Immediately after arriving in Moscow, Nikolenka feels the changes that have happened to him. In his soul there is a place not only for his own feelings and experiences, but also for compassion for the grief of others, and the ability to understand the actions of other people. He realizes the inconsolability of his grandmother’s grief after the death of his beloved daughter, and is happy to the point of tears that he finds the strength to forgive his older brother after a stupid quarrel. Another striking change for Nikolenka is that he shyly notices the excitement that the twenty-five-year-old maid Masha causes in him. Nikolenka is convinced of his ugliness, envies Volodya’s beauty and tries with all his might, although unsuccessfully, to convince himself that a pleasant appearance cannot account for all the happiness in life. And Nikolenka tries to find salvation in thoughts of splendid loneliness, to which, as it seems to him, he is doomed.
They report to the grandmother that the boys are playing with gunpowder, and although it is just harmless lead shot, the grandmother blames Karl Ivanovich for the lack of childcare and insists that he be replaced with a decent tutor. Nikolenka is having a hard time breaking up with Karl Ivanovich.
Nikolenka’s relationship with the new French tutor does not work out; he himself sometimes does not understand his insolence towards the teacher. It seems to him that the circumstances of life are directed against him. The incident with the key, which he inadvertently breaks while inexplicably trying to open his father’s briefcase, completely throws Nikolenka out of balance. Deciding that everyone has deliberately taken up arms against him, Nikolenka behaves unpredictably - she hits the tutor, in response to her brother’s sympathetic question: “What’s happening to you?” - shouts how disgusting and disgusting everything is to him. They lock him in a closet and threaten to punish him with rods. After a long imprisonment, during which Nikolenka is tormented by a desperate feeling of humiliation, he asks his father for forgiveness, and convulsions occur to him. Everyone is afraid for his health, but after twelve hours of sleep Nikolenka feels good and at ease and is even glad that his family is worried about his incomprehensible illness.
After this incident, Nikolenka feels more and more lonely, and his main pleasure is solitary reflection and observation. He observes the strange relationship between the maid Masha and the tailor Vasily. Nikolenka does not understand how such a rough relationship can be called love. Nikolenka’s range of thoughts is wide, and he is often confused in his discoveries: “I think, what I think, what I think about, and so on. My mind went crazy..."
Nikolenka rejoices at Volodya’s admission to university and envies his maturity. He notices the changes that are happening to his brother and sisters, watches how the aging father develops a special tenderness for his children, experiences the death of his grandmother - and he is offended by conversations about who will get her inheritance...
Nikolenka has a few months left before entering university. He is preparing for the Faculty of Mathematics and is studying well. Trying to get rid of many of the shortcomings of adolescence, Nikolenka considers the main one to be a tendency to inactive reasoning and thinks that this tendency will bring him a lot of harm in life. Thus, attempts at self-education are manifested in him. Volodya's friends often come to him - adjutant Dubkov and student Prince Nekhlyudov. Nikolenka talks more and more often with Dmitry Nekhlyudov, they become friends. The mood of their souls seems the same to Nikolenka. Constantly improving himself and thus correcting all of humanity - Nikolenka comes to this idea under the influence of his friend, and he considers this important discovery the beginning of his youth.
His father, brother Volodya, sister Lyubochka and governess Mimi with their daughter Katenka leave Petrovsky’s estate for Moscow. Tolstoy describes their long journey in a britzka and carriage, from one inn to another.
Chapter II. On the way, the Irteniev family is overtaken by a strong thunderstorm, which arouses both horror and happiness in Nikolenka’s soul.
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. Photo 1897
Chapter III. During a conversation with Katenka on the road, Nikolenka suddenly finds out that she is not too happy about moving to Moscow. The girl fears that she and her mother, poor people, will not get along and get along with the Irtenievs’ rich grandmother. A conversation with Katenka gives Nikolenka a new perspective on the difference in people’s social status, which he never thought about as a child.
Chapter IV. The Irtenyevs settle with their grandmother in Moscow. The whole family inevitably behaves more strictly and ceremoniously here than in the village.
Chapter V Nikolenka increasingly notices that his older brother Volodya is behaving more and more like an adult. An invisible line that did not exist in childhood is formed between the two of them. Nikolenka even begins to quarrel with her brother, suspecting that he is looking down on him, but these quarrels quickly end in reconciliation.
Leo Tolstoy. Adolescence. Audiobook
Chapter VI. Having matured himself, Nikolenka for the first time draws attention to the fact that their beautiful maid Masha is not only a servant, but also woman. I am not indifferent to Masha and Volodya. Hiding under the stairs, Nikolenka witnesses Volodya pestering Masha on the landing.
Chapter VII. Governess Mimi finds rifle shot from Nikolenka and Volodya. Thinking it is explosive gunpowder, she complains about the boys to their father and grandmother. The grandmother asks the father to fire the incapable German teacher Karl Ivanovich and replace him with a young, educated Frenchman.
Chapter VIII. Upset by his dismissal, Karl Ivanovich tells Nikolenka the story of his life - it is unknown how true and how fantastic. He claims that his almost penniless mother gave birth to him from Count von Somerblatt, who then married her to one of his poor tenants. The stepfather did not like Karl, giving all his care to his own son, Johann. Karl felt like a stranger in his own family. When the conscription into the army was announced on the occasion of the Napoleonic Wars, the lot fell to Johann to go into service. But no one needed him in his home, Karl himself volunteered to replace him.
Chapter IX. Karl Ivanovich claims that he took part in the famous battles of Ulm, Austerlitz and Wagram. At Wagram he was captured, but one compassionate French sergeant helped him escape. On the way to Frankfurt, Karl met the owner of a rope factory and liked him. The manufacturer settled him and gave him a job. But the owner’s wife began making love proposals to Karl. Not wanting to do harm to his benefactor, he fled from his house.
Chapter X Karl came to hometown and found out that his mother and stepfather now ran a liquor store. His parents did not recognize him when he entered their tavern and ordered a glass of liqueur. Karl told him who he was, and his mother fell unconscious into his arms. But his happiness in his parents' house was short-lived. A government spy overheard his free speeches about Napoleon's policies in a coffee shop and came to arrest him in the evening. Karl Ivanovich tore his sword from the wall, hit the spy, jumped out the window and fled to the location of the Russian troops, where General Sazin sheltered him. Together with him, he later came to Russia and began teaching noble children there.
Chapter XI. The new tutor, the strict Frenchman St.-Jérôme, reprimands Nikolenka for poor studies with history teacher Lebedev and threatens to punish him if he gets a bad grade again. However, Nikolenka does not teach a new lesson. An angry Lebedev gives him not even a two, but a one.
Chapter XII. On this day Lyubochka's name day is celebrated. The father, who forgot a gift in the office - a bonbonniere, sends Nikolenka with a bunch of keys to get it. Having unlocked the box with the bonbonniere in the office, the boy, out of curiosity, opens his father’s briefcase with documents with a small key. However, when you try to close it, the key breaks and remains in the briefcase lock. Nikolenka is in despair because this new offense has been added to her history unit.
Chapter XIII. Children and relatives come to the Irtenyevs for lunch. After lunch, the teenagers start a game in which the young “ladies” choose their “gentlemen.” Almost none of the girls want to choose the ugly Nikolenka. His long-time love, Sonechka (see chapters XX-XXIV “Childhood”), gives preference to Seryozha Ivin (see chapter XIX “Childhood”). Nikolenka notices how they kiss furtively - and is indignant at traitor Sonechka.
Chapter XIV. St.-Jérôme approaches Nikolenka, who is deeply annoyed. As punishment for a unit in history, he requires him to leave the general game and go to his room to do his homework. Angrily, Nikolenka refuses to leave and sticks her tongue out at the tutor. St.-Jérôme threatens him with rods. No longer able to control herself, Nikolenka hits the Frenchman with all her might. He squeezes his hands like a vice, drags him down, locks him in the closet and orders Uncle Vasily to bring the rod.
Chapter XV. Locked in the closet, Nikolenka falls into a frenzied half-oblivion. It seems to him that those around him deliberately conspired to torment him - because he is probably not the real son of his parents, but a foundling taken out of mercy. He dreams of disgracing his enemies with heroic deeds in war and then begging the Emperor to allow him to kill St.-Jérôme. Nikolenka imagines how he will die in the closet by morning, and his relatives will regret that they brought him to death...
Chapter XVI. Nikolenka is not allowed out of the closet all day, although punishment with canings is what follows. The next day St.-Jérôme opens the closet door and takes the boy to his grandmother. She reproaches him for his impudent behavior, demands to apologize to the tutor, but seeing the uncontrollable and sincere despair of her grandson, she begins to cry. Nikolenka is released. On the stairs, his father grabs him and sternly asks how he dared to open a briefcase with documents without asking. Nikolenka's sobs turn into convulsions. They take him to bed and he falls asleep until evening.
Chapter XVII. Having woken up, Nikolenka burns with fierce hatred for the frivolous and arrogant St.-Jérôme, who is so different from the former good-natured and simple teacher Karl Ivanovich.
Chapter XVIII. Meanwhile, the maid Masha falls madly in love with the footman Vasily. However, their marriage is opposed by their uncle, Nikolai, who considers Vasily “a man incongruous and unbridled" Out of grief, Vasily drinks from time to time, and these manifestations of melancholy further strengthen Masha’s love for him. Sad Vasily goes to sit with Masha in the maid's room, but another maid, Gasha, drives him out of there. Feeling sorry for the unhappy lovers, Nikolenka dreams of growing up quickly and becoming the owner of the estate: then he will allow his serfs Masha and Vasily to have a wedding and give them a thousand rubles.
Chapter XIX. Having passed from childhood to adolescence, Nikolenka begins to show a penchant for philosophical reflection about the meaning of life, about the essence of happiness, about whether objects in the world exist beyond our imagination. He considers himself the discoverer of many long-known thoughts about morality and existence, but in the end he gets confused in his complex reasoning.
Chapter XX. Nikolenka’s older brother, Volodya, diligently studies with teachers and soon successfully passes the entrance exam to the university. The line that separates the almost adult Volodya from Nikolenka now becomes even more noticeable. Volodya is visited by smart comrades with whom he has serious conversations. Between him and Katenka, in addition to childhood friendship, some other, mysterious relationship appears.
Chapter XXI. Katenka and Lyubochka are no longer girls, but girls. Both of them change a lot - externally and internally. At the same time, the difference in their characters becomes more pronounced. Lyubochka is simple and natural in everything, while Katenka is prone to ceremony, affectation and coquetry.
Chapter XXII. With the transition from childhood to adolescence, Nikolenka’s view of her father also changes. The former unconditional admiration for him disappears. Nikolenka begins to notice that her father has many weaknesses and shortcomings.
Chapter XXIII. The grandmother becomes seriously ill and soon dies, leaving the entire estate in her will to Lyubochka and entrusting guardianship until her marriage not to the player-father, but to Prince Ivan Ivanovich.
Chapter XXIV. Nikolenka is preparing to enter university. Science comes easy to him. Nikolenka is also encouraged by her father’s words that he has smart face. The maid Masha is finally allowed to marry Vasily, and they get married.
Chapter XXV. Of all his friends, Volodya is most often visited by Adjutant Dubkov and Prince Nekhlyudov. The first is a limited person, but cheerful and self-confident. Nekhlyudov, on the contrary, is silent and bashful. Nikolenka likes his thoughtfulness. He would like to get closer to Nekhlyudov, but at first he does not pay much attention to him.
Chapter XXVI. Nekhlyudov and Dubkov pick up Volodya to go to the theater with him. But they only have two tickets for the three of them. Nekhlyudov gives Volodya his ticket, and he remains with Nikolenka and starts a conversation with him about pride and other qualities human soul. Nikolenka’s reasoning seems very intelligent to Nekhlyudov. Both of them feel a lot in common in their characters.
Chapter XXVII. Nekhlyudov and Nikolenka become friends. In order to eliminate any shadow of lack of frankness among themselves, they even decide to confess to each other the most disgusting thoughts that come to each of their heads. Nikolenka feels a certain superiority of Nekhlyudov over herself, but is still very happy to be friends with him.
© Author of the summary – Russian Historical Library. Read also Tolstoy’s article “Childhood” - summary by chapter. Links to materials about other works of L. N. Tolstoy - see below, in the block “More on the topic...”
- Summary (reads in 1.5 minutes)
- Summary of Tolstoy's Boyhood by chapter(reads in 4 minutes)
- History of the creation of the work
- Conclusion and main idea
- Main characters
- The image of the main character
Nikolenka Irtenyev (the fourteen-year-old boy on whose behalf the story is told) moves to Moscow with his family. During the days of the trip main character I saw many amazing places and landscapes, which impressed him greatly. One of these phenomena that caught us on the road was a thunderstorm. During the trip, Nikolenka and his sister Katya discuss the upcoming changes. During the conversation, Nikolenka notices that his sister has moved somewhat away from him.
Arriving in Moscow, Nikolenka discovers that her grandmother looks very old. This makes him feel sad. Also, the hero of the work began to look at his brother somewhat differently, realizing the huge difference between himself and Volodya.
Nikolenka begins to like the maid Masha, but he considers himself unworthy of her love and makes no attempt to win her heart.
Nikolenka and his comrades were playing with gunpowder, his grandmother finds out about this and immediately fires the tutor Karl Ivanovich. Karl Ivanovich talks with the young man, complaining about his fate, he talks about his childhood. My stepfather did not like the tutor; at the age of 14 he joined the army. During the hostilities, the man was captured, but he managed to escape. Afterwards, the tutor worked at a factory, but, suddenly falling in love, he left his place of work. With the help of a new acquaintance, the general, Karl Ivanovich manages to leave for Russia, where he ends up in the family where Nikolenka grows up.
On Nikolenka’s sister’s birthday, many relatives and friends come to visit the family. During the games, the main character gets ugly princesses. This makes him angry. On the same day, Nikolenka discovers the key to the briefcase in her father’s room and accidentally breaks it.
The new tutor learns about the unit Nikolenka received. In a verbal altercation, Nikolenka hits the tutor. He punishes the boy by locking him in a closet.
After a night spent in the closet, Nikolenka refuses her grandmother’s request to apologize to the tutor; with his action, he brings her to tears. The father notices the key is broken. Accusations are falling on Nikolenka. He loses consciousness. His family forgives him.
Nikolenka watches the romance between the maid Masha and the tailor Vasily. He sympathizes with Masha.
Nikolai's brother goes to university, the main character is somewhat jealous of Volodya.
Nikolenka becomes very observant. He notices how governess Mimi’s daughter Katenka and his sister Lyubochka have grown up. He feels especially keenly the similarity between his mother and sister Lyubochka.
Her grandmother dies, Nikolenka takes her death hard. He is shocked that her family takes her death so easily.
Nikolenka spends a lot of time surrounded by her brother; one day he meets Prince Dmitry Nekhlyudov, with whom the young man develops a warm and friendly relationship. Nikolenka adopts the views and understanding of the world of her new friend, considering them truly true.
Work by L.N. Tolstoy teaches an understanding of the importance of real values in life and the need to improve one’s inner qualities.
Summary of Tolstoy's Boyhood in chapters
Chapter 1
The Irteniev family, including the main character, Nikolenka, after the death of their mother, move to Moscow to live with their grandmother, the countess. The entire journey takes 4 days.
Chapter 2
During the trip, Nikolenka is caught in a thunderstorm, and he also hears thunder. The elements overwhelm his emotions, and at the same time he is afraid of it all. But then the anger gives way to mercy, and he already admires the midday air.
Chapter 3
A conversation in Nikolenka’s chaise with Katenka, who complains about her difficult fate. They discuss a plan for how they will settle in a new place. For the first time, a teenager so consciously relies on the world and its values.
Chapter 4
Nikolenka’s family reaches Moscow, the teenager sees his grandmother, who is saddened by the death of her daughter and shows compassion for her. The father goes to live in the outbuilding.
Chapter 5
Relations with brother Volodya reach a dead end. Nikolenka quarrels more and more with her older brother, while realizing that Volodya is better than him in everything.
Chapter 6
Nikolenka falls in love with the maid, Masha, who is amazingly pretty. But because of his complexes, he never dares to take the first step, after which he suffers for a long time and painfully.
Chapter 7
A teenager is caught playing with gunpowder. The grandmother who was told about everything, the same Masha, immediately becomes furious. Because of this, Karl Ivanovich, Nikolenka’s teacher, loses his job, and a new tutor, Saint-Jerome, takes his place.
Chapters 8-10
Before leaving the estate, Karl Ivanovich tells Nikolenka a story from his difficult life. He was raised by his stepfather, who was known as a difficult person in terms of character. IN adolescence Karl Ivanovich began working as a shoemaker, and later joined the army. He fought against Napoleon himself, but was captured by enemy troops, from where he subsequently escaped. Then he worked at a rope factory for more than a year, but then an intrigue ensued - the wife of the owner of the production fell in love with him, but Karl did not delude himself on this score, and soon ran away. Upon returning to the city, he met his family, whom he had not seen for a very long time. Then there was an escape to Ems, and from there, in a roundabout way, to Russia. So, fate threw him into the house of the Irtenyevs.
Chapter 11
On the occasion of the birthday of Lyubochka, Nikolenka’s sister, noble guests gather at the Irtenievs’ house. The teenager himself had already spoiled his mood that day - he received a unit in history. But all this remains a secret, since Nicholas never once mentioned this to his tutor, Saint-Jerome.
Chapter 12
Guests at the table, Nikolenka’s father, Peter, asks his son to bring a gift for Lyubochka from his briefcase. He goes into the room, finds the key and opens the trophy. After reading with curiosity some of the papers from its contents, he accidentally breaks the key in the hole of this item. Not knowing how to get out of this situation, Nikolenka finds nothing better than to return to the table and remain silent about what she has done.
Chapter 13
After lunch, children from noble families begin to play games. Kolya is fidgety at this, he thinks that his deception will soon be revealed. Nikolenka likes the girl Sonya, but she always makes her choice in favor of Seryozha Ivin. The depressed teenager simply considers her a traitor.
Chapter 14
The deception is revealed, Saint-Jerome finds out about Nikolenka’s tricks and asks him to leave the table. In fits of emotion, the teenager is insolent to the tutor, in particular, sticking his tongue out at him. Saint-Jerome grabs the guy by the sleeve, but he fights back and hits the servant. Saint-Jerome forcibly takes the boy to the closet and locks him there all night.
Chapter 15
In the closet, Nikolenka feels like a despised and lonely person. He even imagined himself as a stepchild.
Chapter 16
The next morning, Nikolenka is released from the closet for an intimate conversation with her grandmother. She wants her grandson to apologize to Saint-Jerome, but Nikolenka cries and refuses to do so. After this, the grandmother herself was upset to the point of tears. At this time, as if by fate, Nikolenka’s father appears and begins to swear at him because of the key. As a result, the teenager begins to convulse and passes out for an indefinite period.
Chapter 17
1.5 years have already passed, the hatred of the French tutor and Nikolenka is mutual. Saint-Jerome practically does not participate in the boy’s upbringing. Nikolai considers his methods very humiliating.
Chapter 18
Nikolenka lives in his convictions, he gets used to thoughts of loneliness. A teenager sees how a maid, Masha, falls in love with a drunkard, Vasily, but she cannot marry him because Nikolenka’s father does not give his consent to this. Although Nikolai still loves Masha in his heart, he still decides to help Vasily and Masha in their marriage.
Chapter 19
The teenager continues to be overcome by strange thoughts, and he becomes more and more immersed in them. He thinks about immortality, loneliness, happiness, etc. Essentially, he analyzes his every action.
Chapter 20
The older brother, Volodya, is going to go to university. Soon he successfully passes all the exams and is enrolled. He begins to go to balls, smoke a pipe, etc. That is, in essence, Volodya becomes a truly adult man.
Chapter 21
Lyubochka and Katenka, Nikolenka’s sisters, grew up together. Both are beauties, but one is more graceful - Katenka, and the other is simple, does not stand out in any way - Lyubochka.
Chapter 22
Nikolenka's father is an avid card player, he wins a large sum of money and becomes even more friendly towards his family. At this time, Nikolenka notices all the main character traits of her dad.
Chapter 23
Grandmother Countess is getting worse and worse every day. Very soon her health deteriorated sharply, she fell ill, and after some time she died. But her death did not cause much disappointment among her close people, including Nikolenka. Grandmother's will was completely transferred to Lyubonka.
Chapter 24
Nikolenka decides to enter the university, the Faculty of Mathematics. Although at this level his self-esteem still looks depressing. He considers himself a loser with an ugly type of appearance. True, with Saint-Jeres, the French tutor, their relationship is steadily improving, and their love for Masha does not disappear anywhere. Nevertheless, the teenager asks his father to allow the servants Masha and Vasily to get married, and he, after thinking about it, allows it. Nikolenka is incredibly happy about this.
Chapter 25
Friends often come to visit Nikolenka’s brother Volodya. But there are only two especially important ones - Nekhlyudov and Dubkov. It was Nekhlyudov who seemed to Nikolai as if he was similar to him in character.
Chapter 26
Nikolenka often spent time with his older brother’s friends, and it so happened that one day these friends invited Volodya to the theater, but he did not have money, and then Nekhlyudov decided to help, and meanwhile he stayed in the room with Nikolenka. It was from this moment that their truly strong friendship began. So, they found out that they have a lot in common.
Chapter 27
Nekhlyudov and Nikolenka begin to share secrets, their innermost thoughts, etc. They have a friendly and indestructible union.
The history of the creation of Tolstoy's Boyhood
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy is an outstanding writer who has earned the reputation of a world leader in the field of literature. His works are truly masterpieces. He was committed to events concerning his personal life, and much is written about this in his works.
He did not hesitate to attribute his memories directly to artistic thought, adding a fair amount of facts on the topic of autobiography. Just remember the first story of a similar number, it was called “Childhood”. It accurately describes life itself, with its unpredictable consequences. This can also include: the work “Confession”, “Youth”, etc. The author often liked to pay attention to such a genre as the story. This made a certain sense, since longevity left its mark on Leo Tolstoy’s mental balance. The writer was a romantic in spirit, and therefore every detail from the years he lived crept into his heart. Conservatism was almost his main feature for the writer, and the slightest manifestations in this area forced him to have a different attitude towards life, and this often resulted in a literary, so to speak, “epic”. It was precisely with this content that the story “Adolescence” was written, essentially an autobiographical trilogy.
For L.N. Tolstoy, it became the second work in his biography. The story “Adolescence” was written in the period from 1852 to 1853, respectively. In 1854, such a story was first published in the pages of the Sovremennik magazine. The genre had pseudo-subtext, and in its literary direction it was close to realism. A story written by himself (L. N. Tolstoy) falls on the life of the teenager of the same name, plunged into the abyss of his own needs, and not perceiving the world around us as circumstances require. The image of the hero himself may remain incomprehensible to the reader, since some of his inclinations cause misunderstanding. At the same time, there is a complete development of his personality, from the early period to the moment of growing up. For many, it becomes clear why the actual title of the book is called “Adolescence”, because this term speaks for itself, and the main character of the story constantly fluctuates in this direction. There are many characters here, and each of them plays a certain role in Nikolenka’s life, this is the name of the main character in the story “Adolescence”. The work itself consists of 27 chapters.
Conclusion and main idea of the work
In conclusion, I would like to note one fact - the story “Adolescence”, written by L. N. Tolstoy, clearly demonstrates to us all the squabbles that are happening in the soul of a person. And even though the narration is told directly from the first person, and the work itself is written within the framework of pseudo-literary reality, one should not neglect the circumstances that can affect a person in the 21st century. This story is a visual aid for those who primarily experience alienation towards themselves. A distinctive conclusion can be drawn from all this.
The main idea of the work is to analyze the entire life of the main character. Leo Tolstoy created the prototype of a person who, with his clear example, shows society what to expect from the transition period. It involves unimaginable alienations, conflicts, problems, etc. The teenager, for whom adolescence became a comforting fact, ultimately neglected it. This story serves as a good conviction - you need to be able to overcome difficulties, whatever they may be, even if it concerns the period of growing up.
The main characters of the story Tolstoy's Boyhood
Nikolenka Irtenev is the main character of this work. He is distinguished by his emotional character and experiences his adolescence terribly. Constantly thinks about the past and is afraid of upcoming events. He is from a noble family and is 14 years old. (more details below)
Pyotr Irtenyev is Nikolenka’s father; he has a stern disposition and consistent severity. Nevertheless, he loves his children very much and plays the role of a mentor in their lives.
Volodya is Nikolenka’s brother, one year older than him. By character, he is more passionate, does not always show sympathy for others, but at the same time he firmly knows what he wants from life.
Sisters Katya and Lyubochka - little is said about them in the work, since they practically do not show themselves at all.
Nikolenka’s grandmother – it was in her house that the Irteniev family settled. She was kind to her grandson, Kolya.
Karl Ivanovich is a German by birth, at the same time Nikolenka’s tutor and teacher, they were also close friends.
Saint-Jerome, Nicholas’s new tutor in his grandmother’s house, was distinguished by traditionally European standards of education.
Masha is a young maid who initially fell in love with Nikolenka.
Vasily is a tailor and part-time servant in the Irtenyevs’ house. He was distinguished by his craving for alcohol, and later became Masha’s lover.
Dmitry Nekhlyudov is Nikolenka’s prince and best friend, who radically influenced the teenager’s fate.
The image of the main character
The text clearly tells about the fate of a teenager named Nikolenka - the narration in the work “Adolescence” is also told from him. Different destinies are intertwined in this man, he is soft and shy, but at the same time, he can despise anyone. He was raised in best traditions an aristocratic family, while he never shied away from friendship with the people around him from the poor strata of society. Although sometimes this happened, as, for example, in the case of Ilenka Grapp, the child of a poor foreigner, when he was teased by local children, including Nikolenka, for his position in the environment of beggary. Nikolai completely treated people with love and respect.
He himself was very responsive and at the same time decent. I constantly thought about my behavior and analyzed it. He was well-read, as befits a noble family, and at the same time a little shy. Nikolai's life turned into a nightmare for himself after his mother died. From this moment on, the world in his eyes is filled with twofold content - on the one hand, he does not depart from the foundations past life, but at the same time, afraid of any changes. His whole family will soon move to another city, to live with his grandmother, but it is here that Nikolenka develops the myth of his inferior life. In a new place, he gives free rein to his emotions, constantly worries in the light of various events and learns compassion towards the grief of others.
Not everything is going smoothly with his brother, he missed his beloved teacher, his father seemed to have forgotten about him at first, his sisters live their own lives, and then there’s a new tutor, a Frenchman, Saint-Jerome. And all of them, he believes, deprive him of attention; only memories of his mother caress his soul. One day, a maid named Masha appears in their house, she is pretty and a little principled. Nikolenka rushes into feelings of love for her, but he understands perfectly well that he will not be able to achieve reciprocal sympathy, since his “ego” is self-critical. Experiences about this forced a teenager to look at the world in a new way. He is ashamed of himself, of his actions, and he shouldn’t even rely on his appearance.
New life in Moscow
The noble family of the Irtenievs, in which Nikolenka was brought up, was of noble birth. They all lived together in the estate. Their dynasty included: father (self-confident and enterprising); Kolya’s mother (kind and affectionate); his brother Volodya (absorbed the image of the head of the family), as well as his sister Lyuba (prosaic nature). Kolenka himself was a very kind and mischievous child, and his upbringing was marked by love and affection from his parents. He was also surrounded by other characters for whom he had reverent feelings, these were the nanny Natalya Savishna and the tutor, who is also a teacher, Karl Ivanovich.
Nikolai loved to play with the neighboring village boys, even if they were not from rich families. At some point, Nikolenka suffered a terrible fate; at the age of fourteen, he lost the most precious thing he had - his mother. This fact influenced the further action of the unfolding events. Kolenka himself believed that at a certain point in his life, the earth seemed to “grow out from under his feet.” Soon their whole family decided to move to Moscow, where their maternal grandmother, the countess, lived. The journey took 4 days, during which time Kolenka seemed to have forgotten about past failures, he liked the landscapes of new places, he even acted a little as a cab driver, which he was incredibly happy about.
True, the main character was still afraid of some phenomena, for example, thunderstorms or downpours. Following the route, Nikolenka communicated much more with his sister and with Katenka, the daughter of the family servant, than with his brother. They discussed plans for their settlement with their grandmother. Katya complained all the time about her difficult life, which gave Kolya a peculiar impression of the world. And so they safely reached Moscow, where they were met by an aged grandmother, who experienced the news of her daughter’s death with sorrow. From her amazed feelings, the boy Kolya showed compassion for his grandmother, but he tried not to show it in plain sight.
The transitional age of Nikolenka Irteneva makes itself felt
Gradually, the boy at his new place of residence began to notice that changes began to occur around him, and not for the better, as he himself believed. Father, Peter, paid less and less attention to his family, and soon he completely moved to live in the outbuilding. Nikolenka had contradictions with her brother Volodya, and each time they became more and more aggravated. And Karl Ivanovich, when he was the teenager’s mentor, decided to change his image, which caused Nikolai to show slight bewilderment. One day, he and his brother had a serious quarrel, and since Volodya was not known as a vulnerable person in life, such a concept as emotions was alien to him. Nevertheless, he was the first to come to make peace with Nikolenka, which made the main character’s tears flow, and they eventually became friends again.
One fine moment, a maid appears in the Irteniev family - Masha, she was 25 years old. She is very beautiful and sweet. All this confuses Nikolenka, and a feeling of falling in love with this person flares up in him. But the problem is that he cannot decide to openly declare his intentions, since the barrier in this is his inferiority of character. Since childhood, Kolya was very shy and modest, and this made him neglect his own person. He considered himself a failure, incapable of any serious actions.
Shyness in relation to one's appearance complemented such an image. But his brother, Volodya, was the complete opposite, he was considered a lively and hooligan teenager, and all this allowed him to show signs of attention towards the governess Masha, and Nikolenka could only watch from the sidelines what was happening. He was very worried about this in his heart. More and more this pushed him towards the idea of disunity. Nikolenka received another genuine injury when he was found playing with gunpowder. A scandal reigned in the house, and the grandmother was so rude and condescending that she ordered the dismissal of the teenager’s favorite teacher, Karl Ivanovich, all this became an irreparable loss. Nikolenka and his former teacher said goodbye to each other for a long time, and the reason for this was the story from Karl Ivanovich about his difficult fate. He touched the soul of the teenager and he was sympathetically concerned about his future existence. Soon a new tutor appears - a Frenchman, a pomp - Saint-Jerome. And here I must say, the relationship did not work out right away. On the birthday of Lyubochka, Nikolenka’s sisters, guests begin to arrive at the estate. A truly festive atmosphere is being prepared. The main character and his brother Volodya are studying a history lesson, but it turns out that Kolya was simply unprepared for the lessons, which is why he received a “one”. He hid this fact from his French tutor, so as not to spoil relations on the occasion of the anniversary. When everyone gathered at the table, Nikolai’s father intently asked him to bring a gift for Lyubochka, from the briefcase, in his personal account. And again failure, this time the embarrassment came with the key. His knee accidentally broke it, so much so that it remained in the hole of the castle.
The teenager could not find anything better than to return to the table, and hid the fact of what he had done. The wait did not last long, during which time he took a liking to the girl Sonya, who participated in games with the boys. Another mistake, she liked another gentleman more than Kolenka. And again, resentment towards women lurked in his soul. Soon the climax comes, the Frenchman Saint-Jerome learns about the teenager’s tricks and immediately, as punishment, asks Nicholas to leave the guest room. However, he is insolent and even sticks out his tongue. Saint-Jerome grabs the boy's wrist, but he responds with a blow. Monsieur Jerome’s nerves begin to give way from such unheard-of impudence, and he forcibly takes the teenager into a closet and locks him, in addition threatening to flog the bully if he does not change his behavior.
Nikolai feels uneasy in the closet, he cries and at the same time indulges in thoughts about his life, which he considers worthless. He believes that no one loves or pities him, as his mother once did. After spending the night in the pantry, the very next morning Nikolenka, having adjusted her thoughts, goes to talk to her grandmother. She, of course, is angry with her grandson and demands that Nikolai ask for forgiveness from the tutor, but this was met with a convincing refusal. The grandmother sympathizes with her beloved grandson, and she begins to become hysterical. Leaving the room, the boy stumbles upon his father, and he begins to scold him for the broken key, which is why Kolenka again indulges in emotions and demands that his father take his side. At this moment, the teenager begins to convulse and faints.
Everyday life gives way to several years of staying in the house of the Countess's grandmother. Saint-Jerome and Nikolenka practically do not communicate with each other, and besides, they both dislike each other. Loneliness is increasingly taking over the teenager, and he himself is not particularly opposed to it. He completely got it into his head that he was surrounded by strangers. Before his eyes, his beloved Masha feeds her feelings and wants to marry the drunkard tailor Vasily, but Kolenka’s father does not give consent to this, although he will soon change his point of view and allow the servants to get married.
Volodya, Nikolenka’s brother, soon entered a prestigious university, he became a truly grown-up man: he went to balls, smoked tobacco, etc. Lyubonka and Katenka enjoyed their measured life. The father began to win substantial money at cards, and his attitude towards his children changed for the better. Grandma began to waste away. Soon she fell ill and died, but no one seriously regretted her death, including Nikolenka himself. Only Katenka, the housemaid, showed pity on this score, but she soon faded away. Kolya was irritated by the talk about who would get the inheritance. Soon changes begin to occur in the teenager’s soul, and he himself decides to go to university, and to the Faculty of Mathematics. Meanwhile, his relationship with Saint-Jerome is improving. Volodya, Nikolenka's brother, has two best friends - Prince Nekhlyudov and adjutant Dubkov, they often stay in the Irtenevs' house. It just so happened that Dmitry Nekhlyudov turned out to be very similar to Nikolai in terms of character. And this certainly affected their friendship. They began to communicate more, think about the same topics, talk about literally everything, but without strangers, etc.
Once upon a time there lived an old raven, he remembered with longing the ancient times when everything was different, ravens did not steal, but honestly got their food. His heart ached from such thoughts.
In one northern river, in a small branch-channel, there lived a motley fish. Her name was Krasavka. She was still very little. She differed from the most elegant fish of this river with her large head, so they did not swim to visit her
The king and queen did not have children for a long time. And then one day, when hope was completely lost, the queen gave birth to a daughter.
Boyhood
Immediately after arriving in Moscow, Nikolenka feels the changes that have happened to him. In his soul there is a place not only for his own feelings and experiences, but also for compassion for the grief of others, and the ability to understand the actions of other people. He realizes the inconsolability of his grandmother’s grief after the death of his beloved daughter, and is happy to the point of tears that he finds the strength to forgive his older brother after a stupid quarrel. Another striking change for Nikolenka is that he shyly notices the excitement that the twenty-five-year-old maid Masha evokes in him. Nikolenka is convinced of his ugliness, envies Volodya’s beauty and tries with all his might, although unsuccessfully, to convince himself that a pleasant appearance cannot account for all the happiness in life. And Nikolenka tries to find salvation in thoughts of splendid loneliness, to which, as it seems to him, he is doomed.
They report to the grandmother that the boys are playing with gunpowder, and although it is just harmless lead shot, the grandmother blames Karl Ivanovich for the lack of childcare and insists that he be replaced with a decent tutor. Nikolenka is having a hard time breaking up with Karl Ivanovich.
Nikolenka’s relationship with the new French tutor does not work out; he himself sometimes does not understand his insolence towards the teacher. It seems to him that the circumstances of life are directed against him. The incident with the key, which he inadvertently breaks while inexplicably trying to open his father’s briefcase, completely throws Nikolenka out of balance. Deciding that everyone has specifically taken up arms against him, Nikolenka behaves unpredictably - she hits the tutor, in response to her brother’s sympathetic question: “What’s happening to you?” - shouts how disgusting and disgusting everything is to him. They lock him in a closet and threaten to punish him with rods. After a long imprisonment, during which Nikolenka is tormented by a desperate feeling of humiliation, he asks his father for forgiveness, and convulsions occur to him. Everyone is afraid for his health, but after twelve hours of sleep Nikolenka feels good and at ease and is even glad that his family is experiencing his incomprehensible illness.
After this incident, Nikolenka feels more and more lonely, and his main pleasure is solitary reflection and observation. He observes the strange relationship between the maid Masha and the tailor Vasily. Nikolenka does not understand how such a rough relationship can be called love. Nikolenka’s range of thoughts is wide, and he is often confused in his discoveries: “I think, what I think, what I think about, and so on. My mind has gone beyond my mind...”
Nikolenka rejoices at Volodya’s admission to university and envies his maturity. He notices the changes that are happening to his brother and sisters, watches how his aging father develops a special tenderness for his children, experiences the death of his grandmother - and he is offended by conversations about who will get her inheritance...
Nikolenka has a few months left before she enters university. He is preparing for the Faculty of Mathematics and is studying well. Trying to get rid of many shortcomings of adolescence, Nikolenka considers the main one to be a tendency to inactive reasoning and thinks that this tendency will bring him a lot of harm in life. Thus, attempts at self-education are manifested in him. Volodya's friends often come to him - adjutant Dubkov and student Prince Nekhlyudov. Nikolenka talks more and more often with Dmitry Nekhlyudov, they become friends. The mood of their souls seems the same to Niklenka. Constantly improving himself and thus correcting all of humanity - Nikolenka comes to this idea under the influence of his friend, and he considers this important discovery the beginning of his youth.
Analysis of works. Characteristics of heroes. Essay materials
The story “Adolescence” consists of 27 chapters.
A summary of the story “Adolescence” by Tolstoy in chapters: a brief retelling
The main character of the story is a 14-year-old teenager, nobleman Nikolenka Irtienev. After the death of his mother, Nikolenka and his family move from their estate to Moscow. The trip lasts 4 days.
One day during this journey, Nikolenka sees a thunderstorm and hears thunder. This brings fear to him. Then it rains. Nikolenka admires fresh air after the rain.
On the way, Nikolenka rides in a chaise with Katenka, the daughter of governess Mimi. Katya cries because she and her mother are poor and their life is hard. Nikolenka realizes for the first time that the world is not just him and his family, that there are other people around with their own problems.
Chapter V. Elder brother.
Chapter VIII. The story of Karl Ivanovich.
Chapter X. Continued.
Chapter XI. Unit.
Chapter XVI. It will grind, there will be flour.
Nikolenka spends the night in the closet. The next day he is brought to his grandmother. The grandmother demands that Nikolenka ask Saint-Jerome for forgiveness, but he refuses and cries. This upsets grandma and she becomes hysterical. The father immediately appears and talks to Nikolenka about the briefcase and the broken key. The boy promises that he won’t do that. He cries and asks his father to protect him from the tutor Saint-Jerome.
Chapter XVIII. Maiden.
15-year-old Volodya, Nikolenka’s older brother, is preparing to enter university. He successfully passes all required exams. Having entered the university, Volodya becomes an “adult”, goes to adult balls, etc.
Immediately after arriving in Moscow, Nikolenka feels the changes that have happened to him. In his soul there is a place not only for his own feelings and experiences, but also for compassion for the grief of others, and the ability to understand the actions of other people. He realizes the inconsolability of his grandmother’s grief after the death of his beloved daughter, and is happy to the point of tears that he finds the strength to forgive his older brother after a stupid quarrel. Another striking change for Nikolenka is that he shyly notices the excitement that the twenty-five-year-old maid Masha causes in him. Nikolenka is convinced of his ugliness, envies Volodya’s beauty and tries with all his might, although unsuccessfully, to convince himself that a pleasant appearance cannot account for all the happiness in life. And Nikolenka tries to find salvation in thoughts of splendid loneliness, to which, as it seems to him, he is doomed.
They report to the grandmother that the boys are playing with gunpowder, and although it is just harmless lead shot, the grandmother blames Karl Ivanovich for the lack of childcare and insists that he be replaced with a decent tutor. Nikolenka is having a hard time breaking up with Karl Ivanovich.
Nikolenka’s relationship with the new French tutor does not work out; he himself sometimes does not understand his insolence towards the teacher. It seems to him that the circumstances of life are directed against him. The incident with the key, which he inadvertently breaks while inexplicably trying to open his father’s briefcase, completely throws Nikolenka out of balance. Deciding that everyone has deliberately taken up arms against him, Nikolenka behaves unpredictably - she hits the tutor, in response to her brother’s sympathetic question: “What’s happening to you?” - shouts how disgusting and disgusting everything is to him. They lock him in a closet and threaten to punish him with rods. After a long imprisonment, during which Nikolai
Nya is tormented by a desperate feeling of humiliation, he asks his father for forgiveness, and convulsions occur to him. Everyone is afraid for his health, but after twelve hours of sleep Nikolenka feels good and at ease and is even glad that his family is experiencing his incomprehensible illness.
After this incident, Nikolenka feels more and more lonely, and his main pleasure is solitary reflection and observation. He observes the strange relationship between the maid Masha and the tailor Vasily. Nikolenka does not understand how such a rough relationship can be called love. Nikolenka’s range of thoughts is wide, and he is often confused in his discoveries: “I think, what I think, what I think about, and so on. MIND went beyond reason..."
Nikolenka rejoices at Volodya’s admission to university and envies his maturity. He notices the changes that are happening to his brother and sisters, watches how his aging father develops special tenderness for his children, experiences the death of his grandmother - and he is offended by conversations about who will get her inheritance...
Nikolenka has a few months left before she enters university. He is preparing for the Faculty of Mathematics and is studying well. Trying to get rid of many shortcomings of adolescence, Nikolenka considers the main one to be a tendency to inactive reasoning and thinks that this tendency will bring him a lot of harm in life. Thus, attempts at self-education are manifested in him. Volodya's friends often come to him - adjutant Dubkov and student Prince Nekhlyudov. Nikolenka talks more and more often with Dmitry Nekhlyudov, they become friends. The mood of their souls seems the same to Nikolenka. Constantly improving himself and thus correcting all of humanity - Nikolenka comes to this idea under the influence of his friend, and he considers this important discovery the beginning of his youth.
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy is one of the most famous Russian writers. His most famous novels are “Anna Karenina”, “Sunday”, “War and Peace”, as well as the trilogy “Childhood, Adolescence, Youth”. Many of the great writer’s works were filmed, so in our time we have the opportunity not only to read, but also to see the heroes of the novels with our own eyes. One of the books filmed is the trilogy “Childhood, Adolescence, Youth”, full of interesting events. A brief summary of the novel will help you better understand the problems of the work. Perhaps someone will have a desire to read the novel in full.
Novel "Childhood, adolescence, youth"
Lev Nikolaevich wrote his novel for five years. The work “Childhood, Adolescence, Youth” tells about the life of a boy in different periods of his life. The book describes the experiences, first love, grievances, as well as the feeling of injustice that many boys experience as they grow up. In this article we will talk about the trilogy written by Leo Tolstoy. “Childhood, adolescence, youth” is a work that will definitely not leave anyone indifferent.
“Childhood, adolescence, youth.” Summary. Book one. "Childhood"
The novel begins with a description of Nikolenka Irtenyev, who turned 10 years old some time ago. Karl Ivanovich, the teacher, takes him and his brother to their parents. Nikolenka loves her parents very much. The father announces to the boys that he is taking them with him to Moscow. The children are upset by their father’s decision, Nikolenka likes to live in the village, communicate with Katenka, his first love, and go hunting, and he really doesn’t want to part with his mother. Nikolenka has been living with her grandmother for six months now. On her birthday, he reads poetry to her.
Soon the hero realizes that he is in love with Sonechka, whom he recently met, and confesses this to Volodya. Suddenly his father receives a letter from the village saying that Nikolenka’s mother is sick and asks them to come. They come and pray for her health, but to no avail. After some time, Nikolenka was left without a mother. This left a deep imprint on his soul, since this was the end of his childhood.
Book two. "Adolescence"
The second part of the novel “Childhood, Adolescence, Youth” describes the events that occurred after Nikolenka moved to Moscow with her brother and father. He feels changes in himself and in his attitude towards the world around him. Nikolenka is now able to empathize and sympathize. The boy understands how his grandmother suffers after losing her daughter.
Nikolenka goes deeper and deeper into herself, believing that he is ugly and not worthy of happiness. He is jealous of his handsome brother. Nikolenka's grandmother is told that the children were playing with gunpowder, although it was only lead shot. She is sure that Karl has grown old and is not looking after the children well, so she changes their tutor. It is difficult for children to part with their teacher. But Nikolenka doesn’t like the new French teacher. The boy allows himself to be insolent to him. For some unknown reason, Nikolenka tries to open her father’s briefcase with a key and in the process breaks the key. He thinks that everyone is against him, so he hits the tutor and quarrels with his father and brother. They lock him in a closet and promise to flog him. The boy feels very lonely and humiliated. When he is released, he asks his father for forgiveness. Nikolenka begins to convulse, which plunges everyone into shock. After sleeping for twelve hours, the boy feels better and is pleased that everyone is worried about him.
After some time, Nikolenka’s brother, Volodya, enters the university. Soon their grandmother dies, and the whole family grieves the loss. Nikolenka cannot understand people who fight over her grandmother’s inheritance. He also notices how his father has aged and concludes that with age people become calmer and softer.
When there are several months left before entering the university, Nikolenka begins to prepare intensively. He meets Dmitry Nekhlyudov, Volodya’s acquaintance from university, and they become friends.
Book three. "Youth"
The third part of the novel “Childhood, Adolescence, Youth” tells the story of the time when Nikolenka continues to prepare to enter the university at the Faculty of Mathematics. He is looking for his purpose in life. Soon the young man enters the university, and his father gives him a carriage with a coachman. Nikolenka feels like an adult and tries to light a pipe. He starts to feel nauseous. He tells Nekhlyudov about this incident, who in turn tells him about the dangers of smoking. But the young man wants to imitate Volodya and his friend Dubkov, who smoke, play cards and talk about their love affairs. Nikolenka goes to a restaurant where she drinks champagne. He has a conflict with Kolpikov. Nekhlyudov calms him down.
Nikolai decides to go to the village to visit his mother's grave. He remembers his childhood and thinks about the future. His father marries again, but Nikolai and Vladimir do not approve of his choice. Soon the father begins to get along poorly with his wife.
Studying at the University
While studying at the university, Nikolai meets many people whose meaning in life is only to have fun. Nekhlyudov tries to reason with Nikolai, but he succumbs to the opinion of the majority. Ultimately, Nikolai fails his exams, and Dmitry's consolation is regarded as an insult.
One evening Nikolai finds his notebook with rules for himself, in which he wrote a long time ago. He repents and cries, and later begins to write a new notebook for himself with rules by which he plans to live his whole life, without betraying his principles.
Conclusion
Today we talked about the content of the work written by Leo Tolstoy. “Childhood, adolescence, youth” is a novel with deep meaning. After reading its summary, each reader will be able to draw certain conclusions, despite the fact that he has not read it in full. The novel “Childhood, Adolescence, Youth” teaches us not to isolate ourselves with our experiences, but to be able to sympathize and empathize with other people.
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy
Boyhood
LONG TRIP
Again, two carriages are brought to the porch of Peter’s house: one is a carriage into which Mimi, Katenka, Lyubochka, the maid and the clerk Yakov himself sit on the box; the other is the britzka in which Volodya and I and the footman Vasily, recently taken from the quitrent, are traveling.
Dad, who should also come to Moscow a few days after us, stands on the porch without a hat and crosses the window of the carriage and chaise.
“Well, Christ is with you! touch it!” Yakov and the coachmen (we are driving our own) take off their hats and cross themselves. “But, but! with God! The body of the carriage and britzka begin to bounce along the uneven road, and the birches of the large alley run past us one after another. I am not at all sad: my mental gaze is turned not to what I am leaving, but to what awaits me. As I move away from objects associated with the painful memories that have hitherto filled my imagination, these memories lose their power and are quickly replaced by a joyful feeling of consciousness of life, full of strength, freshness and hope.
Rarely have I spent several days - I won’t say fun: I was still somehow ashamed to indulge in fun - but as pleasant, as good as the four days of our journey. Before my eyes there was neither the closed door of my mother’s room, which I could not pass by without shuddering, nor the closed piano, which not only was not approached, but which they looked at with some kind of fear, nor mourning clothes (for all of us there were simple traveling dresses), nor all those things that, vividly reminding me of an irreparable loss, forced me to be wary of every manifestation of life for fear of somehow offending its memory. Here, on the contrary, constantly new picturesque places and objects stop and entertain my attention, and spring nature instills joyful feelings in my soul - contentment with the present and bright hope for the future.
Early, early in the morning, the ruthless and, as people in a new position always are, overzealous Vasily pulls off the blanket and assures that it’s time to go and everything is ready. No matter how much you squeeze, or cunning, or get angry, in order to prolong the sweet morning sleep for at least another quarter of an hour, you see from Vasily’s determined face that he is implacable and ready to pull off the blanket twenty more times, you jump up and run into the yard to wash.
The samovar is already boiling in the entryway, which, flushed like a lobster, is being blown up by Mitka the postilion; the yard is damp and foggy, as if steam were rising from odorous manure; the sun illuminates the eastern part of the sky with a cheerful, bright light, and the thatched roofs of the spacious sheds surrounding the courtyard are glossy from the dew that covers them. Below them you can see our horses, tied near the feeders, and you can hear their rhythmic chewing. Some furry bug, snoozing before dawn on a dry pile of manure, lazily stretches and, wagging its tail, sets off at a small trot to the other side of the yard. The busy housewife opens the creaking gate, drives the pensive cows out into the street, along which the trampling, mooing and bleating of the herd can already be heard, and exchanges a word with the sleepy neighbor. Philip, with his shirt sleeves rolled up, pulls a tub from a deep well with a wheel, splashing light water, pouring it into an oak log, near which awakened ducks are already splashing in the puddle; and I look with pleasure at Philip’s significant face with a thick beard and at the thick veins and muscles that stand out sharply on his bare, powerful arms when he makes any effort.
Behind the partition where Mimi slept with the girls and from behind which we talked in the evening, movement is heard. Masha with various objects, which she tries to hide from our curiosity with her dress, runs past us more and more often, finally the door opens, and we are invited to drink tea.
Vasily, in a fit of excessive zeal, constantly runs into the room, brings out this and that, winks at us and in every possible way begs Marya Ivanovna to leave earlier. The horses are laid back and express their impatience by occasionally jingling their bells; suitcases, chests, boxes and boxes are packed again, and we sit down in our places. But every time in the chaise we find a mountain instead of a seat, so we can’t understand how all this was laid the day before and how we will sit now; especially one walnut tea box with a triangular lid, which is given to us in the chaise and placed under me, brings me into great indignation. But Vasily says that it will all work out, and I am forced to believe him.
The sun had just risen above the continuous white cloud covering the east, and the entire surrounding area was illuminated with a calm, joyful light. Everything is so beautiful around me, and my soul is so light and calm... The road winds ahead like a wide, wild ribbon, between fields of dried stubble and shiny dewy greenery; here and there along the road you come across a gloomy willow or a young birch with small sticky leaves, casting a long motionless shadow on the dried clay ruts and shallow green grass roads... The monotonous noise of wheels and bells does not drown out the songs of the larks that hover near the road itself. The smell of moth-eaten cloth, dust and some kind of acid that characterizes our chaise is covered with the smell of morning, and I feel a gratifying restlessness in my soul, a desire to do something - a sign of true pleasure.
I did not have time to pray at the inn; but since I have already noticed more than once that on the day on which for some reason I forget to perform this ritual, some misfortune happens to me, I try to correct my mistake: I take off my cap, turn to the corner of the chaise, read I pray and cross myself under my jacket so that no one can see it. But thousands of different objects distract my attention, and I absent-mindedly repeat the same words of prayer several times in a row.
Here on the pedestrian path winding near the road, some slowly moving figures can be seen: these are praying mantises. Their heads are wrapped in dirty scarves, birch bark knapsacks are on their backs, their legs are wrapped in dirty, torn footwear and shod in heavy bast shoes. Evenly waving their sticks and barely looking back at us, they move forward one after another with a slow, heavy step, and I am occupied with questions: where and why are they going? how long will their journey continue, and how soon will the long shadows they cast on the road unite with the shadow of the willow tree they must pass by? Here is a carriage, four in number, quickly rushing towards us on postage. Two seconds, and faces, at a distance of two arshins, looking at us friendly, curiously, have already flashed by, and somehow strangely it seems that these faces have nothing in common with me and that perhaps you will never see them again.
Here, on the side of the road, are two sweaty, shaggy horses in collars with traces caught in their harnesses, and behind, dangling long legs in big boots on both sides of the horse, which has an arch hanging on its withers and occasionally rattling its bell, barely audibly, rides a young guy, a coachman, and, knocking his red hat over one ear, he begins to sing some kind of drawn-out song. His face and posture express so much lazy, carefree contentment that it seems to me that it is the height of happiness to be a coachman, drive back and sing sad songs. Over there, far beyond the ravine, a village church with a green roof can be seen in the light blue sky; there is a village, a red roof of a manor house and a green garden. Who lives in this house? does it have children, a father, a mother, a teacher? Why don't we go to this house and meet the owners? Here is a long train of huge carts drawn by three well-fed, thick-legged horses, which we are forced to go around. “What are you bringing?” - Vasily asks the first cabman, who, swinging his huge legs from the beds and waving his whip, watches us for a long time with an intently meaningless gaze and answers something only when it is impossible to hear him. “With what product?” - Vasily turns to another cart, on the fenced front of which, under the new matting, lies another cabman. A fair-haired head with a red face and a reddish beard pokes out from under the matting for a minute, looks at our chaise with an indifferent, contemptuous look and disappears again - and the thought comes to me that, perhaps, these cab drivers don’t know who we are and where we come from and where we’re going? ..
Series: Book 2 – Childhood – Adolescence – Youth
Year of publication of the book: 1854
The second book of Tolstoy’s trilogy “Childhood – Adolescence – Youth” was quite enthusiastically received by the writer’s contemporaries. Nowadays, Leo Tolstoy's story “Adolescence” is included in the list of school literature. Therefore, it is schoolchildren who make up the main contingent of readers of the work. It is their interest that allows Tolstoy’s story “Adolescence” to consistently occupy high places in the ratings of our site, and for the great classic of world literature to occupy high places in.
Tolstoy's story "Adolescence" summary
Having spent quite a long time in the closet and being very offended, Nikolenka decides to ask for forgiveness from her father. But during this he has an attack of convulsions, and only after sleeping for 12 hours does he come to his senses. At the same time, everyone at home is worried about his health, which greatly flatters Nikolenka. However, after this incident, our main character in Leo Tolstoy’s story “Adolescence” feels lonely. It is given to observation and reflection. A special place in his observations is occupied by the maid Masha and the tailor Vasily, who love each other. But Nikolenka is surprised how their relationship can be called love.
Meanwhile, in Tolstoy’s short story “Adolescence” you can find out how our hero’s older brother enters the university. Nikolenka is happy for him and envies him. At the same time, he finds it hard to bear the death of his grandmother and is irritated by conversations about inheritance. At the same time, the main character himself will soon have to go to university. In Tolstoy’s short story “Adolescence” you will learn about how Nikolenka is preparing for this not only through intensive studies, but also through self-improvement. He is trying to give up idle reasoning. At the same time, he meets Volodya’s friends – Dubkov and Nekholudov. The main character especially likes to communicate with the latter, who confirms his belief that by improving himself, he helps all of humanity to improve. And this thought, according to Nikolenka, became his transition stage into youth.