Are there people in the case among us. Analysis "Man in a case" Chekhov

Who are the case people? They surround us everywhere, but few people realize that they can be characterized by such an interesting term. Because not everyone has read the famous story of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, which was called “The Man in the Case”. It was this Russian prose writer-dramatist who for the first time in history proposed such a type of personality. However, about everything - in order.

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Anyone who is familiar with knows how rich the world of his works is in human types. Who just does not meet in his stories! And conscientious individuals, not satisfied with social laws and themselves, and narrow-minded inhabitants, and noble dreamers, and opportunistic officials. And images of "case" people are also found. In particular - in the story mentioned above.

In the center of the plot of "The Man in the Case" is a gymnasium teacher named Belikov. Teaching Greek - has long ceased to be anyone needed. He is very strange. Even if it's sunny outside, he puts on galoshes, a warm wadded coat with a high collar and takes an umbrella. Obligatory "accessory" - dark glasses. He always stuffs his ears with cotton. He rides in a cab, with the top always up. And Belikov also keeps everything in cases - an umbrella, a watch, and even a penknife.

But this is just an image. It would seem that the description only says that the person is neat and prudent, maybe a little more pedantic. But it is not for nothing that they say that the inner state of a person is reflected in the external manifestation. And indeed it is.

Personal characteristic

Examples of "case" people encountered in life are reflected in Belikov. He is a mixture of sociopath, paranoid and introvert. He is afraid of all living things. His is: "No matter what happens." He treats everything that surrounds him with caution and fear. Belikov is not able to think freely, since each of his ideas is in a "case".

And okay, if that's how he was in society. But even at home, he behaves similarly! He dresses in a long dressing gown and a cap, closes the shutters on the windows tightly, snapping the latches. His bed has a canopy, and when Belikov lies down in it, he covers himself with a blanket with his head.

Naturally, he observes all the posts, and does not get female servants - fearing that others will suspect him of having a relationship with them. Belikov is a real hermit. Which, in the truest sense of the word, is afraid to live.

Effects

Naturally, such a lifestyle that Belikov leads cannot fail to affect anything. Who are the case people? These are real hermits who believe that they live quite normally for themselves, unlike the rest. This is also manifested in Chekhov's hero.

At one point, he meets Varenka, a girl who is the sister of a new teacher of geography and history. She shows an unexpected interest in Belikov. Which society begins to persuade to marry her. He agrees, despite the fact that the thought of marriage oppresses and disturbs him. Belikov is losing weight, turning pale, becoming even more nervous and fearful. And the first thing that worries him the most is the lifestyle of the “bride”.

Who are the case people? Those who do not understand others because of their detachment. Varenka loves to ride a bike with her brother. And Belikov is sure that this quite ordinary hobby is not normal! Because it is not good for someone who teaches history to young people to ride a bicycle. And the woman on it vehicle and it doesn't look right at all. Belikov did not hesitate to express his thoughts to Varenka's brother, who cannot stand it. And he threatened to report his passion to the director of the gymnasium. In response, Varenka's brother lowered Belikov down the stairs. What is the result? Belikov falls ill - from stress, he is not let go by the thought that someone will find out about his shame. And he dies a month later. Such is the end.

Main thought

Well, who are the case people - you can understand by the example of Belikov. And the idea, in principle, Chekhov wanted to convey a simple one. The prose writer tried to convey to readers that life “closed” from society only cripples the human soul. You can't be outside the others. We are all members of a single society. Everything that a person has confused himself, set up - only fences him off from life. From reality filled with colors. And indeed it is. Spiritual wretchedness only limits human existence. What is Chekhov thinking about in this story.

Modernity

A person of the 21st century who has read Chekhov knows what kind of people are called case. And he is able to recognize them among the rest. Now they are called introverts. These are people whose mental makeup is characterized by a focus on contemplation, isolation and focus on their own inner world. They are not inclined to communicate with other people - it is difficult for them to establish contact with anyone.

However, to understand the essence of this term, it is enough to turn to the etymology. "Introvert" is a word derived from the German introvertiert. Which literally translates as "inward-facing".

ChKK is the Chekhov club "Classics", which exists in the Rostov gymnasium No. 118. It consists mainly of students and teachers who are happy to communicate on topics literary classics and outside the classroom.

At one of the meetings of the current, already sixth, club season, the textbook Chekhov hero Belikov turned out to be in the spotlight.

This is thanks to him (or rather, of course, with light hand its creator - Anton Pavlovich Chekhov), the popular expression "man in a case" has entered our lives. Linguistic reference books will explain that such a nickname is given to those who are closed in a narrow circle of their petty interests, suspicious, constantly afraid of something - from bad weather to winds of change in personal and social life.

Connoisseurs of Chekhov's work may add that he himself once jokingly called himself a man in a case. I did this in a letter to my sister, saying that the cold made me sleep under two blankets, in a hat and even in shoes.

Common situation! For some time, she makes many people in a case ... But at the meeting of the ChKK, it was not about failures in the work of public utilities and their consequences, but about how this character is seen today. Did he find a place in modern world?

How can you define your own attitude towards a literary hero? Imagine meeting him. This is what the chairman of the ChKK, Dasha Revina, suggested doing, so that it would be easier for everyone to answer the question: is Belikov a negative hero or still a good one? Would you like to talk to him?

Neither in life, nor in great literature, people are exceptionally good or unequivocally bad, - Egor Lagunov is sure. At the same time, Yegor thinks that he himself would not have had a desire to communicate with Belikov. Not the same person as they say.
For Nikita Hort, the extremely conservative Belikov is also not the same, but Nikita is set on wide communication and thinks that he would have found the key to Chekhov's man in a case:

After all, in some ways Belikov is probably smart, competent and, perhaps, interesting.

Sometimes artists depict Belikov as a shell, a case that hides the void. According to Elena Nikolaevna Pereverzeva, Belikov, unlike most of his beautiful-hearted colleagues, is a man with a position. Pretty tough, promoted relentlessly, sometimes aggressively.

A lively response in the club was found by the thought of Elena Nikolaevna that Belikov is a tragic figure at the same time. This idea was picked up: it is tragic because there was no such person, but rather the woman who would help Belikov with his eternal “No matter how it happens” to look differently at himself and the world around him. Become more tolerant and tolerant.

The beautiful half of the Chekhov Club was asked to answer the question: “Would you like to be in Varenka’s place?” That is, the one who almost became Belikov's bride.

The laughter with which the club responded to these words could be regarded as a response. However, after the first reaction, reasoning followed, truly capable of touching not only a man in a case - in iron armor. The girls spoke in the spirit that Belikov was simply unlucky to meet the one under whose influence he himself would become different: sensitive, smart, kind ...

For me, "The Man in the Case" is, first of all, a story about love, - as if summing up this part of the discussion, Natalya Nikolaevna Zubkova said. - This love came very close to Belikov, it could turn, transform his whole world and make Belikov happy - a great feeling is capable of such miracles. But Belikov was not ready to meet him. That didn't happen.

Chekhov spoke about the teacher of the ancient Greek language Belikov through the mouth of his colleague Burkin. Burkin testified that the death of the man in the case caused a sigh of relief from the progressive community of the town where it all happened. True, soon life in the town flowed as before. And this forced Burkin to make a bleak forecast: "... how many more such people are left in the case, how many more will there be!"

What are they today, these "men in a case"?

The same as then. Chekhov accurately described the type, it is unlikely that anything has fundamentally changed even in a hundred years. “The man in the case” of our days is the same conservative, for whom everything that does not fit into his ideas about the rules is unbearably bad, - Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kislyanskaya believes.

Belikov of our time could immerse himself deeply in the virtual world. It is possible that those around him would have noticed some signs in him. mental disorders, - Egor Lagunov suggested.

He would be as withdrawn as in Chekhov's story, but he could spend all his free time on the Internet. Perhaps he would have subscribed to some dubious groups there, - Nikita Hort saw such a picture of the life of the current Belikov. - And if Belikov now demonstrated his position, he would do it via the Internet.

Anonymously!!! - there were several voices in support of this idea at once.

Such a remark by Belikov would hardly have pleased, but nevertheless, many pleasant things for him were heard in the Cheka that evening. Indeed, many members of the Chekhov Club seemed to follow the truth that as long as a person is alive, he has a chance to become better.

It is interesting that the very appearance of Belikov, which seemed so amusing to many in previous years, can now be perceived differently. It is not difficult to imagine how a schoolboy today, having made some kind of fantastic journey into the world of this Chekhov story, would share his impressions with his peers:

The teachers in that gymnasium are like teachers, but one is so cool!

Needless to say, this cool one is, of course, Belikov, who walked in any weather in black glasses, galoshes and with an umbrella.

Here is the famous denunciation of Burkin: “But is it that we live in a city in close quarters, write unnecessary papers, play vint - isn’t this a case? And the fact that we spend our whole lives among idlers, quarrelsome, stupid, idle women, talking and listening to various nonsense - isn’t this a case? Nastya Kosykh looked in her own way:

Someone can say about our city that this is a case. But for us, it is not a case, if only because there is a Chekhov club here! Yes, cases are different.

But indeed, other cases are a real work of art. At least a non-standard art object.

And Belikov also tried to hide his thought in a case. For him, only circulars and newspaper articles were clear, in which something was forbidden.

A. Chekhov "The Man in the Case"

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov entered Russian literature with his parodies and humorous stories. Not immediately, but gradually, over time, he took the place of honor in literature as a writer-humorist. We read his stories and laugh, read and think, try to see the world through his eyes. Who among us does not know his creations "House with a Mezzanine", "Man in a Case", "Lady with a Dog", "Darling", "Thick and Thin", in which he raised not only the problems that are relevant for our time, but also those topics that no one before him had considered in Russian literature.

"Case" life. What it is? Never before before Chekhov had we heard such a definition of a life position. Chekhov saw an example of such an existence in society, saw it and decided to show it to us so that we would not make the same mistakes as the heroes of his stories.

"Man in a case" - reflects the human essence. When you imagine this image, you see a little man locked in a cramped little black box. And the most interesting thing is that this little man does not try to break out of the walls surrounding him, he feels good, comfortable, calm there, he is fenced off from the whole world, a terrible world that makes people suffer, poses them with complex problems, for the solution of which it is necessary to have a certain decisiveness, prudence. Chekhov draws a man who does not need this world, he has his own, which seems better to him. There everything is dressed in a cover, covered both inside and outside.

The theme of "case" life and "case people" is devoted to such stories by the Russian writer as "The Man in the Case", "Gooseberry", "About Love", "Ionych", "Darling". But this topic is presented here in different ways: not only the characters are developing, but also the author's point of view - it evolves.

So, the hero of the story "The Man in the Case" - the most striking of all the stories that raise this problem - is drawn by the author, albeit in humorous, but dark and gray tones: "He was remarkable in that he always, even in very good weather, went out in He wore galoshes and an umbrella, and certainly in a warm coat on wadding. And his umbrella was in a case, and his watch was in a case made of gray suede ... he had a knife in a case ... He wore dark glasses, a sweatshirt, stuffed his ears with cotton , and when he got into a cab, he ordered to raise the top. [Chekhov A.P., 2008, 38p.].

Hiding in his little world, where he does not want to let anyone in, except for his ancient Greek language, following all the prescribed norms and foundations, never deviating from the rules - this is how the teacher of the Greek language Belikov seems to us. Gloomy, hidden, he constantly hid from people, and even when he came to visit friends in order to maintain good relations with them, he did not "climb out" of his case - he sat silently and quietly. What's this? Why is that?

Probably, according to the remark of the narrator - Mr. Burkin, "this is a constant and irresistible desire to surround himself with a shell, to create for himself, so to speak, a case that would seclude him, protect him from External Influences." [Gromova L.P., 2008, 125p. ].

What influences? After all, people live in this world without cases, and nothing happens to them. Why can't he live like this? Is it upbringing, the influence of the environment? The author does not answer this question. But it seems that an important role in this was played by the upbringing and constant loneliness of teacher Belikov, as well as the lack of real friends and misunderstanding of him by people. As his colleagues did not understand, Varenka, the sister of the newly arrived teacher of geography and history, could not figure it out either. Laughing and, to some extent, a girl a little frivolous, she did not see a person in Belikov. Isn't he to blame for this? After all, there was no such thing as a human being. He stayed in the case, hid there. His life is a case, and it turns out that, in the end, no one and nothing will help him get out of this case, even the "new Aphrodite" and love.

But you can't live like that! We are indignant, we rebel and we cannot do anything, because he himself chose such a life for himself - calm, without worries, passions, joys and sorrows. And when the reputation of Belikov (also a kind of case), in his opinion, was shaken, he could not survive this, and died: "as if he was glad that, finally, they put him in a case from which he would never come out. Yes , he has reached his ideal!" [Chekhov A.P., 2007, 27p.]. Let us note one more thought, to which we will return later: this story of Chekhov is not optimistic and life-affirming, rather, on the contrary. The author draws attention to the influence of Belikov and the inhabitants of the city, teachers. He "forced" them to live in a case, made their life as boring and "philistine", "gloomy" and "case" as he had. And after the death of the teacher, nothing has changed, and the harsh and tedious, stupid and gray life began to flow again. And Burkin is indignant and notes: "Indeed, Belikov was buried, and how many more such people are left in the case, how many more there will be." [Aksenova M.D., 2008, 123 pp.]. A gloomy and heavy impression remains after reading this story by Chekhov.

We experience almost the same feelings when we get acquainted with the story "Ionych". It does not reveal the topic of "case" life to such an extent (rather, it is devoted to the topic of the influence of the environment on a person), but nevertheless ... I would like to note that in this aspect, the images of the Turkin family - Ivan Petrovich and Vera Iosifovna (but not Kotik ) - and the image of Dr. Startsev himself. Their case is not as noticeable and obvious as the case of the teacher Belikov. But it is impossible not to pay attention to the fact that the life of the Turkin family is a "case" life, and they themselves are "case" people. They created a small world where Ivan Petrovich always plays the role of a hospitable host, and Vera Iosifovna constantly reads her novels to guests, without sending her creations to the publisher. They don't go anywhere, and why should they? They live well in their little world, in their luxurious case.

Startsev falls under their influence. And, if at the beginning of the story this is a smart, active, purposeful person, then at the end it is a "man in a case": a hospital, buying a house, again a hospital ... A long series of "homogeneous" and gray days. He has turned into a "case" man and seems to like it.

Is this Olenka, the heroine of A.P. Chekhov's story "Darling"? Some will even doubt that she is a "case" person. But if you take a closer look at her, you will see her little world, the little world she created, where she has to love someone and take care of someone. If her case is destroyed, she will die like Belikov. Although this story leaves us with brighter sensations, nevertheless we are indignant together with the writer: how can one live like this? After all, the world around is wonderful, rich in feelings and knowledge.

Pessimism, bitterness, understanding of the imperfection of this world - this is what the stories we have considered are filled with.

But the story "Gooseberry" is completely different. Yes, here is the same case, but the case that a person has been striving for almost his entire conscious life. Buying an estate, settling in it, growing gooseberries - such a dream makes Nikolai, the narrator's brother, save money, living from hand to mouth, dressing like a beggar, makes him "kill" his wife. We read: "He drew a plan of his estate and every time he got the same thing on the plan: a) a manor's house; b) people's; c) a garden; d) a gooseberry." [Gromov, 2003, 98p.].

The hero searched, dreamed, starved, and here it is - life in a case. The hero needs the peasants to call him "your honor", so that there is always food on the table and sour and hard gooseberries nearby (the main thing is his own, from his garden).

Yes, we still have the same life of "case" people. But unlike other stories, here Chekhov strikes with his life-affirming position, from which it clearly follows that life in a case is a concern only for oneself, for one's happiness ("Darling" stands apart in this case). And in this world, in order to rise above the harsh reality and achieve something, you need to make other people happy: “There is no and should not be happiness, and if there is meaning and purpose in life, then the meaning and purpose is not at all in our happiness, but in something more intelligent and greater. Do good." [Chekhov A.P., 2008, 39p.

And immediately it brightens in the soul, and immediately I want to do good, I want to rid the world of "case" people, I want everyone to know that behind his door is "someone with a hammer", reminiscent of unfortunate people. A single thought in the entire trilogy is the idea that when we all get out of our cases and begin to truly live, not being afraid of suffering and pain, not being afraid to deviate from the rules, we will become truly happy.

"The Man in the Case" is a story by A.P. Chekhov, which is part of the "Little Trilogy" cycle. This work, which tells about the life of an ordinary rural teacher, despite the simple style of the story and the ordinary plot, reveals the deep problems of the human personality.

In this article we will try to conduct a brief analysis of Chekhov's story "The Man in the Case". The main character - a teacher of the Greek language Belikov - tried all his life to surround himself with a "cocoon". This was expressed both in clothes (even in summer he wore galoshes and a warm coat, he always took an umbrella with him), and in his way of life - he lived in solitude, did not understand any instructions, except for prohibitions. Above all for him was public opinion, even in the fact that he connected his life with teaching. However, what is most surprising, despite his low height, he kept the whole city in check, with him no one dared to allow himself "liberties" - simple

human joys. suspicious, Belikov, "a man in a case" (analysis of the character gives every reason for such a comparison), he imposed his position on everyone around him, which is worth his famous phrase: "Oh, no matter how it happens." The atmosphere throughout the story is permeated with fear, not even in front of a clear threat of punishment, but fear of who knows what.

Real life - that's what's in the case. shows that the manic fear of reality and ruined the protagonist. But Chekhov does not feel sorry for him at all. He seemed to be weighed down by the presence of the figure of Belikov in his work, along with other residents of the town. Most of all, the author is concerned with the thought: how did people allow such an insignificant person to tell others how to live. How do they obey his opinion and then become burdened by it? Why are most of the good, smart, educated people, who "grew up on Shchedrin and Turgenev", is afraid of a minority of cowardly, cowardly specimens entangled in their own complexes? After all, this is not only the case in that county town, examples can be found everywhere.

"The Man in the Case", the analysis of which was made, in all its glory shows the vices of the society of that time. As if under a microscope, Chekhov examines the relationship between people and empathizes with the characters. He offers a way to get rid of imposed fears when he gloatingly describes the scene of the ill-fated Belikov descending from the stairs by Kovalev. Free people should not tolerate the existing order of things, tells us

Anton Pavlovich, otherwise everything will end just as sadly as in the story "The Man in the Case". An analysis of the epilogue shows the reader that nothing has changed with the death of Belikov, because others took the place of one tyrant, and the inhabitants of the town did not receive the expected exposure, everything continued to go on as usual.

An analysis of the story "The Man in the Case" makes it clear that the author has chosen a very successful form of narration - a story within a story. Thanks to this, Chekhov, on behalf of the listener - Ivan Ivanovich - expresses his main idea: to live in a stuffy city, doing an unloved business, to see a lie, smile and cover it up, cheat on yourself every day for the sake of a piece of bread and a warm bed - is this not a case? How long can you live like this?

- a writer who was very observant in his time. This quality of his made it possible to reveal all the human vices that the author revealed in his works. So in his stories the writer touched upon philosophical and moral problems, among which are the problems of the sheathing of the life of society. Chekhov revealed these questions in his works About Love, Gooseberries, as well as in the story The Man in the Case, which we will write about today.

Chekhov's trilogy The Man in the Case is one of his famous works, which reveals the narrowness of the human soul. Here the author denounces the desire to subordinate his life to established laws, some norms and rules. At the same time, we see that people living in a case do not even notice how their life flies in vain, considering their life in a case to be ideal.

What is a case and what does the writer put into the concept of a case life? As for me, the case is the inner slavery of the human soul. This is submission to restrictions, compliance with the rules that do not allow human feelings to open up, which do not give the opportunity to develop spiritually and enrich oneself. It is the observance of rules and laws that hinder the freedom of personal relationships. Case is closedness. It is precisely such a person that Belikov is - the main character Chekhov's story. Already in his appearance we see all his unusualness, because he, like in that case, tries to hide all the time. He constantly wears glasses, with an umbrella, in a coat, as if hiding from the world, while all his items, including watches, glasses, the same umbrella, are also in their cases and covers.

This is a person who cannot accept reality in any way, and here the problem of the case of life can be argued, because Belikov constantly praises the past, he constantly praises what has never been and never will be. He is afraid of the real.

The problem of life's sheath

The hero of the story obeys the rules, he understands only those articles that are published in newspapers where there are prohibitions, he does not accept other information, especially if there are any permissions. What is most terrible, the character has not only driven himself into the framework, he is trying to influence others, trying to subordinate them to his own rules.

Belikov is clamped, his inner world is full of fears, he is not sure. All this prevents Belikov from living fully, enjoying all the delights of life. It is very difficult to live for people like Belikov, who painfully perceives any difficulty in life. Such people are not happy. Driving themselves into the framework, they morally destroy themselves.

The hero of the story dies, unable to bear the moral humiliation in the eyes of his beloved, dies from inner fear of something new. He went to another world, because he was tired of life with its threats and constant worries about the correctness of his actions. Only in the coffin did his features acquire a certain cheerful expression, he found peace. As Chekhov writes, the hero was glad to be in a case in which he will remain forever.