Heroes of the story "Spring Waters" by Turgenev: characteristics of the main characters. Spring Waters, Turgenev: a brief analysis of the work
In this article we will look at the story “Spring Waters” (summary). Turgenev, the author of this work, is known for his excellent ability to describe the relationships between people. The writer’s fame is due precisely to the fact that Ivan Sergeevich noticed those feelings and emotions that are characteristic of all people, regardless of whether they lived in the 19th century or in the 21st.
About the book
“Spring Waters” is a story written in 1872. This period is characterized by writing works based on memories of the past. For example, “Unfortunate”, “Knocks”, “Strange Story”, etc. Of all these stories, the work “Spring Waters” is considered the most successful. And the main character became a wonderful addition to Turgenev’s gallery of weak-willed characters.
“Spring Waters”: summary
Turgenev describes his hero: he is 52 years old, he lived his life as if he was sailing on a smooth, calm surface of the sea, but grief, poverty and madness lurked in its depths. And all his life he was afraid that one of these underwater monsters would one day capsize his boat and disturb the peace. His life, although rich, was completely empty and lonely.
Wanting to escape from these gloomy thoughts, he begins to sort through old papers. Among the documents, Dmitry Pavlovich Sanin finds a small box with a small cross inside. This item vividly brings back memories of the past.
Sick child
Now the story “Spring Waters” takes the reader to the summer of 1840. Summary, Turgenev, according to research, agrees with this idea, describes the chance that Sanin once missed, the chance to change his life.
During these years, Sanin was 22 years old, and he traveled around Europe, disbursing a small inheritance inherited from a distant relative. On his way back to his homeland, he made a stop in Frankfurt. In the evening he was planning to take a stagecoach to Berlin. He decided to spend the remaining time before that on a walk.
On a small street he noticed Giovanni Roselli's Italian Pastry Shop and entered it. As soon as he entered, a girl ran up to him and asked for help. It turned out that the girl’s younger brother, fourteen-year-old Emil, fainted. And there was no one in the house except the old servant Pantaleone.
Sanin managed to bring the boy back to consciousness. Dmitry noticed the amazing beauty of the girl. Then the doctor entered the room, accompanied by a lady who turned out to be the mother of Emil and the girl. The mother was so happy about the salvation of her child that she invited Sanin to dinner.
Evening at Roselli's
The work “Spring Waters” tells about first love. The story describes Dmitry's evening visit, where he is greeted as a hero. Sanin learns the name of the mother of the family - Leonora Roselli. She and her husband Giovanni left Italy 20 years ago and moved to Frankfurt to open a pastry shop here. Her daughter's name was Gemma. And Pantaleone, their old servant, was once an opera singer. The guest also learns about Gemma's engagement to the manager of a large store, Karl Kluber.
However, Sanin was too carried away by communication, stayed too long at a party and was late for his stagecoach. He had little money left, and he sent a letter to a friend in Berlin asking for a loan. While waiting for an answer, Dmitry remained in Frankfurt for several days. The next day Emil and Karl Klüber came to Sanin. Gemma's fiancé, a handsome and well-mannered young man, thanked Sanin for saving the boy and invited him to go with the Roselli family for a walk in Soden. At this point, Karl left, and Emil remained, soon becoming friends with Dmitry.
Sanin spent another day with new acquaintances, not taking his eyes off the beautiful Gemma.
Sanin
Turgenev's story tells about Sanin's youth. In those years he was a tall, stately and slender young man. His facial features were a little blurry, he was a descendant of a noble family, and inherited golden hair from his ancestors. He was full of health and youthful freshness. However, he had a very gentle character.
Walk in Soden
The next day, the Roselli family and Sanin went to the small town of Soden, which is located half an hour from Frankfurt. Herr Klüber organized the walk with the pedantry inherent in all Germans. Turgenev's story describes the life of middle-class Europeans. The Rosellis went to dinner at the best tavern in Soden. But Gemma got bored with what was happening and wanted to dine on the common terrace, rather than in the private gazebo that her fiancé had ordered.
A company of officers was having lunch on the terrace. They were all very drunk, and one of them approached Gemma. He raised a glass to her health and took the rose that was lying next to the girl’s plate.
This was an insult to Gemma. However, Kluber did not stand up for the bride, but quickly paid and took the girl to a hotel. Dmitry boldly approached the officer, called him impudent, took the rose and challenged the offender to a duel. Kluber pretended not to notice what had happened, but Emil was delighted by this act.
Duel
The next day, without thinking about love, Sanin talks with the second of officer von Dongof. Dmitry himself did not even have acquaintances in Frankfurt, so he took the servant Pantaleone as his seconds. We decided to shoot from twenty steps with pistols.
Dmitry spent the rest of the day with Gemma. Before leaving, the girl gave him the same rose that he took from the officer. At that moment Sanin realized that he had fallen in love.
At 10 o'clock the duel took place. Dongof fired into the air, thereby admitting that he was guilty. As a result, the duelists parted ways, shaking hands.
Gemma
The story begins about the love of Sanin and Gemma. Dmitry pays a visit to Frau Leone. It turns out that Gemma is going to break off the engagement, but only this marriage will help save the financial situation of her entire family. The girl’s mother asks Sanin to convince her. But the persuasion did not bring results. On the contrary, he realized that Gemma loved him too. After mutual confessions, Dmitry proposes to the girl.
Frau Leona reconciled herself with the new groom, making sure that he had a fortune. Sanin had an estate in the Tula province, which should have been sold and the money invested in a confectionery shop. Unexpectedly, on the street Sanin meets an old friend Ippolit Polozov, who could buy his estate. But when asked, the friend replies that all financial matters are in charge of his wife, who is attractive but
Mrs. Polozova
The work “Spring Waters” tells how Dmitry, having said goodbye to his bride, leaves for Wiesbaden, where Marya Nikolaevna Polozova is treated with the waters. She turns out to be a very beautiful woman with beautiful brown hair and slightly vulgar features. Sanin interested her at first sight. It turned out that Polozov gave his wife complete freedom and did not interfere in her affairs. He was more concerned about a life of abundance and good food.
The Polozovs even made a bet on Sanin. Hippolytus was sure that his friend loved his bride too much, so he would not succumb to his wife’s charms. However, he lost, although it cost his wife a lot of work. Dmitry cheated on Gemma three days after arriving at the Polozovs.
Confession
There are no ideal figures in the work “Spring Waters”. The heroes appear as ordinary people with their weaknesses and vices. Sanin was no exception, but upon his return he immediately confessed everything to Gemma. Immediately after this, he went on a trip with Polozova. He became this woman's slave and accompanied her until he got tired of it. And then she just threw him out of her life. The only thing left in memory of Gemma is the same cross that he found in the box. As the years passed, he still did not understand why he left the girl, because he did not love anyone as much and tenderly as she did.
Trying to bring back the past
The work “Spring Waters” is coming to an end (summary). Turgenev returns again to the aged Sanin. His hero, succumbing to the surging memories, rushes to Frankfurt. Dmitry Pavlovich wanders the streets in search of a pastry shop, but cannot even remember the street on which it was located. In the address book he finds the name of Major von Donhoff. He said that Gemma got married and went to New York. It was from him that Sanin received the address of his beloved.
He writes her a letter. Gemma sends a response and thanks Sanin for breaking off the engagement, as it allowed her to become happier. She has a wonderful family - a beloved husband and five children. She says that her mother and Pantaleone died, and her brother died in the war. In addition, she encloses a photograph of her daughter, who looks very much like Gemma in her youth.
Sanin sends a garnet cross as a gift to his daughter Gemma. And later he himself is going to America.
"Spring Waters": analysis
It is best to start analyzing the work with the first lines of poetry, taken by Turgenev from an ancient romance. It is in them that the main theme of the entire work is contained: “Merry years, happy days - like spring waters they rushed by.”
Turgenev talks about past dreams, lost opportunities and missed chances in his work. His hero, due to his softness, misses his only chance for happiness. And he is no longer able to correct his mistake, no matter how hard he tries.
CHARACTERS IN THE STORY
Sanin - the main character of "Spring Waters"
At the beginning, we note once again that the conflict in the story, and the selection of characteristic episodes, and the relationship of the characters - everything is subordinated to one main task of Turgenev: the analysis of the psychology of the noble intelligentsia in the field of personal, intimate life of Batyuto A.I. Turgenev the novelist. - L., 1972. - P. 270.. The reader sees how the main characters meet, love each other and then separate, and what part other characters take in their love story.
The main character of the story is Dmitry Pavlovich Sanin, at the beginning of the story we see him already 52 years old, remembering his youth, his love for the girl Dzhema and his unfulfilled happiness.
We immediately learn a lot about him, the author tells us everything without hiding: “Sanin was 22 years old, and he was in Frankfurt, on his way back from Italy to Russia. He was a man with a small fortune, but independent, almost without a family. After the death of a distant relative, he ended up with several thousand rubles - and he decided to live them abroad, before entering the service, before finally taking upon himself that government yoke, without which a secure existence had become unthinkable for him.” Turgenev I.S. Spring waters. / Complete collection of works and letters: In 30 volumes. Works: in 12 volumes - T. 12 - M., 1986. - P. 96.
In the first part of the story, Turgenev shows the best that was in Sanin’s character and what captivated Gemma in him. In two episodes (Sanin helps Gemma’s brother, Emil, who has fallen into a deep faint, and then, defending Gemma’s honor, fights a duel with the German officer Döngof), such traits of Sanin as nobility, straightforwardness, and courage are revealed. The author describes the appearance of the main character: “Firstly, he was very, very handsome. Stately, slender stature, pleasant, slightly blurry features, affectionate bluish eyes, golden hair, whiteness and blush of the skin - and most importantly: that ingenuously cheerful, trusting, frank, at first somewhat stupid expression, by which in former times one could immediately recognize children of sedate noble families, “father’s” sons, good noblemen, born and fattened in our free semi-steppe regions; a stuttering gait, a whispered voice, a smile like a child’s, as soon as you look at him... finally, freshness, health - and softness, softness, softness - that’s all Sanin for you. And secondly, he was not stupid and learned a thing or two. He remained fresh, despite his trip abroad: the anxious feelings that overwhelmed the best part of the youth of that time were little known to him.” Turgenev I.S. Spring waters. / Complete collection of works and letters: In 30 volumes. Works: in 12 volumes - T. 12 - M., 1986. - P. 110..
The unique artistic means that Turgenev uses to convey intimate emotional experiences deserve special attention. Usually this is not a characteristic of the author, not statements of the characters about themselves - these are mainly external manifestations of their thoughts and feelings: facial expression, voice, posture, movements, style of singing, performance of favorite musical works, reading of favorite poems. For example, the scene before Sanin’s duel with an officer: “One day a thought came over him: he came across a young linden tree, broken, in all likelihood, by yesterday’s squall. She was positively dying... all the leaves on her were dying. "What is this? an omen?" - flashed through his head; but he immediately whistled, jumped over that same linden tree, and walked along the path” Turgenev I.S. Spring waters. / Complete collection of works and letters: In 30 volumes. Works: in 12 volumes - T. 12 - M., 1986. - P. 125.. Here the hero’s state of mind is conveyed through the landscape.
Naturally, the hero of the story is not unique among other Turgenev characters of this type. One can compare “Spring Waters”, for example, with the novel “Smoke”, where researchers note the similarity of plot lines and images: Irina - Litvinov - Tatyana and Polozova - Sanin - Gemma. Indeed, Turgenev in the story seemed to change the novel's ending: Sanin did not find the strength to abandon the role of a slave, as was the case with Litvinov, and followed Marya Nikolaevna everywhere. This change in the ending was not random and arbitrary, but was precisely determined by the logic of the genre. The genre also updated the prevailing dominants in the development of the characters’ characters. Sanin, just like Litvinov, is given the opportunity to “build” himself: and he, outwardly weak-willed and characterless, surprising himself, suddenly begins to commit actions, sacrifices himself for the sake of another - when he meets Gemma. But the story is not dominated by this quixotic trait; in the novel it dominates, as in the case of Litvinov. In the “characterless” Litvinov, it is precisely character and inner strength that are actualized, which are realized, among other things, in the idea of social service. And Sanin turns out to be full of doubts and self-contempt; he, like Hamlet, is “a sensual and voluptuous man” Batyuto A.I. Turgenev the novelist. - L., 1972. - P. 272. - it is Hamlet’s passion that wins in him. He is also crushed by the general flow of life, unable to resist it. Sanin's life revelation is consonant with the thoughts of the heroes of many of the writer's stories. Its essence lies in the fact that the happiness of love is as tragically instantaneous as human life, but it is the only meaning and content of this life. Thus, the heroes of the novel and the story, who initially display common character traits, in different genres realize different dominant principles - either quixotic or Hamletian. The ambivalence of qualities is complemented by the dominance of one of them.
Sanin can also be correlated with Aeneas (with whom he is compared) - the main character of the work “Aeneid”, which tells about the journey and return of a wanderer to his homeland. Turgenev contains persistent and repeated references to the text of the Aeneid (the thunderstorm and the cave in which Dido and Aeneas took refuge), i.e., to the “Roman” plot. "Aeneas?" - Marya Nikolaevna whispers at the entrance to the guardhouse (that is, the cave). A long forest path leads to it: “<…>the shadow of the forest covered them widely and softly, and from all sides<…>track<…>suddenly turned to the side and went into a rather narrow gorge. The smell of heather, pine resin, dank, last year's leaves lingered in him - thick and drowsy. From the crevices of large brown stones there was freshness. On both sides of the path there were round mounds covered with green moss.<…>A dull shaking rang through the treetops and through the forest air.<…>this path went deeper and deeper into the forest<…>Finally, through the dark greenery of the spruce bushes, from under the canopy of a gray rock, a wretched guardhouse, with a low door in the wicker wall, looked at him...” Turgenev I.S. Spring waters. / Complete collection of works and letters: In 30 volumes. Works: in 12 volumes - T. 12 - M., 1986. - P. 175.
In addition, one more thing brings Sanin closer to Aeneas: Aeneas, in search of the way home, falls into the arms of Queen Dido, forgets about his wife and falls in love in the arms of a seductress, the same thing happens with Sanin: he forgets about his love for Gemma and succumbs to fatal passion the woman of Marya Nikolaevna, which ends in nothing.
Genre originality of the story “Spring Waters”
In the late 1860s and the first half of the 1870s, Turgenev wrote a number of stories that belonged to the category of memories of the distant past (“Brigadier”, “The Story of Lieutenant Ergunov”, “Unhappy”, “Strange Story”, “King of the Steppes Lear”, “Knock, knock, knock”, “Spring Waters”, “Punin and Baburin”, “Knocking”, etc.).
Of these, the story “Spring Waters,” the hero of which is another interesting addition to Turgenev’s gallery of weak-willed people, became the most significant work of this period.
The story appeared in the "Bulletin of Europe" in 1872 and was close in content to the stories "Asya" and "First Love", written earlier: the same weak-willed, reflective hero, reminiscent of "superfluous people" (Sanin), the same Turgenev girl (Gemma ), experiencing the drama of failed love. Turgenev admitted that in his youth he “experienced and felt the content of the story personally.” [Golovko, 1973, p. 28]
But unlike their tragic endings, “Spring Waters” ends in a less dramatic plot. Deep and moving lyricism permeates the story.
In this work, Turgenev created images of the outgoing noble culture and new heroes of the era - commoners and democrats, images of selfless Russian women. And although the characters in the story are typical Turgenev heroes, they still display interesting psychological traits, recreated by the author with incredible skill, allowing the reader to penetrate into the depths of various human feelings, to experience or remember them himself.
Therefore, it is necessary to consider the figurative system of a small story with a small set of characters very carefully, relying on the text, without missing a single detail.
The figurative system of a work directly depends on its ideological and thematic content: the author creates and develops characters in order to convey some idea to the reader in order to make it “alive,” “real,” “close” to the reader. The more successfully the images of the heroes are created, the easier it is for the reader to perceive the author’s thoughts.
Therefore, before proceeding directly to the analysis of the images of the heroes, we need to briefly consider the content of the story, in particular, why the author chose these particular characters and not other characters.
The ideological and artistic concept of this work determined the originality of the conflict and special system underlying it, the special relationship of characters.
The conflict on which the story is based is a clash between a young man, not entirely ordinary, not stupid, undoubtedly cultured, but indecisive, weak-willed, and a young girl, deep, strong-willed, integral and strong-willed.
The central part of the plot is the origin, development and tragic ending of love. It is to this side of the story that Turgenev’s main attention, as a writer-psychologist, is directed; in revealing these intimate experiences, his artistic skill is predominantly manifested.
The story also contains a connection to a specific historical period of time. Thus, the author dates Sanin’s meeting with Gemma to 1840. In addition, in “Spring Waters” there are a number of everyday details characteristic of the first half of the 19th century (Sanin is going to travel from Germany to Russia in a stagecoach, mail carriage, etc.).
If we turn to the figurative system, we should immediately note that along with the main storyline - the love of Sanin and Gemma - additional storylines of the same personal order are given, but according to the principle of contrast with the main plot: the dramatic end of the story of Gemma's love for Sanin becomes clearer from comparison with side episodes concerning the history of Sanin and Polozova. [Efimova 1958: 40]
The main plot line in the story is revealed in the usual dramatic way for such works by Turgenev: first, a brief exposition is given, depicting the environment in which the heroes must act, then there is a plot (the reader learns about the love of the hero and heroine), then the action develops, sometimes meeting along the way obstacles, finally comes the moment of highest tension of the action (explanation of the heroes), followed by a catastrophe, and then an epilogue.
The main narrative unfolds as the memoirs of a 52-year-old nobleman and landowner Sanin about the events of 30 years ago that happened in his life when he was traveling in Germany. One day, while passing through Frankfurt, Sanin went into a pastry shop, where he helped the young daughter of the owner with her younger brother who had fainted. The family took a liking to Sanin and, unexpectedly for himself, he spent several days with them. When he was on a walk with Gemma and her fiancé, one of the young German officers sitting at the next table in the tavern allowed himself to be rudely behaved and Sanin challenged him to a duel. The duel ended happily for both participants. However, this incident greatly shook up the girl’s measured life. She refused the groom, who could not protect her dignity. Sanin suddenly realized that he loved her. The love that gripped them led Sanin to the idea of marriage. Even Gemma’s mother, who was initially horrified by Gemma’s breakup with her fiancé, gradually calmed down and began to make plans for their future life. To sell his estate and get money for living together, Sanin went to Weisbaden to visit the rich wife of his boarding house friend Polozov, whom he accidentally meets in Frankfurt. However, the rich and young Russian beauty Marya Nikolaevna, on her whim, lured Sanin and made him one of her lovers. Unable to resist Marya Nikolaevna’s strong nature, Sanin follows her to Paris, but soon turns out to be unnecessary and returns to Russia with shame, where his life passes sluggishly in the bustle of society. [Golovko, 1973, p. 32]
Only 30 years later, he accidentally finds a miraculously preserved dried flower, which became the cause of that duel and was given to him by Gemma. He rushes to Frankfurt, where he finds out that Gemma got married two years after those events and lives happily in New York with her husband and five children. Her daughter in the photo looks like that young Italian girl, her mother, to whom Sanin once proposed marriage.
As we can see, the number of characters in the story is relatively small, so we can list them (as they appear in the text)
· Dmitry Pavlovich Sanin - Russian landowner
· Gemma is the daughter of the owner of the pastry shop
· Emil - the son of the owner of the pastry shop
Pantaleone - old servant
· Louise - maid
· Leonora Roselli - owner of the pastry shop
· Karl Kluber - Gemma's fiance
· Baron Dönhof - German officer, later general
· von Richter - second of Baron Dönhof
· Ippolit Sidorovich Polozov - Sanin’s boarding comrade
· Marya Nikolaevna Polozova - Polozov’s wife
Naturally, the heroes can be divided into main and secondary. We will consider images of both of them in the second chapter of our work.
Turgenev positioned the story “Spring Waters” as a work about love. But the general tone is pessimistic. Everything is accidental and transitory in life: chance brought Sanin and Gemma together, chance broke their happiness. However, no matter how the first love ends, it, like the sun, illuminates a person’s life, and the memory of it remains forever with him, like a life-giving principle.
Love is a powerful feeling, before which a person is powerless, as well as before the elements of nature. Turgenev does not illuminate the entire psychological process for us, but dwells on individual, but crisis moments, when the feeling accumulating inside a person suddenly manifests itself outside - in a look, in an action, in an impulse. He does this through landscape sketches, events, and characteristics of other characters. That is why, with a small set of characters in the story, each image created by the author is unusually bright, artistically complete, and perfectly fits into the overall ideological and thematic concept of the story. [Efimova, 1958, p. 41]
There are no random people here, everyone is in their place, each character carries a certain ideological load: the main characters express the author’s idea, lead and develop the plot, “speak” to the reader, secondary characters add additional color, serve as a means of characterizing the main characters, give comic and satirical shades of the work.
Works about love are always relevant. Especially those created by outstanding masters of words. Among them, of course, is “Spring Waters,” a summary and analysis of which you will find in the article - a story that still excites readers to this day.
For Dmitry Sanin, a 52-year-old man, a small garnet cross meant a lot. It served as a vivid reminder of the past, and also of what he never had.
About 30 years ago, when Dmitry was a young man, he traveled around Europe, spending an inheritance that suddenly came to him. Frankfurt, a German city, was the last place he visited before returning to his homeland. Walking through the streets of this city, Sanin wandered into a pastry shop. He wanted to drink lemonade here. However, Dmitry suddenly became a savior for a child who suddenly fainted. The main character fell in love at first sight with a girl who was this boy’s sister. It was for her sake that he decided to stay in the city. Sanin met the boy’s family, whose members were very grateful to him.
It soon became clear that this girl had a fiancé, and Dmitry, as a family friend and savior, was introduced to him. It turned out that this was a merchant, whose marriage should save Jenna (that was the name of Sanin’s beloved) and her family from financial ruin.
Quarrel with an officer
The main character went for a walk with Jenna, her brother and fiance. Afterwards, they went to some establishment to have a bite to eat. There were officers here, they were drinking. One of them took Jenna's rose, thereby insulting her. The girl's fiancé took her away from the unpleasant neighborhood, while Dmitry approached Jenna's offender and accused him of rudeness. After listening to him, the officer asked Sanin who he was related to this girl. The main character replied that he was no one, after which he left his business card to the offender.
Failed duel
The next morning, this officer’s second came to Sanin’s hotel. Dmitry agreed with him about a duel. Sanin, having decided to shoot himself, thought about how his life suddenly turned around. Just recently he was carefree traveling around Europe, but now he could die in an instant. It's not that the main character was afraid of death, but rather, he didn't want to lose his life like that, falling in love. On the night before the duel, Dmitry saw Jenna again, and his feelings for her flared up even more.
Now the time has come for the duel. During it, the rivals decided that no one should lose their life today. They parted peacefully, shaking hands. Sanin, returning to the hotel, met with the mother of his beloved. She told him that Jenna had changed her mind about marrying the merchant. The mother asked Dmitry to talk to her daughter and convince her to change her mind. The main character promised to do this.
Declaration of love
Talking with his beloved, Dmitry told her that her mother was very worried, but he asked the girl not to change her decision for a while. After this meeting, Dmitry Sanin decided to confess his feelings to his beloved. He sat down at the table to write her a letter. In a letter, Dmitry Sanin declared his love to the girl. He passed it on through Jenna's brother, who soon brought an answer: she asks Sanin not to come to her tomorrow. After some time, the girl decided to make an appointment with the main character in the garden early in the morning.
Sanin arrived at the place at the appointed time. He really wanted to know how Jenna reacted to his confession. The girl said that she decided to refuse her fiancé. Dmitry was very happy. He wanted to marry Jenna, but this required returning to Russia to sell the estate. This is not a quick or simple matter, and Dmitry Sanin really did not want to part with his beloved. And the girl did not want to be alone for a long time.
Question about selling the estate
Circumstances were favorable for the lovers. Dmitry met an old friend in Frankfurt, with whom he studied together. It turned out that he profitably married a beautiful and rich woman. Dmitry invited him to buy his estate. His comrade replied that it was best to address this question to his wife, to whom they went together.
Meeting a friend's wife
An acquaintance with a friend’s wife, described in detail in parts, presupposes a story about this woman. After all, she plays an important role in the work.
The friend’s wife turned out to be not just a beautiful woman, but also very smart. Sanin's proposal interested her, as did the main character himself. In order to think everything over, she set a deadline of 2 days. Dmitry was very happy that there was an opportunity to solve everything so quickly. At the same time, the main character was somewhat surprised by the increased attention to his personality from the hostess. In addition, he feared that his discourtesy might cause the deal to fall through.
The main character spends the entire first day in the company of his friend's wife. In the evening, the woman invites Dmitry to the theater. They talk a lot during the performance, and she tells the main character that marriage to his friend is just a cover. A woman considers herself completely free and can afford whatever she wants. Her husband is quite happy with this situation, since he is satisfied with his rich and well-fed life.
Fatal connection (summary)
Turgenev ("Spring Waters") was certainly interested in whether the main character could resist temptation. Unfortunately, he did not pass the test.
The next day the woman invites Sanin for a horse ride. Dmitry is tormented by doubts, somewhere deep inside he suspects that all this is not without reason, but he is unable to stop it all. While walking, Dmitry is left alone with his friend's wife. It should be noted that the previous day, which they spent together, somewhat clouded the protagonist’s mind. He had already begun to forget why he came. Meanwhile, the insidious woman tries to seduce him, which she ultimately succeeds in. Sanin forgets his beloved and leaves with his friend’s wife for Paris.
And happiness was so close...
However, this affair with the rich did not lead to anything good and We will not describe its brief content. Turgenev (“Spring Waters”) was not interested in the details of this connection, but in how it influenced the future fate of the protagonist. Dmitry Sanin was very embarrassed to return to Jenna. And now, having made a fortune and wise from experience, the main character finds himself again in Frankfurt. He notices that the city has changed over the years. The familiar pastry shop is no longer in its old location. Sanin decides to renew old connections. To this end, he turns for help to the officer to whom he once assigned a duel.
Jenna's fate
The officer informs him that Jenna is married. The summary continues with the story about the fate of the heroine. Turgenev (“Spring Waters”) was interested in the fate of not only Dmitry, but also Jenna. She left with her husband for America. The officer even helped the main character get the address of his former lover. And now, many years later, Dmitry writes a long letter to Jenna, not hoping to receive her forgiveness. He just wants to find out how she lives. Waiting for an answer is very painful, since the main character does not know whether Jenna will answer him at all. This psychological moment is especially noted by Turgenev (“Spring Waters”).
The summary of the chapters continues with the fact that after some time Dmitry Sanin receives a letter from his former lover. She tells him that she is happy with her husband and that she has children. The woman attaches to the letter a photo of her daughter, who resembles young Jenna, the one whom Dmitry loved so much and whom he so foolishly abandoned. Turgenev concludes “Spring Waters” with these events. The summary of the story, of course, gives only a general idea of it. We also suggest that you familiarize yourself with the analysis of the work. This will help clarify some points and better understand the story that Turgenev created (“Spring Waters”).
Analysis of the work
The work we are interested in is distinguished by a specific manner of presentation. The author told the story in such a way that the reader is presented with a story-memory. It should be noted that in the late works of Ivan Sergeevich the following type of hero predominates: a mature man with a life full of loneliness.
Dmitry Pavlovich Sanin, the main character of the work we are interested in, also belongs to this type (its summary is presented above). Turgenev (“Spring Waters”) was always interested in the inner world of man. And this time the author’s main goal was to depict the drama of the main character. The work is characterized by an interest in character development, which occurs not only under the influence of the environment, but also as a result of the moral quest of the hero himself. Only by studying all this together can we understand the ambiguity of the images created by the author.
Turgenev created such an interesting work - “Spring Waters”. as you understand, does not convey its artistic value. We only described the plot and conducted a superficial analysis. We hope that you would like to take a closer look at this story.
“Spring Waters”: summary
Turgenev describes his hero: he is 52 years old, he lived his life as if he was sailing on a smooth, calm surface of the sea, but grief, poverty and madness lurked in its depths. And all his life he was afraid that one of these underwater monsters would one day capsize his boat and disturb the peace. His life, although rich, was completely empty and lonely.
Wanting to escape from these gloomy thoughts, he begins to sort through old papers. Among the documents, Dmitry Pavlovich Sanin finds a small box with a small cross inside. This item vividly brings back memories of the past.
Sick child
Now the story “Spring Waters” takes the reader to the summer of 1840. Summary, Turgenev, according to research, agrees with this idea, describes the chance that Sanin once missed, the chance to change his life.
During these years, Sanin was 22 years old, and he traveled around Europe, disbursing a small inheritance inherited from a distant relative. On his way back to his homeland, he made a stop in Frankfurt. In the evening he was planning to take a stagecoach to Berlin. He decided to spend the remaining time before that on a walk.
On a small street he noticed Giovanni Roselli's Italian Pastry Shop and entered it. As soon as he entered, a girl ran up to him and asked for help. It turned out that the girl’s younger brother, fourteen-year-old Emil, fainted. And there was no one in the house except the old servant Pantaleone.
Sanin managed to bring the boy back to consciousness. Dmitry noticed the amazing beauty of the girl. Then the doctor entered the room, accompanied by a lady who turned out to be the mother of Emil and the girl. The mother was so happy about the salvation of her child that she invited Sanin to dinner.
Evening at Roselli's
The work “Spring Waters” tells about first love. The story describes Dmitry's evening visit, where he is greeted as a hero. Sanin learns the name of the mother of the family - Leonora Roselli. She and her husband Giovanni left Italy 20 years ago and moved to Frankfurt to open a pastry shop here. Her daughter's name was Gemma. And Pantaleone, their old servant, was once an opera singer. The guest also learns about Gemma's engagement to the manager of a large store, Karl Kluber.
However, Sanin was too carried away by communication, stayed too long at a party and was late for his stagecoach. He had little money left, and he sent a letter to a friend in Berlin asking for a loan. While waiting for an answer, Dmitry remained in Frankfurt for several days. The next day Emil and Karl Klüber came to Sanin. Gemma's fiancé, a handsome and well-mannered young man, thanked Sanin for saving the boy and invited him to go with the Roselli family for a walk in Soden. At this point, Karl left, and Emil remained, soon becoming friends with Dmitry.
Sanin spent another day with new acquaintances, not taking his eyes off the beautiful Gemma.
Sanin
Turgenev's story tells about Sanin's youth. In those years he was a tall, stately and slender young man. His facial features were a little blurry, he was a descendant of a noble family, and inherited golden hair from his ancestors. He was full of health and youthful freshness. However, he had a very gentle character.
Walk in Soden
The next day, the Roselli family and Sanin went to the small town of Soden, which is located half an hour from Frankfurt. Herr Klüber organized the walk with the pedantry inherent in all Germans. Turgenev's story describes the life of middle-class Europeans. The Rosellis went to dinner at the best tavern in Soden. But Gemma got bored with what was happening and wanted to dine on the common terrace, rather than in the private gazebo that her fiancé had ordered.
A company of officers was having lunch on the terrace. They were all very drunk, and one of them approached Gemma. He raised a glass to her health and took the rose that was lying next to the girl’s plate.
This was an insult to Gemma. However, Kluber did not stand up for the bride, but quickly paid and took the girl to a hotel. Dmitry boldly approached the officer, called him impudent, took the rose and challenged the offender to a duel. Kluber pretended not to notice what had happened, but Emil was delighted by this act.
Duel
The next day, without thinking about love, Sanin talks with the second of officer von Dongof. Dmitry himself did not even have acquaintances in Frankfurt, so he took the servant Pantaleone as his seconds. We decided to shoot from twenty steps with pistols.
Dmitry spent the rest of the day with Gemma. Before leaving, the girl gave him the same rose that he took from the officer. At that moment Sanin realized that he had fallen in love.
At 10 o'clock the duel took place. Dongof fired into the air, thereby admitting that he was guilty. As a result, the duelists parted ways, shaking hands.
Gemma
The story begins about the love of Sanin and Gemma. Dmitry pays a visit to Frau Leone. It turns out that Gemma is going to break off the engagement, but only this marriage will help save the financial situation of her entire family. The girl’s mother asks Sanin to convince her. But the persuasion did not bring results. On the contrary, he realized that Gemma loved him too. After mutual confessions, Dmitry proposes to the girl.
Frau Leona reconciled herself with the new groom, making sure that he had a fortune. Sanin had an estate in the Tula province, which should have been sold and the money invested in a confectionery shop. Unexpectedly, on the street Sanin meets an old friend Ippolit Polozov, who could buy his estate. But when asked, the friend replies that all financial matters are managed by his wife, an attractive but domineering woman.
Mrs. Polozova
The work “Spring Waters” tells how Dmitry, having said goodbye to his bride, leaves for Wiesbaden, where Marya Nikolaevna Polozova is treated with the waters. She turns out to be a very beautiful woman with beautiful brown hair and slightly vulgar features. Sanin interested her at first sight. It turned out that Polozov gave his wife complete freedom and did not interfere in her affairs. He was more concerned about a life of abundance and good food.
The Polozovs even made a bet on Sanin. Hippolytus was sure that his friend loved his bride too much, so he would not succumb to his wife’s charms. However, he lost, although it cost his wife a lot of work. Dmitry cheated on Gemma three days after arriving at the Polozovs.
Confession
There are no ideal figures in the work “Spring Waters”. The heroes appear as ordinary people with their weaknesses and vices. Sanin was no exception, but upon his return he immediately confessed everything to Gemma. Immediately after this, he went on a trip with Polozova. He became this woman's slave and accompanied her until he got tired of it. And then she just threw him out of her life. The only thing left in memory of Gemma is the same cross that he found in the box. As the years passed, he still did not understand why he left the girl, because he did not love anyone as much and tenderly as she did.
Trying to bring back the past
The work “Spring Waters” is coming to an end (summary). Turgenev returns again to the aged Sanin. His hero, succumbing to the surging memories, rushes to Frankfurt. Dmitry Pavlovich wanders the streets in search of a pastry shop, but cannot even remember the street on which it was located. In the address book he finds the name of Major von Donhoff. He said that Gemma got married and went to New York. It was from him that Sanin received the address of his beloved.
He writes her a letter. Gemma sends a response and thanks Sanin for breaking off the engagement, as it allowed her to become happier. She has a wonderful family - a beloved husband and five children. She says that her mother and Pantaleone died, and her brother died in the war. In addition, she encloses a photograph of her daughter, who looks very much like Gemma in her youth.
Sanin sends a garnet cross as a gift to his daughter Gemma. And later he himself is going to America.
"Spring Waters": analysis
It is best to start analyzing the work with the first lines of poetry, taken by Turgenev from an ancient romance. It is in them that the main theme of the entire work is contained: “Merry years, happy days - like spring waters they rushed by.”
Turgenev talks about past dreams, lost opportunities and missed chances in his work. His hero, due to his softness, misses his only chance for happiness. And he is no longer able to correct his mistake, no matter how hard he tries.
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