Analysis of the story “Clean Monday” (I. Bunin)
Composition
Story " Clean Monday"is amazingly beautiful and tragic at the same time. The meeting of two people leads to the emergence of a wonderful feeling - love. But love is not only joy, it is a huge torment, against the background of which many problems and troubles seem invisible. The story described exactly how the man and woman met. But the story begins from the moment at which their relationship had already continued for quite a long time. Bunin pays attention to the smallest details, to how “the Moscow gray winter day darkened,” or to where the lovers went for dinner—“to Prague, to the Hermitage, to the Metropol.”
The tragedy of separation is anticipated at the very beginning of the story. The main character does not know where their relationship will lead. He simply prefers not to think about this: “I didn’t know how it would end, and I tried not to think, not to think about it: it was useless - just like talking to her about it: she once and for all turned away conversations about our future.” Why does the heroine reject conversations about the future?
Is she not interested in continuing the relationship with her loved one? Or does she already have some idea about her future? Judging by the way Bunin describes the main character, she appears as a very special woman, unlike many around. She takes courses, not realizing, however, why she needs to study. When asked why she was studying, the girl answered: “Why is everything done in the world? Do we understand anything in our actions?
The girl loves to surround herself with beautiful things, she is educated, sophisticated, smart. But at the same time, she seems somehow surprisingly detached from everything that surrounded her: “It looked like she didn’t need anything: no flowers, no books, no dinners, no theaters, no dinners out of town.” At the same time, she knows how to enjoy life, enjoys reading, tasty food, interesting impressions. It would seem that the lovers have everything they need for happiness: “We were both rich, healthy, young and so good-looking that in restaurants and at concerts they looked at us.” At first it may seem that the story describes a real love idyll. But in reality everything was completely different.
It is no coincidence that the main character comes up with the idea of the strangeness of their love. The girl denies in every possible way the possibility of marriage, she explains that she is not fit to be a wife. The girl cannot find herself, she is in thought. She is attracted to the luxurious, happy life. But at the same time she resists it, wants to find something different for herself. Conflicting feelings arise in the girl’s soul, which are incomprehensible to many young people accustomed to a simple and carefree existence.
The girl visits churches and Kremlin cathedrals. She is drawn to religion, to holiness, herself, perhaps, not realizing why she is attracted to this. Quite suddenly, without explaining anything to anyone, she decides to leave not only her lover, but also her usual way of life. After leaving, the heroine informs in a letter of her intention to decide to take monastic vows. She doesn't want to explain anything to anyone. Parting with his beloved turned out to be a difficult test for the main character. Only after a long time was he able to see her among the line of nuns.
The story is called “Clean Monday” because it was on the eve of this holy day that the first conversation about religiosity took place between the lovers. I didn’t think about it before, I didn’t suspect it main character about the other side of a girl’s nature. She seemed quite happy with her usual life, in which there was a place for theaters, restaurants, and fun. The renunciation of secular joys for the sake of a monastic monastery testifies to the deep internal torment that took place in the soul of the young woman. Perhaps this is precisely what explains the indifference with which she treated her usual life. She could not find a place for herself among everything that surrounded her. And even love could not help her in finding spiritual harmony.
Love and tragedy go hand in hand in this story, as, indeed, in many other works of Bunin. Love in itself does not seem to be happiness, but rather a difficult test that must be endured with honor. Love is sent to people who cannot, do not know how to understand and appreciate it in time.
What is the tragedy of the main characters in the story “Clean Monday”? The fact is that a man and a woman were never able to understand and appreciate each other properly. Each person is a whole world, a whole Universe. The inner world of the girl, the heroine of the story, is very rich. She is in thought, in a spiritual search. She is attracted and at the same time frightened by the surrounding reality; she does not find anything to become attached to. And love appears not as salvation, but as another problem that weighs on her. That is why the heroine decides to give up love.
Refusal of worldly joys and entertainment reveals a strong nature in a girl. This is how she answers her own questions about the meaning of existence. In the monastery she does not have to ask herself any questions; now the meaning of life for her becomes love for God and service to him. Everything vain, vulgar, petty and insignificant will never touch her again. Now she can be in her solitude without worrying that it will be disturbed.
The story may seem sad and even tragic. To some extent this is true. But at the same time, the story “Clean Monday” is sublimely beautiful. It makes you think about true values, that each of us sooner or later has to face a situation of moral choice. And not everyone has the courage to admit that the choice was made incorrectly.
At first, the girl lives the way many of those around her live. But gradually she realizes that she is not satisfied not only with the way of life itself, but also with all the little things and details that surround her. She finds the strength to look for another option and comes to the conclusion that love for God can be her salvation. Love for God simultaneously elevates her, but at the same time makes all her actions completely incomprehensible. The main character, a man in love with her, practically ruins his life. He remains alone. But the point is not that she leaves him completely unexpectedly. She treats him cruelly, making him suffer and suffer. True, he suffers with him. He suffers and suffers of his own free will. This is evidenced by the heroine’s letter: “May God give me the strength not to answer me - it is useless to prolong and increase our torment...”.
Lovers are separated not because unfavorable circumstances arise. In fact, the reason is completely different. The reason is a sublime and at the same time deeply unhappy girl who cannot find the meaning of existence for herself. She cannot but deserve respect - this amazing girl who was not afraid to change her destiny so dramatically. But at the same time, she seems to be an incomprehensible and incomprehensible person, so unlike everyone who surrounded her.
In 1937, Ivan Bunin began work on his best book. For the first time the collection " Dark alleys"was published after the end of World War II. This book is a collection of short tragic stories about love. One of the most famous stories Bunina - “Clean Monday”. Analysis and summary works are presented in today's article.
"Dark alleys"
The analysis of Bunin’s “Clean Monday” should begin with brief history creation of a work. This is one of the last stories included in the collection “Dark Alleys”. Bunin completed work on the work “Clean Monday” on May 12, 1944. The story was first published in New York.
The writer was probably pleased with this essay. After all, in his diary, Bunin wrote: “I thank God for the opportunity to create Clean Monday.”
Bunin, in each of his works included in the collection “Dark Alleys,” reveals to the reader the tragedy and catastrophism of love. This feeling is beyond human control. It suddenly comes into his life, gives fleeting happiness, and then certainly causes unbearable pain.
The narration in the story “Clean Monday” by Bunin is told in the first person. The author does not name his heroes. Love breaks out between two young people. They are both beautiful, rich, healthy and seemingly full of energy. But something is missing in their relationship.
They visit restaurants, concerts, theaters. They discuss books and plays. True, the girl often shows indifference, even hostility. “You don’t like everything,” the main character once says, but he himself does not attach any significance to his words. A passionate romance is followed by a sudden separation - unexpected for young man, not for her. The ending is typical of Bunin's style. What caused the break between the lovers?
On the eve of the Orthodox holiday
The story describes their first meeting, but the narrative begins with events that occur some time after they met. The girl attends courses, reads a lot, and otherwise leads an idle lifestyle. And she seems quite happy with everything. But this is only at first glance. He is so absorbed in his feeling, his love for her, that he is not even aware of the other side of her soul.
It is worth paying attention to the title of the story - “Clean Monday”. The meaning of Bunin's story is quite deep. On the eve of the holy day, the lovers have their first conversation about religiosity. Before this, the main character had no idea that the girl was attracted to everything connected with the church. In his absence, she visits Moscow monasteries, moreover, she is thinking about becoming a monk.
Clean Monday is the beginning of Lent. On this day, cleansing rituals are carried out, the transition from fast food to Lenten restrictions.
Parting
One day they go to the Novodevichy Convent. By the way, this is a rather unusual route for him. Previously, they spent time exclusively in entertainment establishments. The visit to the monastery is, of course, the idea of the protagonist's beloved.
The next day, intimacy occurs between them for the first time. And then the girl leaves for Tver, from there she sends a letter to her lover. In this message she asks not to wait for her. She became a novice in one of the Tver monasteries, and perhaps she will decide to take monastic vows. He will never see her again.
After receiving the last letter from his beloved, the hero began to drink, go downhill, and then finally came to his senses. One day, after a long time, I saw a nun in a Moscow church, in whom I recognized my former beloved. Perhaps the image of his beloved was too firmly entrenched in his mind, and it was not her at all? He didn't tell her anything. He turned and walked out of the temple gates. This is the summary of Bunin’s “Clean Monday”.
Love and tragedy
Bunin's heroes do not find happiness. In "Clean Monday", as in other works of the Russian classic, we are talking about love, which brings only bitterness and disappointment. What is the tragedy of the heroes of this story?
Probably the fact that, being close, they did not know each other at all. Each person is a whole Universe. And sometimes even loved ones cannot unravel his inner world. Bunin spoke about loneliness among people, about love, which is impossible without complete mutual understanding. Analysis work of art cannot be done without characterizing the main characters. What do we know about the girl who, living in prosperity and being loved, went to a monastery?
main character
When analyzing Bunin’s “Clean Monday”, it is worth paying attention to the portrait of a nameless girl that the author creates at the beginning of the work. She led an idle life. She read a lot, studied music, and loved visiting restaurants. But she did all this somehow indifferently, without much interest.
She is educated, well-read, and enjoys immersing herself in the world of luxurious social life. She likes good cuisine, but she wonders “how people don’t get bored having lunch and dinner every day”? She calls acting skits vulgar, while she ends the relationship with her lover by visiting the theater. Bunin's heroine cannot understand what his purpose in this life is. She is not one of those who is content to live in luxury and talk about literature and art.
The inner world of the main character is very rich. She constantly thinks and is in a spiritual search. The girl is attracted by the surrounding reality, but at the same time frightens her. Love becomes not a salvation for her, but a problem that terribly burdens her, forcing her to make the only correct sudden decision.
main character refuses worldly joys, and this shows her strong nature. “Clean Monday” is not the only story from the collection “Dark Alleys” in which the author paid a lot of attention to the female image.
Bunin brought to the fore the hero's experiences. At the same time, it showed a rather contradictory female character. The heroine is satisfied with the lifestyle she leads, but all sorts of details, little things, depress her. Finally, she decides to go to a monastery, thereby destroying the life of the man who loves her. True, by doing this she causes suffering to herself. After all, in the letter that the girl sends to her lover there are the words: “May God give me the strength not to answer you.”
Main character
Little is known about the future fate of the young man. He had a hard time being separated from his beloved. He disappeared into the dirtiest taverns, drank and became miserable. But still he came to his senses and returned to his previous way of life. It can be assumed that the pain that this strange, extraordinary and somewhat exalted girl inflicted on him will never subside.
In order to find out who the writer was during his lifetime, you just need to read his books. But is the biography of Ivan Bunin really so tragic? Was there in his life real love?
Ivan Bunin
The writer's first wife, Anna Tsakni, was the daughter of an Odessa Greek, editor of a popular magazine at that time. They got married in 1898. Soon a son was born, who did not live even five years. The child died of meningitis. Bunin took the death of his son very hard. The relationship between the spouses went wrong, but his wife did not give him a divorce for a long time. Even after he connected his life with Vera Muromtseva.
The writer's second wife became his "patient shadow." Muromtseva replaced his secretary, mother, and friend. She did not leave him even when he began an affair with Galina Kuznetsova. Still, it was Galina Muromtseva who was next to the writer in last days his life. The creator of “Dark Alleys” was not deprived of love.
Moral and philosophical problem in I. A. Bunin’s story “Clean Monday”
“He wrote about “Clean Monday” on a piece of paper on one of his sleepless nights, I quote from memory: “I thank God that he gave me the opportunity to write “Clean Monday.” (letter from V.N. Muromtseva-Bunina to N.P. Smirnov, January 30, 1959)
Ivan Alekseevich Bunin is a man with an incredibly eventful life and, of course, a special character, a man who managed to transfer his beliefs and life experience to paper. I.A. Bunin worked at the turn of the century, when thoughts and ideas old school Russian classics were no longer popular, but a “new tribe” of writers was born who praised the revolution, whom Bunin, by the way, criticized until the very end, because of his special character, all his life.
But having lived so bright life In his declining years, but still being an inquisitive young man at heart, Bunin writes a collection about love, “Dark Alleys.” The collection of the series was written in a difficult time of poverty and occupation of France, and writing stories about love saved his soul and consciousness from the chaos and horror of the world. In this kingdom of hatred, he personally erected a temple of love. This is precisely why the collection “Dark Alleys” is unusual; in addition to the theme of tragic love and its apogee, a thin thread runs through the idea of how, whether a war or a revolution, can separate two lovers. And there is a certain symbolism in this, because the actions take place before the start of the First World War, but the stories were written during the Second World War. And Bunin’s love itself was not so tragic, given that he lived his whole life with his faithful companion V.N. Muromtseva.
From the seemingly ordinary stories In the collection about love, one story stands out, “Clean Monday,” about which he wrote on a piece of paper on one of his sleepless nights: “I thank God that he gave me the opportunity to write “Clean Monday.”
The external events of the story “Clean Monday” are not particularly complex and fit well into the theme of the “Dark Alleys” cycle. The plot of “Clean Monday” centers on the very tragic love of two rich young people from the very beginning. A young man shares memories of his relationship with his lover. Having met at a meeting of a literary circle, they begin to meet and spend time together, “every evening I took her to dinner in Prague, the Hermitage, the Metropol, after dinner to theaters, concerts, and then to the Yar ”, in “Strelna”... But the relationship was not so ideal because of the behavior of the girl, who “was mysterious, incomprehensible to me, our relationship with her was also strange - we were still not very close; and all this endlessly kept me in unresolved tension, in painful anticipation.” But that’s why this was mysterious beautiful lady. After all, it is through her that the author is trying to convey to us the concept of this story, which, by the way, if you delve into it, is not only about love. The culmination of the lover's uncertainty comes at the end of Maslenitsa, when the main character decides to reveal herself to her lover. And suddenly the parallelism of her hobbies with “theatrical skits”, expensive dinners and deep religious knowledge becomes strange. The apogee of love according to Bunin still occurs, after which the heroine decides to leave her former life and her lover, doing this on the very symbolic day of Clean Monday, the beginning of a long fast and her moral cleansing. But what were her lamentations and how strong were they if she sacrificed love for them?
And it was in the main character that Bunin laid down the meaning that distinguishes this story from others in the “Dark Alleys” cycle - not just woman's love, and love is sublime and sensual, that love that passes only through severe moral suffering. The main character, living at a time when the era has reached its end, and because of this society has reached the peak of its vulgarity and disgustingness, is an incredibly religious person and realizes how difficult it is to maintain the sincerity of love, living the way she lived with the young man. Just like she herself did not see the point in such a life, nor in why she attended the courses: “Why is everything done in the world? Do we understand anything in our actions?
This symbolic image absorbs a craving for spiritual achievement, doubt, sacrifice and longing for an ideal. She, like Bunin himself, living in a storm of constant change, saw the importance and necessity of those old ideals and, criticizing many, only expressed longing for the old society. The heroine, like Bunin in his time, was forced to flee from all this damned life, realizing , which does not dare, and is not able to resist her. And without that tragic love becomes even more tragic due to the moral lamentations of the main character. And this is precisely the peculiarity of this story here, Bunin not only shows love as a tragedy, a catastrophe, madness, a great feeling that can both infinitely elevate and destroy a person, but through it he shows how love can perish not because of the beloved but because of the world that surrounds them.
But a thin thread of hope in Bunin’s stories runs through the idea that “all love is great happiness, even if it is not shared.”
Yes, perhaps she is no longer in his life, but that doesn’t stop their love. It's no coincidence last scene, where young people meet two years later, because in their eyes there is still the same love, which they keep as a priceless treasure.
Class- 11
Lesson objectives:
- introduce students to the life and work of I.A. Bunin, the book “Dark Alleys”;
- analyze the story “Clean Monday”: reveal the problem of love, find out the reasons tragic fate heroes;
- introduce the spiritual heritage of Russia;
- develop the skills of analytical reading of an epic work, the ability to make micro-conclusions and, with their help, a general conclusion;
- develop critical thinking, stage skills;
- to cultivate spiritual culture, responsibility for one’s actions and the fate of the country;
make interdisciplinary connections - draw parallels: literature, painting, music, religion. Equipment:
exhibition “Who wants to know Russia, visit Moscow”, portrait of I.A. Bunin, music by L.-V. Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”, D. Verdi’s opera “Aida”, “Red Ringing” of bells, candles, texts of the work and prayers of E. Sirin, Kustodiev’s painting “Maslenitsa”, magazine “LSh” - No. 2, 3, 1996, No. 3 , 1997, projector.
During the classes
I. Org. moment.
II. Preparation for the main stage.
Teacher's word.
Today we will get acquainted with the work of I.A. Bunin; Let's find out what problems the author touches on in the story “Clean Monday” and how the characters solve them.
III. Assimilation of new knowledge and methods of action.
1. Presentation about I.A. Bunin. Student’s speech.
2. Reading the epigraph.
Doesn't the world's sad music give happiness?
All love is great happiness,
even if it is not divided.
I. Bunin
3. Analysis of the epigraph. Teacher's word.
These words are the meaning of the entire book “Dark Alleys”. You can call it an encyclopedia of love dramas, a book of 38 love stories created during World War II (1937-1944). I. Bunin in 1947 This is how he assessed his work: “She talks about the tragic and about many tender and beautiful things - I think that this is the best and most original thing that I have written in my life...”
Bunin's love amazes not only with the power of artistic representation, but also with its subordination to some internal, unknown laws. It's a secret. And not everyone, in his opinion, is given the opportunity to touch her. The state of love is not fruitless for the writer’s heroes; it elevates their souls. However, love is not only happiness, but also tragedy. It cannot end in marriage. Bunin's heroes part forever.
4. The history of writing the story “Clean Monday”.
The story “Clean Monday” was written on May 12, 1944.
Why is the date of writing specific, and the events described in the work refer to 1914? 1944 During the years of difficult trials for the country, I. Bunin reminded people of love as the most wonderful feeling in life. Thus, Bunin rejected fascism and exalted Russia.
5. The meaning of the story's title.
1) Historical background holiday. Reading a textbook article.
Maslenitsa – Forgiveness Sunday – Lent – Clean Monday – Easter
2) Description of Clean Monday by I. Shmelev in the novel “The Summer of the Lord.”
(Against the background of Beethoven's music)
“Today is Clean Monday, and everything in our house is being cleaned... It’s dripping outside the window - when it starts crying. So she began to cry - drip... drip... drip... And something joyful is stirring in her heart: everything is new now, different. Now the soul will begin...”, “the soul must be prepared.” To fast, to fast, to prepare for the Bright Day... Today is a special day, a strict one... Yesterday was a forgiven day... Read - “Lord is the Lord of my life...”. The rooms are quiet and deserted, smelling of a sacred smell. In the hallway, in front of the reddish icon of the Crucifixion... they lit a Lenten... lamp, and now it will burn unquenchably until Easter. When my father lights the lamps - on Saturdays he lights the lamps himself - he always hums pleasantly and sadly: “Let us bow to Your Cross, Master,” and I sing after him, wonderful:
And holy... Your Resurrection
Sla-a-vim!..
Joyful prayer! She shines with a gentle light in these sad days of Lent!”
6. Introduction to the Lenten prayer of Ephraim the Syrian.
Ephraim the Syrian is an outstanding figure of the Christian Church of the 4th century, the famous author of many theological works.
“Lord and Master of my life, do not give me the spirit of idleness, covetousness and idle talk. Grant me the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to your servant! To her, Lord the King, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother, for blessed are you forever and ever. Amen".
7. Story composition.
The composition is consistent.
Winter at the beginning and end of the story is syntactic parallelism.
8. Conversation based on content.
Why is the plot interesting?
What emotions did the story evoke in you?
What kind of ending were you expecting?
Why didn't your hopes come true?
How would you end the story of this undying love?
Where does the action take place?
Name the holy places of Moscow mentioned in the story. (Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Novodevichy Convent, Conception Monastery, Archangel Cathedral, Marfo-Mariinsky Convent) (Excerpts from a poem about Moscow are heard while the bells are ringing)
Here, as it was, so now -
The heart of all Rus' is holy.
Here are her shrines
Behind the Kremlin wall!
(V.Bryusov)
Wonderful city, ancient city,
You fit into your ends
And towns and villages,
And chambers and palaces!
Belted with a ribbon of arable land,
You are all colorful in the gardens:
How many temples, how many towers
On your seven hills!
May you flourish with eternal glory,
City of temples and chambers!
Middle city, heartfelt city,
The city of indigenous Russia!
(F. Glinka)
“This is the Russia we lost,” I. Shmelev laments. And I. Bunin echoes him.
The story is built on contrasts.
Artistic detail plays a huge role. This is the color.
| black | yellow | red |
| Black hair | Shoes with gold buckles | Garnet shoes |
| Eyes as black as coal | Golden Dome | Garnet velvet dress |
| Tar bangs | Gold brocade | Brick and bloody walls of the monastery |
| Dark eyes | Sunset Gold Enamel | Red Gate |
| Charcoal velvet eye | Amber of bare hands | |
| Black board icons | Golden cross on the forehead | |
| Black kid glove | Amber face | |
| Black felt boots | Book “Fire Angel” | |
| Black velvet dress | Yellow-haired Rus' | |
| Black shiny braids | Amber cheeks | |
| Smolny hair | Fire pancakes | |
| Indian Persian beauty | Gold iconostasis | |
| Eyebrows like black sable fur | ||
| Black leather sofa |
What is their function?
Yellow and red are traditional icon painting colors.
Yellow symbolizes the Kingdom of Heaven.
Red – fire, i.e. life.
Black – humility, submission.
What does SHE do?
(Listening to Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”)
Subject " Moonlight Sonata" - that's her.
He is the theme of the march from Aida. Prove it.
(Listen to Verdi's music)
“... human life is entirely under the power of a woman,” noted Maupassant.
Let's listen to their dialogue.
(There are two chairs nearby. She reads silently.)
She: - You are terribly talkative and restless, let me finish reading the chapter.
He: - If I hadn't been talkative and restless, I might never have recognized you
She: - That's all true, but still be silent for a while, read something, smoke...
He: - I can’t remain silent! You can't imagine the power of my love for you! You don't love me!
She: - I can imagine. As for my love, you know well, except for my father and you, I have no one in the world. In any case, you are my first and last. Is this not enough for you? But enough about that.
He (to himself): -Strange love.
She : - I’m not fit to be a wife. I'm not good, I'm not good.
He (to himself): -We’ll see there!
(out loud) No, this is beyond my strength! And why, why do you torture me and yourself so cruelly! “Yes, after all, this is not love, not love...”
She: - May be. Who knows what love is?
He : - I, I know! (exclaimed) And I will wait for you to find out what love and happiness are!
What do his internal remarks say?
Do you think they loved each other? Prove it.
Did he recognize her? Why?
And again the whole evening they talked about strangers.
So January, February passed... Maslenitsa.
On Forgiveness Sunday, she ordered him to come in the evening.
What day is this?
He has arrived. She met him, all in black.
Read their dialogue. (Reading dialogue)
Why does she want to go to a monastery?
Why didn't he know about her religiosity? What were you blinded by?
(Sounds “Moonlight Sonata”)
At 10 o'clock evening the next day (it was Clean Monday) he opened the door with his key. Everything was lit: chandeliers, candelabra, a lamp... and the “Moonlight Sonata” was playing. She stood near the piano in a black velvet dress.
They went to the cabbage party.
What kind of entertainment is this?
How did she behave? Why cheeky? What is strange about her character?
What was the weather like that evening? (Blizzard)
What role does a snowstorm play?
Why did she keep him after the “cabbage party”, which she had not done before?
Why did she take off all her black clothes and wear only swan slippers?
What role does white play?
Why was there no more snowstorm when he left her?
Why is she leaving for Tver?
What letter did she write? Read it.
Why did she go to the monastery?
Why wasn’t he surprised by this ending to their meetings? (Didn't look into the soul)
Re-read the ending of the story.
When it was?
What brought him to the monastery?
What did he understand?
Why did he turn and quietly walk out of the gate?
Why is the story told in 1st person?
IV. Systematization and generalization of knowledge.
Conclusions from the lesson.
All true love is great happiness, even if it ends in separation, death, or tragedy. Bunin’s heroes, who have lost, overlooked, or destroyed their love themselves, come to this conclusion, albeit late. In this late repentance, the late spiritual resurrection of the heroes, we see real people, their imperfection, inability to value what is nearby, and we also see the imperfection of life itself, social conditions, circumstances that often interfere with truly human relationships.
The story, which tells about tragic collisions, does not carry pessimism. It, like music, like any great art, purifies and elevates the soul, affirming the truly lofty and beautiful.
V. Summing up the lesson.
VI. Reflection.
VII. Information about homework.
How would you conclude the story? Complete the love story.
I.A. Bunin left a fairly rich literary heritage. He wrote stories, novels, novels, and was an amazing poet. But perhaps the most famous work Bunin is the cycle “Dark Alleys”. Each story in this series is dedicated to the theme of love. This feeling for Bunin is incomprehensible, frantic, piercing, happy and sad at the same moment.
One of the most remarkable works of this cycle, in my opinion, is the story “Clean Monday”, written in 1944. Bunin was 74 years old, the Second World War was raging in the world. World War, Russia came under a terrible blow from the enemy army, the fate of our Motherland was being decided. The writer was very worried about Russia; he was with his country with all his heart. The state of instability and anxiety could not but affect Bunin’s work. It was at this time that the writer faced the question of the origins and essence of Russian national character, about the mystery of the Russian soul, about the secrets of national psychology.
It is very difficult to see all these thoughts when reading the story “Clean Monday” superficially, paying attention only to the plot. This work is very deep and ambiguous.
There are only two characters in the story: he and she. They don’t even have names, although this is not immediately noticeable - the storytelling is so easy, interesting, and exciting. The absence of a name is, perhaps, more typical for the heroine, because her spiritual appearance is too complex, elusive, she is mysterious, enigmatic. We hear the whole story as if from first-hand, as the hero himself tells it.
It is noteworthy that although the heroes themselves are not named, Bunin gives us a very clear time frame. The action takes place in December 1911 - March 1912. The writer surrounds us with real historical figures, Bunin’s contemporaries, who became unique “symbols” of the era. The characters meet at a lecture given by Andrei Bely, at a theater skit we see Stanislavsky and Moskvin doing a desperate cancan to the “laughter of the audience”, the heroine is invited to dance by the famous theater figure Sulerzhitsky, and the fairly tipsy Kachalov almost falls, trying to kiss his hand “ Tsar-Maiden."
The alignment of the characters in the work is quite interesting. At the center of the story is the heroine, the hero is, as it were, with her. She makes up the meaning of his life: “... he was incredibly happy with every hour spent near her.” The heroine is wise, she seems to be deeper than the hero. Her statements are striking: “Who knows what love is?..”, “Happiness, happiness... Our happiness, my friend, is like water in delirium: if you pull it, it’s inflated, but if you pull it out, there’s nothing.” The hero is constantly trying to unravel what is the secret of her feminine charm: appearance? gestures? demeanor? He is trying to understand her, to realize what is the source of her spiritual wandering?
Bunin's heroine combines opposite principles, her soul is simply woven from contradictions. On the one hand, she loves luxury, social life, but this coexists in her with an internal craving for something different, significant. She is interested in Western European fashionable writers and, at the same time, loves, understands and knows Russian literature well, which she periodically quotes by heart. Behind the visible European gloss hides the original Russian soul. The heroine talks with quiet delight about the Old Believer funeral, enjoying the sound of the Old Russian name. The complexity and originality of her soul is not revealed to us explicitly, but in passing, in unexpected phrases, wise and original sayings.
The heroine’s experiences are inaccessible to the narrator; he does not understand her behavior. The girl accepts his impudent caresses, but does not allow him to reach the end; she interrupts his conversations about the wedding, about legitimizing their relationship. It seems to me that the hero is too fixated on his feelings for her, which is why he is not able to get to know her deeper, to understand the essence of her actions. It comes as a shock to him that the girl visits the Rogozh Old Believer Church, the Novodevichy Convent, and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
The heroine is smart, beautiful, independent, rich, but “it looked like she didn’t need anything: no books, no dinners, no theaters, no dinners outside the city...” In this world she is only painfully searching for herself. The ending of the story, in my opinion, is quite predictable: the girl gives herself to the hero on their last night, and leaves the next day. From the letter, the narrator learns that she is in the monastery on obedience and is preparing to take monastic vows.
The hero takes this separation very hard. He walks through the dirtiest taverns, gets drunk, and gets depressed. At one point, a certain hopeless humility nevertheless overtakes him. It is at this moment that he meets his beloved for the last time in the church among other nuns.
Is it possible to imagine the heroine in a situation of worldly happiness? I think this is impossible. In her soul lives an eternal need for spiritual purity, a thirst for faith. And the decision to change her life comes to her precisely on Clean Monday, on the first day of Lent. It seems to me that in this work Bunin expressed his hope that soon such a clean Monday will come for all of Russia, it will be cleansed of its sins and spiritually reborn for a new, better life.
