utopian character. As a child, Ilya was surrounded by care and love. Peace and harmony reigned in the parental home. A loving nanny told him every evening colorful stories about beautiful sorceresses and miracles that could make a person happy instantly, once and for all. And there is no need to make an effort. A fairy tale can come true. One has only to believe.

Ilya Oblomov so often remembers his home estate, reclining on his sofa in a greasy, unchanging robe that he begins to dream of the atmosphere of his home. And there is nothing sweeter than these dreams. However, from time to time, something brings him back to the gray, unsightly reality.

Oblomov and Stolz

As an antipode to the Russian dreamer from a landowner family, the author introduced into the work the image of a person of German descent. Stolz is devoid of idle contemplation. He is a man of action. The meaning of his life is work. While promoting his ideas, Stolz criticizes the way of life of Ilya Oblomov.

These people have known each other since childhood. But when the son of the owner of Oblomovka, accustomed to the slow, unhurried rhythm of life, arrived in St. Petersburg, he could not adapt to life in a big city. The service in the office did not work out, and he did not find anything better than to lie on the sofa for many months and indulge in dreams. Stolz, on the other hand, is a man of action. He is not characterized by careerism, laziness, negligence in relation to his work. But at the end of the novel, this hero nevertheless admits that his work has no lofty goals.

Olga Ilyinskaya

This heroine managed to "lift" Oblomov from the couch. Having met and fell in love with her, he began to get up early in the morning. There was no longer chronic sleepiness on the face. Apathy left Oblomov. Ilya Ilyich began to be ashamed of his old dressing gown, hiding it away, out of sight.

Olga felt a kind of sympathy for Oblomov, calling him a "heart of gold." Ilya Ilyich had an extremely developed imagination, as evidenced by his colorful sofa fantasies. This quality is not bad. Its owner is always an interesting conversationalist. This was also Ilya Oblomov. In communication, he was quite pleasant, despite the fact that he did not know the latest St. Petersburg gossip and news. But in the active care of this person, Ilyinskaya was tempted by something else, namely, the desire to assert herself. She was a young lady, although very active. And the ability to influence a person older than her, to change his way of life and thoughts, incredibly inspired the girl.

The relationship between Oblomov and Ilyinskaya could not have a future. He needed the quiet, calm care he received as a child. And her indecision frightened her in him.

Oblomov's tragedy

Oblomov grew up in greenhouse conditions. As a child, he may have shown childish playfulness, but excessive concern on the part of his parents and nanny suppressed the manifestation of all kinds of activity. Ilya was protected from danger. And it turned out that, although he was a kind person, he was deprived of the ability to fight, to set a goal, and even more so to achieve it.

In the service, he was unpleasantly amazed. The bureaucratic world had nothing to do with Oblomov's paradise. There was every man for himself. And infantilism and inability to exist in real life led to the fact that the slightest obstacle was perceived by Oblomov as a catastrophe. The service became unpleasant and difficult for him. He left her and went to his beautiful world of dreams and dreams.

The life of Ilya Oblomov is a consequence of the unrealized potential and the gradual degradation of the personality.

Goncharov's hero in real life

The image of Ilya Oblomov is collective. There are many people in Russia who cannot adapt, adapt to changing social and economic conditions. And especially a lot of Oblomovs appear when the old way of life collapses. It becomes easier for such people to live in a non-existent world, remembering the old days, than to change themselves.

In his novel Oblomov, IA Goncharov describes the life and life of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, a typical Russian master living in St. Petersburg, on Gorokhovaya Street.

Oblomov - "a man of about thirty two or three years of age, average height, pleasant appearance ... but with the absence of any definite idea in his facial features." Appearance, clothing, habits, surrounding objects - everything suggests that Ilya Ilyich is not used to bothering himself physically or mentally.

His favorite pastime is to lie on the sofa, and this lying "was neither a necessity, nor an accident, nor a pleasure: it was his normal state." At the same time, Oblomov himself sincerely believes that while lying down he is engaged in extremely important matters, for example, for several years he has been tirelessly pondering a plan for changes in the management of his estate and improving the lives of the peasants. Ilya Ilyich really does not want changes in his life and therefore does not communicate with almost anyone and goes nowhere with her.

However, Oblomov was not always like this. Twelve years ago, full of hope, he arrived from the village of Oblomovka with his servant Zakhar with the firm intention to serve, participate in social life and, closer to maturity. start a family. But everything went against his expectations.

The service turned out to be not a "family business" at all, as he assumed, but a serious place that must be visited every day and worked hard, carrying out important assignments. The officials working with him did not care about his peace and pleasure, and the boss did not behave like his own father and did not ask Ilya Ilyich every minute about his health. The last straw was the sending of the necessary paper by Oblomov to Arkhangelsk instead of Astrakhan. Ilya Ilyich could not bear the expectation of a "well-deserved punishment" and resigned.

Social life was not much better. In his younger years, Oblomov "was worried, like everyone else, hoped, rejoiced at trifles and suffered from trifles." However, Ilya Ilyich was never a "diligent admirer", as he did not want unnecessary trouble. He did not have a chance to experience such strong feelings as to want to tie the knot and live a family life. "His soul, perhaps, was waiting for its love, and then, over the years, it seems, stopped waiting and despaired."

Gradually Oblomov stopped visiting guests, considering it a waste of time, and more and more often stayed at home all day long. Nothing could attract his attention for a long time, and soon Ilya Ilyich stopped getting up from the sofa, indulging in dreams and living in the world he had created. many thoughts crossed his mind, he pondered a lot, but no one, except Stolz and Zakhar, suspected this: "everyone thought that Oblomov was so-so, only lies and eats in good health, and that there is nothing more to expect from him."

Ilya Ilyich's character was greatly influenced by his life in Oblomovka, where every day was a copy of the previous one and life was the "ideal of calmness and inaction." Oblomov was a very curious and lively boy, he wanted to see, touch, try everything, but constant prohibitions deprived him of the desire to act. Observing adults, the child quickly realized that you can feel happy if you do nothing yourself and if there is someone to fulfill your every whim. He was especially strongly influenced by the fairy tales of the nanny, in which fate always chose lazy people as favorites and gave them a carefree life, where "they only know that they are walking, where there are no worries and sorrows."

Thus, Goncharov introduces to us Ilya Ilyich as an ordinary Russian landowner who “never pulled a stocking on his feet” and “did not do black business”, but at the same time wants to show that Oblomov has a pure and ingenuous soul in every tries to see a person and chose life in inaction because he did not want to live as a secular society lives.

Updated: 2017-08-08

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The novel "Oblomov", which was written by Ivan Goncharov, became one of the key in the literature of the 19th century, and such a concept as "Oblomovism", superbly revealed by Goncharov in the novel, reflected in the best possible way the character of society at that time. When we consider the characterization of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, the protagonist of the novel, the concept of "Oblomovism" will become even more understandable.

So, Ilya Oblomov was born into the family of a landowner with her way of life and accepted norms. The boy grew up, absorbing the environment and the spirit of life of the landowners. He began to consider as his priorities what he learned from his parents, and, of course, his personality was formed precisely in such circumstances.

Brief description of Oblomov Ilya Ilyich

Already at the beginning of the novel, the author introduces us to the image of Oblomov. This is an apathetic introvert who indulges in his dreams and lives with illusions. Oblomov can draw a picture in his imagination so brightly and vividly, having invented it, that he himself often cries or from the heart rejoices in those scenes that in fact do not exist.

Oblomov's appearance in the novel "Oblomov" seems to reflect his inner state, his soft and sensual character traits. We can say that his body movements were smooth, graceful and gave off some kind of tenderness unacceptable for a man. Oblomov's characteristic is pronounced: he had soft shoulders and small plump hands, had long been flabby and led an inactive lifestyle. And Oblomov's gaze - always sleepy, devoid of concentration - testifies to him brighter than anything else!

Oblomov in everyday life

From considering the image of Oblomov, we move on to describing his life, which is important to understand when studying the characteristics of the protagonist. At first, reading the description of his room, one gets the impression that it is beautifully cleaned and cozy: there is a nice wooden bureau, and sofas with silk upholstery, and hanging carpets with curtains, and pictures ... But now we take a closer look at the decoration of Oblomov's room and we see cobwebs, dust on mirrors, dirt on the carpet, and even an uncleaned plate with a gnawed bone on it. In fact, his dwelling is unkempt, abandoned and unkempt.

Why is this description and its analysis so important for us in the characterization of Oblomov? Because we draw a significant conclusion about the main character: he does not live in reality, he plunged into a world of illusions, and his life does not bother him much. For example, meeting acquaintances, Oblomov not only does not greet them with a handshake, but does not even deign to even get out of bed.

Conclusions about the main character

Of course, the upbringing of Ilya Ilyich played an important role in the formation of his image, because he was born in the distant Oblomovka estate, which was famous for its peaceful life. Everything there was calm and measured, from the weather to the very way of life of local residents. These were lazy people who were constantly on vacation and dreaming of hearty food from morning to evening. But the image of Oblomov, which we see when we start reading the novel, is very different from the characterization of Oblomov in childhood.

When Ilya was a child, he was interested in everything, thought and imagined a lot, lived actively. For example, he loved to look at the world around him with its diversity, to go for walks. But Ilya's parents raised him according to the principle of a "greenhouse plant", they tried to protect him from everything, even from labor. How did this boy eventually grow up? What they sowed grew. Oblomov, being an adult, did not respect work, did not want to communicate with anyone, and preferred to solve difficulties by calling a servant.

Turning to the childhood of the protagonist, it becomes clear why the image of Oblomov was formed in this way, who is to blame. Yes, because of such upbringing and the nature of Ilya Ilyich, which in itself was very sensual with a good imagination, he was practically unable to solve problems and strive for something high.

Introduction

Goncharov's novel Oblomov is a landmark work of Russian literature of the 19th century, describing the phenomenon of Oblomovism, characteristic of Russian society. A striking representative of this social trend in the book is Ilya Oblomov, who comes from a family of landowners, whose family way was a reflection of the norms and rules of Domostroi. Developing in such an atmosphere, the hero gradually absorbed the values ​​and priorities of his parents, which greatly influenced the formation of his personality. A brief description of Oblomov in the novel "Oblomov" is given by the author at the beginning of the work - this is an apathetic, introverted, dreamy man who prefers to live his life in dreams and illusions, presenting and experiencing fictional pictures so vividly that he can sometimes sincerely rejoice or cry from those scenes that are born in his mind. Oblomov's internal softness and sensuality seemed to be reflected in his appearance: all his movements, even in moments of anxiety, were restrained by external softness, grace and delicacy, excessive for a man. The hero was flabby beyond his years, had soft shoulders and small plump hands, and a sedentary and inactive lifestyle was read in his sleepy look, in which there was no concentration or some basic idea.

Oblomov's life

As if a continuation of the soft, apathetic, lazy Oblomov, the novel describes the life of the hero. At first glance, his room was beautifully decorated: “There was a mahogany bureau, two sofas upholstered with silk fabric, beautiful screens with embroidered birds and fruits unprecedented in nature. There were silk curtains, carpets, several paintings, bronze, porcelain and many beautiful little things. " However, if you look closer, you can see cobwebs, dusty mirrors and long-open and forgotten books, stains on carpets, uncleaned household items, bread crumbs and even a forgotten plate with a gnawed bone. All this made the hero's room unkempt, abandoned, gave the impression that no one had lived here for a long time: the owners had long since left the house, not having had time to clean up. To some extent, this was true: Oblomov had not lived in the real world for a long time, replacing it with an illusory world. This is especially clearly seen in the episode when his acquaintances come to the hero, but Ilya Ilyich does not even bother to extend his hand to them to greet, and, moreover, to get out of bed to meet the visitors. The bed in this case (like the dressing gown) is the borderline between the world of dreams and reality, that is, getting out of bed, Oblomov, to some extent, would agree to live in the real dimension, but the hero did not want this.

The influence of "Oblomovism" on Oblomov's personality

The origins of Oblomov's all-encompassing escapism, his irresistible desire to escape from reality, lie in the "Oblomov" upbringing of the hero, about which the reader learns from the description of Ilya Ilyich's dream. The character's native estate, Oblomovka, was located far from the central part of Russia, located in a picturesque, pacifying area, where there have never been strong storms or hurricanes, and the climate was calm and mild. Life in the village was measured, and time was measured not by seconds and minutes, but by holidays and ceremonies - births, weddings or funerals. The monotonous quiet nature also affected the character of Oblomovka residents - the most important value for them was rest, laziness and the opportunity to eat well. Labor was viewed as a punishment and people tried in every possible way to avoid it, to delay the moment of work, or to force someone else to do it.

It is noteworthy that the characterization of Oblomov's hero in childhood differs significantly from the image that appears to readers at the beginning of the novel. Little Ilya was an active child with a wonderful imagination, interested in many people and open to the world. He liked to walk and get to know the surrounding nature, but the rules of Oblomov's life did not imply his freedom, so his parents gradually re-educated him in their own image and likeness, growing him as a “greenhouse plant”, protecting him from the hardships of the outside world, the need to work and learn new things. Even the fact that they gave Ilya to study was more a tribute to fashion than a real necessity, because for any slightest reason they themselves left their son at home. As a result, the hero grew up as if closed from society, not wanting to work and relying in everything on the fact that with the emergence of any difficulties it would be possible to shout "Zakhar" and the servant would come and do everything for him.

The reasons for Oblomov's desire to get away from reality

The description of Oblomov, the hero of Goncharov's novel, gives a vivid idea of ​​Ilya Ilyich, as a person who is firmly fenced off from the real world and does not internally want to change. The reasons for this lie in Oblomov's childhood. Little Ilya was very fond of listening to tales and legends about great heroes and heroes that the nanny told him, and then imagine himself as one of such characters - a person in whose life a miracle will happen at one moment, which will change the current state of affairs and make the hero a cut above others. However, fairy tales differ significantly from life, where miracles do not happen by themselves, and in order to achieve success in society and a career, you must constantly work, step over the falls and persistently move forward.

Greenhouse education, where Oblomov was taught that someone else would do all the work for him, combined with the dreamy, sensual nature of the hero, led to the inability of Ilya Ilyich to fight difficulties. This feature of Oblomov manifested itself even at the moment of the first failure in the service - the hero, fearing punishment (although perhaps no one would have punished him, and the matter would have been decided by a banal warning), he quits his job and does not want to face a world where everyone for himself. An alternative to harsh reality for the hero is the world of his dreams, where he imagines a wonderful future in Oblomovka, his wife and children, a pacifying calmness that reminds him of his own childhood. However, all these dreams remain only dreams, in reality Ilya Ilyich in every possible way postpones the issues of arranging his native village, which, without the participation of a reasonable owner, is gradually being destroyed.

Why didn't Oblomov find himself in real life?

The only person who could get Oblomov out of his constant half-asleep idleness was the hero's childhood friend, Andrei Ivanovich Stolts. He was the complete opposite of Ilya Ilyich, both in external description and in character. Always active, striving forward, able to achieve any goals, Andrei Ivanovich nevertheless treasured his friendship with Oblomov, since in communication with him he found that sincere warmth and understanding that he really lacked in his environment.

Stolz was most fully aware of the destructive influence of "Oblomovism" on Ilya Ilyich, therefore, until the last moment, he tried with all his might to pull him out into real life. Once Andrei Ivanovich almost succeeded when he introduced Oblomov to Ilyinskaya. But Olga, in her desire to change the personality of Ilya Ilyich, was driven exclusively by her own egoism, and not by an altruistic desire to help a loved one. At the moment of parting, the girl tells Oblomov that she could not bring him back to life, because he was already dead. On the one hand, this is so, the hero is too firmly mired in "Oblomovism", and in order to change his attitude to life, it took inhuman efforts and patience. On the other hand, active, purposeful by nature, Ilyinskaya did not understand that Ilya Ilyich needed time to transform, and he could not change himself and his life in one jerk. The break with Olga became for Oblomov an even greater failure than a mistake in the service, so he finally plunges into the networks of “Oblomovism”, leaves the real world, not wanting to experience mental pain anymore.

Conclusion

The author's description of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, despite the fact that the hero is the central character, is ambiguous. Goncharov exposes both his positive traits (kindness, tenderness, sensuality, the ability to experience and sympathize) and negative (laziness, apathy, unwillingness to decide anything on his own, refusal of self-development), depicting a multifaceted personality in front of the reader, which can cause both sympathy and disgust. At the same time, Ilya Ilyich is undoubtedly one of the most accurate depictions of a truly Russian person, his nature and character traits. This particular ambiguity and versatility of Oblomov's image allows even modern readers to discover something important for themselves in the novel, posing those eternal questions that Goncharov raised in the novel.

Product test

The pinnacle of creativity of the talented Russian prose writer and critic of the 19th century Ivan Goncharov was the novel Oblomov, published in 1859 in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski. His epic scale of artistic exploration of the life of the Russian nobility in the mid-nineteenth century has allowed this work to take one of the central places in Russian literature.

Characteristics of the main character

The main character of the novel is Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, a young (32-33 years old) Russian nobleman, idly and carefree living on his estate. Has a pleasant appearance, the main feature of which is softness in all his features and the main expression of his soul.

His favorite pastime is apathetic lying on the couch and meaningless pastime in empty thoughts and dreamy thoughts. Moreover, the complete absence of any action is his conscious choice, because once he had a position in the department and was waiting for promotion up the career ladder. But then he got bored with it and he dropped everything, making his ideal a carefree life, filled with sleepy peace and tranquility, as in childhood.

(Old Faithful Servant Zakhar)

Oblomov is distinguished by sincerity, gentleness and kindness, he has not even lost such a valuable moral quality as conscience. He is far from evil or bad deeds, but at the same time, it is impossible to say with confidence that he is a positive hero. Goncharov painted the reader a terrible picture of Oblomov's spiritual desolation and his moral decay. The old and faithful servant Zakhar is a mirror image of the character of his young master. He is the same lazy and sloppy, devoted to the depths of his soul to his master and also shares with him the philosophy of his life.

One of the main plot lines in the novel, which perfectly reveals the character of the protagonist, is Oblomov's love relationship with Olga Ilyinskaya. The romantic feelings that suddenly flared up in Oblomov's heart for this young and sweet person awaken in him an interest in spiritual life, he begins to take an interest in art and the mental demands of his time. Thus, there is a ray of hope that Oblomov can return to normal human life. Love reveals in him new, previously unknown features of his character, inspires and inspires a new life.

But in the end, the feeling of love for this pure and highly moral girl becomes a bright, but very short-lived outbreak in the measured and monotonous life of a lazy gentleman. Illusions are quickly dispelled, from the fact that they can be together, they are too different from Olga, he can never become the one she wants to see next to her. There is a natural break in relations. In the process of choosing between romantic dates and the serene sleepy state in which he lived most of his adult life, Oblomov chooses the usual and favorite option for him to do nothing. And only in the house of Agafya Pshenitsina, surrounded by such usual care for him and an idle, carefree life, does he find his ideal refuge, where his life ends quietly and imperceptibly.

The image of the main character in the work

After its release, the novel received close attention from both critics and readers. By the name of the main character of this work (at the initiative of the famous literary critic Dobrolyubov), the whole concept of "Oblomovism" appeared, which subsequently acquired wide historical significance. It is described as a real disease of modern Russian society, when young and full of strength people of noble birth are busy with reflection and apathy, they are afraid to change anything in their life and prefer lazy and idle vegetation instead of action and struggle for their happiness.

According to Dobrolyubov, the image of Oblomov is a symbol of the serf society in Russia in the 19th century. The origins of his "disease" lie precisely in the serf system, in the technical backwardness of the economy, in the process of exploitation and humiliation of forced peasant slaves. Goncharov revealed to the readers the whole path of formation of Oblomov's character and his complete moral degradation, which extends not only to one individual representative of the nobility, but to the entire nation as a whole. Oblomov's path, sadly enough, is the path of most people who do not have a specific goal in life and are absolutely useless for society.

Even such noble and high feelings as friendship and love could not break this vicious circle of laziness and idleness, so one can only sympathize with Oblomov that he did not find the strength to throw off the shackles of sleep and heal a new, full life.