A.I. Kuprin entered Russian literature as a singer of bright and healthy human feelings, as a successor to the democratic and humanistic ideas of the great Russian literature of the 19th century. Critical realism, the glorious traditions of which Kuprin embraced, was a progressive phenomenon at the beginning of the 20th century. Bright natural talent, a huge stock of life observations and a sharply critical image of reality - this is what determined the great public resonance of his works during the preparation and conduct of the first Russian revolution. At this time, Kuprin was working on the story “The Duel,” which he began writing in 1902. Published in the sixth collection of the magazine “Knowledge” in 1905, the story “The Duel” evoked a wide response. The pathos of exposing bourgeois society and its high artistic merits put The Duel on a par with the largest works of Russian literature at the turn of two centuries.
The story takes place in the 90s of the 19th century. In “The Duel,” the author explains the reasons for the defeat of the tsarist army in the inglorious war with Japan. This “agony of old Russia” is the main theme of the story. However, in this work one should distinguish several thematic lines, which, intertwined, give a holistic picture of the officer environment, the barracks life of the soldiers, the personal relationships of Romashov and Kazansky, Romashov and Shurochka Nikolaeva, and finally, the relationship of the hero with the soldiers.
The main character of the story is Second Lieutenant Romashov. This image most fully embodied the features of the Kuprin hero - a truth-seeker, a humanist, a lonely dreamer. Among the officers, Romashov feels lonely, since he does not share the views of the officers around him. Romashov protests with all his soul against the nightmare called “military service,” as he comes to the idea that “all military service, with its ghostly valor, was created by a cruel, shameful, universal misunderstanding.” “How can there exist a class,” Romashov asked himself, “which in peacetime, without bringing a tiny bit of benefit, eats other people’s bread and meat, dresses in other people’s clothes, lives in other people’s houses, and in war time, goes out to kill senselessly and cripple people like themselves?”
A person with a fine mental organization, possessing a sense of self-esteem and justice, he is easily vulnerable, sometimes almost defenseless against the evils of life. Already at the beginning of the story, we notice Romashov’s “unadaptability” to army life, his lack of understanding of “military discipline.” The painful emptiness of army life pushes him into a casual relationship with the regimental “seductress” Raisa Peterson, who soon becomes unbearable for him. Garrison life with drunkenness and provincial squalor increasingly alienates Romashov. The dream of beautiful and fairy-tale love forces Romashov to idealize the image of a young, attractive woman - Shurochka Nikolaeva. For the hero of the story, she is “a ray of light in a dark kingdom.” His dreams and hopes are connected with her. Blinded by love, Romashov did not see that Shurochka’s beauty, her charm, willpower, talent - all this was intended for the struggle for her personal, small, selfish happiness: by any means to escape from the bourgeois army environment and find the highest happiness in the “brilliant” life of the capital society.
The love tragedy in “The Duel” grows out of a social tragedy. In the relationship between Romashov and Shurochka, two characters collide, two worldviews that arose within the framework of bourgeois society and testify to the disintegration taking place in it. Why is it impossible for Shurochka and Romashov to be happy? Yes, only because Shurochka is trying with all her might to strengthen her position, and Romashov is gradually losing ground under his feet, because the spiritual and moral values of this society are unbearable for him.
The ending of Romashov’s love tragedy is Shurochka’s visit to him at night. She came to deceive - to deceive basely and shamelessly, to offer conditions for a duel with her husband and at the cost of Romashov’s life to buy her future well-being and happiness. Romashov guesses the purpose of her coming and agrees to all the conditions of the fatal duel with Shurochka’s husband. He speaks about this calmly and coldly: “Okay, so be it. I agree". These simple words contain a whole story - the story of the tragic love of a restless dreamer for a woman in whose soul the morality of “living for oneself” has eradicated human feelings. Romashov understood everything; in his firmly spoken words there was a cold awareness that life had lost its value for him. And here the spiritual superiority of Romashov over Shurochka Nikolaeva, as well as over other inhabitants of the bourgeois world around him, becomes obvious.
Romashov dies because Shurochka makes the conditions of the duel unequal (she promises Romashov that her husband, knowing the conditions of the duel, will shoot to the side). The inevitability of a tragic outcome follows here from deep social reasons. The hero of the story is not able to exist in the whirlpool of bourgeois society, built on hypocrisy and deception, but he is also not able to find a place for himself among the people, to draw strength for a new life from its midst. This is precisely what makes the image of Romashov tragic. The writer, not understanding the true causes of the evil he depicted, could not find a way to overcome it. Not recognizing military service, denying the morality of the “aristocratic” stratum of army officers, Romashov felt powerless before life, since he could not leave military service. The honesty and subtlety of the spiritual organization make him feel his powerlessness especially painfully. He finds illusory consolation in the world of uncontrollable, naive dreams. In this world, Romashov is no longer a poor second lieutenant, but a hero, daring, fearless, beautiful. But a dream does not serve as a source of creative inspiration, but primarily as a means of escape, an escape from reality.
The fate of Romashov continued to worry Kuprin for a long time. After the publication of the story, the author continued to be tormented by the fate of the main character and could not part with him. Kuprin intended to re-write the duel scene, save Romashov’s life and show his hero in the thick of people’s life. From the memoirs of Kuprin's wife M.K. Kuprina-Iordanskaya could find out about Romashov’s further fate: “And here he is in Kyiv. The days of unemployment, wandering, fierce need, changing professions, and at times downright beggary begin..." However, the writer's plan - to create a new work, "Beggars", which is a continuation of "The Duel", with Romashov as the main character - remained unfulfilled. The history of the idea indicated that Kuprin intended to show only the gloomy and tragic in his contemporary reality. In his search for a hero, the creator of “The Duel” came to a point that was difficult for him to cross. In life, the type of truth-seeker-fighter had already been formed, but the writer could not part with the type of truth-seeker-sufferer. This was noted by A.M. Gorky, who once said to Kuprin: “What is this! Why are you all mourning your Romashov! He did a smart thing when he finally decided to die and untie your hands. Tell me what he would do in your novel, why would this intellectual, incapable of anything except whining, exist there...” To which Kuprin answered with his characteristic frankness: “He hoped to make me a herald of the revolution, which completely owned them. But I was not imbued with a fighting mood, and I could not foresee in advance what direction my future work would take.”
“Love is the brightest and most understandable reproduction of my
1. Romashov and Nazansky.
2. Portrait of Romashov.
3. The actions of the hero.
4. What attracts you to Romashov?
5. Internal contradictions of the hero.
6. Romashov and Khlebnikov.
7. Romashov and Shurochka Nikolaeva.
Lieutenant Romashov, the main character of “The Duel,” becomes infected with Nazansky’s moods and thoughts. This is a typical Kuprin image of a truth-seeker and humanist. Romashov is given in constant movement, in the process of his internal change and spiritual growth. Kuprin does not reproduce the entire biography of the hero, but the most important moment in it, without a beginning, but with a tragic end.
The portrait of the hero is outwardly inexpressive: “of average height, thin, and although quite strong for his build, he is awkward from great shyness,” sometimes characterless. However, in Romashov’s actions one can feel the inner strength coming from a sense of rightness and justice. For example, “unexpectedly for himself” he defends the Tatar Sharafutdinov, who does not understand Russian, from the colonel who insults him (Chapter I). He stands up for the soldier Khlebnikov when a non-commissioned officer wants to beat him (Chapter X). He even prevails over the bestial drunken Bek-Agamalov, when he almost hacked to death with a saber a woman from a brothel where the officers were carousing: “with a force that he did not expect from himself, he grabbed Bek-Agamalov by the hand. For several seconds, both officers, without blinking, looked intently at each other... he already felt that the madness was fading away from that distorted face with each passing moment. And it was terrible and inexpressibly joyful for him to stand like that, between life and death, and already know that he was the winner in this game” (Chapter XVIII). In all these duels Romashov rises to the occasion.
Romashov has a dreamy, romantic nature, he is prone to reflection. He had a “slightly funny, naive habit, often characteristic of very young people, of thinking of himself in the third person, in the words of formulaic novels.” What is attractive about the hero is his spiritual gentleness, kindness, and innate sense of justice. All this sharply distinguishes him from the other officers of the regiment. The clash between man and officer first occurs in Romashov himself, in his soul and consciousness. This internal struggle gradually turns into an open duel with Nikolaev and with all the officers. Romashov is gradually freeing himself from a false understanding of the honor of an officer's uniform. The turning point was the hero’s reflections on the position of the human person in society, his internal monologue in defense of human rights, dignity and freedom. Romashov was “stunned and shocked by the unexpectedly bright consciousness of his individuality,” and in his own way he rebelled against the depersonalization of a person in military service, in defense of the ordinary soldier. He is indignant at the regimental authorities, who maintain a state of hostility between soldiers and officers. But his impulses to protest are replaced by complete apathy and indifference; his soul is often overwhelmed by depression: “My life is lost!”
The feeling of absurdity, confusion, and incomprehensibility of life depresses him. During a conversation with the sick, disfigured Khlebnikov, Romashov experiences acute pity and compassion for him (Chapter XVI). Unexpectedly, he rebels against God himself, who allows evil and injustice (another fight, perhaps the most important one). “From that night, a deep spiritual breakdown occurred in Romashov,” He withdrew into himself, focused on his inner world, firmly decided to break with military service in order to start a new life: “the idea became clearer and clearer to him that there are only three proud recognition of man: science, art and free physical labor.” Thoughts about the possibility of another life are combined with thoughts about love for Shurochka Nikolaeva. Sweet, feminine Shurochka, with whom Nazansky is in love, is essentially guilty of killing Romashov in a duel. Self-interest, calculation, lust for power, double-mindedness, “some kind of evil and proud force,” Shurochka’s resourcefulness are not noticed by the loving Romashov. She demands: “You must definitely fight tomorrow” - and Romashov agrees for her sake to a duel that could have been avoided.
A.I. Kuprin entered Russian literature as a singer of bright and healthy human feelings, as a successor to the democratic and humanistic ideas of the great Russian literature of the 19th century. Critical realism, the glorious traditions of which Kuprin embraced, was a progressive phenomenon at the beginning of the 20th century. Bright natural talent, a huge stock of life observations and a sharply critical image of reality - this is what determined the great public resonance of his works during the preparation and conduct of the first Russian revolution.
At this time, Kuprin was working on the story “The Duel,” which he began writing in 1902. Published in the sixth collection of the magazine “Knowledge” in 1905, the story “The Duel” evoked a wide response. The pathos of exposing bourgeois society and its high artistic merits put The Duel on a par with the largest works of Russian literature at the turn of two centuries.
The story takes place in the 90s of the 19th century. In “The Duel,” the author explains the reasons for the defeat of the tsarist army in the inglorious war with Japan. This “agony of old Russia” is the main theme of the story. However, in this work one should distinguish
Several thematic lines that, intertwined, create a holistic picture of the officer environment, the barracks life of soldiers, the personal relationships of Romashov and Nazansky, Romashov and Shurochka Nikolaeva, and, finally, the relationship of the hero with the soldiers.
The main character of the story is Second Lieutenant Romashov. This image most fully embodied the features of the Kuprin hero - a truth-seeker, a humanist, a lonely dreamer. Among the officers, Romashov feels lonely, since he does not share the views of the officers around him. Romashov protests with all his soul against the nightmare called “military service,” as he comes to the idea that “all military service, with its ghostly valor, was created by a cruel, shameful, universal misunderstanding.” “How can there exist a class,” Romashov asked himself, “which in peacetime, without bringing a tiny bit of benefit, eats other people’s bread and meat, dresses in other people’s clothes, lives in other people’s houses, and in war time goes out to kill senselessly and cripple people like themselves?”
A person with a fine mental organization, possessing a sense of self-esteem and justice, he is easily vulnerable, sometimes almost defenseless against the evils of life. Already at the beginning of the story, we notice Romashov’s “unadaptability” to army life, his lack of understanding of “military discipline.” The painful emptiness of army life pushes him into a casual relationship with the regimental “seductress” Raisa Peterson, who soon becomes unbearable for him. Garrison life with drunkenness and provincial squalor increasingly alienates Romashov. The dream of beautiful and fairy-tale love forces Romashov to idealize the image of a young, attractive woman, Shurochka Nikolaeva. For the hero of the story, she is “a ray of light in a dark kingdom.” His dreams and hopes are connected with her. Blinded by love, Romashov did not see that Shurochka’s beauty, her charm, willpower, talent - all this was intended for the struggle for her personal, small, selfish happiness: by any means to escape from the bourgeois army environment and find the highest happiness in the “brilliant” life of the capital society.
The love tragedy in “The Duel” grows out of a social tragedy. In the relationship between Romashov and Shurochka, two characters collide, two worldviews that arose within the framework of bourgeois society and testify to the disintegration taking place in it. Why is it impossible for Shurochka and Romashov to be happy? Yes, only because Shurochka is trying with all her might to strengthen her position, and Romashov is gradually losing ground under his feet, because the spiritual and moral values of this society are unbearable for him.
The ending of Romashov’s love tragedy is Shurochka’s visit to him at night. She came to deceive - to deceive basely and shamelessly, to offer conditions for a duel with her husband and at the cost of Romashov’s life to buy her future well-being and happiness. Romashov guesses the purpose of her coming and agrees to all the conditions of the fatal duel with Shurochka’s husband. He speaks about this calmly and coldly: “Okay, so be it. I agree. “These simple words contain a whole story - the story of the tragic love of a restless dreamer for a woman in whose soul the morality of “living for oneself” has eradicated human feelings. Romashov understood everything; in his firmly spoken words there was a cold awareness that life had lost its value for him. And here the spiritual superiority of Romashov over Shurochka Nikolaeva, as well as over other inhabitants of the bourgeois world around him, becomes obvious.
Romashov dies because Shurochka makes the conditions of the duel unequal (she promises Romashov that her husband, knowing the conditions of the duel, will shoot to the side). The inevitability of a tragic outcome follows here from deep social reasons. The hero of the story is not able to exist in the whirlpool of bourgeois society, built on hypocrisy and deception, but he is also not able to find a place for himself among the people, to draw strength for a new life from its midst. This is precisely what makes the image of Romashov tragic. The writer, not understanding the true causes of the evil he depicted, could not find a way to overcome it. Not recognizing military service, denying the morality of the “aristocratic” stratum of army officers, Romashov felt powerless before life, since he could not leave military service. The honesty and subtlety of the spiritual organization make him feel his powerlessness especially painfully. He finds illusory consolation in the world of uncontrollable, naive dreams. In this world, Romashov is no longer a poor second lieutenant, but a hero, daring, fearless, beautiful. But a dream does not serve as a source of creative inspiration, but primarily as a means of escape, an escape from reality.
The fate of Romashov continued to worry Kuprin for a long time. After the publication of the story, the author continued to be tormented by the fate of the main character and could not part with him. Kuprin intended to re-write the duel scene, save Romashov’s life and show his hero in the thick of people’s life. From the memoirs of Kuprin’s wife, M.K. Kuprina-Iordanskaya, one could find out about Romashov’s further fate: “And here he is in Kyiv. The days of unemployment, wandering, fierce need, changing professions, and at times downright beggary begin...” However, the writer’s plan - to create a new work, “Beggars,” which is a continuation of “The Duel” with Romashov as the main character, remained unfulfilled. The history of the idea indicated that Kuprin intended to show only the gloomy and tragic in his contemporary reality. In his search for a hero, the creator of “The Duel” came to a point that was difficult for him to cross. In life, the type of truth-seeker-fighter had already been formed, but the writer could not part with the type of truth-seeker-sufferer. This was noted by A.M. Gorky, who once said to Kuprin: “What is this! Why are you still mourning your Romashov! He did a smart thing when he finally decided to die and untie your hands. Tell me, what would he do in your novel, why would this intellectual, incapable of anything except whining, exist there... “To which Kuprin answered with his characteristic frankness: “He hoped to make me the herald of the revolution, which completely owned him. But I was not imbued with a fighting mood and could not foresee in advance which direction my future work would take.”
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Shurochka’s plan in the story “The Duel”
After reading Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin’s story “The Duel” and analyzing it, I came to the conclusion that the main character here is not Yuri Alekseevich Romashov, but Alexandra Petrovna Nikolaeva. It is she who is the core of the entire plot.
Let's pay attention to its description in the story. Here's how she describes herself:
“I know that I am young, smart, educated. Not beautiful. But I can be more interesting than many beauties...”
Here is how Nazansky spoke about her:
“Perhaps she never loved anyone but herself. There is an abyss of lust for power in her, some kind of evil and proud force. And at the same time, she is so kind, feminine, and infinitely sweet. It’s like there are two people in it: one with a dry, selfish mind, the other with a tender and passionate heart.”
From her letter to Nazansky we can say that she hates the feeling of pity. She herself admitted that she was calculating and nasty. She also hates cowardice and drunkenness. By coincidence of fate, she had to live in a miserable provincial town,
“which is not on any geographical map.”
She is disgusted by local drinking, gossip, intrigue, card games, and poverty. Her goal is
“society, large, real society, light, music, worship, subtle flattery, intelligent interlocutors.”
She always wants to be perfectly dressed, beautiful, graceful. She wants worship and power.
The most obvious way to break out
"of this slum"
This is to ensure that her husband Vladimir Nikolaev enters the Academy of the General Staff. She not only dreams, but actively achieves her goal. Looks for all possible ways. First of all, she marries Vladimir Efimovich Nikolaev. Why did she choose him? It is clear that it is not out of love. She needed material to work on. A kind of horse. From the small choice available, she chose Nikolaev because
“Volodya doesn’t invent gunpowder, but he is an honest, brave, hardworking person.”
She admitted more than once that she does not love her husband
“I don’t love my husband.<…>He’s rude, he’s insensitive, he’s insensitive.”
However, Shurochka did not immediately meet Nikolaev. Before Vladimir Efimovich, Shurochka had a relationship with Vasily Nilych Nazansky. She was attracted by his extraordinary mind and beautiful soul. But soon she left him for Nikolaev because Nazansky liked to drink and did not succumb to her control. Nikolaev didn’t drink at all. So, she chose Vladimir Efimovich Nikolaev as her control object.
“Our system is my invention, my pride. Every day we go through a piece from mathematics, a piece from military sciences - artillery, however, is not easy for me: all some nasty formulas, especially in ballistics - then a piece from regulations. Then a day later both languages and a day later geography with history.” As for the husband, he “prepared hard all year, without rest”
for the exam. His legs were numb from working out and his back hurt. He worked his ass off. But there was still no result. Couldn't pass the exam:
“They returned to the regiment twice in disgrace.”
Something was missing.
Alexandra Petrovna felt that the ground was slipping away from under her feet. She's tired of these exam failures. She knew many tickets better than Nikolaev. She admitted that she herself could pass this notorious exam. Then she began to think about what would be a bonus for her husband when entering the academy. She was a smart woman and quickly realized that Nikolaev’s heroic past would be a powerful argument. But where can we find a heroic past in peacetime? The right question is the key to the answer. Duel. She guessed that
“People who know how to carry themselves with dignity under fire are forgiven a lot, a lot.”
She hoped that the duel would make it easier to enter the academy. She realized that it was necessary, it was absolutely necessary to organize a duel for her husband. But how? How to do it naturally? What could be the reason? It's all a matter of technique. In pursuit of material wealth, Shurochka did not shy away from getting her hands dirty with blood.
The organization of the fight began. Shurochka chose the most banal scheme of the fight - an insult to honor. And on the basis of love. All that remains is to choose a victim. The first available second lieutenant Romashov was chosen.
First of all, she decided to turn the head of this young, stupid, naive graduate. She deliberately made Romashov fall in love with her. She lied that she loved him. She constantly called him
“Romochka”, “darling”, “my love”, “my joy”.
She especially clearly seduced Yuri on their common name day. She said that she dreamed about him. How they dance the waltz together. Then she almost gave it to him. Then she moved away from him
"You shouldn't come to us anymore"
She became a forbidden apple so that he would desire her even more. She played so skillfully that Romashov even stopped loving Raisa Alexandrovna, whom he had previously met.
Secondly, she tried to convince Romashov that duels are normal. She initiated a casual conversation about fights at home:
“I understand: fights between officers are a necessary and reasonable thing<…>now the sentimental opponents of officer duels - oh, I know those despicable liberal cowards! - now they will start shouting: “Oh, barbarity! Ah, a relic of wild times! Ah, fratricide!
She adds:
“What are officers for? For war. What is the first thing required for war? Courage, pride, the ability not to blink before death. Where are these qualities most clearly manifested in peacetime? In duels.<…>And then, what tenderness: fear of a shot! Your profession is to risk your life."
Next, Shurochka needed to set up a quarrel between Romashov and Nikolaev. The pretext for Nikolaev was actually anonymous slanderous letters. I think that Shurochka herself wrote these letters. This was her provocation. I am sure of this, because Nikolaev urged not to talk about the letters in court. Otherwise there would have been a consequence. We would look for the source of the letters and would inevitably come across Alexandra Petrovna. Moreover, Nikolaev was the first to start attacking Romashov at the wake.
Could Romashov be saved? Certainly. There were many bifurcation points where one could choose the path of salvation. First of all, he shouldn't have interacted with married women at all. Then he wouldn't be used as a pawn. Secondly, he should not have quarreled with Nikolaev. And fourthly, he could ask for forgiveness in a duel, and thereby survive. In addition, he should have found the source of the anonymous letters. In the end, he should have listened to the sensible advice of his guru, Nazansky. He said that
“It will be bolder to take it and refuse”
from the duel. Romashov even agreed and gave his word to Nazansky that he would refuse, but this calculating bitch (Shurochka) came to Romashov that same evening and, appealing to his feelings, persuaded him to a duel. I convinced that
"one of you will not be injured."
It seems to me that the reason for her appearance at Romashov’s was that she came to persuade Romashov not to shoot first. Although I would not be surprised if she told her husband that he must kill Romashov. Romashov believed his feelings instead of reason and died.
One can only guess how Alexandra Petrovna’s fate will turn out. It is highly likely that her husband will finally enter the academy, and soon she will be flirting with actresses like a general's wife. Will she regret Romashov? Hardly. People like her are incapable of feeling. She is guided only by reason and calculation. I think that she did not love Romashov. She used his love. Probably, many years later, sitting by the fireplace of the general’s palace, she could not resist telling her husband that it was she who organized this fight. They will both remember the past and cry for the poor boy. Nikolaev will say that he was unfair to him. Then they both will come to his grave and ask for forgiveness from the granite slab.
DID KUPRIN WRITE ABOUT HIMSELF, WITH THE DEATH OF ROMASHOV "KILLING" HIS YOUTHING DREAMS?
A.P.Apsit Portrait of A.I.Kuprin 1928
Photo by A.I. Kuprin 1900s
Kuprin was a lieutenant in the White Army, a brilliant rider who, on a bet, could ride a horse to the second floor of a restaurant, drink half a glass of cognac without leaving the saddle, and return to earth in the same manner.
Kuprin spent his childhood in the Orphan School (Moscow, Kazakova St., 18), where for his nonsense that he was General Skobelev, Napoleon himself, they would put on him a pointed cap with the boldly written inscription “Liar.”
As a 12-year-old boy with a cropped hair, Kuprin studied at the Cadet School (Moscow, 1st Krasnokursantsky Ave., 3–5), then the Junker School (Moscow, corner of Znamenka and Gogolevsky Boulevard), where he was in a punishment cell for the peasant girl Dunyasha (he looked after her instead of studying in topography) and for the first printed story - “paper scribbling”.
Just yesterday, he, a cadet, raced in a troika to a ball at a women's institute, declared his love at a clean skating rink and secretly kept a scarf of some stranger picked up in the theater, and today he is an officer of the 46th Dnieper Infantry Regiment. He jumps from the second floor when some garrison lady promised a kiss for this, for the sake of another love, abandoning poetry and prose, he tries to enter the General Staff Academy.
If I did, I passed the exams with flying colors! - if on the way to St. Petersburg I had not met friends from the cadet corps in Kyiv and, having gone on a spree, had not thrown a police bailiff off either a ferry or a float restaurant. According to one version, because he did not give up the reserved table to them, the officers, according to another, more romantic, for brazenly pestering some girl.
There were no duels in his life. But, isn’t it true, there is something in common in the description of the writer’s youth with Romashov, the hero of his story “The Duel”?
The title of A. I. Kuprin’s story, “The Duel,” correctly conveys the meaning of the drama that unfolded in it. By duel we mean not only the duel described at the end of the story, but also all the events that happen to the main characters.
The book takes place at a time when fights between officers had just been officially resolved. Naturally, this topic is lively discussed in the garrison. First
it is seriously touched upon in the conversation between Shurochka Nikolaeva and Romashov.
Shurochka, a beautiful, charming, intelligent, educated woman, speaks of duels as some kind of necessary phenomenon. An officer, she argues, is obliged to risk himself. An insult can only be washed away with blood. Shurochka, the officer’s wife, is not the only one who talks about fights with such fervor. This is the opinion of the majority of men in the garrison.
Romashov's life in the regiment is an eternal duel with himself and with the officer's prejudices. He is not like his comrades, he has different aspirations in life. Arriving at the regiment, Romashov dreamed “of valor, of exploits, of glory.” He idealized the officers, believing that these people were noble, generous, and honest. But in the garrison, the officers lead a gray, hopeless existence, they take it out on soldiers whom they do not consider as people; in the evenings, not knowing what to do, the officers gather, play cards and organize meaningless revelries.
The whole story is a series of minor clashes between Romashov and the people around him.
All these minor skirmishes lead to one main thing - the duel between Romashov and Nikolaev.
In general, the duel was predetermined from the very beginning. Romashov loves Nikolaev’s wife, and besides, she responded to him, if not with love, but at least with sympathy and affection. Affectionately calling the officer “Romochka,” Shurochka spends her free time with him “because she has nothing to do.” Romashov refuses an affair with the regimental lady Raisa Alexandrovna Peterson, with whom he dirtyly and boringly (and for quite a long time) deceived her husband. Wanting to take revenge on her “mustachioed Zhorzhik,” she begins bombarding Shurochka’s husband with anonymous messages.
Nikolaev himself does not accept Romashov from the very beginning. To the shame during the review, when, due to Romashov’s fault, the ceremonial march failed, an explanation was added with Nikolaev, who demanded that everything be done to stop the flow of anonymous messages, and also not to visit their house. Therefore, sooner or later the fight had to take place.
The word “duel” in relation to the event may not be entirely appropriate, since it was not a fair battle between two officers.
Shurochka, so dearly loved by Romashov, assured him that everything had been agreed upon in advance and no one would be injured. At the same time, she made a reservation that she was saying goodbye to him forever, but he, like all lovers, did not hear this.
Could a trusting, romantic second lieutenant imagine that the woman he loved was so cold, calculating and treacherous?
He died without knowing happy love, without realizing his cherished dream of quitting service and devoting himself to a more worthy occupation. The duel between Romashov and the outside world was not in favor of the dreamy second lieutenant.
“The Duel” was released with a dedication to M. Gorky, to whom Kuprin was close at this time of his work, and, in addition to high criticism, earned the praise of L.N. Tolstoy.
And now the duelists:
YURI ALEXEEVICH ROMASHOV
I.Glazunov Illustration for the story "The Duel" ch. 16 (fragment)
He was of average height, thin, and although quite strong for his build, he was awkward due to his great shyness. He didn’t know how to fencing with espadrons even in school, and after a year and a half of service he completely forgot this art.
In a young graduate of a cadet school, now a second lieutenant, serving for the second year in a regiment stationed in a small Jewish town, weakness of will and strength of spirit are uniquely combined. Military service is a difficult test for Romashov: he cannot come to terms with the rudeness and vulgarity of regimental life.
Romashov writes stories, although he is ashamed of his literary pursuits.
“Not for the first time in the year and a half of his officer service, he experienced this painful consciousness of his loneliness and loss among strangers, unfriendly or indifferent people - this melancholy feeling of not knowing what to do with this evening.” Out of boredom, he often goes to the station, where trains stopping briefly remind him of a different, festive life.
After a fight with Nikolaev, Romashov challenges him to a duel and within 24 hours becomes “the fairy tale of the city and the hero of the day.” A meeting of the officers' court makes a decision on the inevitability of a duel between Romashov and Nikolaev.
The next day, Nikolaev kills Romashov in a duel.
VLADIMIR EFIMOVICH NIKOLAEV
For two years in a row he has been failing his exams for the academy, and Alexandra Petrovna, Shurochka, is doing everything to ensure that his last chance (he was only allowed to enter up to three times) was not missed.
And lastly, in 2007, a twelve-episode television feature film “Junkers” was shot, based on the works of A.I. Kuprin. The script is based on the novel “Junker”, the story “The Duel”, “At the Turning Point” (“Cadets”), many of the writer’s stories and episodes from his biography. The time of action in the film, unlike Kuprin’s novels, is shifted from the end of the 19th century to the years preceding the outbreak of the First World War.
We just have to re-read the fragments of the original source!
The usual conversation, beloved by young officers, began about cases of unexpected bloody massacres on the spot and how these cases almost always took place with impunity. In one small town, a beardless, drunken cornet charged with a saber into a crowd of Jews whose Easter pile he had previously “destroyed.” In Kyiv, an infantry second lieutenant hacked a student to death in a dance hall because he elbowed him at the buffet. In some big city - either Moscow or St. Petersburg - an officer shot “like a dog” a civilian who, in a restaurant, remarked to him that decent people do not pester strangers.
Romashov, who had been silent until now, suddenly, blushing with embarrassment, unnecessarily adjusting his glasses and clearing his throat, intervened in the conversation:
- And here, gentlemen, is what I will say from my side. Let’s say I don’t consider a bartender... yes... But if a civilian... how can I say this?.. Yes... Well, if he is a decent person, a nobleman and so on... why would I be at attack him, unarmed, with a saber? Why can’t I demand satisfaction from him? Still, we are cultured people, so to speak... “Eh, you’re talking nonsense, Romashov,” Vetkin interrupted him. - You will demand satisfaction, and he will say: “No... uh... I, you know, in general... uh... I don’t recognize a duel. I am against bloodshed... And besides , uh... we have a magistrate..." So then you'll walk around with a beaten face all your life.
Haven't you read in the newspapers about the officer's duel? - Shurochka suddenly asked.
Romashov perked up and with difficulty took his eyes away from her.
- No, I haven’t read it. But I heard it. And what?
- Of course, you, as usual, don’t read anything. Really, Yuri Alekseevich, you are going downhill. In my opinion, something ridiculous happened. I understand: fights between officers are a necessary and reasonable thing. - Shurochka convincingly pressed her knitting to her chest. - But why such tactlessness? Think: one lieutenant insulted another. The insult is severe, and the society of officers decides the duel. But what follows is nonsense and stupidity. The conditions are just like the death penalty: fifteen steps of distance and fight until you are seriously wounded... If both opponents are on their feet, the shots resume. But this is a massacre, this... I don’t know what! But wait, these are just flowers. All the officers of the regiment, almost even the ladies of the regiment, come to the scene of the duel, and even a photographer is placed somewhere in the bushes. This is horror, Romochka! And the unfortunate second lieutenant, Fendrik, as Volodya says, like you, and in addition, offended, and not the offender, receives a terrible wound in the stomach after the third shot and by the evening dies in agony. And it turns out that he had an old mother and a sister, an old young lady, who lived with him, just like our Mikhin... But listen: why, who needed to make such a bloody buffoonery out of the duel? And this, mind you, at the very first stages, immediately after the resolution of the fights. And believe me, believe me! - Shurochka exclaimed, her eyes sparkling, - now the sentimental opponents of officer duels - oh, I know these despicable liberal cowards! - now they will shout: “Ah, barbarity! Ah, a relic of wild times! Ah, fratricide!”
- However, you are bloodthirsty, Alexandra Petrovna! - Romashov inserted.
- Not bloodthirsty, - no! - she objected sharply. - I'm pitiful. I’ll take off the bug that’s tickling my neck and try not to hurt it. But try to understand, Romashov, there is simple logic here. What are officers for? For war. What is the first thing required for war? Courage, pride, the ability not to blink before death. Where are these qualities most clearly manifested in peacetime? In duels. That's all. It seems clear. It is not the French officers who need duels - because the concept of honor, and even an exaggerated one, is in the blood of every Frenchman - not the Germans - because from birth all Germans are decent and disciplined - but us, us, us! Then we will not have among the officers card sharpers like Archakovsky, or incessant drunkards like your Nazansky; Then, by itself, there will be amicosity, familiar ridicule in the meeting, in front of the servants, this is your mutual foul language, throwing decanters at each other’s heads, with the goal of not hitting, but missing. Then you won’t vilify each other like that behind your back. An officer's every word must be weighed. The officer is a model of correctness. And then, what tenderness: fear of a shot! Your profession is to risk your life.
20
.........
In the evening of that day he was again summoned to court, but this time together with Nikolaev. Both enemies stood almost side by side in front of the table. They never
looked at each other, but each of them felt at a distance
the mood of the other and was tensely worried about it. They both stubbornly and
They looked motionless at the chairman as he read the court decision to them:
- "The court of the society of officers of the N-sky infantry regiment, consisting of - followed
ranks and names of judges - chaired by Lieutenant Colonel Migunov,
having considered the case of a collision in the premises of the lieutenant's officers' meeting
Nikolaev and second lieutenant Romashov, found that due to the severity of mutual
insults, the quarrel of these chief officers cannot be ended by reconciliation and
that a duel between them is the only means of satisfaction
offended honor and officer's dignity. The court's opinion is confirmed
regimental commander."
Having finished reading, Lieutenant Colonel Migunov took off his glasses and hid them in a case.
“It remains for you, gentlemen,” he said with stony solemnity, “
choose your seconds, two on each side, and send them to nine
o'clock in the evening here, to the meeting, where they, together with us, will work out the conditions
duel. However,” he added, standing up and hiding his eyeglass case in his back pocket,
- however, the court ruling you read now does not have any meaning for you
binding force. Each of you retains complete freedom to fight on
a duel, or... - he spread his hands and paused - or leave the service.
Then... you are free, gentlemen... Two more words. Not as chairman
court, and as a senior comrade, I would advise you, gentlemen, officers,
refrain from attending the meeting until the fight." This may lead to
complications. Goodbye.
Nikolaev turned sharply and walked out of the hall with quick steps. Slowly
Romashov also followed him. He wasn't scared, but he suddenly felt
feeling exceptionally lonely, strangely isolated, as if cut off from
all over the world. Coming out onto the porch of the meeting, with a long, calm surprise, he
looked at the sky, at the trees, at the cow at the fence opposite, at the sparrows,
bathed in dust in the middle of the road, and thought: “Here - everyone lives, bustles,
fusses, grows and shines, but I no longer need or find anything interesting.
I'm condemned. I am alone".
Sluggishly, almost bored, he went to look for Bek-Agamalov and Vetkin,
whom he decided to ask for seconds. Both readily agreed -
Bek-Agamalov with gloomy restraint, Vetkin with affectionate and
meaningful handshakes.
Romashov didn’t want to go home - it was creepy and boring there. In these
difficult moments of mental impotence, loneliness and sluggish misunderstanding of life
he needed to see a close, sympathetic friend and at the same time subtle,
an understanding, gentle-hearted person.
And suddenly he remembered Nazansky.
21
........
Romashov told in detail the story of his collision with Nikolaev.
Nazansky listened to him thoughtfully, tilting his head and looking down at the water,
which in lazy thick streams, shimmering like liquid glass,
resounded far and wide from the bow of the boat.
- Tell the truth, aren’t you afraid, Romashov? - Nazansky asked quietly.
- Duels? No, I’m not afraid,” Romashov quickly answered. But immediately he
fell silent and in one second vividly imagined how he would stand completely
close against Nikolaev and see the black descending in his outstretched hand
barrel of a revolver. “No, no,” Romashov added hastily, “I won’t.”
lie that I'm not afraid. Of course it's scary. But I know that I won't chicken out, no
I'll run away and won't ask for forgiveness.
Nazansky dipped his fingertips into the warm, evening, slightly murmuring
water and spoke slowly, in a weak voice, clearing his throat every minute:
- Oh, my dear, dear Romashov, why do you want to do this? Think:
if you know for sure that you will not be afraid - if you know for sure - then
after all, how many times will it be bolder to take and refuse?
- He hit me... in the face! - Romashov said stubbornly, and again the burning
anger swayed heavily within him.
“Well, well, well, he hit me,” Nazansky objected affectionately and sadly,
He looked at Romashov with tender eyes. - Is that really the point? Everything in the world
passes, your pain and your hatred will pass. And you yourself will forget about
this. But the person you killed will never be forgotten. He will be with
you in bed, at the table, alone and in a crowd. Idle talkers,
filtered fools, copper foreheads, colorful parrots assure that
Killing in a duel is not murder. What nonsense! But they are sentimental
They believe that robbers dream of the brains and blood of their victims. No, murder -
always murder. And what is important here is not pain, not death, not violence, not
disgusting disgust for blood and corpses - no, the most terrible thing is that you
you rob a person of his joy of life. Great joy of life! - repeated
suddenly Nazansky spoke loudly, with tears in his voice. - After all, no one - neither you nor me,
oh, and simply no one in the world believes in any afterlife.
That's why everyone fears death, but cowardly fools deceive themselves
prospects of radiant gardens and the sweet singing of castrati, and the strong -
silently step over the line of necessity. We are not strong. When we think
what will happen after our death, we imagine an empty, cold and
dark cellar. No, my dear, these are all lies: the cellar would be happy
deception, joyful consolation. But imagine the horror of the thought that
There will be absolutely, absolutely nothing, no darkness, no emptiness, no cold... even
There will be no thought about it, there won’t even be any fear left! At least fear!
Think!
......
“Yes, life is wonderful,” said Romashov.
- Beautiful! - Nazansky repeated fervently. - And here are two people from behind
that one hit the other, or kissed his wife, or simply passing
passed him and twirled his mustache, looked at him impolitely - these two people
shooting at each other, killing each other. Oh no, their wounds, their suffering,
their death - to hell with it all! Is he killing himself - a pathetic moving
a lump called a person? He kills the sun, hot, sweet
the sun, the bright sky, nature, - all the diverse beauty of life, kills
the greatest pleasure and pride is human thought! He kills what
will never, never, never return. Ah, fools, fools!
22
.......
- Well, do you want me to give up the fight tomorrow and apologize to him? Do it? - he said sadly.
She was silent for a moment. The alarm clock filled with its metallic chatter
all corners of a dark room. Finally she said barely audible, as if in
thoughtfully, with an expression that Romashov could not catch:
- I knew you would offer this.
He raised his head and, although she held his neck with her hand, straightened up
beds.
- I'm not afraid! - he said loudly and dully.
“No, no, no, no,” she said hotly, hastily, pleadingly
in a whisper. - You did not understand me. Come closer to me... like before... Come on!..
She hugged him with both arms and whispered, tickling his face with hers.
thin hair and breathing hotly into his cheek:
- You did not understand me. Mine is completely different. But I'm ashamed of you. You
so pure, kind, and I’m embarrassed to tell you about it. I'm calculating
I'm ugly...
- No, tell me everything. I love you.
“Listen,” she spoke, and he rather guessed her words than heard them.
their. - If you refuse, then how many insults, shame and suffering will fall
at you. No, no, not that again. Oh, my God, at this moment I won't
lie to you. My dear, I’ve thought about and weighed all this for a long time.
Let's say you refused. The husband's honor has been rehabilitated. But, understand, in a duel,
ending in reconciliation, there is always something left... how should I say?.. Well,
or something doubtful, something exciting bewilderment and disappointment...
Do you understand me? - she asked with sad tenderness and carefully
kissed his hair.
- Yes. So what?
- The fact that in this case the husband will almost certainly not be allowed to take the exams.
The reputation of an officer of the General Staff should be without fluff. Meanwhile
if you actually shot yourself, then there would be something heroic,
strong. To people who know how to hold themselves with dignity under fire,
they forgive a lot, a lot. Then... after the duel... you could, if
if you want to apologize... Well, that's up to you.
......
Trying to hide an incomprehensible, dull irritation, he said dryly:
- For God's sake, explain yourself more directly. I promise you everything.
Ilya Glazunov Shurochka at Romashov's on the eve of the duel, chapter 22
Then she spoke commandingly right next to his mouth, and her words were
like quick, trembling kisses:
- You definitely have to shoot yourself tomorrow. But neither of you will
injured. Oh, understand me, don’t judge me! I myself despise cowards, I
woman. But for my sake, do it, George! No, don't ask about your husband, he
knows. I did everything, everything, everything.
Now he managed to free himself from her soft and
strong hands. He got out of bed and said firmly:
- Okay, so be it. I agree.
To His Highness, commander of the N-sky infantry regiment.
Staff captain of the same regiment Dietz.
I hereby have the honor to inform your honor that on this 2nd
June, according to the conditions reported to you yesterday, June 1st, took place
a duel between Lieutenant Nikolaev and Second Lieutenant Romashov. Opponents
met five minutes to 6 o’clock in the morning, in a grove called “Dubechnaya”,
located 3 1/2 versts from the city. Duration of the fight
including the time spent on signals, it was 1 minute. 10 sec. Places,
occupied by duelists were determined by lot. On the command "forward" both
the enemy went towards each other, and with a shot fired
Lieutenant Nikolaev, Second Lieutenant Romashov was wounded in the upper right part
belly. Lieutenant Nikolaev stopped to shoot, exactly the same as
remained standing, waiting for a return shot. After the specified
half a minute for a return shot, it was discovered that Second Lieutenant Romashov
cannot respond to the enemy. As a result of this, the second lieutenant's seconds
Romashov was offered to consider the fight over. By general agreement this
was done. When transferring Second Lieutenant Romashov into the carriage, the last
fell into a severe fainting state and died seven minutes later from
internal hemorrhage. Seconds on the part of Lieutenant Nikolaev
were: me and Lieutenant Vasin, and from the side of Second Lieutenant Romashov: lieutenants
Bek-Agamalov and Vetkin. The order for the duel, by common consent, was
provided to me. Testimony of the junior doctor Col. ac. It's hot at this
I enclose.
Staff Captain Dietz.
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